Palenque

Chiapas is visually stunning! Julia and I were treated to wonderful views as we traveled over winding mountain roads from Palenque to San Cristobal. Every hillside was a patchwork of greens and the peaks were all draped in gauzy clouds.

We first arrived in the state of Chiapas early on the morning of the 10th, after taking a 9 hour night bus from Merida It was 7 am when we were dropped off in Palenque town, and got a cab out to the village of el Panchan. Everyone we had met (as well as our trusty lonely planet guidebook) had recommended staying out there in one of the jungle bungalows. After checking in I treated Julia to a birthday breakfas´ and we headed back to the bungalow for a quick nap. The long bus ride had really tired us out and we wanted lots of energy for exploring the ruins. The moment we lay down, every monkey in the jungle decided to have a screaming contest. It was a little hard to fall asleep, but the jungle ambiance was still better than the soundtrack of Harlem.

When we woke, we set out towards the ruins. They are set inside a national park, and were spectacular. Almost all of the ruins were open for exploration and climbing. We started out bravely climbing into dark, mossy tunnels and exploring buildings. Then as we climbed into a particularly small tunnel, a bat flew up towards our faces and we both screamed and ran for the exit. So much for bravery.


Very few people were in the park and Julia I were often the only people climbing a temple or in a passageway. The lack of crowds made for a much more peaceful experience and gave us time to really explore as well as to sit and admire the beautiful architecture and lush jungle. The ruins at Palenque were some of the best preserved that we have seen. The sculptures and glyphs were clear and many still had traces of the bright colors they were once painted with.

After a long day of hiking and climbing, we headed back to our bungalow and celebrated Julia´s 25th birthday in style.


I sang happy birthday to Julia as she enjoyed her cake and then we returned to the bungalow for a real treat of showers with hot water! The howler monkeys decided it was time to wake everyone up at about 4 am, and a few hours later we caught the bus to San Cristobal de las Casas.