We wake to an overcast sky. The showers, like our previous two hotels, are cold water only. One way to conserve water I guess!
Our camper-driving neighbors try to convince us of the merits of a camper van -v- a tent. They're canadian (now that's driving!). Their van is of the compact type, and the idea of being able to pull up anywhere, to sleep, certainly has it's attractions. I probably wouldn't have a sore neck either! I'm slowly coming to the conclusion that carrying both camera gear and camping gear just isn't feasible!
We head into town to find about tours to Agua Azul, a waterfall, and Bonampak - some jungle ruins. The town is like a tourist services market, with tour operators and hotels making up almost every second business! Everything is named 'Maya this' and 'Maya that', with a couple of 'Eco's thrown in for good measure..
After some research, we book a 2 day tour to Bonampak for $75 each. At 12:00, a combi will take us to Agua Azul and back for $8. In the meantime, we head to an Internet cafe.
The bus tour takes us first to Misol-Ha, a waterfall with a powerful jet of water falling 40 meters into an idyllic pool. After an hour there, we drive on through the lush jungle to Agua Azul.
Unfortunately Agua Azul ('Blue Water') is more a murky brown color today, thanks to recent rains. Of course the color doesn't take away from the magnitude of the place. A huge torrent of water cascades down the mountainside; resembling more a hydro-electric project than a natural wonder.
The weather is cooling and soon it begins to rain in spurts. Luckily this is little more than an inconvenience as we walk along the banks of the river. We pass on taking a swim, however. The rain reaches storm grade during the drive back to Palenque.
I want to back up my photos before heading off on the 2 day jungle tour. Problem is, the power point near our tent is outdoors, a few meters from the tent, and it's raining! Monica thinks it's hilarious because she thinks my, weight saving, cable shortening tricks mean the cables won't stretch to the tent. Little does she know that what I actually did was replace three long cables with one long cable! Even so - it's quite a stretch to get to the tent, and the ends of the cables only just make it inside. It's quite fun having a laptop inside a tent - I feel like a scientist working in a remote outpost.
The jungle noise outside is incredible - maybe the equivalent of being able to hear every phone conversation in a city. Or a multiplied version of a bar in Ireland, where everybody shouts to be heard above everybody else shouting. It would be nice to be able to identify all of the sounds - if only for reassurance!
