For jungles and ruins we departed San Cristobal. Though unsure of how the next leg of our trip would turn out we knew from our previous experiences in Mexico that we would be presented with constantly changing vistas and wide variety. These expectations were met again and again as we first climbed into pine forests and then plunged into thick jungles as we neared sea level.

The first 100 km to Ocosingo contained more topes than I had encountered on any similar length stretch of road in Mexico. Many of these topes were unpredictably placed outside of towns and sometimes at the bottom of hills along desolate sections of road. Many inhabitants of this tope filled land were apparently subsistent farmers and the day that we passed through was a plowing day for many. The primary crop in this region was corn and the plows that we saw were the old-fashioned type.

Beyond the unexpected our first stop was at the ruins of Tonina just east of Ocosingo. This stop was to whet our appetite for Mayan ruins before we hit Palenque. Our stop at Tonina turned into an extended hike to the top of the main pyramid with stops at every sight along the way. Tonina left us dehydrated, a little sunburned and ready for more of anything Mayan.

The second small deer in captivity that I had seen was at Tonina.

 

After the stop at Tonina we planned to finish the day at the highly praised Agua Azul. Too many topes later and just before sunset we made the turn for Agua Azul. Our dramatic drop in elevation was equaled or surpassed with an equally dramatic increase in roadside vendor aggressiveness. While being accosted by these vendors the commonplace activity of cruising along in my van became completely transformed. We were surrounded by exotic jungle vegetation and at most of the topes had young girls screaming different Spanish phrases at us while they waved their bananas and other jungle produce at us. At one point there were more than 6 young girls running alongside the van on both sides and even our well practiced “No, gracias” could not be heard over the din. A few of the frustrated young vendors even hit the back of the van with whatever they were trying to sell and made comments that they were probably glad that we couldn’t understand. We soon learned that these aggressive tope vendors set an appropriate tone for Agua Azul. Just after paying to use the road and then a few yards later paying to enter Agua Azul I was solicited by a few teenage boys that assured me that they would do a good job of keeping an eye on my van. After telling them that I didn’t think it was necessary but thanks anyway I realized that it might have just become necessary. Lucky for me a few other boys showed up a little later to offer me their services as watchmen. Maybe it was because of my tope overdose, or perhaps because young girls had flogged my van with fruits and vegetables, whatever the reason I, with difficulty, declined their services and decided to watch the van myself. We parked within site and grabbed the most overpriced meal of my trip in Mexico and then headed for Palenque, dark or not. With consideration of the recently displayed attitude towards gringo tourists and the bravery of it’s youth we played it safe and tailed a smoke belching bus all the way into Palenque. Later that night when safely in our hotel room we read the Lonely Planet section on Agua Azul and learned that crime is common there and that travel at night is to be avoided if at all possible.

In between harassments we did go see the waterfalls which are beautiful and unlike any that I have ever seen. The water is an unnatural looking bright blue and must be rich in sediment to build the formations that cover whatever gets in it’s path. We hiked to the upper observation platforms and it appears that the falls run along for much longer than we could have hiked in even a full day.

 

The region around Palenque receives more rainfall than any other in Mexico and we were awoken in the night to the sound of heavy rainfall outside. This was the first rain that I had seen in Mexico and it continued all day. Much of the ancient, ruined city of Palenque is yet to be unearthed and the rest is beautifully surrounded by thick jungle. Seeing Palenque in the pouring rain seemed appropriate and the low light and thick clouds certainly helped Palenque live up to it’s mystic reputation. After more than 4 hours of exploring we were soaked in spite of our umbrellas and didn’t have enough energy left to fully appreciate the museum. We did however fully appreciate our dinner and our warm beds and cold A.C. back at the hotel.

Jonathan Poole

Cleveland Mississippi, Gringolandia

Posted on March 12th, 2008 by Poolio
Filed under: Jonathan Poole