Eleven or so years ago, I visited Tikal, the "Heart of the Mayan World", during my first trip abroad ever. Recently, while passing through northern Guatemala, I thought I'd stop in and have an other look.
Tikal is dang impressive. The temples are big, the jungle is vast, and your chances of seeing a monkey flying through the canopy above are high (we saw both spider monkeys and howler monkeys, which make the most incredible, well, howls).
I had a great group of people to tromp around with which made it that much more fun. They let me act as tour guide, of sorts, and even humored me in letting me get a geocache *.
Yeah, walking around in the jungle with amazing ruins all around isn't a bad way to spend a day, even if I have "been there, done that" before. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if I find myself back this way again before I die. Some things are just worth seeing again. Of the three sets of major Mayan ruins that I've seen this trip, Palenque is the one that, beforehand, I knew the least about *. In meeting travelers along the way (and with helpful blog comments), I started to get an idea that I shouldn't miss it. I'm dang glad that I didn't.
At the Palenque ruins, you are allowed to climb and explore in a way that you can't at many other ruins sites, although climbing such steep ruins can sometimes be a dangerous endeavor. It did allow for me to climb up to a nice vantage point and sit and write some postcards.
Then my camera batteries died. While it is kind of a bummer from the perspective of the blog, it was actually very freeing: I got to roam and explore without having to worry about capturing all the awesomeness around. There were more ruins, waterfalls, carvings*, and more. And since I was taking in this set of ruins alone, I had no schedule or agenda at all. Freedom from both camera and schedule made it so much easier to sit and enjoy the inexplicable magic that I feel when I am surrounded by jungle and millennia old ruins.
While maybe not the biggest, most seminal, or rawest set of Mayan ruins around, many say that Palenque is their favorite of all the sites, and I can see why. I'll definitely put it on my list to revisit if I am ever near the area. TikalPrice: 160 quetzales (about $20us)
Location: Northern Guatemala
Nearest town: Flores, about an hour by collectivo
Time to allot to see it: 6+ hrs
Assets: Lush jungle with lots of animals, huge temples, many temples only partially uncovered (so you get a feel for how they would have been found), covers vast area, really remote.
Summary: A visit to Tikal is as much about the jungle experience as it is the ruins (although the ruins' immensity is mind boggling). The combination of jungle and ruins helps create a feeling of what it must have been like when the vast city was inhabited over 1000 years ago. If you're adventurous and want to have an unforgettable experience, this is a good place to put on your list.
Palenque
Price: 76 pesos (about $6.50us)
Location: Southern Mexico
Nearest town:Palenque, about 15 minutes by taxi
Time to allot to see it: 2.5+ hrs
Assets:Most temples are climbable, site is easy to access, good reconstruction of almost everything, compact site so not a lot of walking is required, vendors abound (if you're into that kind of thing)
Summary: If you see only one Mayan site, this might be the one. It is easy, well done, cheap, and impressive. It might be harder to get a feeling for what things were like back then with all the people and hawkers around, but the ruins are top notch and the grounds well maintained. |