PALENQUE - MEXICO

As the most famous and well preserved Mayan archaeological site in Mexico, Palenque provided not only some incredible jungle scenery and plenty of historical grandeur, but it also served up its fair share of problems, most of which seem to be all too common in this crazy country !

I arrived to Palenque late at night following a delayed and rather lengthy bus ride from San Cristobal de las Casas and after finding a shoddy little hotel which suited my budget I had a quick look around the city, an adventure which lasted about 30 minutes. Unlike other cities in Chiapas, Palenque (the city) really didn`t have a lot to offer and so following a brief visit to the Zocalo, I headed back and got some well needed rest after the previous nights shennanigans.

My first full day in Palenque was spent visiting 3 nearby ecological reserves with pristine waterfalls and beautiful rivers. This was definately a worthwhile day trip and I was particularly impressed with the second site we visited, `Agua Clara` a river which contained substantial quantities of minerals in the water, giving it a beautiful turquoise colour. Slightly less impressive was the brown water cascading over the waterfalls at `Agua Azul` (I couldn`t quite work out how it managed to get its name given the colour of the water) however all in all the trip was most enjoyable not only because of the places we visited but also because of the good group of people on the tour.

That afternoon marked the start of my `problems` in Palenque, for after consuming a perfectly normal dinner at a perfectly normal restaurant, I began to feel rather queezy. Over a period of 4 hours this transformed to a case of extreme discomfort and I managed only 2 hours sleep because of my frequent visits to the bathroom. Not being able to digest any form of liquids I went in search of more water at 4am in the morning and managed eventually to get some sleep. I awoke early feeling pretty `rude` but managed to get my stuff together and head out to the Mayan ruins in time for the 8am opening time, in the hope of avoiding the excessive heat (upwards of 40 degrees) and crowds of tourists.

The site was certainly very impressive. I managed to endure a good 2 hours of scaling pyramids and grabbed a number of good photos before my exhaustion and rather deteriorated state meant that I called it a day and after a quick visit to the interesting museum exhibiting various artifiacts discovered at the site and the significance of the various structures within the ruins, I returned to Palenque to just relax and later take a bus to Cancun.

All in all, the city (or more accurately, the various sites of interest around the city) was an interesting stop for a number of days and definately worth the visit.

Photos 1-3: Watefall at `Miso-Ha`.
Photos 5-8 : Beautiful turquoise coloured water at `Agua Clara`.
Photos 9&10 : Waterfalls at `Agua Azul`.
Photos 11-18 : Mayan ruins of Palenque.

SAN CRISTOBAL DE LAS CASAS - MEXICO

After than a shorter than expected stay in Oaxaca, I took another overnight bus to San Cristobal de las Casas, once again `slumming` it with the rest of Mexico`s `second class` rather than spending the extra money on a tourist bus (first class). This adventure proved quite a mission as I arrived firstly into Tuxtla Guiterrez at around 6am in the morning following another rather sleepless night and then took a `colectivo` for the 2 hour journey to San Cristobal. Although I struggled to keep my eyes open for the entire journey, I was treated to some impressive views as we climbed up the winding mountain road to an altitude of about 2500m.

After another early arrival, I was really exhausted and spent my first day just chilling and having a look at a few of the museums around town, the more interesting of the sites I visited being the Museum of Mayan Medicine and the Amber Museum, both of which were definately worth the 20 peso entry fee, but were definately not worth 21 pesos !!! Still, it was interesting particularly learning about the amber industry in Chiapas; the methods of extraction, means of distinguishing amber from cheap plastic imitations and admiring the very impressive Zapotec sculptures made from amber. I also had a good wander around town, having a look at the Zocalo, churches and other buildings of significance.

On my second day, I visited a small village (San Andres) not far from San Cristobal, in which there wasn`t a lot to see, but the experience was still worth the visit. Highlights from the day were definatley observing the crazy Mayan-Christian religion practiced in the local church. Upon entering I was treated to a face full of pleasantly scented smoke and chanting in some language which I definately know was not spanish. It turns out that the people of Chiapas have created a hybrid religion incorporating both Mayan and Christian beliefs, with certain oddities such as John the Baptist being the second most important figurehead and the belief that Jesus has not risen. The town also offered an insight into the Zapotec `takeover` of regions in Chiapas and of even more interest, the delicate woven handcrafts characteristic of the region. I spent a number of hours scouring the various vendors and managed to pick up a few nice gifts for various people.
My final day in San Cristobal was taken up with a visit to the Cañon del Sumidero, a good 2 hours from the city and a site which I probably should have visited out of Tuxtla Guiterrez instead (hindsight is such a wonderful thing!). The trip was definately worth it and reminded me a lot of the fjords in Norway, with the cañon being (apparently, although this seems a little far fetched to me) in some places around 1000m from the water to the top. Two hours was probably enough as the scenery did become a little monotonous although we did also see a number of examples of the native wildlife on the return trip.

That night I ventured out with another traveller I met during the day and after downing our fair share of Mexican beers in the hostel in which he was staying (much more interesting than my hostel) we went out to a local club. It was ok although the music left a lot to be desired (as per usual) and after a few hours I decided that my `hammock bed` (the hostel was full so I was forced to relocate to the rather chilly outdoor residence) was a slightly more appealing option.

Despite the rave reviews given to San Cristobal, I didn`t think the place was anything amazing and it seemed to be haven for the `alternative, hippy travellers` rather than your mainstream backpackers. Still there were a number of nice sites around the city and the city itself was quite visually appealing and definately warranted a 2 day visit.

Photos 1-4: Cañon del Sumidero.
Photo 5: Views of the city from one of the nearby vantage points.

OAXACA - MEXICO

Following my brief stint on the south-west coast of Mexico, I headed north to the city of Oaxaca in the hope of escaping the ridiculous heat... unfortunately not to be ! After yet another early arrival and hostel check-in, I grabbed some breakfast before heading out to the Zapotec archaeological ruins of `Mitla`. Two words, bloody dissapointing ! Nothing really much to see and in fact, I found the nearby church and monastery a hell of alot more interesting than the so-called `ruins`. This may have had something to do with the fact that the temperature was somewhere around 40 degrees, but I`m really just `calling a spade a spade` in saying that the archaeological site was very ordinary !! On the way back to Oaxaca, I passed and viewed from the safety of the air-conditioned bus, the oldest tree in the world. Even from this vantage point, I still felt like I experienced all that was on offer at this site.

That afternoon I busied myself with wandering the city streets and poking around the city centre. I found the cathedral, Zocalo and numerous churches quite interesting. In addition I spent a number of hours in the city museum, learning about the archaeological history of the region and admiring the numerous artifiacts collected and exhibited there.

Despite intially intending to spend around 4 days in Oaxaca, I quickly realised there was little to keep me there longer than 2 days, despite many travellers suggesting otherwise (another case of a trully overrated location). My second day in Oaxaca proved infinitely more interesting than my first, for after having sorted out a bus to San Cristobal de las Casas, I ventured to the Zapotec ruins of `Monte Alban`. These were quite similar (in their layout and what they contained) to the `Teotihuacan` ruins I had visited whilst in Mexico city and illustrated the influence of the Aztec culture on the Zapotecs. Despite the outrageous heat, I enjoyed wandering around the site and got some good photos of the various temples and pyramids before getting in trouble by one of the `guards` for using my tripod (another case of overzealous security if you ask me! Still got some good videos though). The site museum also provided a good explanation of the significance of the various structures and a brief introduction to the Zapotec empire.

Thus concludes all that is worth writing about regarding my visit to Oaxaca. Apart from the ruins of Monte Alban, I didn`t feel like the city offered a great deal and I found it somewhat difficult to understand why Oaxaca recived such great reviews in both many of the travel guidebooks and from other backpackers. Still, not the worst place I have ever been to !

Photo 1: Impressive church in `Mitla` with the `ruins` in the foreground.
Photos 2&3: City cathedral.
Photo 4: Radiant sunset looking over the city.
Photos 5-8: Zapotec ruins of `Monte Alban`.

ACAPULCO & PUERTO ESCONDIDO - MEXICO

Having filled in a few days heading south from Mexico city, I finally made it from Cuernavaca to Acapulco for the Easter weekend, in the search of some nice beaches and some massive parties. From all reports Acapulco was the place to be. During my time in Acapulco I stayed with a guy I had met in Mexico city and whilst this was a most generous and financially rewarding option, the location of the house (well out of the city centre) meant that getting into town to be a part of the festivities, was rather hard.

Acapulco as a city didn´t appeal to me so much and had only a number of sites worth visiting. With the exception of an enjoyable morning spent in the surf, just mucking around with a boogie board in the 10 foot swell, I also managed to check out the old fort and associated museum which detailed the importance of Acapulco during the early stages of Mexican history as the port linking Europe with Asia. It was very interesting to learn all about how silks and spices were brought all the way from places like the Phillipines and then traded for gold and so on in Acapulco before being taken onto Europe. Also, the description of piracy in the Carribean made the museum well worth a visit. I also managed to check out the world famous cliff divers of Acapulco, whereby a number of crazy Mexicans hurled themselves off 20 or so metre high cliffs into the shallow water bellow, somehow managing not to smash themsleves into a million pieces on the rocks. The last place of interest which I managed to visit during my stay was a great vantage point on the mountain range just outside the city, a position which provided some great views of the hotels lining the beaches all around the city.

Despite the difficulties in getting into town, I did manage to go out twice during my stay in Acapulco. Unfortunately, my mate Carlos wasn´t interested in going out so I did it solo but did manage to meet up with some friendly Argentines whom I had befriended on the plane from Santiago de Chile to Mexico and whom I had met up with (just by chance) in Mexico city. Although I did originally intend to at least spend one of my nights in one of the famous clubs of Acapulco, the US$50 cover charge (albeit with an open bar) made this option very unenticing and as such I decided to frequent slightly less up-market and more ´fun´ establishments. On both nights I had a good time and met some great people so that was the main thing but I wouldn´t say that the parties were the most amazing that I have ever been a part of.

After Acapulco I headed briefly to Puerto Escondido, another beachside town, famous for its great surf and nice beaches. The weather here was stiffling hot and I was forced to spend the majority of the day under cover for fear of shrivelling up and dying. Still in the earlier hours of the morning and later on in the afternoon I did manage to check out some of the coastline around the town, which was very nice and spent a few hours just relaxing and sleeping in a hammock at one of the restaurants located at one of the more popular beaches.

Whilst Acapulco and Puerto Escondido probably weren´t the most ineresting places I have ever visited they were still worth a look and the kindness shown to me by Carlos´ family in particular made it a pretty good Easter away from home.

Photo 1: Old fort in Acapulco.
Photo 2: Views of the city and coastline in Acapulco.
Photo 3: Location of the famous cliff divers in Acapulco.
Photos 4-8: Beaches and coastline around Puerto Escondido.

VALLE DE BRAVO - MEXICO

My next destination after Mexico City was the small town of Valle de Bravo, which I only visited more to fill in the time up to when I was planning on travelling to Acapulco. After a short bus ride south to Toluca, I made my way west over some sizeable mountain ranges to the small but popular (with Mexican families) tourist town. Completely void of backpackers, this lakeside town was surrounded by moutains and situated in an absolutely amazing location and provided plenty of opportunities for taking some great photos and enjoying some trekking through the forest.

On the bus trip from Toluca to Valle de Bravo I met a very nice American couple who had relocated to Mexico about 20 years ago. They were kind enough to not only advise me of the best places to visit around the town but also invited me to their house the following day for breakfast. The meal consisted of bacon, sausages and eggs, pancakes and copius amounts of tea and coffee, a warmly received feed ! All that was missing was the steak !!

After arriving toValle de Bravo in the late afternoon I eventually found somewhere to stay and then legged it up one of the hills and managed to arrive at one of the vantage points on the lakes edge in time to catch the last glimpses of the sun. I was unfortunately about 10 minutes too late to catch the amazing orange and red colours cast by the sun over the lake (due to a few navigational difficulties and perhaps lack of fitness). This, I will admit was one of the main reasons why I decided to stay on an extra day in the town and forego more time in Cuernavaca.

The next day, following breakfast with my new American friends, I had a look around a smaller town not far from `Valle` and visited a nice waterfall before walking back along the lake to the town. Thankfully my second afternoon provided me with plenty of time to capture many photos of the sunset over the lake, before I met up with a few boys I had befriended the previous night. We enjoyed a few racks of pool and a great pizza and also managed to catch up the following day and spent a number of hours hiking to the top of another hill close to where one of the boys lived. This adventure provided further opportunities for photos of the town, lake and surrounding mountains.

Valle de Bravo was definately one of the ´suprises´ of my trip thus far and the combination of an incredibly relaxed atmosphere, friendly local population and fantastic location being a more than welcome change after the hustle and bustle of D.F.

As a brief stopover en-route to Acapulco, I stayed 1 night in Cuernavaca. Despite my limited time in the city, I managed to have a reasonable look around and was impressed with the Zocalo, churches, cathedrals and other buildings of significance in the city centre. Unfortunately, I was unable to visit the archaeological ruins close to the city due to a lack of time, but I figured there would be plenty of opportunities to visit other sites of interest in the states of Chiapas and the Yucutan Pensinula.

Photos 1-3 : Views of the town, lake and mountains from a great vantage point just out of town.
Photo 4&5: Sunset on my second afternoon.
Photo 6: Waterfall about 1 hour from the town.
Photos 7&8: More photos of the town and lake from our hike on my last day.
Photo 9: Cathedral in Cuernavaca.

MEXICO CITY - MEXICO

Upon arriving to the worlds largest metropolis, Mexico City or as it is more commonly referred to in Mexico, `Distrito Federal` (D.F.) I was immediately in awe at the sheer size of the place. Despite already being aware of the fact that the city was home to around 26 million inhabitants, I was amazed that we could fly for almost 40 minutes over a landscape of houses, roads and lights before landing at the international airport. My amazement continued after exiting the subway in the city centre (Zocalo) where I was confronted with a huge plaza, massive cathedral and one of the biggest flags I have ever seen.

Throughout my stay the city continued to astound me and I quickly grew very fond of the excellent metro system which I was able to use for travel from one end of the city to the other for less than US20 cents. Not only was the metro system safe, relaible and cheap (the same for which cannot be said for the metro in London for instance) but also the frequency of trains was quite astonishing !

As with many of the larger cities I have visited, Mexico city certainly through up a range of things to do and I never felt like I was bored at any stage during my visit. I really enjoyed just wandering around parts of the city centre and checking out various places of interest. However probably the highlights of my stay in the city were:

1) The museum of anthropology. This place continued the trend of `huge things` in the city and was the largest museum I have ever seen. With exhibitions of Mexicos anthropological history spanning over 2 floors and around 16 large rooms on each floor, this place kept me occupied for the best part of a day and even then I didn`t feel like I had covered everything there was to see (after all there is only a certain amount of information one can take in at once). The exhibits of Mayan, Aztec, Zapotec and Olmec artifacts and history were really interesting and a good kick start to my visits to important archaeological sites around the country.

2) The archaeological site of Teotihuacan. It should not be surprising that I mention how large this site was also. The sheer size of the 2 pyramids constructed at the site was hard to comprehend and I can only guess at how amaing the `real deal` in Egypt must be. Despite trecherously hot conditions and a truckload of tourists (mostly school children) I really enoyed walking around the site and taking everything in.

3) The Basillica of Guadelupe. Having never seen a proper Basillica before, I was pretty impressed with all the different churches and Cathedrals at this one site. Not only did they showcase a range of modern and traditional architectural styles but also the views of the city from the top of the hill within the site were quite impressive.

In addition to these places I visited a tonne of other sites including the Templo Mayor, which was quite dissapointing although the accompanying museum thankfully made up for this fact and the city museum, which contained interesting exhibits on the history of D.F. During my stay I also managed to go out twice, firstly to a pretty standard Irish pub with some good music and where I met some friendly locals and secondly to another establishment which unfortunately wasn`t so interesting, despite the fact that it was a Saturday night in the worlds largest city (didn`t quite add up but anyway!).

Unfortunately I was also subjected to the famous `Moctezumas revenge` whilst in Mexico and on my 2nd day in the city I was rendered unable to walk and was doubled over in pain after stupidly consuming some of the city`s local water. I later discovered this was most unadvisable, not because the water was bad but because all the pipes used to transport water around the city were in quite a bad state. This of course didn`t seem to make sense to me from an Engineering perspective but I gave up trying to reason with the locals and went and bought some drugs to cure me of my problems instead.

Without doubt, D.F. was one of the most interesting cities I have ever visited and I really enjoyed my time there. I met some great people, took in some wonderful sites and despite the city being almost completely `americanized` I was still treated to some of the mexican culture, tradition and of couse cuisine.

Photos 1-3: View of the city nightscape from one of the tallest buildings (Torre Latinoamericano) Photos 4-7: The Archaeological site of Teotihuacan.
Photos 8-10: Other locations around the city.
Photos 11-17 : Photos from Basillica Guadelupe.