Palenque Pyramids

Today we have to pack up all of our stuff again because tonight we are leaving for Merida at 11 pm for another overnight bus trip. We put all of our bags in Jaime’s room to store it for our day of pyramid adventures. At 11 am we got into the vans again and headed to the Palenque archeological site. It is only about 15 outside of the city area, out in the middle of the jungle. When we got to the pyramid entrance we hired a guide to talk us through our first hour of the tour. The pyramids were amazing. Unlike Teotihuacán in Mexico City or Monte Alban in Oaxaca, these pyramids seemed to be made with much cleaner lines and were obviously better preserved. We did a tour of the temple of an ancient queen known as the red queen, and then the palacio principal. The guide explained the significance of each structure and the location of the tomb of the king. The actual tomb is closed to public viewing, but there is a replica of the tomb in the museum on the lower area of the archeological area. After our hour tour, we were given two hours of free time to explore Palenque on our own. I climbed up to the top of the temple of the cross from which the entire site was visible. The view was incredible. Next we walked around the lower area where there were smaller structures wedged between tall trees with beautiful red blossoms. There were also these trees with red bark which they call “gringo trees” because if you leave a gringo out in the sun too long their skin turns red just like the bark of the trees. A few of us decided to go further and explore the lower trails and some little waterfalls created by a small stream. The water of the little river was so clear and fresh looking that we were tempted to swim, but without swimming suits and the clearly marked “no swimming” signs, the plan was soon dropped. The bottom of the trial came out near the museum, so we decided we might as well go in. It was still boiling hot, and contrary to our assumptions, the museum was not air-conditioned. We got to see the replica of the tomb of the king, which was pretty impressive. Alberto Ruz L Huillier, the man who was the first to discover the tomb said something amazing about his discovery and how he felt upon opening up the tomb for the first time. More or less what he said was: what our eyes are first to discover is the same that was seen by the last priest who closed the tomb. After leaving the museum we went back to the parking lot to meet up with the others. There were some howler monkeys hanging out in the trees a little ways into the jungle yelling at something or someone. I only saw one or two, but it sounded like a lot more of them were hanging out in the trees. When the van finally arrived, all 17 of us packed in and we headed back to the hotel. The first thing I did when I got back was to get my bathing suit on and then jump into the pool. It was so humid and hot! Later in the evening we all went out for dinner together at a restaurant near the centro of Palenque. The food proportions were enormous, and after a long day of hiking around, we were all famished. Then back to the hotel again to collect our things to go to the bus station. Our bus for Merida leaves at 11 pm with a scheduled arrival some time the next morning. Good night!