Into the Lancandon
Saturday, December 8th, 2007Day: 33
Up again before the sun has risen, but this time we were awake at 5am to catch our transportation south to the Lacandon jungle. Wouldn’t you know it the day we have to be up at a crazy hour the howler monkeys are silent. Cheeky monkeys, I tell ya from past experiences never trust a monkey. We boarded a minivan for the 4 hour drive south to Fronterra Corozal on the Usumacinta river. Across the river lay Guatemala and up river were the ruins of Yaxchilan.
We drove south from Palenque through mostly cleared jungle land, this was big ranch territory. I started to wonder what was left of the Lacandon jungle. Here is the part of the blog entry that I do a bit of preaching. So, if you don’t want to hear it then skip the following few lines. For the majority of the 4 hours it took to reach Fronterra Corozal we passed through ranchland, not long ago this was pristine jungle. The only tropical rainforest left in North America. People sometimes ask Jordana and I why we are vegetarians, well we were driving through one of the reasons right now. Cattle need lots of space, tons of it and to create this space forests are clear cut. Southern Mexico is a prime example. I could go on here but I probably have already lost all my meat eating readers. Point is people have to really start looking at where their food comes from. Also try to buy and eat local produce as much as you can. Right, so let me climb down off my high horse and get on with this.
We arrived at the river point around 10:30am and climbed into a launcha (boat) for the 40 minute trip upriver. The trip was brilliant, I really felt like we were heading to something special. The banks of the Usumacinta river were dense green jungle on either side and on the muddy shores we saw the occasional large crocodile. Our boat docked and we walked up the steep embankment into the thick jungle. The feeling of adventure was enhanced as we were greeted by the haunting roars of howler monkeys. We walked from the ticket office on a small path into the forest. About 200meters on the forest opened and there was a large structure partially covered by vegetation. A small passage led inside the building, this was our Indiana Jones moment. With the aid of our flashlight we walked through the dark tunnels as bats squeaked overhead. Soon we found our way out as we followed the light shinning through another opening. The exit led us to the grand plaza, an absolutely striking place.
On our right the plaza was lined by large ruined temples and behind them steep jungle covered hillsides. On the left was the ball court near the centre and various other former palaces and temples. Behind the buildings and trees was the fast flowing Usumacinta river. Jordana and I were awestruck, this was the most beautiful and romantic of all the ruins we had seen on this trip. We had been quick off the boat so for the first 10 minutes we had the entire area to ourselves, well except the spider monkeys who kept a close watch on us and the constant growl of the howler monkeys. We walked around the grand plaza and it buildings for about 1 hour. To finish our visit we walked to some of the outlying ruins which were just impressive as the plaza. After just over 2 hours we climbed back into our boat for the trip back. Jordana looked at me on the boat and we smiled at each other, we both knew we had just seen a special place and maybe the highlight of the trip to date.
After lunch in Fronterra Corozal we were driven to another jungle site Bonampak. The ruins were also located in a stunning jungle setting. Not as large a site as Yaxchilan the main attraction here is the incredible murals that depict life, celebration and war from the ancient Mayans. Before leaving we sat atop the high accropolis looking out over the tree tops and listening to the exotic birds.
For the evening we were dropped off at a lacandon families home for the night. We were about 3km down road from the main village. Along with Jordana and I was Illy a Dutch traveller and Phillip from Germany. Together we walked out to the Lacandon village to get a glimpse of contemporary Mayan life. It was an interesting look, very different from the rest of Mexico. Much poorer and a more simple existence. Not unlike our own indigenous people in Canada. People were friendly and waved “buenos noches” as we walked around.
We finished the night back at the families home with dinner. It was a relaxing end to a busy but fascinating day. The most rewarding and enjoyable of the trip to date. After 1 month in Mexico tomorrow we head into Guatemala, new adventures await.
Michael Coroneos