I love Palenque

Temple

Temple

Wow. Just wow. This is one of the most beautiful places I have seen! The Mayan ruins here are on par with Siem Reap. The park is very well done, with nice walking paths and bilingual signage. With the backdrop of the looming mountains and jungle framing the ruins, it’s truly a sight to see! I’ve always wanted to come here since my cousin James told us about how much he enjoyed it.

Temple

Temple

We’ve also been completely delighted with our hotel, Cha Nab Nal. It’s been one of the most peaceful stays – we may be the only guests. Our room is beautiful and we have a completely private and large front porch and plunge pool.

And the best part is the family of howler monkeys who live on the premises – a mom, tiny baby, and dad. The dad will come down to take a banana from your hand. It is so wonderful to hear the troops of howlers in the area. We’ve also seen some birds, including a toucan, flycatchers, a kingfisher, an orapendula, and a purple gallenule.

Cesar, the resident howler

Cesar, the resident howler

John and Cesar

John and Cesar

Being here really reminds us of Costa Rica. We were treated to a freak storm Thursday night, which really cooled things off, so we’re enjoying the relatively cool weather, too.

This morning we did a jungle hike with a guide, also in the area of the park. They say that only 30% of the area has been excavated, so our hike took us climbing over structures that haven’t been uncovered yet, but we could see taletell signs of walls and steps. We were rewarded with this small, lovely temple about an hour or so in the jungle.

Temple in the jungle

Temple in the jungle

Click to see the photos from our trip.

Happy birthday to my good friend Joan who is celebrating in Ireland!

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