Five minutes in Palenque we are drenched in sweat. Even our toasty bus ride had not prepared us for the heat and HUMIDITY of Palenque. It was like a sauna we couldnt escape.
After getting lost a couple of times we finally found our Airbnb and probably our most interesting accommodation so far. A jungle setting hostel with shared facilities and open air spaces run by an archaeologist called Jose. We start humming the Indiana Jones themesong under our breath.
The whole Indiana vibe was amplified by the bunch of old scientists and archaeologists that always sat in the courtyard smoking and talking (presumably about saving the world from mummies).
No hot water, but who needs it here. We took a few excellently refreshing cold showers.
The whole Indiana vibe was amplified by the bunch of old scientists and archaeologists that always sat in the courtyard smoking and talking (presumably about saving the world from mummies).
No hot water, but who needs it here. We took a few excellently refreshing cold showers.
'Combi, 25 pesos maximum!!' Jose tells us in his broken english.
Palenque is really only there because of the tourism at the Mayan Ruins which are around 15 minutes from the town. Unlike other tourist towns however, this has a distinct hippy relaxed feel which we rather enjoyed. We tried to blend in with the young trendy hipsters.
The ruins are reached by flagging down one of the multiple combis (a minibus ) which is labelled 'Ruinas', on the main street. ' Follow the tourists and stand with them' we were advised. Surprisingly we sucessfully reached the ruins, leaving small puddles of perspiration on our seats.
Palenque is really only there because of the tourism at the Mayan Ruins which are around 15 minutes from the town. Unlike other tourist towns however, this has a distinct hippy relaxed feel which we rather enjoyed. We tried to blend in with the young trendy hipsters.
The ruins are reached by flagging down one of the multiple combis (a minibus ) which is labelled 'Ruinas', on the main street. ' Follow the tourists and stand with them' we were advised. Surprisingly we sucessfully reached the ruins, leaving small puddles of perspiration on our seats.
Past the vendors selling hats and water and trinkets and into the jungle. The ruins were by far the most impressive we had visited. Towering above the treetops, with misty mystic jungle as the backdrop and howler monkeys swinging above our heads. The information signs were detailed and in English. We felt completely enthralled by the history and majesty of the place and the GREEN jungle. The tourists were plentiful but as long as you skirted the tour groups the place was so big you could sit and drink in the sights in a quiet patch of shade. And boy did we need shade.
The museum at the end of the trails topped it all off with excellent artifacts and even though we loved it so much we really just wanted to go home and have a cold shower and drink a gallon of water. So we flagged down a Ruinas combi like pros and rode with the door open because why not ( and we needed the airflow). When in Mexico.
The museum at the end of the trails topped it all off with excellent artifacts and even though we loved it so much we really just wanted to go home and have a cold shower and drink a gallon of water. So we flagged down a Ruinas combi like pros and rode with the door open because why not ( and we needed the airflow). When in Mexico.
We felt we had earned some good noche after all that sweating and stairs so we headed to the hotel area and set ourselves up for some margaritas and paella. Turns out to be a very good decision and we stumble home at 8.30pm bellys full and ready to face the mosquitos.
Jose kindly ordered us a taxi at 4am on Sunday morning to take us to the bus station. It didn't show up (fair enough, the driver probably had a big night) but we decided on walking and Jose even got up to see us off.
Only a 6 hour journey brought us to Merida, a simple journey, once again the buses are well equipped and we've learnt the Wi-Fi limit is 60mb.
Merida was a tourist town too, more so than Palenque. We had had enough of churches and markets so we decided to head to the beach.
'You buy drink I give you shade amigo'.
Progresso beach is one of the main cruise boat stops and has the longest wharf in Mexico, 7kms. The cruisers get bussed back to the beach from their boat. The locals make money off the cruisers. The cruisers hop off their boat where they have been lying by the pool and drinking cocktails and get a bus to the beach where they lie by the water and drink cocktails. Too cynical?
We, being thrifty backpackers (and it was 9am in the morning) decided against drinking and just wanted a swim. This posed a problem. Here you have to pay for shade, and us being pasty-english-heritaged aussies, we need shade. We were shunted out of a few shade patches by locals saying 'you pay rent' before we found a spot and breathed a sigh of relief. A few dips in the shallow turquoise waters was enough to make two happy and slightly sunburnt backpackers. We decided we would come back later for a drink on the beach and headed off to visit the nearby Cenotes which are limestone pools filled with mineral rich groundwater.
A quick boatride to the swampy mangrove island behind the town and we were in another world. Huge trees balanced on hundreds of roots with racoons swinging between them (wait, raccoons?? yes raccoons), and deep blue water with turtles skimming around. We had another swim and relaxed amongst families who brought their kids. Kind of reminded us of the local swimming pools at home (but less chlorine, more mud).
Progresso beach is one of the main cruise boat stops and has the longest wharf in Mexico, 7kms. The cruisers get bussed back to the beach from their boat. The locals make money off the cruisers. The cruisers hop off their boat where they have been lying by the pool and drinking cocktails and get a bus to the beach where they lie by the water and drink cocktails. Too cynical?
We, being thrifty backpackers (and it was 9am in the morning) decided against drinking and just wanted a swim. This posed a problem. Here you have to pay for shade, and us being pasty-english-heritaged aussies, we need shade. We were shunted out of a few shade patches by locals saying 'you pay rent' before we found a spot and breathed a sigh of relief. A few dips in the shallow turquoise waters was enough to make two happy and slightly sunburnt backpackers. We decided we would come back later for a drink on the beach and headed off to visit the nearby Cenotes which are limestone pools filled with mineral rich groundwater.
A quick boatride to the swampy mangrove island behind the town and we were in another world. Huge trees balanced on hundreds of roots with racoons swinging between them (wait, raccoons?? yes raccoons), and deep blue water with turtles skimming around. We had another swim and relaxed amongst families who brought their kids. Kind of reminded us of the local swimming pools at home (but less chlorine, more mud).
Our plans for beach beers and sunsets were thwarted by the weather. A tropical rainstorm meant a quick dinner in a restaurant and the bus home. By this time showers were much needed and we were grateful the bus didn't break down on the way home like it did on the way there.
The next day was rest and watching geckos scuttling across our walls in our cool airbnb, complete with garden setting and hammocks. Weary travellers happy to sit at home and read books for the day.
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