New Mexico

The travel agent had looked at me like I was crazy to book airline flights from Cancun Quintana Roo, Mexico, into Villahermosa in Tabasco state, and a return flight from Tuxla Gutierrez in Chiapas state 6 nights later. I wondered if these places were the very edge of civilization.

An Internet search however bolstered my courage. After all, how bad can a place be if you can rent a car from Hertz or make online reservations for Holiday Inn, Sheraton, Best Western, etc.

I woke up early on Dec 6 in my first class hotel room in Cancun Mexico. The airport transfer van was supposed to pick us up at 6:00 am.

As I showered, I started wondering how long it would be before I would get to take another hot shower. I finished and went to wake up my sleeping wife. HmmPurnima. She did not seem the least bit deterred by the travel agent back in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania.

About half hour later, we were packed. Arthur Frommer's Mexico travel guide in hand, we walked out into the humid Cancun morning. The hazy sunshine readily started a streaming rivulet of sweat down my neck and back. The minivan sped through the roads of a still sleepy Cancun.

Cancun airport. Domestic terminal. I must say I was pleasantly surprised. I was expecting a 3rd world setting. But this terminal could rub shoulders with the best of them. Breakfast cost me as much as it would in Philadelphia. It was time to board our flight.

About three-and-a-half hours and one stop later, the pilot announced descent into Villahermosa. We peered down the windows to see a waterlogged landscape. I wondered for a brief moment if there had been a flood. No such bad luck. The rivers Grijalva, Carrizal and Mezcalpa are responsible for the perennially flooded scenery.

After landing, we found the Villahermosa airport more like the 3rd world terminal we were seeking. It cost us a fortune (USD 15) to catch a taxi to the ADO bus terminal in town, a mere seven kilometers away. The bus terminal was reminiscent of small town Indian bus stands. I soaked in the sights, the sounds, the street vendors and their wares, the people and their colorful clothing.

We bought tickets on a first class bus to Palenque, Chiapas. We had two-hours to kill before the bus left. We ate lunch at the counter. The food seemed different. Everything was covered with sugar. We bought tender coconuts from a street vendor.

It was time to board the bus. We had to check in our bags at the luggage counter. I stood in line, with old women in Maya clothing checking in plastic bags. I got a claim check and boarded the bus. A Caucasian (presumably American) couple, also going to Palenque, refused to hand over their bags at the counter. They wanted to make sure the bags made it on the bus. I am glad I am not so averse to risk.

The bus was very comfortable. Air-conditioned. They played an Adam Sandler movie. The sound track was English, which suited me fine. It was subtitled in Spanish. The road was comparable to highways in India -- four lanes in some stretches, but two lanes most of the way.

I reread the Frommer's guide. I showed Purnima how the hotels in Palenque range from USD 99 a night to USD 7 a night. We had no hotel reservations. I had not wanted to book a room without seeing what I was getting into. Purnima was concerned the hotel rooms would be sold out. I was not overly concerned.

Alighting in Palenque, we presented our claim check and collected our bags from the trunk of the bus. I asked Purnima to stay in the bus terminal with our bags. I left her with a motley mix of backpacking tourists and natives. Everybody smelt bad.

I spotted Hotel Kashlan. A 20% discount was promised if I showed them the guidebook. Eager to test this, I tried to check in. The hotel had plenty of rooms. The board was USD 20 a night. I got the discount.

I went back to the bus terminal and we lugged our bags the quarter mile to Hotel Kashlan. It had now begun to drizzle. We looked at the skies and took in the dark, swollen rain clouds. Our visit to the Palenque ruins was not going to be sunny at all.

After checking in, we walked up and down the streets and went to the market. There were a few storefronts advertising combi (shared mini van ride) trips to Yaxchilan and Bonampak. The fare was USD 55 per person. Breakfast and lunch were included. The 12-hour trip started at 6:30 am.

We ate at a nondescript restaurant and turned in. I am glad we packed about half a dozen plastic bags. Our camera, film, money and passport will remain dry the next day.

After a fitful night's sleep, we woke up to the sound of rain. We would not be able to get to the ruins at 7:00 am as the guidebook exhorted us to. Somehow, I suspected the crowds would stay away as well. There was ample hot water for the shower. I took it as a good omen. We stepped out into the downpour, trying to find breakfast. Only a couple of restaurants were open. A hurried breakfast of eggs and tortillas. We scrambled to find a colletivo (a minivan again, but operating like a city bus). Twenty minutes and 15 pesos later, we were there. No line to buy the tickets. No video camera, no equipment surcharges. Under the shade of trees, the rain didn't seem heavy. We decided against buying the plastic ponchos and walked in.

We turned a corner on the gravel pathway and faced a nine-stepped pyramid. Tomb of Pakal. The surroundings had an ethereal quality. The lush, verdant rain forest, the low rain clouds, mist rising from the treetops, becoming one with the clouds a few feet above. It was easy to understand why Palenque was described as a must see. No trees to shield us from the rain now. We were drenched and decided to return to the entrance and buy the ponchos after all.

I think we spent five hours walking through the ruin site -- the palace, the Tomb of Pakal (also known as the Pyramid of Inscriptions), Temple of the Sun, Temple of the foliated cross, the ball court and the Forgotten Temple.

Pangs of hunger brought us back to the entrance. We ate lunch at the restaurant and waited for the rain to let up. Another colletivo ride brought us to the museum a mere kilometer away. Were it not for the rain, we would have walked.

The ticket from the ruin site could be used at the museum. Good. We toured the museum, admiring their collection of colorful pottery, the many carvings and frescos.

The rain forest has reduced the buildings to stone. No signs of plaster survive. Touring the museum gave me a new appreciation of how the buildings must have looked in their heyday, 650 AD. Such craftsmanship, such skill! I drank it all in. I lingered till my aching body and my tired legs couldn't take it any more. We took a colletivo back to town. After a brief discussion, we booked the trip to Yaxchilan and Bonampak.

The skies appeared to be clearing. Hoping for better weather the next day, we started looking for a restaurant. Walking up the street, we spotted an old Maya lady, selling ears of corn, roasted over a small charcoal fire. This was not sweet corn like the ones found in the US. She even had a salt, pepper and lemon rub. Well. This brought back memories of India. The big ears cost three pesos, the smaller ones, two.

With some corn in our bellies, we renewed our search for food. Around 8:00 pm, we were done with dinner and we returned to our hotel room. There was no TV. I tried to read a book. Before very long, we were both in deep sleep.

We woke up with a start. It was almost 5:00 am. We showered and descended to the sleepy hotel lobby. The desk clerk and the guard were both still sleepy. Upon hearing us, the guard grumbled and opened the shutter doors of the hotel. The desk clerk put on some coffee. Before long, the combi was there to pick us up.

There were about eight people in the van already. We were told that another couple needed to be picked up. The van navigated to another hotel and picked up another couple of tourists. We were off. Over the hills, the sun was rising in red glory. Gone were the rain clouds of yesterday. Scattered into the distance overnight. The sky was clear. It was going to be a sunny day. A great start.

An hour or so into the drive, we pulled over, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. The driver (and tour guide) announced breakfast. Puzzled, we got off and followed him through a clump of trees. In the orchard setting, we found a lavish spread. Lots of tropical fruits, eggs, beans and a woman rolling out hot corn tortillas. I still remember this breakfast. The hot tortillas reminded me of bajra rotis in my grandma's wooden stove kitchen. Bellies heavy with this great fare, we loaded up into the combi and headed south.

About 90 minutes later, we arrived in Corozal. We bought tickets to the Yaxchilan ruin site. A 30-minute boat ride on the Usamacinta river awaited us. The river was swollen with the rains. It was also very muddy. There was a detachment of border guards who looked through every one's papers and made entries into a journal. A couple had neglected to bring their passports. No hassles, just present their driver's license. The border guards did not make an issue. We scrambled into a small wooden boat with an outboard motor.

Traveling downstream, we marveled at the unspoilt beauty of the river and the jungle. It was amazing that Yaxchilan was even discovered. There were probably several other undiscovered Maya cities hidden in the rainforest. The boatman steered the boat straight down the middle. To our right was the shoreline of Guatemala, to the left, Chiapas Mexico. After about half-an-hour, we arrived at Yaxchilan. We had three hours before the boat left.

This ruin site sprawls over two-and-a-half square miles. Many trees here are over 100 feet tall. We speculated if some were as old as the site, 600-900 AD. The mosquitoes were making a meal out of us. We quickly found bug spray, but not before the mosquitoes had given us souvenirs.

The site was incredible. It was laid out on three levels. We scrambled from building to building. Before we knew it, it was time to leave.

Resources:

Cancun, Mexico http://www.cafecancun.com

Chaipas Tourism http://www.turismochiapas.gob.mx

Palenque http://www.palenque.com.mx

Frommer's Guide http://www.frommers.com