Palenque - el lugar de muchos pasos

el lugar de muchos pasos as you can see I've subtitled this the place of many steps, as today we got to climb the stepped Mayan pyramids which lay on a very hilly site, so all I seemed to do for  hours was climb up and down hundreds of uneven steps. Surprisingly my bad knee is holding up quite well, although sore now :).

 

the Palenque Ruins as fantastic, the best we have seen so far, and in my opinion better than Chichen Itza, you realy get the feeling of this being in a jungle with the howler monkeys and birds calling in the background, a very pretty and awe inspiring place with many ruins here still un-excavated and hidden in the surrounding forest.

 

the guided tour started at 8 am and was great because there was almost nobody here, after this we were free wander among the ruins. we then stopped for a break and I had a beautiful fresh mango and a coconut which after I had drunk the water they cut in half and scraped the inside out which I love to eat. we then wandered down the hillside alongside a stream with some really nice cascades, pity we could swim in it as by this time the temperature humidity had risen and my shirt was soaking wet, a swim would have been good.

 

this track led to the ruins museum which we looked through. after this I caught the local shuttle bus to the Animal Rescue & Rehabilitation park, Aluxes, where I spent a relaxing couple of hours walking thorough the jungle paths looking at the local fauna.

 

A very enjoyable day ...

 

 

Palenque

Not much to tell today as we left the hotel in Merida and travelled for the next 9 hrs on a comfortable express bus to Palenque in the state of Chiapas in southern Mexico arriving at 5pm.

 

spent an hour walking around this small town and then had dinner. I have been drinking Horchata, which is made from rice milk with different combinations of vanilla, ground almonds, sesame seeds, barley, tiger nuts (chufas), or melon seeds, the people in the photo are the new guide and Faye who is on the tour with me. I then Enfijoladas Coletas for dinner, followed by the local drink Pozol made from fermented corn dough. (wasn't really to my liking though)

 

 

 

 

 

Merida

Today we took a tour to an old abandoned Mexican hacienda, which used to be a Sisal factory which is the fibrous part of the Agave sisalana which native to southern Mexico.

 

We then went on to visit 2 different Cenote's one an open sink hole, and the other an underground cave system where divers were training for cave diving, the water was beautifully refreshing.

 

Weather is fine, 30+ and humid and tonight it rained while we had dinner, I had a large grilled corn tortilla with black beans, cabbage, flanksteak, chroitzo and quesillo. There is some problem with our guide and we have has a new one arrive this afternoon.

 

 

Dallas

While waiting for a flight in Dallas I was treated to a bit of culture which I'm sure Spence would have enjoyed. it is Hispanic Heritage month there.

Seen in Merida

Would you see this doctor ?

 

and I think the car is beyond restoration. 

Chichen Itza and Merida

Today we visited Chichen Itza and then on to Merida

 

Travelling today took several hours driving through the jungle, which crams in on each side of the road as if to reclaim its intrusion. you certainly get a feeling of what is meant by impenetrable Jungle where you would have to cut your way through every inch.

 

The ruins at Chichen Itza were pretty spectacular, containing both Toltec and Mayan ruins, with the El Castillo pyramid dominating the site.