Monte Alban, Agua Azul, Palenque, local markets... and my wallet stolen on Eastern Sunday!

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When I'm writing this blog, it has been 9 years ago that we've been in Mexico, so it's not that easy to remember exactly all the sites we've visited at that time. Lucky for me, I wrote down some of my experiences in my travel-guide. So in this blog, you'll find an overview of some pictures that we've taken in Mexico.

One thing I probably never will forget, is the fact that my wallet was stolen on Eastern Sunday in Mexico. Until now I can't remember feeling more sadly when I was traveling than on that particular day... It might sound strange, but at the moment they stole my wallet, I instinctively felt I was being pick pocketed!. Let me explain this... We were visiting an indoor market. In the narrow passages, I was suddenly locked between some locals "talking to each other". This only took a minute... and then they disappeared with my wallet... Sad, sad day

Besides the indoor markets, we visited also some outdoor markets. Most of them were colorful. Some of the stall holders had adapted their merchandise, so they sold souvenirs.

In Monte Alban (meaning White Mountain) was the center of a highly organized priest-dominated society. The city was at its peak about 300 to 700 AD. At that time the population reached about. 25.000. we took quite some pictures and saw the Ballgame court. In Tule we saw a 2000 years old tree, now becoming under threat because of water shortage.

When people talk about the national drink of Mexico, most of them points to tequila. Tequila is made from the sap of a specific maguey plant (agave). But there are two other drinks that are also made of maguey plants, namely pulque and mezcal. We visited a production house of mezcal. Some mezcals are sold "con gusano" (with a worm). In fact the "gusano" is the larval form of the moth that lives on the agave plant. We tasted the gusano.

The waterfall Agua Azul looked brown to us, instead of blue.

The ancient Maya city of Palenque is a located near the Usumacinta river, on which we did a boat trip. The main part of the city itself is absorbed in the jungle, which created a special atmosphere.

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