17: Fishing vessels and pelicans

22.10.2012 – 22.10.2012 semi-overcast 33 °C

Another early start this morning with us leaving Merida for Palenque. It took us most of the day to get to Palenque and the road was dull so I spent a good portion of the trip snoozing!

We stopped once at a gas station for a bathroom break and snack shopping but our main stop for the day was on the Gulf of Mexico for a swim and lunch! I’ll be straight up and say that I have no idea where we stopped but it was beautiful. Before we arrived into the town we spent the hour prior driving alongside the Gulf so I spent that hour of my trip not sleeping but gazing at the aquamarine coloured water. The ocean was dotted with these really cute fishing boats and plenty of Pelicans flying in the air. The fishing boats reminded me of the wooden boats that are used in Thailand with the long tailed outboards.  The only thing missing was the outboard.. otherwise same idea.

After ordering our lunch (I ordered fish and veges) I hopped into my swim suit to test out the water in the Gulf. The water was warm, the sea was green but the visibility was very low. I reckon maybe twenty cms! Pretty surprising when to look at the water you would think it would be crystal clear. The base of the ocean was mainly sharp coral so I didn’t too much wandering around in the water but instead just swam and floated in the gorgeous Gulf. Before our lunch arrived I did go for a bit of a walk up the beach and found so many shells. All of those amazing spiral shaped shells and the perfect shell oil type shell.. I don’t think I’ve seen so many perfect shells in many years. If I knew that I could easily get them back into Aus I probably would’ve stolen a few off the beach for M; knowing the difficulty and taking into account the extra weight, M missed out!

The afternoon was more of the same on the bus- listening to my iPod, sleeping and yawning. The last hour of the bus trip saw us leave the low lands behind and start to climb up towards Palenque. Palenque is at the base of the Mexican high country so not only did the landscape get more hilly the trees also became more “jungle-fied”. Less palm plantations and more real jungle. I had my eyes peeled but no obvious animals yet!

The other thing that has become more apparent is how much poorer this part of Mexico is than that of Cancun or even Merida. Apparently Chiapis (the state we have now entered, we just left Yucatan) is one of the poorest states, and it shows! The state is mainly habituated by native Mayan tribes, many who still live a very traditional agrarian lifestyle. The state desperately needs some industry or at the very least eco-tourism. Many of the hillsides are denuded of rainforest and instead sport acres and acres of corn fields. I can only imagine what the landslides and stuff must be like after heavy rain! It is probably the biggest contrast that I’ve seen between CR and Mexico.. CR sustains and celebrates its rainforest heritage, the local Mexicans here are so poor that they are turning to any means to make money. In this case, cutting down the forest to plant corn.. I’m no farmer, but I would have guessed that planting corn on the sides of very steep mountains is going to be hard… I can’t imagine there is too much top soil here and what soil there is would wash away pretty easily in the wet seasons…….

We arrived into Palenque late in the afternoon. After refreshing, I headed down town to find myself an ATM and a pharmacy to find some vitamin pills. A couple of my travelling colleagues have come down with stomach upsets so I’ve totally removed any uncooked veges from my diet and have switched to the chemical variety. Fingers crossed I too don’t get myself sick!

Our hotel in Palenque is only a block from the main street and is surrounded by luscious jungle. Very amazing when the main street is a concrete and re-enforced steel jungle! The town is one of those half finished varieties that you seem to find in many second or third world countries.. You know the Egyptian type where every house is missing the top story or the windows are only partially glassed in.. I’m not sure but I’m guessing it is the usual of you don’t pay your building taxes until the structure is completely finished? Too funny!

Once we had replenished the wallet and got myself some chemical veges I headed back towards the hotel to a bar where we stopped for a cold drink. Being in the jungle is starting to take its toll.. Super hot, wet and mozzie city! The old insect repellent is getting a fine work out!!! We had dinner across the road from the hotel at this fusion restaurant of half western food and half Mexican. I gave the Mexican a go and was pretty happy with my outcome. Dinner over, I headed in for an early night as I’ve developed a bit of a headache.

2 thoughts on “17: Fishing vessels and pelicans

  1. Shame there isn’t more tourism in the area, judging by your photos the potential income from tourists could generate the same sort of income that the corn fields do.

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