Palenque, jungle ruins

 Arriving very early on yet another overnight bus, we, the only gringos on board having been awoken twice by border control guards with big guns and few words, the town of Palenque, in the state of Chiapas, was already bustling.  It's an unprepossessing place and people are busy, and very used to, and quite dismissive of tourists, who usually just zip through from the bus station to the hostels and hotels near the jungle ruins, where they stay for just one or two nights.  It was a bit of a shock after Isla Holbox.

Still, we had visited Palenque's beautiful ruins during our holiday in Mexico 12 years ago and were keen to experience them again.  We, like most, stayed for 2 nights, in a place recommended by several other travellers: Maya Bell.  'Maya Bell Trayler Park' (sic) read the sign; it's a group of cabanas, tents and a couple of smarter buildings and a small restaurant, in a glorious jungle setting. Our cabana was detached, rustic and right on the edge of the jungle.  Jungle sounds abounded, even in the daytime, and, very soon after our early morning arrival we heard what we'd remembered from years ago, the primal, eerie and incredibly loud calling of howler monkeys.  They sounded very close by, though we couldn't see them.  We did see, rooting around in the undergrowth, what looked like a giant red guinea pig, which a member of staff told us was a jungle pig.  We also found the complete skin of a small, but long, azure blue snake, which was later hauled away by a lizard from the front of our cabana.  It sure ain't Kansas!

The view from our cabana

The Mayan ruins at Palenque were stunning when we visited them the next day.  Arriving early, we were lucky to be virtually alone for a while.

 

We delighted in cooling off in the swimming pool for hours after visiting the ruins and climbing the hundreds of steps.  The pool must be one of the most scenic we have ever swum in.

                                     

Next stop..... Oaxaca