Wednesday, April 3rd, 2019

Day 05 of G-Adventures Mayan Discovery tour

G-Adventures program of the day:

“Enjoy a guided tour of the Mayan ruins of Palenque. Later, choose from one of the many optional activities in the area.

Palenque Ruins Guided Tour Palenque 2h-3h
Experience the elegant jungle site of Palenque on a guided tour. See the highlights — the Temple of the Cross Group, Temple of Inscriptions and the Grand Palace. Howler monkeys sound in the distance as the fog rolls in and out of this mystical site, one of the most important centres for trade and culture during the end of the Classic Maya period.

Free Time Palenque Afternoon”

We decide to do the optional 2 hours “Jungle Trail hike” for 25 usd pP instead of driving to the ruins.

“Only two percent of the ruins in the Mayan capital of Palenque are out in the open. Follow a local guide into the jungle along a trail, visit the ruins that are now overgrown with moss and vines. Learn about the wildlife and different medicinal plants that grow in and around the Usumancinta river of this mountainous forest area of Chiapas.”

We pre ordered breakfast the night before for 7:15 am to be ready to leave at 08:00 am. Breakfast offerss eben Yogurt, cereals, oatmeal and all the Mexican egg things.

After breakfast we drive with a minibus to meet our guide.

Juan is a funny guide, we walk through the Bush which is covering the Mayan ruins. If you look at the basement of a tree, you see stones everywhere, some of them with Maya carvations. Juan explains how they built, who they created there cement and that this was the reason for their downfall (burning limestone with lot of trees to lime, which was then used to build and paint the frescos …

In the end we are walking through a part of an underground aqueduct with a lot of spiders, bats, …

…before we enter the excarvated ruins of palenque …

Juan explains about archtecture, the red queen and Erich van Däniken. We walk around about 2 hours, people get more and more.

Then he tries to sell us a Mayan calendar for 20 peso, we picture it for 0 peso.

So we walk down to the Museo, another 20 min.

Then pool. Some need to drink a lot in the heat.

In the evening we got to a restaurant, where iguana is served (Juan told us). Grabriella and me are keen to try …

We walk 30 minutes through the dark and then there is no iguana. It is not a restaurant, too, but a Mayan project. Anyway we try and it is good.

Especially the beer from Vienna, Bohemia.

The taxi home takes 80 pesos, which causes a little confusion but 1 eur pP is fine, so we pay.

Accommodation Hotel Mayabell (or similar)