Mexico-Guatemala border crossing from Palenque to Flores

From Palenque, Mexico and its Mayan ruins, there is a border crossing into Guatemala to visit Tikal National Park for more Mayan ruins. You can easily book a trip from Palenque to Flores, Guatemala, the jump-off point for Tikal.  We left early in the morning on a van from Palenque to Frontera Corozal, a border town of Mexico. It's an exhausting five hour trip to reach the banks of the Rio Usamacinta.

As we arrived, only then did we realize we were the only ones on the van crossing the border. We were told to get our passports stamped at Mexican Immigration while the rest of those in the van were touring the nearby archeological sites of Yaxchilan and Bonampak. The port for the border and the ruins is the same but the boats go in different directions.

We boarded a pump boat for the 30-minute ride along the Rio Usamacinta to get to the Guatemalan side. It was the first time I crossed a border by river boat. I was surprised that Guatemalan Immigration was not at the river bank but outside Bethel. We had to wait quite a while before a coaster took us to the Immigration outpost in Bethel.

Philippine passport holders with US visas do not a need a visa to Guatemala. But I almost thought I would get denied entry since I did not have a Guatemalan visa and it was obvious they haven't seen any Filipino cross the border from there which was literally the back door. They had to confirm if I could enter. Finally, I got my passport stamp.

From the outpost, it was a two hour dusty and bumpy coaster ride through the hinterlands of northern Guatemala. Then it was another two hours on paved roads before we finally made it to Flores, the capital of El Peten, the largest and northernmost department of Guatemala. The trip from Palenque to Flores was a total of 10 hours.

The town proper of Flores is an island on Lago Petén Itzá, which you can reach by crossing a bridge. Travelers visit Flores because of its proximity to Tikal, the most visited Mayan ruins in Guatemala. But the town is quite charming with its cobblestone streets and colonial buildings.

The island is quiet and its quite easy to explore the entire town by foot. After finding a hostel, we explored Flores. The quaint character of the town was very pleasing. There are some interesting restaurants. The town's small church is actually a cathedral, the Catedral Nuestra Señora de Los Remedios y San Pablo Itzá. If you just want to enjoy the scenery, you can sit down at one of the lakeside hangouts and enjoy the cool breeze or even take a dip.

We booked our day-trip to Tikal and an overnight bus ride to Antigua Guatemala which we would catch after our visit to Tikal. We called it a night early since we had a long the next day.

Previous post: Pre-Hispanic City of Palenque, Mexico and Cascadas de Agua Azul

Mexico: Pre-Hispanic City of Palenque and Cascadas de Agua Azul

As we moved further south to Palenque in Chiapas, Mexico, we finally entered the Mayan Region. The Pre-Hispanic City and National Park of Palenque, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, were the first Mayan ruins we visited during our trip. Palenque dates back to 226BC to around 799AD.

It was most convenient for us to take a day-tour around the ruins, which included afternoon stops at two waterfalls: Misol-Ha and Agua Azul. Expect to spend MX$420 which includes approximately MX$250 for the tour, MX$140 for entrance fees (MX$27 park entrance, MX$54 for the ruins, MX$20 for Misol-Ha and MX$38 for Agua Azul) and your meals.

We spent the morning at the Palenque ruins. Among the most important structures at the site is the Temple of the Inscriptions, the largest Mesoamerican stepped pyramid at Palenque, built as a funerary monument to K'inich Janaab' Pakal (Pacal the Great), ruler of Palenque.

Another major structure is the palace and its aqueduct, which was built by several generations of Palenque's rulers over a four century period. It is the largest structure in Palenque.

There are many other notable temples which can be found in the site. But it's interesting to note that what has been discovered and restored is only less than 10 percent of the ancient city as most of it remains covered by jungle.

The site also has a museum where artifacts from the ruins are on display.

In the afternoon, we visited the falls. Our first stop was Cascada Misol-Ha. It's not really spectacular but since it's part of the tour, might as well check it out.

But the next stop was definitely worth it. Don't forget to bring swimming gear for the Cascadas de Agua Azul since you'll be given time to go for a swim. On the way to Agua Azul, I noticed a sign saying that we were in Zapatista rebel territory, reminding us of the conflict in Chiapas.

The Cascadas de Agua Azul were a refreshing sight. It's distinct aquamarine blue waters add to its natural beauty.

We ended the day back at downtown Palenque. As always, we had our fix of authentic Mexican tacos for dinner. The tasty assorted grilled meats, onions and cilantro in a corn tortilla and a zest of lemon will definitely make your mouth water. Now I'm hungry!

Mexico: Historic Centre of Oaxaca & the Templo de Santo Domingo

The Historic Centre of Oaxaca and Archaeological Site of Monte Albán in Mexico is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was one of the Mexican cities we visited during our bus trip around Central America sometime ago. We spent our first day visiting Monte Albán and nearby Cuilapan de Guerrero. And on our second day, we walked around the Historic Centre of Oaxaca.

We made sure to visit the Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzman, a fantastic example of Mexican Baroque with its highly-decorated interior, built between 1570 and 1666. If there's one attraction you should visit in downtown Oaxaca, this is it!

The interiors kept us dumb-founded as we marveled at the fabulous details of the walls, ceilings and altars. I actually have more photos of the inside in my Oaxaca album.

From Santo Domingo, we walked through its cobblestone streets to reach the Plaza de la Constitución or Zócalo. Many important buildings including the State Government Palace and Federal Palace can be found Oaxaca's Zócalo.

On one side of the plaza is the Catedral de Oaxaca (Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion), seat of the Archdiocese of Antequera, Oaxaca. The cathedral was constructed between 1535 and 1733.

Since we were on the run, I had some empanadas and tacos sold by a hawker in the plaza. Right after our street snack, we walked back to our hostel to prepare for another long bus ride. Our hostel was right beside a small church called the Templo de San Matias Jalatlaco where we noticed a wedding. What caught our attention was the marching band and giant papier-mâché figures worn by dancers which are called mojigangas. Mojigangas are quite popular in Oaxaca.

By 5 p.m., we began our fifteen-hour bus trip to Palenque.