A 6am pickup from San Cristobal was as cold as Mazamitla. Dressed layered in all our warm kit we got ready for a 6hr bumpy journey through the mountains down into the jungle beyond.
The route reminded me greatly of driving through Africa with buildings & agriculture looking similar in every way except the language used to communicate
We broke the journey up with 2 waterfall stops firstly at the extensive Aqua Azul & then Misol Ha a single cascade.
Aqua Azul (blue water)
The entrance has 2 tolls firstly a Zapatista guerrilla station & then the official ticketing office. There was none of the tension of Tuxtla so we left our Tuxtla memories to the drug lords & not revolutionaries.
passing through the gates we beat our way through the tat shops & restaurants to get to the peaceful water cascades.
Misol Ha - just a quick 20mins leg stretch & photo opportunity.
Palenque ruins - situated 6kms outside the town were our 1st site of the Mayan empire. The mini bus climbed high into the hills to a wel manicured entrance that was full of tat stands, comida rapida stalls & every man & his dog trying to sell you tour guides.
Hidden amonuts dense jungle is a massive site of temples & burial tombs.
Climbing the steep steps of Temple Crux we could look back over the site with Crux Foliada to the left, Temple of the sun centre & Palacio to the right. Beyond this vista the vast surrounding jungle view falls away into current day Guatamala.
Our final port of call was the massive central Palaico with it's maze like corridors & multiple layers to explore. By this time both the sun the humidity had got to us so we called it a day & headed back for an un-relaxing bashing from the tat shoppers before our bus arrived - everything is at a special price my friend ;)
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