and here we are… almost 3 weeks passed at the speed of light… something ends, another thing begins… this is the end of the world as we know it — there are many sayings concerning the end of something. Today I think I will choose “something ends, another thing begins” as each coming back home is of course a bit of sadness about another trip coming to an end, but also a lot of positive emotions: home, family, friends, favourite places, favourite flavours, long discussions after returning home, giving away souvenirs brought from the trip… and, of course, planning yet another journey 🙂

We’re not saying ‘good-bye’ to Mexico forever just hasta la vista!, which means ‘see you soon’, as we want to come back here… one day 🙂

And now I will tell you about Agua Azul waterfalls and ruins the Maya city in Palenque…

The way from San Cristobal de las Casas to Agua Azul waterfalls and the ruins of the Maya city of Palenque  is an extreme experience of over 200 km of turns, ups and downs. Whoever knows that I suffer from motion sickness will also know that it was not easy!

But we made it!

Cascadas Agua Azul

Cascadas Agua Azul

This time Agua Azul didn’t impress me as much as three years ago, probably because of the weather.  It’s really nice to swim in the water near the waterfalls. They say that Agua Azul looks best in spring, when it really has this sky blue (azul) colour due to high concentration of minerals in it.

We’re walking around, looking at cascades, trying to avoid little girls selling bananas and pieces of local handicraft, and sipping coconut juice. We’re also looking at souvenirs — there’s plenty of people selling them here, as in all touristic places in Mexico.

There are also lots of small restaurants inviting tourists for a meal. We decide to have a freshly prepared quesadilla and some empanadas (small, deep fried dumplings) and it’s a very good choice.

sok z kokosa na orzeźwienie

refreshing coconut juice

From Agua Azul to Palenque it’s only 70 km. Ok, so let’s go! There are no petrol stations on the way, so we have to find a different solution. Happily, now and again we notice “SE VENDE GASOLINA” signs and that’s where we refuel.

tankujemy

time to refuel

Palenque

Ruins of the Maya city of Palenque were, together with Tulum, the most impressive places of the whole trip. And the ruins show pretty much a major part of the city, including Templo de las Inscripciones, which as if emerges from the jungle, and a nearby El Palacio.

Palenque w zieleni

Green Palenque

Amazing!

Palenque, literally drowned in the surrounding greenery, looks very secretive and majestic. There is really a lot to see and plenty of nice places for a walk, even though getting there is quite a nasty experience.

przyroda

nature

Palenque is best visited in the morning, without all the crowds, and after the long way from San Cristobal it’s a good idea to stay in one of the hotels near the archaeological zone. Most of them are hidden in the jungle, and have swimming pools and huts covered with palapa, which adds to the atmosphere…

Through Yucatan towards Chetumal

From Palenque we drove on the plains of Yucatan towards Chetumal, just on the border with Belize. Unfortunately, as we have found out earlier, you can’t cross the border in a rented car, so we had to stay in Mexico.

The way to Chetumal leads through wide and empty roads that are nothing like the horror I experienced when we drove from San Cristobal de las Casas to Palenque (which a person with motion disease may ends up feeling really badly).

Half way through, in Escarcega, it’s a good idea to take a short break and grab a quick snack in the local Burger King, where stuffed and breaded jalapenos peppers are a must.

Unfortunately, Chetmual wasn’t an interesting place even just to stay overnight. So we drove another 200 km to Tulum, then to Akumal and Playa del Carmen to spend some very lazy time…