Day at Palenque Ruins

It was a 15 min bus ride from Palenque town to the ruins. We were soon in the countryside: a flat valley with thick vegetation, tall trees, tropical looking plants.As you entered the gates into the ruins, the jungle became more apparent. You walk through tall trees and suddenly you catch a glimpse of the ruins. you emerge into sunlight and they come into view. They are spectacular; I feel like indiana Jones on a mission to (re)discover the ruined cities of the Americas! There is a beauty and a splendour about the place.The ruins are made all the more striking by their setting in the jungle. Slowly I wandered about the place, drinking in the atmosphere, admiring the city. The temple of inscriptions is very striking and is significant. There are 9 tiers to the pyramid representing the 9 battles to be fought before lord Pakal can emerge from the underworld. Opposite this is the palace complex and you can walk about the ruined rooms. In the centre were wall carvings of war captives. Elsewhere one could see carvings of the maya representing episodes of their lives/history.