Howling monkeys
Trip Start
Jan 30, 2008
1
21
63
Trip End
Ongoing
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Palenque,
Central Mexico and Gulf Coast,
Mexico
Friday, May 16, 2008
agua azul is a series of beautiful waterfalls, i have no idea how many falls, at least a few dozen - we didnīt manage to see them all. it was hot and humid, but the water was very cooling. it was tourist heavy in the morning, but no one semed inclined to venture far from the souvenier stalls and restaurants, so we were able to find some very peaceful pools to splash about in. at night some people came around trying to extort money for "protection" from the nearby zapatista village about 4km up in the mountains near the lakes.
we didnīt pay.
the drive to palenque was beautiful except for many "1st gear topes" rotten speadbumps built by villages all over mexico, but especially prevalent and particularly difficult to navigate without damage to the vehicle. good thing betsy is a tall girl - in a mini weīd have been grounded out for sure. we also had some engine trouble where betsy was lurching (like a bunny) for the last bit. we managed to get a mechanic in palenque town to adjust the timing and sort out the distributor for $5. she still hiccuped a bit but drove much better.
the maya bell campground was beautiful. in the evening we were visited by fireflies and serenaded by cicadas and live "hippy jazz" with the occasional chorus of howler monkeys joining in.
the ruins were beautifully situated in the middle of the jumgle. we spent a few hours wandering around checking out burial sites, the houses used by insane european counts, and murals of the great lord dancing with his mother.
after the ruins we headed back to agua azul, but encountered pretty bad car trouble (rabbiting again) and ended up spending an extra night there while simon figured out how to set the timing statically without a timing light or the correct tools... we were visited by some young boys who asked for money for protection again, but we just gave them some goodies and let them go.
