PALENQUE MAYAN TEMPLES

My trip to Palenque was arduous.  5.5 hrs. driving to and the same for the return.  We left at 6:15 and returned at 9:45.  The road winds up and down a mountain.  The altitude of Palenque is 9000 ft..    On the way to there were only four of us in the car and the other 2 were from Ireland.  Young and smart and best, quiet.  We passed thru the town that sells rat soup at their weekend market but didn't stop.  I was happy to see the distance between here and there as I was tempted to take a quick (20 min ride to the market) but it is more like 90 min.  The ride from here to Palenque is lovely in terms of vegetation: corn grows on the sides of roads and mountains, coffee plantations and banana trees coat the landscape.  Green green, it's green they say on the far side of the hill...both drivers were aware of all the speed bumps (hundreds of them, and that slows ya down)....children stand at the side of the road on either side with a rope across the road and hold it up to stop the car so they can sell corn or pineapple slices....they are 7-10 years old boys and girls.  They stand at the speed bumps so the car is going slowly and of course the rope drops when the car ignores the kids. 
When Joe Schepps and I went to Tikal in 1978 there were four visitors and we were 2 of them, we pretty much had the jungle to ourselves.  Palenque gets 1,000 visitors a day and so you can imagine the difference in the experience.  It is like going to see a King Tut exhibit on opening day.  The information is there to appreciate but there is chatter all around.  (not a complaint but an observation).
We first stopped at cascades and the cool of the spray was refreshing.  Next stop was at a waterfall where one could walk behind.  I did and got soaking wet from head to toe.  It felt great....and I was dry in less than 20 min.   Then on to Palenque.
We walked to the entrance and a few young man/boys approached each of us willing to be our guide.  The first guide, I thought said ride in the jungle, which sounded like the elephant train and I thought how delightful (and how strange but in the heat it made sense although how to keep a path in the jungle is a whole other thought) and I said yes.  After chatting I got that he said guide in the jungle so I said no gracias and walked on up the first set of steps.  Steps are 2-3 feet high and very difficult to get up and more difficult to get down.  I got to an area that had huge stones on which to sit on a lawn they must mow as the vegetation grows all the time.  I sat to tie my shoe and all around me were temples. 13 have been uncovered but there are estimates of 1000  more.  I was sitting under an avocado tree that could have been 100 years old.  It was as tall and thick as an oak tree of that age...maybe taller.  There was a tree with red bark next to it and the new guide, who cost half and was twice as cute (and so I hired him) knocked on the trunk of the tree and it was hallow.  For $4. the cute guide, who spoke perfect English and was a college grad and a Mayan ... showed me everything.  I had read a lot about Palenque so when he understood that he told me stories...such as:  "Over there is the soccer field.  There were only 4 players on each team.  When the game was done the winning player, the best player was be-headed.  But our people, The Great Mayan did not sacrifice people.  Our civilization was too advanced for that.  We were here 100 B.C. that means we were here before your Christ was born."
We then walked up the temple stairs...(I will include a video so you can see how many stairs...I didn't count) of the Red Queen..."This queen was our first and here is her tomb...inside a gated "window of a cell" was a cement tomb....covered in red.  "The Red Queen was buried with 7,000 pieces of jade."  (It was too dark to take a photo with the flip and I didn't feel like photography at the moment as I was looking at the tomb and no one else was around. The top was slid to the side.   I was trying to imagine what it was like to carry her up those stairs and what ceremonies took place).  We left the tomb and I got down on my rear-end to traverse  the temple of many steps.  Ya kinda don't want to slip and break an ankle in that neck of the woods.  (although it might be a good way to meet a shaman)
     Outside the cute guide told me that the shaman lives in the jungle and that he communes with the sacred jaguar.  He said the only way to see the toucans and other birds is to be there early in the morning. It was 3pm
 He was right...I saw nothing but trees in the jungle...and that was ok.  There is a bird reserve I am going to soon in this area.  They have 80 birds if I get there early in the morning.  I think it is 30 min. away...but I was wrong about the rat soup place so who knows.  
He said the shaman  talks to the sacred jaguar after taking mushrooms.  "We eat the mushrooms and 20 minutes later we are powerful"...I said I knew about that.  He showed me some grass below our feet that when touched, the leaves would fall asleep with the touch of the hand and in 20 min. would stand back up.  A lot seems to happen in 20 min in Palenque.  He showed me the corn house (another temple), the family home or palace and we walked up and down stairs and in and out of temples.  It is easy to take for granted "another temple"...(I sat outside of the temples while alone and tried to imagine what life was like)...the common people lived where the jungle is now and the royalty lived in what I saw.  How did they find these tombs and "pyramids"...temples...covered in jungle in 1920?
Then on to the jungle, which makes me nervous but I insisted we go in. It's the red coral snake that shakes me up.  Didn't see one and it wasn't much cooler in there.  Thick with green...thick with a small path and puddles and monkeys and mosquitos and god knows what else.  I walked with him and later went back and walked alone.  I can't get over my fear of the jungle.
   As we sat back under the avocado tree children came to sell me things.  They were selling things that had to do with the Mayan Calendar, which has the 360 days in the year but more months and with each month a symbol.  I got a charm on a necklace made of leather for Feb 18th and the boy had a xerox copy of The Mayan Calendar so I paid him for it and they both now sit on my altar.    We finished our tour and I decided to walk to the museum.  The stairs were designed to replicate the temple stairs and there must have been 200 of them first down and then you guessed it...up.   It took a long time and towards the bottom I found a waterfall.  I didn't make it to the museum as I realized it was time to go home. 
 I think the 15-16 hour day cost $40. after I paid the guide and bought water.  One bottle cost 80 cents and was ice cold and I dumped it right over my head.  The yogi says sweat everyday...and I made up for any lazy days.
The ride back was long and huge storms came and went.  We passed a basketball court where young boys were playing while the thunder clapped and a flash flood took place beneath their feet and they played on in a foot of rain water and they pushed and shoved one player until he was down in the mud and they laughed and continued to play.
In bed by 10 after a quick shower and a deep sleep made me feel a little better after the sun stroke headache. 
What I took away from this adventure is that life goes on...but then the end of the Mayan Calendar is 12-21-12
Love
Annette