LA JUNGLA

Our original plan was to head south from Puebla to Oaxaca, but we were told last minute that many of the roads in southern Oaxaca had been knocked out by mudslides from the recent storms. So, we decided to head east instead, planning on booking it from Cholula to Palenque, with a detour to Catemaco.

This detour added a bit of time to our drive, but it ended up being worth it. The drive to itself was beautiful and we camped along the Laguna Catemaco shore in the jungle at a place aptly named La Jungla. There we spent an afternoon by the lakeshore and woke to howler monkeys in the morning.

PIT STOPS

When we left La Jungla, we decided to check out the town of Catemaco. We took a wrong turn and headed away from the town center. In doing so, we ended up coming across a small strip of little restaurants along the lakeshore, where we decided to stop for lunch. While we ate, we watched groups of men fishing and families playing on the beach. We took our time, and ended up deciding to break up the drive to Palenque and stay in a bright yellow hotel in Acayucan.

PALENQUE

Finally, we made it to Palenque. We’d been to a few other archeological sites before this, but Palenque stands apart due to it’s scale and grandeur. The ancient buildings, tombs and temples were equally as impressive as the intricate relief sculptures covering them. We imagined the people who lived here and the stories they told through their art and language.