Palenque

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The Mayan ruins at Palenque are amazing! The day is hotter than I can even describe, and the humidity makes it hard to breath by 9 in the morning. We learn to walk really slow, stand in shade whenever possible, and sip water constantly. It is hard to imagine how workers were able to constructed these huge buildings in this heat. And this is winter here - the cool season! This place is really interesting though. I would recommend that anyone interested in Mayan history visit here. The decendents of the original Mayans now are the vendors that are as thick as flies through the entire site, but worst in the parking area. We learn lots about their culture from our guide, and their dress and customs. This is how they make their living. They are polite, but persistant. After we return to the town of Palenque, Steve and I go into the town to find some local food again. The rest of our trip-mates think we are crazy, but the tour director understands. The hotel we are at caters to European tourists, and the food is bland. Not to mention the $6 drinks in a plastic cup that seem to contain little or no alcohol - even I can´t feel them. So, we buy a bottle of tequila and after tramping around the entire town and asking in my pidgen spanish many people where we can find lime juice (doesn´t exist), we find a fruit market and buy 5 huge limes that are so juicy we make a drink for both of us with just one...and the whole bag cost us about $1 Cdn!

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Photos

Mayan vendor with baby
They carry their children in these slings on their backs or fronts. We have seen kids that look to be 2 or 3 years old in this type of carrier.

Trotamundo restaurant in Palenque
Right beside the bus station. They speak only Spanish and mostly locals eat here. Really great cochinita pibil - pork cooked in a sauce in banana leaves, then shredded and put into tortillas or buns. Yum!