Ancient Ruins

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Flash, followed but a roaring, billowing BOOM. The lightning is close, very close. The sky is a constant flicker of light as sparks jump through the clouds. A heavy rain pitter patters on the aluminum roof of the truck. We just cooked a vegetable pasta dinner in the most extreme cooking conditions of my life. We were able to get the stove started on the tail gate just before the storm hit. instantly everything became dark as the thick storm clouds blocked the setting sun. Intense rain descended and we were soaked to the core in a matter of seconds. There was so much water falling that our bowls were overflowing by the time we were ready to use them. It's hot and humid in the cab of the car, but it's fun to step out into the rain and watch the clouds illuminated by electric activity. The rain is fairly warm and we're already soaked. Every once in a while you can see long veins of lightning streak across the night sky. It's surprisingly quiet for so much activity in the clouds, but the calm is again shattered by roar of thunder. Awesome.

Earlier in the day we went to Palenque to visit some amazing Mayan ruins. The size, orientation and craftsmanship of the temples there were very impressive. Most of the significant buildings were aligned to the cycles of the sun (equinoxes and solstices) or the the stars and constellations. It was fascinating trying to picture the buildings over a thousand years ago in their prime, painted blood red with bright blue and yellow details. The now faded glyphs in pristine condition and indigenous people roaming about participating in rituals and daily life. A beautiful place to live, situated in lush jungle with a good source of water and an abundance of wildlife. What a different world they must have lived in. It's hard to believe that they built such massive, stone buildings without the use of the wheel, pack animals or metal tools. An impressive feat to say the least.

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