It is now Tuesday evening and I am in a funky little campsite about one mile from the Palenque Ruins, which are supposed to be one of the best. The campground is situated in the rain forest and I can hear howler monkeys as I write.

Well did see my first ruins this morning. I got up early and was at the entrance at 8am and I had the whole site to myself. It was rewarding to be able to walk the ruins in silence with just my imagination running wild. How did these people get the technology, strength and will power to build such amazing monuments?

The Tonina ruins sit on a hillside of a lush valley and please enjoy the photographs as much as I enjoyed taking them.

After lunch I drove the next 50 miles through many small villages where children stand with a rope across the road so stop you so you will buy something from them usually very ripe bananas. It is very hard not to stop and feel sorry for them and give them something but they were at times every 2 or 3 hundreds yards apart, in the end I just shook my finger, smiled and drove slowly on.

The next stop was Agua Azul reputed top be the best waterfall in Mexico. I was a little disappointed in these, yes the waterfalls were very pretty and the blue colours magnificent, but the whole area was dirty, tourist orientated and very commercial and everyone wanted money for something. I did find Alex to watch Ramona whilst I went walking and he was thrilled to have sat in the driver’s seat.

Misol-Ha was the next waterfall and I really liked this one, very laid back and pretty and no hassling the tourists. I was able to find a path to go behind the falls. Whenever I see waterfalls now I think back to the great times I had in Costa Rica and the waterfalls there.

I am planning to take a bus into town tonight and see if I can find an Internet place and then tomorrow at 8am I plan to visit the ruins all day. Stay here again tomorrow night then head out to 2 remote ruins close to the Guatemala border.

Pura Vida