Arriving at Palenque

I got the night bus from Tulum to Palenque, and I arrived at the Palenque bus terminal at about 5am this morning. One thing that I've learnt in my travels already, is that long-haul night buses are a double-edged sword. Sure, you're saving a day's worth of actual holidaying. Sure, you're saving a night's boarding costs. But sadly, you have to arrive at your destination, and then sit in the bus terminal, and wait for the sun to rise and for the world to wake up. This is not so cool.

After waiting an hour or so for dawn to arrive, I jumped on a colectivo (shared taxi / minibus), and made my way to El Panchán, which Lonely Planet describes as "a legendary jungle retreat and alternative hangout". The colectivo was only 10 pesos: I'm already loving how cheap things are over here in Chiapas, compared with the overpriced Caribbean coast.

When I got to El Panchán, everything and everyone was pretty much asleep. Not much was happening at this bizarre, jungle-enshrouded collection of cabañas, camping areas, and restaurants; so I had to sit down and wait here as well.

Eventually, the place woke up. I was able to secure myself a covered hammock space at Rakshita's (one of the cabaña lodges at El Panchán), where I immediately put my hammock up, and then crashed into unconsciousness inside it for the rest of the morning.