Agua Azul

Agua Azul

This are the great Agua Azul Waterfalls in Chiapas
This panorama was made with the Canon PhotoStitch, using 4 photos of the Waterfalls, they are too big, that they don't fit in just one photo in my Camera. Thats why the sky looks a bit of different colors.

They are indeed one natural wonder one must see.

Yes, the water is not so blue in the pic, but being start of rain season I was told that is the reason.

Kisses
Jessica

WaterFall from Above

WaterFall from Above

Another experiment with long exposure

The Mixul-Ha Waterfalls

The Mixul-Ha Waterfalls

Near Palenque there is a place called Mixul-Ha where this waterfall is.
Great thing is that you can swim there ,as long as you don't go close to where the water hits.

Kisses
Jessica

Mini Waterfall with long exposure time

Mini Waterfall with long exposure time

This is an experiment with longer exposure times, this one was with 0.4 seconds, maybe not long, but enough to make the capture of the water movement look different.
Also shot a few with longer times, but without a tripod quite difficult to not get it blurry when doing more than one second.
This one the rocks look almost as clear as they were, love that green thingie on them.

And to think that waterfall is only like 15 centimeters tall at most.

Kisses
Jessica

Toucan

Toucan

One of the things I love of the few places of Mexican Jungle I been, is that every time I go, extra to feels the wilderness of the jungle, to see all those beautiful greens in all the trees, Is that every time I go, I see one live, wild, free animal.

This time it was a toucan. only from a down point of view, since it was, in the top of a very high tree. But to hear it call, see it jump among the branches, even got a couple of photos. Its amazing how many beauties the jungle keeps inside.

Kisses
Jessica, who still dreams of the jungle

Queen Fall

Queen Fall

So what did the biological entity did the weekend before the hurricane hit.
Spent time buying supplies, no, already had a few
Maybe preparing the house to support the rain, No, it really there was not much to protect.
Perhaps, going through the city looking for scape routes, Negative, the is only the bridge to go out the island.

You know one effect of a hurricane, is that it sucks all cloud and humidity in the surrounding areas, which made a promise of a clean sky.

So I decided to make a trip to Chiapas, wanted to go a bit far, but due to the long work nights during the week, couldn't wake up as early as I wanted, so the Palenque Area was as far as I went.

This time, instead of visiting the Pyramids, I decided to take the inside the Jungle trail.

There is in there a nice group of Waterfalls, of which the Queens Bath (named that way, since is believed that the Mayan Queen of Palenque used to bath there) is the prettiest.

But then, once arriving, surprise, it was dry, apparently rain season is really coming that late, the it was just the rock formation.

Yet that made an amazing spectacle in itself, to see the shapes the rocks have taken afters years and years of being rounded, shaped, modified by the pass of water.

I posted Black and white since I believe it shows the shadows and shapes in a cleaner way than color. Crazy Jessica

Kisses
Jessica

DragonFly

DragonFly

This is a dragonFly found around Palenque, in Chiapas

Butterfly

Butterfly

A picture of a nice butterfly I saw at the Chiapas Jungle.
Nice insects.

And they transform from the cute worms (that some people see as ugly), to such beautifull creatures.

If only one can do like them

Kisses
Jessica

Estelas Yaxchilan

Estelas Yaxchilan

One of the architectural beauties in some Mayan sites, are the Estelas (I don't know if there is a word in english).

Used to mark a date or event, or to honor a ruler, king, warrior.

The Amazing thing about them is the great level of details they have, the esthetical balance, all the artistic feeling they convey.

And sometime, some of them are huge, big.

Definitively the work of amazing mayan artists from the past.

And here are two of the Estelas, that can be seen in Yaxchilan.

Kisses
Jessica

Yaxchilan Pyramids

Here are a couple of pyramid tops from the Yaxchilan Archeological Site.

It's a nice archeological site, bit of climbing.
According to what it said, the rulers of Yaxchilan, also ruled over Bonampak.

Nice decorations on the Pyramids tops.

Must have been a really nice place, and with lots of riches due to a very fertile land, and being next to the Usumacinta River.

Kisses
Jessica

Monkeys from the Jungle

One of the great things of visiting this places in the middle of the jungle, is being able to see lots of wild life
From huge trees, to beautiful flower, to lots of birds, funny insects.
But the best so far, are the monkeys.

They are soooo cute.

Kisses
Monkey Jessica

Rio Usumacinta

Usumacinta River

After Bonampak, it was time to go to Yaxchilan. To go there one arrives to a place called Frontera-Corozal
Then, its time to go into the river. One has two option.
To go into one of the little boats for a 40 minute ride in the river, to Yaxchilan
Or to go swimming.
It is just a little dangerous, with the few cocodriles in the river, and the ocassional water twirl. or is it (whirlwater)

Its a nice river.

Kisses
River rider Jessica

Bonampak Paints

Here is a couple of pics of the famous paints in Bonampak.

Located in a special room in the main piramid there, they are located in three smaller rooms.
They represent a religious ceremony, a war ritual sacrifice, and the marking of a noble child.

They are very impressive
Lots of colors, and pretty details.
Good to see they have been preserved so far.

Bye for today
Kisses
Jessica

Bonampak

Bonampak

So this weekend, it was time to go visit a few more archeological places.

Fist stop, Bonampak, in the state of Chiapas.
It's a small archeological site, only a couple of buildings
Still the main building is very impressive. Bit of climbing.
And as with all these places, being in the middle of the jungle, one can see lots of greens , and sometimes animals.

There is also the paintings.

Kisses for today
Jessica

AguaSelva, San Cristobal, my broken camera and some other places in Chiapas.

AguaSelva, San Cristobal, my broken camera and some other places in Chiapas.


Thats a long title.
Well , it was a 3 day weekend here in Mexico. Spring time celebration (actually it's the day of some past-president, but I prefer to think it's because of start of spring)
SO I decided to visit a few Places around Chiapas.

I visited a nice watefalls in the limits of Tabasco and Chiapas called AguaSelva, really nice, quite some pretty flowers, but many plants were still missing flowers, too early.
Then I arrived to the lovely town of San Cristobal de las Casas in Chiapas.It's a really lovely town. With a really lovely architecture.
Many churches, some of them in top of the hills around, so did lots of walking and climbing.
Also its a really nice place to see and buy tradicional handicrafts. Plus lots of girls use the traditional clothing, which adds a lot of mistique to the town.
Lots of tourists there, mostly from different countries. And lot of them return to live there, and so it has lots of variety in amenities.
A great place to have fun as well, a very varied nightlife. It was fun.

Next day I went out , on the road to my destination, I saw a waterfall place, and there the accident Happened, my camera, fell into the water, ME SAD, ME CRYING, my camera is now dead, kaput, broken, no sirve. :(
Then to the Lagunas of Montebello (Montebello Lagoon), it seems to be a really nice place, unfortunately, it was really, really cold, and with lots of fog.
So couldn't see all the lagoon at their true beauty, but anyway it was an interesting spectacle to see the fog. Also was nice to remeber how it is to be in a forest with very cold weather.
On my return I passed to a Cave near San Cristobal, quite impressive. Also forest, lots of pines.

Last day, I went to a town near San Cristobal called San Juan Chamula. Wow that town is really interesting.
First thing, they do not allow to take pictures of people, ceremonies, inside the church, or you can go to jail (and not the usual jail, since the town has its own law)
There is only one church in the town, that looks like a catholic church, but it is really not. First there is no priest, the priest only goes to the San Juan day, and to do baptism.
There is no chairs, altar is different, composed of three figure, Christ, San Juan, and another San Juan. And apparently its representing the 3 creation mayan gods, and the sun god.
Saints are on the side walls. The ground is covered with pine leaves (to make the ground holly). Lots of candles everywhere (Its a simbol of feeding the gods, plus the fire is a purifier)
Peope doing prayers in front of the candles, in tzotzil or tzetzal (mayan languages), throwing alochol and soda to the candles to feed the fire.
And while there, in one of the altars, a girl took a chicken, passed over the candles fire, then around the body of the woman who was also praying , and then killed the chicken. Apparently is a soul-healing process.
Our guide also took us around town, explainned us about the crosses than can be seen around town, that looks like the catholic cross, but it is not, it's a mayan one, simbol of the Ceiba, the holly tree.
And while there we got to enter into the house of one of the religous authorities, to see the altar of one Saint, the even lets us try the home-made alcohol they do and use.
Very interesting place.

So I am happy, it was a really fun weekend, got to see lots of beautifull and interesting places.

But now I am sad, my camara is dead, I will need to buy a new one :(

Kisses
Jessica.

PS, about the photos.
Top Line, is the main church in San Cristobal, REally nice I like the colors. I posted both a day pic and a night pic, I liked the contrast.
Middle line, two little kiosks around San Cristobal, really pretty.
Last line, some pics from the waterfalls in AguaSelva

Original http://farm1.static.flickr.com/152/428583515_e737080742_b.jpg