Mexico – Palenque 17/11/16 – 19/11/16

So we here in Palenque, and I must say I think I’ve got jet lag, without having been on a plane in weeks! We got the 5pm ADO bus from Oaxaca yesterday and arrived in Palenque at 2pm today. What was supposed to be a 15 hour overnight bus ride turned into a 21 hour mammoth task with virtually no sleep. At around 5am this morning we think there was a power outage at one of the toll roads leading into Palenque, which meant we were stranded there, along with all the other traffic that built up, for over 5 hours. The ADO service is said to be the first class bus service transporting people around Mexico, but our bus wasn’t first class in any way. Yes the seats reclined, but with 44 seats on the bus it was no bigger than the normal coach service. We ended up with the 2 back seats next to the one and only toilet, (that had been frequently used). This unlike our original bus trip in Mexico, did not offer any food or beverages, however the bus made several stops Enroute when in the dead of night all the interior lights came on, people got off/on and a “trolley dolly” came aboard selling snacks, shouting as loud as she could, waking what ever people were sleeping in a hope to make as many sales as possible. Nope a 15 hour overnight bus ride is not an option I would recommend to anyone.
Once at the bus station in Palenque, we bought our next ticket using the ADO service again, before getting a taxi to our next hotel. Our driver spoke very good English, however the pair of us were like zombies, not even having the energy to strike up any conversation with him. Once at the hotel we discovered our booking had been cancelled as we were over 24 hours late. The receptionist spoke good English and understood our dilemma and quickly booked us in again, (and only charged us for the upcoming 2 nights), which was pretty good. Perhaps she is used to this story with the tourists coming from Oaxaca! We are staying at the 3* Hotel Maya Rue, a really pleasant hotel which is right in the centre of Palenque town. It’s what you may called a basic, no frills hotel, but it’s ensuite, has a balcony with breakfast included.
I’m reading a good book at the moment – Guide to Mexico by Lonely Planet – and until we arrived here I’ve found it to be a great source of info. However it tells a different story about Palenque than what we are witnessing. From its description I was left thinking this place was going to be a small sleepy hollow. Well it’s definitely not in any way. It’s a thriving metropolis of streets full of shops, bars, hotels and restaurants, and it’s packed full of tourists. We heard a lovely mix of languages when we went out that evening, German, French, of course Spanish and even English, albeit in the form of American accents. The streets are full of people wandering around, there’s even a few street entertainers, so where the notion of a sleepy hollow came from I’m not too sure now.
Palenque in any guide book is famous for its nearby Mayan ruins and a similar famous waterfall area. It’s right in the centre of a jungle setting, which is also a national park (Parque National Palenque), so it’s warm and humid. The books also claim that you can hear the noises from the howler monkeys, toucans and ocelots most of the day whilst visiting the 100’s or so ruins which stretch over 15 sq km. These ruins were made without the use of metal tools, pack animals or even the wheel so that should give you an indication of their age.
Next morning we headed into town for a wander. What we had not realized was that today is the 19 November, and all the streets were closed off to traffic as there were parades everywhere. Nov 20th is National Revolution Day in Mexico as it signifies the day when Mexico became independent from Spanish ruling in 1920 after a 10 year war. It has been celebrated on the 3rd Monday in November closest to the 20th. Today starts a 3 day Fiesta. Great parade thus morning as we watched all the preschoolers from the surrounding neighbourhood all join together in the festivities. What a glorious sight, all dressed in traditional Mexican costumes, some I would say only 2 or maybe 3 years old. Bless them as they marched down the streets, banging on their drums, the girls twirling battens and dancing to some great Mexican tunes. There must have been at least 60 groups in the parade, parents proudly walking beside them on the curbs, cameras and videos galore.
We had organised an afternoon trip and was being picked up at noon, but we got to see all the parade before going back to the hotel. Our trip was a 5 hour trip to the Roberto Barrio waterfalls, just a 45 minute drive out of town. This place was amazing, we only expected to see 1 waterfall but the area was teaming with them. Not only that but we were able to swim in them as well. Luckily we had taken our swim wear so at the first opportunity, clothes were off and in we got. We had expected the waters to be cold, but very surprisingly they were quite warm. Waterfall after waterfall all close together cascading down the very clear river, water picking up speed at the base of each one. What a beautiful setting, swimming here in the middle of a jungle with the sun streaming it’s rays down upon our backs, lush green forests as far as the eye could see, and the very blue skies with only a whisper of the odd cloud, very nice indeed. The tour cost MXN 150 pp, that equates to about NZ $10 pp, with entrance to the fall an extra MXN 20 pp, that’s NZ $1.35. It was on this trip we met a lovely young couple from Germany who were on a 3 week holiday touring Mexico. They were heading in the opposite direction to us, and surprisingly they were heading to Puerto Escondido and Oaxaca, so were interested about where we had stayed in these 2 cities. We gave them the info they needed to contact the hotels.
We’re on the move again tomorrow so this really has been a short stop over. Palenque has been an amazing city, full of vibrancy, very colourful, and an unspoilt natural area of the world. The people as ever in Mexico have been friendly and our hotel, although not luxury by any mean has been comfortable. Yep a really good place to visit and my only regret was that we only had the 1 full day to explore it.