Tuluminous
16th November 2007, 10:52 AM
As a few people here have shown that they are keen to see other Mexico pics as well as Tulum I thought I would post a few more.
I thought Palenque might be a good place to start, as it was the place we visited before heading on to Tulum. We stayed at El Panchan, a rather backpackery place set in the jungle a couple of kilometers from the ruins themselves. There’s not a great deal I can say about El Panchan - it is surrounded by jungle with a stream running through the site, the food at Don Muchos is cheap and tasty and you can have the most amazing dreams as you fall asleep to the sounds of the jungle.
The Palenque ruins themselves are just a short collectivo ride away, but if you fancy a stroll the walk is well worth it. You go past some beautiful scenery, with more shades of green than you ever dreamed were possible. The walk will also take you through "butterfly alley" as we christened it, where clouds of mariposa rise up on either side as you pass before settling back down to a liquid lunch.
We spent two days at the ruins, something which I really recommend if you want to do more than a quick tourist dash around the site. Our first visit was a Monday, quieter than we expected but with a number of Mexican parents taking their children around alongside the tourists. The Lonely Planet suggests visiting early but really I wouldn't bother - too many people have read the same advice and they are all there at the same time hoping to get the site to themselves. Later in the day is actually rather better from our experience, but better still was Monday, when we turned up sometime after mid-day.
http://mattgcp.smugmug.com/photos/221827784-M.jpg
http://mattgcp.smugmug.com/photos/221827770-M.jpg
http://mattgcp.smugmug.com/photos/221838134-M.jpg
Walking onto the site for a second time we just couldn't believe it, it was almost deserted. No longer feeling the need to scale every stone edifice over two foot tall we could actually revisit places we'd seen the day before and pause to take in the atmosphere. We took out our books and settled on a shady side at the top of a temple, just higher than the tree canopy with a view stretching out towards the horizon. From the depths of the forest we could hear a Jurassic Park barking which we had been told was the sound of nearby Howler monkeys. Butterflys in eye-searing yellow as big as my hand were locked in an elaborate mating ritual, their wings beating against each other to create an almost static crackle which competed with the sound of the birds hidden amongst tangled vines.
http://mattgcp.smugmug.com/photos/221838158-M.jpg
http://mattgcp.smugmug.com/photos/221838151-M.jpg
We sat there and let time drift past, almost completely undisturbed by other visitors. When we wanted a change of scene we'd find somewhere else and again it would seem as if we had the jungle and the ruins to ourselves. Slowly shadows lengthened and the low, warm light picked out details on the rough stonework. After several hours on site we finally started the slow walk towards the exit, a trail which takes you past other parts of the ancient city that still seem to be fighting their way out of the jungle, parasitic vines threatening to drag them back into obscurity. The walk takes you past streams and waterfalls, towering buttressed ceibre trees choked by strangler figs desperately grasping their way up towards the light.
http://mattgcp.smugmug.com/photos/221512065-M.jpg
http://mattgcp.smugmug.com/photos/221816952-M.jpg
You may have gathered from what I’ve written that I really loved Palenque. I’ve used the word before, but it really is a truly magical place. I hate to say it but in a way it rather spoiled the ruins at Tulum for me (and even Teotihuacan) as nothing could quite compare with its otherworldy jungle setting. The selfish part of me almost wants to keep places like this quiet, but for the people on this Board – do visit Palenque if you get the chance. If you can avoid a tour group even better, just find a quiet place on a weekday, settle down and let your mind wander. Its truly incredible.
I thought Palenque might be a good place to start, as it was the place we visited before heading on to Tulum. We stayed at El Panchan, a rather backpackery place set in the jungle a couple of kilometers from the ruins themselves. There’s not a great deal I can say about El Panchan - it is surrounded by jungle with a stream running through the site, the food at Don Muchos is cheap and tasty and you can have the most amazing dreams as you fall asleep to the sounds of the jungle.
The Palenque ruins themselves are just a short collectivo ride away, but if you fancy a stroll the walk is well worth it. You go past some beautiful scenery, with more shades of green than you ever dreamed were possible. The walk will also take you through "butterfly alley" as we christened it, where clouds of mariposa rise up on either side as you pass before settling back down to a liquid lunch.
We spent two days at the ruins, something which I really recommend if you want to do more than a quick tourist dash around the site. Our first visit was a Monday, quieter than we expected but with a number of Mexican parents taking their children around alongside the tourists. The Lonely Planet suggests visiting early but really I wouldn't bother - too many people have read the same advice and they are all there at the same time hoping to get the site to themselves. Later in the day is actually rather better from our experience, but better still was Monday, when we turned up sometime after mid-day.
http://mattgcp.smugmug.com/photos/221827784-M.jpg
http://mattgcp.smugmug.com/photos/221827770-M.jpg
http://mattgcp.smugmug.com/photos/221838134-M.jpg
Walking onto the site for a second time we just couldn't believe it, it was almost deserted. No longer feeling the need to scale every stone edifice over two foot tall we could actually revisit places we'd seen the day before and pause to take in the atmosphere. We took out our books and settled on a shady side at the top of a temple, just higher than the tree canopy with a view stretching out towards the horizon. From the depths of the forest we could hear a Jurassic Park barking which we had been told was the sound of nearby Howler monkeys. Butterflys in eye-searing yellow as big as my hand were locked in an elaborate mating ritual, their wings beating against each other to create an almost static crackle which competed with the sound of the birds hidden amongst tangled vines.
http://mattgcp.smugmug.com/photos/221838158-M.jpg
http://mattgcp.smugmug.com/photos/221838151-M.jpg
We sat there and let time drift past, almost completely undisturbed by other visitors. When we wanted a change of scene we'd find somewhere else and again it would seem as if we had the jungle and the ruins to ourselves. Slowly shadows lengthened and the low, warm light picked out details on the rough stonework. After several hours on site we finally started the slow walk towards the exit, a trail which takes you past other parts of the ancient city that still seem to be fighting their way out of the jungle, parasitic vines threatening to drag them back into obscurity. The walk takes you past streams and waterfalls, towering buttressed ceibre trees choked by strangler figs desperately grasping their way up towards the light.
http://mattgcp.smugmug.com/photos/221512065-M.jpg
http://mattgcp.smugmug.com/photos/221816952-M.jpg
You may have gathered from what I’ve written that I really loved Palenque. I’ve used the word before, but it really is a truly magical place. I hate to say it but in a way it rather spoiled the ruins at Tulum for me (and even Teotihuacan) as nothing could quite compare with its otherworldy jungle setting. The selfish part of me almost wants to keep places like this quiet, but for the people on this Board – do visit Palenque if you get the chance. If you can avoid a tour group even better, just find a quiet place on a weekday, settle down and let your mind wander. Its truly incredible.