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.