Welcome to the Jungle

Trip Start Nov 05, 2006
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15
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Trip End Jan 14, 2008


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Where I stayed
Mayabell Campground
(Palenque hotels)

Flag of Mexico  ,
Sunday, December 17, 2006

...We got fun and games, or so the song would say.  Palenque is a town about five miles from an old Myan city; about a mile from this old city is the campground Mayabell.  Our book said this was the home of the VW camper.  Well not literally as we were the only one, but in the sense of hippies, hamocks and grass covered cabanas, IT WAS.  The campground came with its own restaraunt and backpackers could rent hamock space in one of the jungle shelters, or tent camp, or buy a cabana.  From a $1.25 hamock to a $45 air-conditioned cabana, the options were all available.  This place was in the jungle and a backpackers paradise.  Live music in the restaurant with cheap food and beer, you could see why some of the residents seemed more "permanent", than just passing through.  Set back in a preserve, against an undeveloped forest (jungle), you could easily walk into the jungle too far and not find your way back.  Steamy would best describe the weather with a humidity surpassing east coast summers with most campers opting for the barely clad look (hippies in speedos....not pretty).Evening crept up and we headed for bed. You would think that the jungle at night would be peaceful and quite....ohhhh noooo.  We never actually saw any of the bugs that made up the evening orchestra, but this was LOUD!  To add to our "nature´s orchestra", the campground across the road went rave on Saturday nights so we drifted to sleep to the numbing buzz of jungle bugs, backed up with a nice trance beat from the neighbors (which was still going at 8 a.m. the next morning...must have been a raging party). We set off to the ruins up the road the next morning.  The ruin at Palenque is exactly what I´d imagined Myan ruins to look like.  The remnants of a city complete with aqueducts (still intact), were avaiable for free roaming by visitors. This is another one of those "words can't describe" things, so I´ll leave you to the pictures.; I do apologize for not having any pictures of the campground.
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Comments

reisenauer
reisenauer on Dec 17, 2006 at 09:57PM

Hi
Love the commentary! Reading your input makes you feel like we are there with you (instead of a Marriott in Charlotte, NC)...keep posting the pictures! Looking forward to more entries!
Merry Christmas,
Mike Reisenauer

markschue
markschue on Dec 18, 2006 at 05:36PM

Brrrr
Warm and humid? I'll take it!

70mph wind storm knocked out my power last Thursday night and this weekend. Knocked out power at work so the data center had a hard crash...not good....meaning I got to work all night Saturday night. Icy roads this morning.

Battling bugs, partying neighbors and hiking in the ruins.....the right call.

Enjoying the blog.

Schue

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