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13 March
Decided on an extra night in San Christobal, to wander round the streets of the old part of the city. Weather here is cool, being 2000 m above sea level. Visited the central markets, a great way to see local people going about their business, it was a huge busy market, lots of produce, meat, chickens, fish etc. In the afternoon we went to Na Bolom, the former residence of Hans and Trudy Blom, archaeologist and anthropologist, who worked and studied with the Mayan indigenous people for about 50 years and left a legacy of photos, artefacts etc. The head Chamolean had 4 wives and 20+ children and lived to 104! Was a cold night, our evening meal was at a restaurant with a fire going! Meals here usually so big that it is impossible to have dessert, they always bring snacks, tortillas, or nachos and dips with the meal - see Mexico Part 1 for today's photos -oops!
14 March
Up early to catch the 7 am bus, met a couple of nice Brits on the bus, bus trip very slow, took 5 hours to travel 200 km on a very windy road, crossed the
mountains a couple of times, as Blu said it was like going over the Rimutakas over and over, got very jungle-like towards Palenque. Lots of soldiers with guns along the road as it is prone to bandit attacks! They say not to travel after dark. We were passing through Zapatistas territory, responsible for an uprising against the state in support of indigenous rights.
Had an amazing dinner at a place recommended by some Canadians we met, had a huge plate of garlic prawns for $10. Blu counted 24 on his plate! Palenque itself is not an attractive town but the tourist area is very nice with lots of tropical vegetation. Weather warm and tropical.
15 March
Big day out today - first to the Palenque Mayan ruins, We met another 2 couples, Irish and Czech and joined up to hire a guide, Salvador alias Cat, which was very worthwhile. Our first Mayan ruins of the trip in a spectacular jungle setting. The ruins that have been excavated are only a fraction of what lies beneath, Cat would point out a large jungle-covered hill and say, there's a temple under there..... In the afternoon we took the collectivo
(shared van) out to the waterfalls at Misol Ha and Agua Azul, both very scenic. Had a swim at Agua A much to amusement of the local kids swimming there! met our lovely Czech couple again and had a beer with them. The beer in Mexico is good and cheap. Too hot for wine! Enjoyed another prawn meal at our restaurant from last night but just ordered 1 meal to share as it was so big, to our surprise they divided it into 2 meals and gave us both chips and salad, for an extra 2 dollars!
16 March
Caught 8am bus to Campeche, about 5 hours, it's a beautiful sea port, world Heritage site and fully restored to its former glory. Had a nice hotel in the centre with a pool and a 24 hour cafe down the road which we adopted, as they did good cheap fresh food, esp.fish. After the Spanish took over Campeche in the 1500s from the Maya, it became a very wealthy city, so for two centuries it was constantly attacked by pirates, including the famous Henry Morgan, so the Spanish finally built a complete city wall with 8 bastions to protect
the city. At night they have a light show at one of the Bastions to relive its pirate history, a rather theatrical affair with lighting effects and cannons. Met up with the Danes from our Maya village tour and joined them for a late supper.
17 March
Today we explored more of Campeche just taking it easy as it was hot hot! Took a local bus to Fort San Miguel, complete with moat and fortress, museum and views out to sea. Siesta time! Went out late afternoon to stroll around the historic centre, everything so clean and fresh with bright or pastel colours and almost every building beautifully restored. A rather odd thing, the locals gather in the plaza in the early evening to play a Mex version of Bingo! There was also a small museum on the San Carlos bastion where you could walk on the city wall. The waterfront in Campeche is a great place to watch the sun set over the Gulf of Mexico and interact with local families. Tomorrow it's off to Merida!
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