December 8, 2008

Well...... a lot has happened since we were last on here! We’re currently sitting in the Tuxtla Airport Bar (what a nice little airport!!) with our fingers in the peanut bowl and our other hand wrapped around a VERY GOOD margarita (yes, it’s after noon). Can't access the internet here so will just type into a word document and then paste into the blog as soon as we can access the e-world again.

The tequila is kicking in and I guess the only way to get started is to just begin so......yesterday morning we were once again awakened by the church bells and fireworks outside our window at 5:00 a.m. That Guadalupe mujere is muy importante!!! Everyone is celebrating her special day on the 12th and the days leading up to it just get more and more festive. (An aside here....in fact as we were descending the mountain from San Cristobal to Tuxtla today we passed another group of young men making another type of popular pilgrimage in her name....they were participating in a relay and carrying a lit torch that they pass to the next runner several miles down the road. Everyone of all ages is involved.) Now...back to the story that was yesterday......
Kim, thanks again for the b’day gift! What a great idea it was and I’m so glad that I found what I think was the perfect story/gift with the pesos you gave me. I told you that I used part of it to attend a Cultural Show the other night about the culture and history of the Mayan people and specifically about a place called Palenque. Palanque is a UNESCO site near San Cristobal and people come from all over the world to experience it. As I said earlier...the show the other night was unforgettable and what better way to finish the show than to actually visit Palenque itself to get the full “feel” of the stories and the culture. Yesterday, we did just that so here is how our day went.....

As I said, we were awakened by the bells etc at 5:00 thankfully as our driver arrived to pick us up at 6:00 a.m. We were in the van and on the road (with our driver and 8 others visitors) an on our way. The van was very comfortable and our driver ,Jesus, (how lucky were we to get another Jesus) was a great driver – thank goodness for that!!!

The drive to Palenque takes 4 hours (with no stops) each way AND even though that might sound simple enough.....take the worst old sections of the Hope Princeton and add 300+ topes (speed bumps) and then multiply it all by at least 10 and then double that and you’re beginning to get the picture. About an hour into the trip...we were questioning what we had gotten ourselves into and then when we had to stop for one woman to be sick...we were really unsure that we had made a sound decision but by the time we arrived at our first roadside stop, Agua Azul.....we knew it was all for the good. Agua Azul is the most beautiful azure water that is so clear you can see right to the bottom. There were too many little waterfalls to count as the water fell from layer to layer and pooled at each level. It was soooo inviting even I wanted to jump in but....according to all the signage and the Lonely Planet guide....swimming at Agua Azul is not recommended as it is way too dangerous with the currents that are caused by the numerous waterfalls and the river that the pools all run into. (many ignore the signs though so I hope no one was injured). After climbing a couple of hundred stairs at Agua Azul we were back into the van and on our way to the next breathtaking stop of Misol-Ha, a 200 foot free fall waterfall that you could even walk behind on the trails that led around the pool at the foot of the falls. There were other falls (much like Bridal Falls) that ran alongside the main falls that just added to the beauty of the place. By this time we were ¾ of the way to Palenque and the terrain had changed dramatically from San Cristobal. Fortunately, being the good girl guides that we are....we were both prepared with clothing to accommodate whatever presented itself to us along this portion of the journey was in our day pack. Where we had left the freezing temps of early morning on top of the mountain (2200 meters) we were now in the tropical jungles that fringed the base of the mountains. It was easy to see how jaguars once roamed freely amidst these magnificent and immense trees and vines. After some time to hike around these falls and to soak up some of the splendour we were on the road again for our final destination, Palenque.
Our arrival at Palenque was special as the site boasts a statue of a nursing woman at its entrance....haven’t seen that anywhere before and it was really nice to see that cultural piece of the story at the gates. As we began our walk into the site....we didn’t really know what to expect but whatever we had anticipated was nothing in comparison to what we were greeted with. Factually, only 5% of Palenque has been uncovered and it is one of the highest quality of ruins anywhere in the world.

We started at the first of many pyramids that are in excellent repair by looking at the stairs (super steep and narrow) leading up to a palapa overhang and considered whether we were up for the steps.....in short order we agreed that we had to make the climb and so began our tour of Palenque......that first set of steps by the end of the day were nothing and we had to laugh at our hesitation in climbing them. One pyramid led to another which led to a set of stairs leading into the jungle at every turn....and we took them all (at least I think we did). Sitting atop the pyramid to the sun (not the highest one on the site) the people on the other pyramids and walking around the grounds looked like ants.....it’s too difficult to explain how impressive it was and maybe most of all......how it could have been built in the first place. Both Lynda and I spent some quiet time just getting a “feel” for the place by trying to visualize life during the time of the Mayan Empire. The cultural show we had seen the other night was a huge help in understanding and being able to vision the city the way it might have been. The jungle completely surrounds Palenque (and remember that 95% of the site is still covered in the jungle!) so it was like the ruins and the jungle were at one with each other.....it was like being in a picture and we were right in the middle of it. I feel so lucky to have been able to visit that special place and it will sit in my memory forever!

Once our time at Palenque was over (and our legs were completely jelly from the literally hundreds and possibly thousands of stairs/steps we had taken this day) it was back into the van for another 4 hours of insane curves in the road and another 300+ topes back to our “home” in San Cristobal. By the time we rolled into the Zocalo more than 15 hours had passed! What a day!!! We ended our day with hot milk and kahlua (yum yum) as we were back into the freezing temps from our day in the hot and humid jungles of Chiapas. We still had to walk back to our hotel (another example of how much we appreciated being so close to the centre of everything – thanks to the great people who directed us to the Hotel Los Arcos del Carmen in the first place!! Anyone reading this......if you’re going to San Cristobal, we recommend this hotel and for breakfast and the best coffee in town, just down the main pedestrian street to Spezzi’s where you might even be lucky enough to meet one of our favourite people here....Eudial.

There are few words that can describe this great day except perhaps:
- Worth every inch of the road
- Worth every curve
- Worth every tope
- 15 hours of sheer torture (well...the drive was torture for some in the car)
- A fabulous birthday present
- A yummy taste of ancient Mayan culture
- Another example of how lucky we are to be experiencing all of this!
- Proof that it is possible to get out of bed the morning after you’ve climbed more stairs in a single day than in the entire year preceding.
- Proof that time travel does exist.
- Proof that even after 15 hours of challenging travel, you can still get on the internet and figure out what you’re going to do the next day after you check out of your hotel in San Cristobal.

So.....after locating another super deal of $22 USD plus taxes for a total of $95 USD each.....here we are drinking Margarita’s (well, Lynda actually is doing most of the drinking as I’m doing the typing) in the Tuxtla Airport on our way back to Mexico City where we’ll board another plane an hour or two later for Vera Cruz. Yep, we’re on our way to the Gulf of Mexico and a hammock on a beach where we can bury our noses into a book or two and reflect on all that we have seen and done this past week as it’s been another FULL one! Who knows where the wind will blow us next. We’re happy and healthy and having a wonderful adventure and enjoying trusting the universe to bring us all good things. We’re still traveling light....each of us only has one small bag and we wash the same clothes over and over and since we’re on the move so much and since no one here seems to judge that you’re wearing the same shirt day after day.....well......maybe only for 2 or 3 days.......we’re making out just fine.

Lynda just fell off her barstool so I guess I’d better go for now and see if I can help her up off the floor. Thank heavens it’s a clean floor!! LOL

Till next time.....and who knows where we’ll be by then.....

Lorrie