After the icy evenings of San Cristobal, we were relieved to discover that the small town of Palenque was in the middle of the jungle – a return to tropical temperatures to thaw off a little! OK, the jungle environment does have some disadvantages, say the odd mosquito or two… or maybe two hundred. I think Gary preferred the icy altitudes as he spent most of our first night in Palenque trying to track down the mossies in our room and squish them with the huge Mexican Lonely Planet Guide! I had a much more restful night – I must be less tasty!
Anyway, the main reason to visit Palenque isn’t to see the town itself but the spectacular Maya ruins nearby (also called Palenque). This is just as well as the town seems to consist of an extensive network of road works as far as we could see – although if you could scramble through the trenches and mud that replaced the streets you could find the odd plaza or park. But the adjacent ancient Maya city is beautiful.
Situated on the edge of the jungle, Palenque Maya city consists of numerous impressively complicated and beautifully preserved buildings in stunning surroundings. As you enter the site you climb a short flight of stairs through the undergrowth to emerge on a grassy expanse in front of a series of elegant stone temples – and from here it’s only a short walk to numerous palaces, pyramids, and tombs, all carefully restored and maintained. The Templo de las Inscriptions is a beautifully proportioned pyramid tomb just a stone’s throw from the huge El Palacio with its soaring tower and labyrinthine tunnels. Or move slightly further along to the Templo del Sol with its weird roof comb, and then climb the Templo de la Cruz for breathtaking views down over the complex. This is simply a very intricate collection of numerous intriguing buildings, all at the edge of a beautiful jungle. Definitely worth visiting!
Unfortunately lots of people have realised this… we didn’t exactly have the place to ourselves. The vast majority of visitors to Palenque were in huge tour groups – each had 30 to 40 overheated, middle aged people dutifully following a yapping guide around. From our point of view the groups were really annoying to be caught behind, but on the other hand if you successfully dodged them you could explore the ruins in relative peace! We really felt sorry for the poor sods in the groups – some of them looked so bored! Which is tragic in such a beautiful and interesting place. What’s more, none of the groups strayed from the first collection of buildings, even though there was so much more to see. After exploring the upper cluster of temples you could walk downhill through the jungle to explore other groups of buildings, all isolated and some completely immersed in the undergrowth. Ducking under palm trees and clambering over Maya stonework alongside elegant waterfall cascades while howler monkeys shrieked eerily in the trees above… wandering through these ruined complexes felt like exploring an Indiana Jones set.
Anyway, our stop in Palenque was necessarily brief as we have a tight schedule to keep to if we are to make it to Cancun in time for our flight home! Next we move on to Merida, a colonial town on the northwest corner of the Yucatan Peninsula – and within striking distance of a few more Maya playgrounds!
Anyway, the main reason to visit Palenque isn’t to see the town itself but the spectacular Maya ruins nearby (also called Palenque). This is just as well as the town seems to consist of an extensive network of road works as far as we could see – although if you could scramble through the trenches and mud that replaced the streets you could find the odd plaza or park. But the adjacent ancient Maya city is beautiful.
Situated on the edge of the jungle, Palenque Maya city consists of numerous impressively complicated and beautifully preserved buildings in stunning surroundings. As you enter the site you climb a short flight of stairs through the undergrowth to emerge on a grassy expanse in front of a series of elegant stone temples – and from here it’s only a short walk to numerous palaces, pyramids, and tombs, all carefully restored and maintained. The Templo de las Inscriptions is a beautifully proportioned pyramid tomb just a stone’s throw from the huge El Palacio with its soaring tower and labyrinthine tunnels. Or move slightly further along to the Templo del Sol with its weird roof comb, and then climb the Templo de la Cruz for breathtaking views down over the complex. This is simply a very intricate collection of numerous intriguing buildings, all at the edge of a beautiful jungle. Definitely worth visiting!
Unfortunately lots of people have realised this… we didn’t exactly have the place to ourselves. The vast majority of visitors to Palenque were in huge tour groups – each had 30 to 40 overheated, middle aged people dutifully following a yapping guide around. From our point of view the groups were really annoying to be caught behind, but on the other hand if you successfully dodged them you could explore the ruins in relative peace! We really felt sorry for the poor sods in the groups – some of them looked so bored! Which is tragic in such a beautiful and interesting place. What’s more, none of the groups strayed from the first collection of buildings, even though there was so much more to see. After exploring the upper cluster of temples you could walk downhill through the jungle to explore other groups of buildings, all isolated and some completely immersed in the undergrowth. Ducking under palm trees and clambering over Maya stonework alongside elegant waterfall cascades while howler monkeys shrieked eerily in the trees above… wandering through these ruined complexes felt like exploring an Indiana Jones set.
Anyway, our stop in Palenque was necessarily brief as we have a tight schedule to keep to if we are to make it to Cancun in time for our flight home! Next we move on to Merida, a colonial town on the northwest corner of the Yucatan Peninsula – and within striking distance of a few more Maya playgrounds!
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