A different world.

I thought when we left Mexico City that we would be leaving civilization and that things would start getting a lot harder. We had a loose plan that we would get a bus from the Villahermosa airport to Palenque, where we had a hotel booked for 2 nights. But we weren't really sure how that was all going to work, bus times or exactly where the bus station was. We cruised through baggage claim and out to a modern, clean terminal. feint wafts of the hot air, around 33 degrees, from outside brushed past us as we passed exits. In amongst all the car hire kiosks we see a kiosk for the bus company we need. And yes, we could get a bus from there. Too easy. We'd been saying that a bit since we'd left our beautiful digs in Mexico City at 6.30 that morning. Everything is going swimmingly. There's an almost 2 hour wait for the bus, but that's fine, we haven't had breakfast so we sit down to a leisurely coffee. For fear of these reports turning into bog reports rather than blogs I have to mention that I'm still feeling rather delicate. I've popped more drugs and I am hungry, but afraid to eat and the thought of most foods is not appealing and slightly scary. But somehow a bag of potato chips seems to me a safe and satisfying bet. The chips hit the spot - and stay there! It's comforting to know if all else fails I can exist on potato chips and bottled water.
Our transport is a people mover and there are about 5 other passengers. There is no chatter at all, although the driver was friendly to us as he loaded our bags. We're off again on the third leg of our journey to Palenque. We didn't go through the township of Villahermosa so before long we're on the open road. First impressions, the landscape is a bit like around the Murwillumbah area but the habitation quite different. There are lots of banana trees and palm trees, and scattered low set brick abodes which look tiny, some painted in the bright greens, pinks we've been seeing a lot of. Outside some of them are areas like an unfancy gazebo with low hanging palm roofs and slung hammocks. There's lots of horses and cattle, Brahmans I think. Occasionally there is a bright pretty church, which is quite a contrast to the mostly austere looking homes. And more often restaurants, which are very basic shelter shed type set ups with plastic chairs and vinyl checked tablecloths. It's Sunday so some of these places have customers.
We've been traveling about an hour and we come to a stop behind a queue of traffic. We sit and wait. And wait. Nothing is happening. No-one says anything. 15 minutes passes. I'm glad we're in the people mover and not the truck 3 cars ahead of us. It looks like a cattle truck and there are people in it, standing. Another 10 minutes passes, a few people up ahead have got out of their cars and are walking around. There is no oncoming traffic either. An ambulance whizzes past us. Another 10 minutes or so there is movement and our driver swerves out of the line and cruises down the other side of the road and pushes in about a km or so down the road. We see the cause of the delay is a big truck that's gone off the road. It doesn't look like it's crashed into anything, it's just at a very awkward angle down an embankment.
Another half hour and we turn off the highway for Palenque, which has a population of about 35,000. Now we are in a different world. I sense it more than anywhere I've ever been. The outskirts of the town are rough, to say the least. Everything looks run down, basic at the best. Even most of the hotels look a bit sad. Until we see a petrol station which is like any big swish station you'd see in any city. It looks brand new; I'd seen one like it along the road too. They stick out like dogs balls, and it just says so much.
From the bus station we cross a gravelly rocky road and get straight into a cab and before long we pull up at our hotel, which thankfully looks positively adequate and even nice. I remember passing a camper van on the road that had a big sticker on it's back window that said 'life is good'. Yes, yes it is.



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