On The Bright Side...

As I slept on the bus to Palenque, someone tried to relieve me of a few valuables. They cut a small hole in the bottom of my carry-on while I was sound asleep with it in my lap, but all they encountered was a water bottle and my breakfast. Another traveler had her camera stolen, and a young Mexican girl (maybe 14) had belongings stolen as well. On the bright side, this is the precise reason I packed duct tape, and it is now shoring up my leaky pack.

Some travel tips for those moving around by bus in Mexico:

1) Daytime or awake-time buses only;
2) If you are breaking #1, place valuables in checked baggage, where it is checked at the bus. ADO (the primary 1st class bus service) generally has it together when it comes to securing luggage;
3) Carry duct tape!

More disappointing than the hole in my bag was my arrival in Palenque. If you are coming out this way, El Panchán, within walking distance of the ruins, is a better bet. Pälenque is a city built on shuttling people to and from the nearby ruins and waterfalls. I arrived too late to do the complete tour, so I opted for the falls tour leaving at noon.

The first stop was Misol-Ha, 35m in height with a beautiful pool and a jungle setting. Not too bad for my first taste of the jungle.

As we wound through the mountainous, dense jungle, we passed a sign reading 'You are now entering Zapatista Territory...'; although the days of highway banditry in the area are long since past, the push for indigenous title and autonomy still persists.

The next stop was three hours in Agua Azul, which came complete with a bunch of RV'ers and a community of about 500 people. The falls themselves are incredible, carving hundreds of pools into the limestone underneath. I headed up the stone walkway until it became a path, and about 1/2 a kilometre later found a pool to myself.

Our tour driver Victor drove the Ford shuttle van to the pools like a saint, but the same could not be said for the return trip. I think he was trying to make up the time he lost, as we waited with some passengers for a connecting southbound bus to San Cristobal. I noted that he made a bit on the side, charging the six getting on the bus 110 pesos each before the bus arrived, but paying the bus driver 70 once the passengers had boarded. I just wish he would have spread the love!

Onto San Cristóbal tomorrow, where I hope to pass a day or two before heading into Guatemala.