LAS RUINAS

PALENQUE!  I finally made a trip to Palenque.  Palenque is the site of well known and often visited, Mayan Ruins.  It is set in the jungle, and has a humid/hot climate.  It was quite a change from San Cristobal.  I left San Cristobal on a Saturday morning and made the five hour bus ride to Agua Azul.  This is a park filled with waterfalls and many places to swim and cool off.  After taking some pictures and waiting out a rainstorm, I joined a group of backpackers and headed to Palenque.  We arrived in El Panchan which is a place well known on the backpackers circuit.  It hosts many hostels, cabanas, and restaurants.  I ended up staying in my own little cabana which was very comfortable.  It had two beds, a bathroom, and well screened windows to protect against the mosquitoes.  I slept great in my little cabana, and enjoyed listening to the sounds of the jungle as I headed to sleep.  On Sunday morning, it was time to visit Palenque.  I arrived early to enjoy cooler temperatures and fewer tourists.  All I can say is that it is an impressive place to visit.  The work of the Mayans is amazing.  I wandered through the park for a few hours, visited the museum, worked on my Spanish homework, and then once again waited out a rainstorm with a nice couple from Guanajuato.  (This is another state in Mexico)  It was a full day as I returned to San Cristobal at 11:30pm.  I was very happy to home!  I missed my Mexican family and was ready for a  post jungle shower!  I must say that the buses are the way to travel in Chiapas... much nicer than the Greyhound.  They have reclining seats, movies, and they gave us a complimentary beverage as we boarded the bus.  

Lluvia...it was a weekend of rain here as we experienced some of the effects of Hurricane Dolly.  It has been a bit cooler in San Cristobal and wet, but nothing compared to some of the other states in Mexico.  We have been watching the news in the evenings and there is a lot of flooding and damaged cities.

El Palacio...the main center of the ruins.

Me and the ruins... I drank A LOT of water!

My favorite pictures of the day!  The leaves from the trees were huge and this little guy was helping his sister stay cool.  People were using the leaves as umbrellas and hats.  

Waterfalls at Agua Azul

Welcome to El Panchan!  I stayed at El Jaguar.

My Cabana!  I stayed in only part of this building... the stairs are leading to my room.

MY DAY AT TONINA...Tonina is a smaller ruin compared to Palenque.  It has menos turistas (fewer tourists), but it is still a beautiful place to visit.  I headed to Tonina two weekends ago.  It was a good lesson in the cultural practices of public transportation.  I left San Cristobal on a colectivo and headed to Ocosingo a city just over 2 hours away.  Many, many curves and many, many speed bumps.  My biggest traveling dilemma has been several boughts of car sickness.  Oh well...Once I arrived in Ocosingo I headed out on colectivo number 2.  This dropped me off at the ruins.  It was a very quiet place as there were about 10 tourists visiting this huge ruin.  I wandered around for a couple of hours and then headed back toward San Cristobal.  On my trip back, I met a couple from France that just happened to be Spanish teachers.  I talked with them a bit, and then joined them on the colectivo to San Cristobal.  It was a cozy ride as I was in a seat reserved for four persons!  It ended up being me and three men.  Uses of space are very different here in Mexico, and this was a very good opportunity to learn about that!  Below are a few photos of the ruins at Tonina (Toe-nee-na), and the views of the surrounding area.