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Hola.
Apologies to all for not having kept this up to date, we have been absolutely rushed off our feet for the past few days.
After visiting Chichen Itza we headed to Merida, which Simon and I really liked but Fran wasnt such a fan. It worked out that we arrived there on a Sunday which was good as over the weekend they hold all day fairs, so the atmosphere was buzzing. Whilst in Merida we had a roam around the markets ,which were slightly disgusting with chickens hanging up dead and alive. Very weird. On the monday evening we headed down to the central Plaza where there was a little cordoned off area of seats with a central ring. Inquisitively we sat down to find that there was some traditional mexican dancing taking place, which was awesome. It turned out that Merida was celebrating its Bi Centenary that week. We have been incredibly jammy and have managed, completely by accident, to be in each town when they are having festivals.
After Merida we thought we would break up the long trip down to Palenque in the Chiapas with a day and a night in Campeche, a small colonial town on the coast. The town was very quaint with lovely colonial buildings surrounding a central Plaza, and Cathedral. We managed to stay in a small hostel called Monkey Hostel, which was situated overlooking the main plaza. That evening after a nice roam around the town and a homecooked meal of chorizo and tomato tagliatelle we sat on the roof terrace and looked out on the plaza and cathedral all lit up. It was absolutely amazing, and incredibly relaxing.
The following day was our long trip down to Palenque, 7 hours on the bus. Upon arriving in Palenque we were struck by how different it was to the other places we had visited. Situated higher up in the hills and shrouded in jungle the humidity was lethal, I managed to sweat more than ever before. Our next hostel was located in a little town called El Panchan , around 10 minutes drive from the bus station at Palenque. Upon arrival we found our little dorm room at Jungle Palace buried in the jungle next to a little stream. The next day was spent seaching the ruins just down the road which were phenomenal. Again, like everything in Palenque they were covered in forest and had a stunning back drop. It made it even better that we were able to climb almost all of them and run through their hidden tunnels. something which definitely excited the primitive being in me. The heat however that day was searing and the temperature made doing things physical very strenuous, and wet.
The next morning we met a new guy in our hostel called Joel, who was from Australia and he has been with us since. Hes a good laugh and seems to have a similar humour to Simon and Myself. That day we headed to two waterfalls, Agua Azul and Misol Ha, both of which were amazing. We swam in Agua Azul amongst the rapids and jumped off rocks into deep pools. Fantastic day, definitely up there with the best.
The next morning saw us heading to San Cristobal De Las Casas in the Mountains, so Joel, Simon, Fran and I got on a long bus which wound around the hills, with some big drop offs either side. Eventually after 6 hours ish we reached San Cris and on first glances it looked as though this would be our favourite city. That evening after a good munch on some street food and a roam around we headed to the local bar where we had a few drinks. Joel and Myself thought it about time to try some Tequilla, you cant not being in Mexico, which filled us with dread seeing as we both hate the stuff. The tequilla came with a chaser of worchester sauce which made the shot amazing, definitely having tequilla again.
Today we have had a quieter day roaming around the city and looking at some of the most amazing ornate churches around. The area seems alive especially with easter on the way, and there seems to be a big Jewish scene here with passover tomorrow.
Anyways that said we are all well and enjoying our time very much.
Hope everyone is well, and hopefully I shall be able to keep you a bit more updated, until we head back to the jungle of course.
Hasta Luego
Simon, Fran and Howard
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