A travel day with "filling" ;-) (Day 161 + 162 of the world trip)

12.02. + 13.02.2020

Yesterday we didn't do anything except planning again, so it wasn't really worth writing a blog entry :D

This morning the alarm clock rang at 3:00 a.m. - or it would have rung if I hadn't looked at my phone at 2:59 a.m. :p Within an hour we packed our backpacks and then waited for our pick-up at 4:00 a.m. :)

Today we are leaving the state of Chiapas and heading north. We had the option to simply take a bus from San Cristobal to Merida (our new destination). That would have been about 15 hours of travel, which we are used to from Asia, but then we had another idea^^

From San Cristobal, you can book a day tour that picks you up at 4:00 a.m., visits two waterfalls and the archaeological Mayan site near the city of Palenque. Normally, you would return to San Cristobal after these three activities and arrive around 10:00 p.m.

Instead, we asked the agency if it was possible to book the tour as a one-way and end it in Palenque. It is located roughly in the middle between San Cristobal and Merida, and once it was confirmed that the one-way was possible, we also booked a night bus from Palenque to Merida for the same day as the tour.

This one costs a proud almost 50 € per person :O So let's see what it has to offer :p :D :D

When we were picked up this morning (at 4:10 a.m. nonetheless!) we were the first ones and were a little afraid that we would be the only ones. We were afraid because we still hardly understand anything that the tour guide says. We just follow along with several group members and do everything they do :D :D

Fortunately, we finally picked up a few more people: three couples and a solo traveler - all of them apparently Spanish-speaking. Our driver was introduced as Javier and his companion Alejandro informed us that we would stop for breakfast in two hours. Yay!

Since we were already up so early, Jonas and I were already hungry at 4:00 a.m., but we managed to hold out until the stop^^ Since it was dark, I can't say much about the route, except that there were countless speed bumps again, which made sleeping impossible for me :D

Finally, we stopped at a rather inconspicuous restaurant, where 5-10 other tour vans were already parked, and there we got a Mexican breakfast buffet for 90 pesos (about 4.50 €) per person :) There were vegetables, tortillas with eggs, tortillas with ham, pancakes, and a few other things that I can't name^^

There were also cornflakes, yogurt, fresh fruit, and complimentary drinks in the form of juices and water <3 In short - the offer was great and Jonas tried almost everything since almost everything was also vegetarian ;-)

After the breakfast break, we drove for another two hours until we reached Agua Azul. One might think we've had enough waterfalls, and yes, at first I thought "let's just do it because it's already included in the price and that's it". However, both waterfalls were something completely new <3

Agua Azul is a long river with several waterfalls, especially wide and cascading ones. So far, we marveled at waterfalls because of their height, but this was something different :) From the parking lot, you can walk about a kilometer alongside the river, and this path offers beautiful viewpoints and photo spots on one side, and on the other side, there are countless stalls selling souvenirs or snacks :D

In some places, you can also swim in the river, but I was too lazy to change clothes, so I let Jonas take the lead there :p :D At first, he hesitated whether he was too lazy to put on his swim trunks, but then we saw some tourists jumping down the falls at various spots with a Mexican guide, and that piqued Jonas' interest ;-)

He followed the guide and they made a few jumps, which weren't that high, but apparently still not boring because there is a strong current at the bottom from which you have to free yourself first :D :D

After a few jumps, the guide took Jonas and another tourist upstream. I cooled off my feet and didn't follow them (unfortunately). If I had known what they were up to, I might have run after them with the camera, but well^^

They apparently climbed a rather unstable-looking tree that is not a typical "climbing tree" and then jumped about 4 meters deep into the water from a thin branch without the possibility of holding on until the jump :O Since I wasn't there, I can't describe it better, but Jonas said it was a bit "creepy" and exciting ;-)

After Agua Azul, we continued for about an hour to the next waterfall, Misol-Ha. It has a height of 35 meters, but the special thing is that it falls over a quite protruding ledge, so you can go BEHIND the waterfall <3

I already knew all this from Iceland, but it was still really beautiful and cool. Behind the waterfall, the path is slippery, and the spray is a nice cooling off^^ You could also swim here, but we only had a total of 30 minutes there, so even timing-wise, it wouldn't have worked...

So we settled for a few pretty cool photos and then returned to the van, which took about another half an hour to reach the entrance to the Palenque Mayan ruins.

After buying the tickets but before entering, we stopped at a restaurant that offers a buffet. We had 40 minutes there, and although we hesitated at first, we decided to eat there because we didn't want to be the only ones in the group waiting outside :p :D

But when we sat down, only one of the other couples also chose the buffet. The selection was somewhat limited for us, so in the end, the 17 € weren't really worth it, but well. At least our stomachs were filled^^

From the restaurant, it took less than five minutes for the van to park and we were greeted by an employee of the ruins who gave us a brief overview and then wanted to sell us a guided tour. At the end of her speech, she asked if anyone here didn't speak Spanish - a little too late :D :D But it didn't matter. For 90 € per person, we really didn't need a guide, but would simply read signs ;-)

In total, we had 2.5 hours to explore the Mayan ruins, and that was a pretty good amount of time for us. We looked and marveled at all the larger ruins, and Jonas, in particular, was once again totally excited because he has always found the Mayan culture interesting :)

I can't describe the site in so many words, but I think the pictures speak for themselves^^

It was definitely another new and amazing experience, and combined with the two waterfalls, our one-way tour was definitely worth it!!!

At around 4:30 p.m., we all met again at the entrance, and our van driver kindly took Jonas and me to the bus station, where we now have to wait for the departure of our bus for a good three hours :D

But the hall is big, and there's a kiosk, power outlets, and even WiFi <3

Our bus to Merida leaves at 8:45 p.m., and we will arrive there tomorrow morning around 5:00 a.m. Hopefully, they will allow us to check into the hostel so early to at least leave our luggage there :D :D