Hugo arrived bang on the arranged time of 7am for the transfer from Guatemala to Mexico. He introduced himself and dashed off to the loo! During the three hour journey we stopped three more times: he blamed drinking a huge bottle of water before setting off! The last hour of the journey was along an unpaved, bumpy and very dusty road. Nonetheless he got us to Bethel, the Guatemalan border crossing, where during a final comfort break, our passports were stamped.
We then boarded a boat on the Rio Usumacinta for the 30 minute trip to the Mexican side of the border, where we were handed over to the non-incontinent Edgar, who walked us up a steep hill, to get Mexican formalities completed.
We boarded yet another boat, a long tailed motorised canoe, for another 30 minute journey to Yaxchilan, a Maya ruin deep in the jungle which can only be reached by river. Meanwhile PR and all our bags remained with the driver.
Unfortunately Edgar was a very fit young man and had us bounding up steep and deep steps to see wonderful carvings at the top of the high temples. He was enthusiastic without being boring and brought the stories of the Royal Mayan families to life. We left Yaxchilan with aching knees and backs, but at the least the return boat journey was smooth and cooling as the heat and humidity is very high.
Back to the car, PR, driver and bags for an hour's drive to our next site at Bonampak. On the journey we decided to skip lunch as there was so much to do. On arrival at Bonampak Edgar explained that the road was owned by the local Mayan tribe which meant transferring from our plush, AC saloon into a rather beaten up "thing" with a couple of windows missing - which is just as well as there were no winders! We called this our "MayaMobile".
Our reward for clambering yet another set of vertiginous stone steps, was a series of murals detailing the life of the Royals, a fierce battle and the rather gruesome aftermath of the torture of the prisoners.
Finally, after the return journey by MayaMobile, we got back into our car for the two hour journey to Palenque where we arrived, hot, sweaty, thirsty, tired and hungry at 6.30pm!
After a quick shower to freshen up, you can probably guess where we headed!
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| A straight, but dusty and bumpy road |
We boarded yet another boat, a long tailed motorised canoe, for another 30 minute journey to Yaxchilan, a Maya ruin deep in the jungle which can only be reached by river. Meanwhile PR and all our bags remained with the driver.
Unfortunately Edgar was a very fit young man and had us bounding up steep and deep steps to see wonderful carvings at the top of the high temples. He was enthusiastic without being boring and brought the stories of the Royal Mayan families to life. We left Yaxchilan with aching knees and backs, but at the least the return boat journey was smooth and cooling as the heat and humidity is very high.
Back to the car, PR, driver and bags for an hour's drive to our next site at Bonampak. On the journey we decided to skip lunch as there was so much to do. On arrival at Bonampak Edgar explained that the road was owned by the local Mayan tribe which meant transferring from our plush, AC saloon into a rather beaten up "thing" with a couple of windows missing - which is just as well as there were no winders! We called this our "MayaMobile".
Our reward for clambering yet another set of vertiginous stone steps, was a series of murals detailing the life of the Royals, a fierce battle and the rather gruesome aftermath of the torture of the prisoners.
After a quick shower to freshen up, you can probably guess where we headed!
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