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    Is This the Isthmus? Tour – Mexico Part 9

    Friday, October 6, 2017
    Merida to Palenque, Mexico

    Welcome to Palenque, Mexico.
    Welcome to Palenque, Mexico.

    Although I would have loved to stay in Merida for a while longer, I had to keep moving because I only had 2.5 weeks left in Mexico. So, at 8:30 am, I jumped on an ADO bus for a nine-hour journey south to Palenque, the location of more magnificent Mayan temple ruins. The road was flat, smooth and straight the whole way, the sky was sunny (although we did briefly pass through a torrential downpour), and a few loud, noisy, annoying movies played that I tried my best to ignore.

    The huge Mayan bust in the roundabout in Palenque, Mexico.
    The huge Mayan bust in the roundabout in Palenque, Mexico.

    At one point, I heard a loud thump and noticed a bird ricochet off the front of the bus, leaving a big splat mark on the windshield. Aside from a few small town bus terminals, we only made one official stop for food at a buffet place out in the middle of somewhere. Oddly, instead of entering the formal buffet line, everyone just crowded around the cashier instead and barked out their orders, which was pretty annoying, and made it take forever to get food. Plus, we only had, like, 20 minutes.

    A Mayan statue looms over all in the setting sunlight in Palenque, Mexico.
    A Mayan statue looms over all in the setting sunlight in Palenque, Mexico.

    Arriving at the ADO bus terminal in Palenque at 5:00 pm, I hobbled down the street a quarter mile to the Yaxkin Hostel, despite the mixed reviews on Trip Advisor. So, I was not surprised by the smell of mold in the bathroom, the uncomfortable (and loud) spring mattresses, the lack of wi-fi in the dorm room and the oven-like temperature in the lounge, which also boasted super uncomfortable “couches” that were made out of actual pallets with thin cushions or no cushions at all. (No) rest assured, those contraptions were pure torture to sit in!

    A full moon rises over Cafe Jade in Palenque, Mexico.
    A full moon rises over Cafe Jade in Palenque, Mexico.

    Oh, also, the wi-fi in there was slow or didn’t work at all. But, at least Yaxkin was a place to sleep with a fan on me. One saving grace of the place was the attached restaurant, Cafe Jade, which was really good. I enjoyed a yummy falafel burger with a smattering of French fries there before calling it a night.

    A falafel burger and French fries Cafe Jade in Palenque, Mexico.
    A falafel burger and French fries Cafe Jade in Palenque, Mexico.

    Words and photos ©2017 Arcane Candy.

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