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Day07-Palenque, Sun, Dec 5, 2010

Palenque – Why did they abandon this amazing city?

Start & Stop: Palenque

Mileage: 0

Weather:  Overcast, cloudy, cool

Lodging:

Fuel:

Money Exchange:  $1 USD = 11.96 Mexican Peso

Dean: No riding today.

Morning started with a tour of the Palenque ruins.  We left the bikes in secure hotel parking and took a cab to the ruins ~5 miles away.  Entry to the national parks was 25 Pesos ($2.10 USD).  At the ruins there is a 52 Pesos ($4.36 USD) entry fee.

Palenque was a Maya city that flourished in the 7th century.  This area was at its peak 300-900 AD.  It is a medium size ruin with only 10% of total site uncovered leaving 1,000 structures to be uncovered.

Lisa, Edgar the guide, & Dean in front of Palenque ruins map.

Only 2 dozen ruins have been uncovered. They are the orange structures. There are over a thousand ruins yet to be uncovered!

Lisa pointing out original carvings.

This toilet is over 1,200 years old. It had running water underneath and a septic tank.

Temple 12, "Temple of the Skull" because of the this skull relief on one of the pillars at the top. We just placed a little bit of Eddie at the base of the skull.

Butterfly observed during our forest walk.

Iguana sunning on the temple rocks.

Lisa: You know, it occurs to me from time to time that you all are signing on to the All Star Motorcycle Circus when, in fact, the All Stars are at home, safe and sound, and you are left with only the clowns.  Sorry about that but we do try to be entertaining.

It was nice to be off the bikes today and visiting the ruins was really amazing.  I’m not an archeology fan but I am so glad we went.  Edgar, our guide, was great and so informative.  We were also able to ask a bunch of questions in the 3.5 hours he was with us.  We took the shuttle back to town and walked about 10 blocks back to our hotel, stopping for lunch along the way.

Dean: As we walk up the path to the main plaza, the first towering ruin we see is Temple 12 or Temple of the Skull.  Our guide Edgar took us to a spot in the center of the plaza and said this is the “acoustical center” of the surrounding temples.  A clap of the hands resulted in a sharp repeat echo a few seconds later.  Over the next hour we walked through dozens of tower and passages.

Our final tower climb was Temple 12, the Temple of the Skull.  The steps to all the tower are very steep.  Here Lisa and I made our first Eddie tribute at the base of the skull (see photo).  Then over the next hour we walked several miles through the surrounding jungle where we saw the tops of hundreds of ruins and walls yet to be uncovered.  It was an amazing day of Palenque and Mayan education.

Lisa: When you don’t speak the language, even eating out can be an adventure.  We point, we butcher some Spanish, gesture a lot and then basically just nod at whatever they say.  I’m sure that they’re laughing at us but it’s ok because we’re laughing at ourselves.  Dean thought he ordered a pizza today and instead got a plate with fixings for 9 tacos.  HA!  If we’d split it there would still have been leftovers.  Quite a value at $7 and, along with my 3 tacos, a super deal at $10 total including sodas.  We’re both stuffed and think we’ll skip dinner but Dean forgot to take a photo of the dish so he’s thinking of making a sacrifice in the interest of the readers and going out to re-order it.  Welcome to my world.

Tomorrow morning marks the first full week we’ve been gone and I have to tell you I have some favorite things along with me.  First, Skype rocks.  We’ve had excellent internet everywhere so far and it is such a luxury to be laying in my hotel bed, chatting with my daughter who lives in Dallas or my hubby at home.  He’s got Skype on his Droid so I can reach him anytime which is awesome.  I also brought along a Kindle and it’s been fantastic.  I can download all sorts of things like the travel guides I didn’t want to carry and it is so convenient that way.  I’ve been emailing some hotels for our stop tomorrow and reading up on San Cristobal without having to pack bulky books.  I also brought some things I wish I hadn’t but that’s for another day.

Dean: This afternoon was minor bike maintenance. I have a Scott Oiler to continuous oil the chain.  Lisa is spraying her chain every evening.  We’ve been cleaning the chain every 3rd day. We have not ridden in any dirt except for occasional road repair so the chains are easy to wipe off.  A WD-40 spraying then wiped off with a rag.  Repeat until the chain is clean.  Then a silicon lub spray.  Check chain tension and front and rear tire pressures at 40 PSI for long wear.

Topes! On the smaller roads there are “speed bumps” or topes to slow down traffic through the little villages. These end up a huge line of a dozen or more vehicles slowing to 3-4 mph. Street vendors are standing at the topes selling Cokes, fruit juice, bottled water, bags of fruit, etc. All the trucks must crawl over the topes and if possible, we ride on the opposite lane passing the 4-6 and 18-wheelers.

12 comments to Day07-Palenque, Sun, Dec 5, 2010

  • Greg Rice

    Nice photos, keep the adventure coming.

  • pete Springer

    Lisa and Dean, thanks for write the report. I think I’d rather hear about it from so called ‘amateurs’, rather than the big guns. I enjoy hearing how you work things out.
    I’ll be disappointed if you don’t continue with the report. :(
    Pete

  • John Parker

    Great images. Keep up the good work. Bummer Dean has to sacrifice his stomach for the peanut gallery.

  • Marsha Kaye

    I’m enjoying every bit of your recounting of your adventures. Living life vicariously! Have I said thatnks for bringing me along? If not, thank you so much!!!

  • Paul Peloquin

    Very cool, you two, and inspiring. I suspect your conversational Spanish will be much better 7 weeks from now. Keep the reports coming.

  • Bob Kunihiro

    No more corrupt cops or traffic tickets, eh?

  • Puppychow

    Good times, really enjoying following your adventures!
    Love the pyramid pictures and the picture of the ancient toilet with plumbing, which enabled a civilization that large to thrive without falling prey to rampant disease. It is also amazing how cultures almost on the other sides of the earth and separated by thousands of years in time, built Pyramid structures, albeit for different reasons. They indigenously and independently figured out that a Pyramid shape with most of the structures weight closer to the ground would enable them to build colossal structures. Fascinating!

  • Pete Mayer

    I’m enjoying following you guys but still getting a little nervous because of the countries you’re traveling through . Stay safe !!!

  • John Stamps

    I’m lovin’ your adventure! Keep the photos coming and be safe.

  • Gary Buch

    great job guys. did you find a place for philly cheese steaks yet?

  • Thanks for the daily blog! It gives us M-F cubicle dwellers with snow and ice on the ground a vicarious thrill to follow along as our bikes undergo low-season farkle surgery.

  • Great reads for the rainy days up here in Northern California! Ride safe.

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