HANKY PANKY IN PALANQUE

10-18-06

I finally left San Cristobal, if I learned anymore Spanish I don’t think I would have been able to fit my helmet on my head. I left Jay in San Cristobal as he was still waiting for his parts. Our plan was he would catch back up with me in Palanque or Talum. The ride out of San Cristobal was not as exciting as our ride in. The next stop on my route was Palanque to view the Mayan ruins. I made a few stops enroute to Palanque first was a series of water falls called Agua Azul the water is full of calcium and phosphorus so it has an iridescent blue color, my camera didn’t pick up the color but it is amazing it is almost electric and the calcium builds up on the rocks creating hundreds of waterfalls in a short span of distance. The second stop was a big waterfall called Miso-Ha the waterfall is about 120 feet and is located in the jungle with a nice swimming hole at the base of the falls. A slippery stone walkway snakes behind the waterfall giving you an interesting view from behind the veil of the falls out to the lagoon. The water is nice and cool, it sure was a nice relief form the days ride.

Miso-Ha above and Agua Azul below




















The ruins at Palanqe are amazing. My words can not give the sight justice, even my pictures do not capture the true magic and magnitude of this ancient city located in the heart of the jungle. The heat and humidity was almost overwhelming the thick jungle canopy offered some relief from the sun but the humidity was at about 102%. It is an incredible sight when you first approach the city through the jungle, the thick vegetation gives way to an opening that is the heart of the ruins, the main temple and palaces are clustered together with smaller temples and buildings surrounding them. There is an ancient ball field that they played a form of basketball using a smooth round rock and rock hoops, this is possibly where the phrase “pass me the rock originated”. The losing team was beheaded following the outcome of the game, a motivation tactic the N.B.A. should consider, with that kind of inspiration even the Boston Celtics could win a couple of games. The outskirts of the city are where the common folk lived and this consisted of several clusters of communities surrounding the city.




The ball court

I arrived at the ruins early in the morning. There were just a handful of visitors when I arrived. As I was exploring the outer temples I was walking through a tight stone hallway that brought me to an opening, as I rounded the corner I came across a couple who were very obviously more excited and inspired by the ruins than myself. The man had his lady friend up on a stone altar and was performing a ritual that although not exclusively Mayan was I’m sure enjoyed by the ancient people. Let’s just say she was no longer eligible for the virgin sacrifice. The flustered couple I am assuming from their accents from Australia or New Zealand called out an apology as I continued on my exploration.
The stairs leading up the pyramids and temples are incredibly steep. You almost have to use your hands like climbing a ladder on some; a slip would result in a broken neck or death. It is amazing the ability of this ancient culture to erect such massive buildings. There extensive knowledge of astrology and mathematics is impressive it is still a mystery as to why the culture vanished, by the time Columbus arrived in the Americas the city was already abandoned. Some credit it to the constant state of warfare with their neighbors or a depletion of the natural resources surrounding the city. Jay caught up with me the next day so I got to spend two days at the ruins. After two days climbing around the city I was pretty worn out. The following afternoon after I explored the ruins in the morning with Jay we headed west to Talum a little south of Cancun to check out more ruins this time right on the ocean.

October 22, 2006

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SISTER BETH!!

a picture to show my sensitive side