From Salina Cruz we headed inland to Chiapas, with our first stop, the Canon del Sumidero, an amazing canyon through which the Rio Grijalva flows. There was lots of bird life and a few crocodiles sitting on the bank, watching the world go by as we whizzed down its length to the dam.
From there we headed to San Cristobal de las Casas, a pretty town with churches in every direction and lots of Chiapas artisans selling their wares. After a night camped just out of town in the cool of the mountains, we pressed on, through Ocosingo, where we had the best roadside tacos, to Palenque, stopping at the Cascades Misol-Ha along the way.
Palenque was amazing. Our campsite was very close to the ruins and fortunately had a pool, albeit warm, which allowed us to cool down a little. The heat in the jungle was intense, as were the ants and insects and the serenading of the howler monkeys! The ruins were incredible. Spread out throughout the jungle and only partuially uncovered, the blistering heat though was something else and about the only place to cool down was in the Tumba de la Reina Rojo or the "No Banarse" little stream that Declan found.