Ma'alob K'iin!: Across the Wild, Wild West

My journey through Guatemala and Mexico was a little like traveling through the Old West - cowboys, immigration posses, indigenous revolts, masked men (ok, children), a ghost town, and even a bank heist. I have a lot to tell you, but this post will just cover the first part of my trip - traveling to Palenque from Flores.

After Tikal, my Mom caught a plane back to Belize City, and I continued on to Mexico. I took about 10 days off so I could travel with my Mom and go to Mexico for Day of the Dead, something I've always wanted to do. The plan was to get to Palenque first, and then take a bus up into the mountains to San Cristobal de las Casas. Luckily, there are tourist shuttles between Palenque and Flores, which is nice because the alternative was a two day trek back through Belize, then north to Chetumal, and finally west across Mexico to Palenque.

So I was picked up at my hotel at 5am by the bus, and we headed out across the Peten. The drive was pretty, but much of the Peten has been severely deforested for cattle ranching and farming (hence the cowboys). There is a stark difference between seeing the preserve around Tikal (towering trees, monkeys, etc.) and the vast stretches of green pastures in other parts of the Peten. It was early morning when I passed through here though, which made it misty and gorgeous.

I always thought this would be a sketchy kind of border crossing - between Chiapas and the Peten, two slightly lawless states (i.e. drug trafficking and immigration issues, political unrest). But it was just a quiet house with two customs guys and a bathroom. The customs officer told me I should get a new passport....and I realized that mine is almost full! How incredible is that! I only have one page left. I never thought that would happen. In order to cross into Mexico, you have to get in a boat and ride up the Usamacinta River for about a half hour, where you go through customs on the Mexican side. The river was absolutely beautiful, but unfortunately, my camera was buried deep in my backpack. On the bus I met a German girl named Stephanie who was also traveling alone. When we got to Palenque we decided to pair up and find a bank and a place to stay. She was very sweet and we ended up traveling to San Cristobal together as well.

On the way from the Usumacinta to Palenque, we stopped in Frontera Corozal to visit customs, but also to pick up two more passengers. These were two kids, a brother and sister, who looked to be about 12 or 13. I figured they were family members or friends with the driver, hitching a ride up north. Well, since Chiapas does share a southern border with Guatemala, there is a strong military presence there. There were two checkpoints within the first 30 minutes of our ride from the border. The first one was an immigration checkpoint. The officers made the two kids get out, and they sort of harrassed the boy. Not physically, but they were interrogating him. He had no papers to prove that he was Mexican (which he wasn't, apparently). Okay, so the military isn't exactly a posse, but it sort of felt that way! The boy and his sister had to get off the bus and into a van heading back down south, which was already full of other people. I don' t know where they were from exactly, but I've heard that the southern Mexican border is almost harder to cross than the southern U.S. border, if you're coming across illegally. Anyways, it was an interesting happening, that made me think about how lucky I am to have an almost full U.S. passport.

My day at Palenque was amazing. Of course I had read about it and seen pictures, but I really didn't realize that it was so beautiful. And the preservation was incredible - stucco and paint still on some of the buildings! I had a great time wandering around. Eventually I'll post a little historical blurb about Palenque for those of you who are interested - stay tuned!

First, a map, I think you an click it to enlarge.

The view when you enter from the front gate - this is the funeral pyramid of a ruler (don't know which one).

Temple of the Inscriptions, where the famous Pakal is buried

Me and the Temple of the Inscriptions

Temple of the Inscriptions from the Temple of the Foliated Cross

Temple of the Foliated Cross - named that for the stucco freize on the inside showing Pakal's son, Pakal, and a world tree (the foliated cross) in between them. It symbolizes the divine nature of the family's lineage.