After San Cristobal where I stayed two nights I moved towards Palenque in jungle. In the end San Cristobal was alright, just a little different from my expectations. Now I know for sure that I am on the most touristic trail so I am expecting to be sometimes overcharged and to see a lot more tourists.
So I had a short stop of 2 nights as well in Palenque, which is deep in the Mexican jungle and where you can visit Maya ruins. The site is quite good as you can wander around inside some of the ruins (usually on other sites it is not allowed). There is also a very nice museum which comes in handy if you don't have a guide. I really liked the site itself but Palenque and the area is desperately living from tourism and I sometimes had the feeling that tourists are taken for fools. Not wanting to spend time figuring out how to get to the ruins and having heard about the Agua Azul waterfalls I booked a tour from the hostel. It was a total rip-off because it was just transportation and entrance fees to the 3 sites: Palenque ruins, Misol-ha and Agua Azul. Misol-Ha is also a site with waterfalls and I actually preferred it to Agua Azul. Agua Azul was the most disappointing, we were left there for 2 or 3 hours and all there is to do is buy stuff after you've walked very slowly on the site for about half an hour. So it is literally a tourist trap. But I guess I have to experience this kind of things as well to make my trip complete. I will try to check more with people at the hostel first next time. Anyway I was quite proud of not having been bitten by any mosquitoe whilst in the jungle!
But I did get serious bites on arrival in Merida this morning. I travelled by night and I have now found another traveller who actually was on the same buses as me since Oaxaca! She is from Brazil, so it is super handy to get more info for later in my trip!!! But I am not sure how long we will be syncronised on our trip. Of all people I have in hostels only few are travelling the same way. A lot more are going first to the carribean side and making there way towards West. Some even do not bother with the West itslef and go down on a loop to Guatamela and then Belize to come back to Cancun later.I got a first taste of tropical weather in the jungle of Palenque, but Merida is something different!!! it is a lot hotter. I can still bear the heat (I think it was a lot hotter last year when I went to Sicily). And it is quite nice to have the predictable storm at 4 or 5pm to cool down. This is proper summer and I really love it. I had forgotten this feeling and I was craving to find it again! Sorry if anyone gets really ealous reading this and if it soudns like I am bragging about it but I am bragging about it and enjoying it!!!
The city of Merida is quite big and lively in the centre near the Zocalo but for my first 2 nights I am staying the luxury of a hotel located a bit far away as it takes me about 30 minutes to walk to the main square. I am enjoying very much to have my own room and own shower!!! what a luxury! The only downside is that for sure, I will not be meeting anyone at the hotel so I am planning to meet through Couchsurfing again and hang out with Carol (the brazilian chica). Tomorrow we want to go the Cenotes, these caves where you can dive and swim, they look absolutely amazing! so I hope to get some good shots!
