Day 595
Calakmul
So this was it, the one both Tom and I wanted to see, but first we had to get there!
We left Balamku blown away by how awesome it was, and hoping that Calakmul would live up to our expectations. Unlike Balamku, to reach Calakmul we had a 35 mile out-and-back to the to get there. Fortunately, there is a campsite, just 7 miles within the park grounds, so that was our destination for the night. It was an eco-campsite, or in other works very basic. We had a first - rainwater for our bucket showers, which I have to say was a rather unpleasant brown colour due to the leaves. Still, it removed the grime! In the morning there was no chance of a lie in. 6.30am prompt the howler monkeys howled! The noise was indescribable, so loud! Not only could we hear them but we were lucky enough to be able to see them too. Two fully grown males appeared to be having a row, but they could just have been in the mood to get up campers out of bed, who knows!
We decided to ride to the restaurant, have breakfast, leave the bikes there and hitch a lift to Calakmul. Nicely full, thumbs out we stood hoping to be lucky. We had been there for about 10 seconds, just enough time for Tom to mention he once had to wait 4 hours for a lift, when the first car to pass, pulled in and we were on our way. Super quick, but it turned out a bit of a wait might have been better. 30 miles on a narrow winding road, sitting in the back seat, no longer used to cars, I was soon feeling ill. I focused on my breaching and tried to think of anything else other than my protesting tum. Finally, well over an hour later we pulled into to car park. As soon as I was out of that car, my breakfast decided it wanted to be out of me. We decided not to ask the same couple for a lift back!
Calakmul is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so we had high expectations. When it was built it was the capital of the Snake Kingdom. It housed upwards of 50,000 people, who in turn had political control over a million inhabitants in the surrounding area. It has the highest pyramid in the Mayan world, and contains 120 commemorative carved stone slabs, by far the largest number found at any one site. The murals are some of the most stunning ever seen in the Mayan world. Water was provided by a series of canals, the whole site covering an area of 7 sq. miles, containing over 6,000 structures. It was inhibited for over 400 years, 20 kings lived there during that time. The stories of their families, royal births, alliances, conquests and defeats are recorded in the carvings throughout the site. For us the big draw were the pyramids, to climb to the top, and look around, dense jungle as far as we could see in every direction was awesome. We spent hours here, so glad we had made the effort . Now, just the small matter of another 30 miles in a car!
