Agua Azul, Palenque and Mayapan

So on we went (as it has been the routine for the past few months) onto a different place! Before heading to Palenque the majority wanted to check out a small area called Agua Azul (Blue Water) where we could swim and have a good time. On our way there the most interesting part of it was the roadblocks! Sometimes kids (and some adults) put a piece of rope from one side of the street to the other, and they lift it when you try to pass. Unless you want to kill them, you are forced to stop! Usually they are selling something or collecting money for some cause, but in this case it was just a bunch of 11-12yo girls that just wanted money. As soon as I open the window they started sticking their hands everywhere and trying to get to the money in my hand first. It was quite frightening to be honest. It was like a wild pack of some sort of creatures! Anyway, I had to close the window pretty much right away after giving them some money and they lowered the "gate" so we could pass.
Once in the park, we enjoyed the waters and did some swimming.

Gorgeous view of Agua Azul

Then onto Palenque! But before we got there, we picked up a couple of hippies that were going to the international "Rainbow Festival" going on about 10 miles away from the ruins. They said the road to the festival was fine, but it wasn't. It was a pain in the ass!!!! After a lot of struggle and after bottoming up the cub a few times, we made it there. The smell of marijuana is the first thing that hits you, hahaa. There were at least 2000 people there enjoying the "gathering". It was late so we decided to stay there for the night. They lead us into a parking area that was in the middle of the bushes, were we ended up puncturing 2 tires (we realized that the next day) after driving over palm tree branches on the ground. It was a pain having to repair them next morning with the kits we have. We ended up losing one for good and it cost 200 bucks to get a new one. Yeah, it was an expensive adventure!

That night at the gathering I mentioned that I play the bagpipes so I was asked to play at the "fire circle" which several hundred, completely naked people that are dancing like nutcases around a fire. It was quite awesome and it was my highlight of the whole festival. There were many drummers and I played several jigs and reels and some dancing shit. I have never seen so many penises and breasts jumping up and down together at the rhythm of my pipes before!! Apparently it was quite noted in the festival, because even weeks later, I keep meeting people that remember me playing the pipes at that place!
The next morning we left and headed for the Ruins, because we wanted to spend the 21st "The End of the World" in Palenque, the famous Mayan ruins! I don't remember exactly when we got there, but I think we spend the 20th at night in a campground right outside the ruins, with a bunch of people from the festival that were there as well to enter the park the next day, and also tons of other travellers getting ready to visit the ruins. That night we had a small cookout and we met "Lurky", a big black dog that was lurking in the shadows when we were eating our food and nobody saw him for who knows how long, until I noticed a darker shadow next to the car, hahaaa. He was quite friendly and we invited him for dinner. Soon after everyone went to bed and me and Lurky heard so chanting and clapping in the near by woods (it was about 11 pm) so we both went that way to check it out. It was a Mayan ritual that was going on there, and there were a few hundred people gathered around a fire, and this Mayan priest was leading the whole thing. Lurky liked the whole thing so we decided to sit around the circle as well. It was quite cool and I held hands with complete strangers while walking around the circle. Lurky had fun because sometimes he would leave me and go into the shadows for a while, then I would hear a scream, mainly women, so I figured Lurky showed up suddenly right next to them and scare the living crap out of those girls. I think he really enjoys doing that, and that's why we called him Lurky!

Next morning we went to the ruins. They immediately became my favorite ones so far. They really are amazing and I don't need to describe them so much, because you can always find better information about them online. We went to pretty much every single pyramid, and enjoyed our time there very much. Amazingly enough we had not seen rain in several weeks, and that day it rained like hell!!! So much that everything got wet, even my underwear! Ever set or stairs became a river and every field a pond. It was quite amazing to watch.

 Great view of a area of the ruins

 

We had a great time that day and also saw some "rainbow" people doing small ceremonies and stuff. In general everything was great, even though the world did not end!

 

After Palenque we needed to keep an old promise made months ago in San Francisco, when we travelled with our dear friends Helen and Diego. We met then a couple of mayors of two different towns in Mexico there that were in a convention. We told one of them that we would stop and pay him a visit, because he lives in an area in the Yucatan that we were supposed to drive through. He is the mayor of a small town called Mayapan, which also has some ruins called the same. Many people don't know this, but this Mayan city of Mayapan, was as strong in power as Palenque and Chitchen Itza at a time! It does not get nearly as many visitors, and it is much smaller in size, but at one time these 3 cities were the most importan in the Mayan era.

Finding the small town of Mayapan proved to be quite a challenge though, and it took us pretty much 2 days to find, and when we were about to give up, we literally stumbled upon it!

We went to the Municipal building and the mayor was there to receive us. He indeed remembered us quite well and took the day off to show us the town, his home, and a cenote (sinkhole) that his family had in their lands a few miles away from the town.

 

 

We have nothing but great things to say about Victor and his family. They were simple great hosts and treated us like if we were also their family. We will always remember them with love.



View from inside Victor family's Cenote. It was great!

 

Victor told us they were having a party for Christmas and they really wanted us to stay and enjoy that day with them, but traveling with two other friends and not having enough time to complete their journey, we decided that we could not afford to stay there for 2 more days. I personally would have loved to stay there for a week, but arranging the schedule of 4 people is not an easy task.

Before leaving we decided we needed to take a picture with the mayor and some of the staff. Here is Victor to my right, and his wife to Jocelyn's left, with one of their beautiful children.

 



 

 

They were among the nicest people we have met and I'm sure we will see them again. Soon after this picture we left and continued with our trip.

More posts are to come my friends, so stay tuned. We are almost done with Mexico and after that we start with new countries and new adventures!