After a freezing stay in San Cristóbal wearing pretty much all of our clothes to bed, we were ready to be dethawed. In the spirit of light adventure, and tired of cities, we caught the bus towards Palenque but jumped off at the crossroads for Agua Azul National Park to check out some of Mexico´s natural beauty. The 4 hour drive was absolutely breathtaking as we wound our way through lush tropical hills dotted with banana palms and corn patches. The first sight that met us at the crossroads was two huge signs stating that "You are now in Zapatista Rebel Territory, prepare to be kidnapped!"

(OK, the last part of that sentence was made up, but it´s obviously what came to mind when I saw that sign...)

A "taxi" took us and a few local rebels (?) the 4km to the park entrance and dropped us off at the only "accommodation" in town, Cabañas Casa Blanca. (Note the quotation marks here!) Our room had a dingy bed without a blanket, a lightbulb, and a family of geckos, gainfully employed keeping out room bug free. They provided hours of entertainment. The toilet, shared with the extended family running the show, flushed with a bucket and the shower was a hose. Rustic :-)

Although very touristy and with almost more souvenir stands than people, the falls were absolutely gorgeous. The water cascaded down fall upon fall, settling down into pools of emerald blue in between, perfect for bathing and such a nice respite from the sticky heat. Once all the tour groups had left, Agua Azul turned into a ghost town. The restaurants were empty and we had the falls all to ourselves. The only other overnight guests were a gringo in a tent at the campground, and another lone dreadlocked traveler playing the flute all night in his tent at Casa Blanca.

Once I figure out how, I´ll post some pictures!