Canon del Sumidero (some canyon)

Sunday  June 27, 2010

Signed up last night to do the boat ride through the Canon del Sumidero which is supposedly pretty spectacular. This morning it was pouring down raining from Tropical Depression Alex which fortunately is on the east coast of Mexico, I am on the west side. There are no do-overs , so off we went in the packed van with what rain gear we had. It was a miserable 1.5 hrs getting soaked in the open boat with the rain coming down so hard several of us had our sunglasses on to prevent our eyes from getting stung by the rain. Got a few pictures and will post soon. There was an amazing waterfall that just came out of the side of one of the high cliffs. Still my worst days traveling are still great and I appreciate the opportunity.

San Cristobal to Palenque, Mexico

Monday June 28th

Left rainy San Cristobal in hopes of better weather at Palenque. I took the 1st class bus today because it left earlier and was only $3 more. The extra comfort (reclining seat), movies and air con made the 6 hr bus ride much easier. There was also a toilet on board. What will they think of next. lol  Guess I have been riding too many "chicken buses". Beautiful weather for the ride through the mountainous southern Mexico terrain. The winding roads, beautiful scenery and knowing one wrong turn could end the bus down one of the deep ravines provide an additional rush.

Getting up early to view the Palenque ruins. Supposedly they are quite spectacular. Hopefully post pictures of the ruins tomorrow before my 8.5 bus and boat ride to Flore, Guatemala to see the famous Tikal Mayan ruins.

Palenque de Ruins (Mayan ruins in Palenque, Mexico)

Tuesday  June 29, 2010

Got up at 6:30 am to get ready for the 1.5 mile hike to the Palenque ruins. To keep in shape and save the 75 cents for the collectivo ride I headed up the path at about 7 am. Misled by reception, my short walk turned into almost 2 hrs uphill. Got my workout though but the humidity and effort climbing uphill left my clothes quite drenched. It ended up being 4.65 miles. The ruins were magnificent and in great shape. I do not have time until I get home to properly put in details of the ruins but hope the pictures give some idea of the magnitude of this place to the Mayans. The fact that you can climb all over the ruins gives it a more personal feel than say Chichen itza.

Palenque, Mexico to Flores, Guatemala

June 30, 2010

Shuttle, boat, shuttle for 8.5 hrs. Will post pictures when I get wifi or faster internet, hopefully Belize.

TIKAL

July 1, 2010

I loved the ruins at Palenque but was blown away by the Mayan ruins and pyramids of Tikal. Our guided tour began a little after 6:30 am this morning and on the road to the ruins we were greeted by howler and spider monkeys who put on a show for us. We also saw various birds such as parrots and toucans. The highlight for me was climbing the two tallest pyramids which are both around 200 plus feet high. The first one we climbed had a wooden ladder straight up the side of the pyramid. We were rewarded at the top with an awesome view of the Mayan complex and surrounding jungle. Tikal is special in regards to other Mayan ruins in that it at one time was completely taken over by the jungle and secondly, that you are able to climb most of the pyramids. Other than the tremendous height at the top, there is also only about 2 to 3 feet of space along the top step. This makes it interesting as the other climbers arrive at the top. Sometimes getting down is scarier than going up. I have great pictures and videos and will post as soon as I find faster internet. Belize tomorrow. Time for a little 5 day vacation on the beach in the middle of my travels.

Snorkeling in Belize

July 3, 2010