Friday, May 21, 2010

This Won't Do It Justice...

Welcome to Palenque! This is the beautiful Mayan civilization which was once absorbed into the jungle and is now a famous archeological site in Mexico's Chiapas!

It's hard to judge how massive these things are from a picture, but in the bottom right corner you can see three girls at its base.
When we were there, a few buildings were being excavated. This meant that some entries were closed off, but it also meant that several reliefs and inscriptions were newly awakened before our eyes...


One of my favorite ruins was this quaint little moss-covered abode on the top of this hill. The steps leading up to it were so unlike any other buildings'. Little things like that make me want to know the stories of the people inhabiting this place so so so long ago. Do you sometimes wonder about the people you will be sitting down with in the millennium reminiscing about your mortal sojourn with? I sometimes wonder about walking past a group of friends in such a conversation only to realize they are the Mayan laborers who laid the crooked steps which I climbed to reach the top of this hill 2000 years later. I'll stop often. And I'll spend long periods of "time" finally learning of and knowing these people who left traces of their mysteries for me to ponder.
I also loved the ruins which weren't grand and monumental temples or palaces. Those are awe-inspiring for sure, but I liked this community of homes we wondered upon. It's just snug up tight in the jungle and full of living. There was one particular opening with no roof and covered in vines and moss. I could easily see myself in a simple wild-animal-hide dress and dreadlocks carrying a slab of stone and chisel settling down in this little nook to record my daily journal entry.
...Or not...

Good day... for sure.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Do-da-do-da Dip Dip

Ruben (awesome bus driver): "You want to go to a swimming pool?" (in Spanish)
13 sweaty, unbathed tourists, "For sure! That sounds really refreshing."

Bus enters jungle.

Me: "Oh, I thought we were going to a pool?"
James: "We're probably still on our way."

Bus stops...
 
Seriously? What could be more relaxing than a natural pool surrounded by jungle and waterfalls?

Then we explored.