SV Gallant Fox

Crossing Tehuantepec, South to North, Part III: The Arrival

So, yeah, that fair current that pushed us along and right out of the way of that brewing Tehuantepec gale? To avoid making landfall somewhere around Huatulco in the middle of the night, we had to drop our engine speed to 2100 rpm. We saw we were still scooting along the 30'-35' depth contour at 6.7 knots SOG, so we throttled back to 1000 rpm and kept our speed at a leisurely 2.5-3.5 knots SOG. Winds remained calm, thank Chaac.

It would have been delightful to enter Huatulco first thing in the morning, but naturally that was the bottom of low tide. Our guides and charts claimed that datum was somewhere between 6.0' and 6.5' so with our 6.1' draft we figured we'd just have to wait a while. We therefore anchored around the corner from Huatulco in the convenient Tagolunda anchorage, until either the tide rose or the staff at our destination of Marina Chahue came on duty - whichever was earlier.

We got lucky yet again: we hailed Marina Chahue on the VHF radio at about 0900 on February 2, and the manager, Ezekiel, happily informed us that the entrance to the marina had been dredged to a least depth of 3.5 meters - equals, a comfy 11'. Say no more, Ezekiel; off we went. Entered the marina, checked out the rules and procedures at their fuel dock; and tied up in a slip. I promptly did my usual job of visiting the marina office and getting all the paperwork and whatnot in order. Boy was it hot and humid - sunny, with temps and humidity both in the 90s before noon. (#foreshadowing.) I took a shower onshore, waddled back to The Fox, and

Crossing Tehuantepec, South to North, Part II: The Underway

Still no pics. I'm all business when I cross Tehuantepecs.

It turned out we'd assessed the forecast correctly. As we left the shelter of Puerto Chiapas and came onto open water, conditions were rolly with the very last of the slop left over from the previous Tehuantepec'er. Breezes were now about 8-10 knots and dropped during the next 24 hours while sea conditions grew calm as well. The breeze had started at about 250 degrees on the compass and clocked to the north, then backed to the south. We motored, of course.

We got even luckier when we saw that we had a nice, fair current that off of Puerto Chiapas was about 1-2 knots; by the time we passed the mountain gap near Salina Cruz the current was 3-4 knots in our favor. (Protip: we'd found this terrific northbound current in about the 80'-90' depth contour, where we had no traffic but the shrimper fleet was about 6 miles offshore and about 1-2 miles away from us.) Running our engine at 2300 rpm our boat speed was 4.0 knots and our SOG fluctuated between 6.6 and 7.8 knots. We needed that kind of hustle, because the next morning's forecast on February 1 called for calm conditions during the day and overnight, with a gale expected to build in the Gulf of Tehuantepec beginning at about sunset on February 2. We therefore slightly shifted course to +/- 16 degrees latitude. We had to start dodging the shrimpers, but it put us closer to shore in case the gale arrived earlier than forecast. My anxious gloom continued. (#foreshadowing.)

Critter count underway: one green sea turtle , 3 dolphin, and one unidentified whale in the distance just after sunrise of February 1. That afternoon a flotilla of dozens of Olive Ridley turtles passed us in their southbound migration. AND!!!! Just as sunset turned to darkness, a female Orca closely followed by a male with his towering dorsal fin crossed just a few yards astern of us! What a pleasant and unexpected surprise that was!

The night of February 1 passed uneventfully with light air and seas...

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Crossing Tehuantepec, South to North, Part I: Leaving Chiapas

 Photos? Fuhgeddaboutit.

January 2015 was almost over and it was time for us to sail northward. That meant we'd cross the Gulf of Tehuantepec like we'd done in March 2010, but we had to pay even closer attention to weather windows this time. The mountain gap that causes strong winds and seas to increase to dangerous levels in the Gulf of Tehauntepec, is located nearer to the Gulf's northern portion. Thus a northbound boat like ours needs a lot more time than a southbound boat requires to cross the Gulf, pass the gap, and move into a safe zone of travel. Basically, because the distance is about 240 miles, the prudent northbound sailor will look for a window of good weather in the Gulf of Tehauntepec that stays settled for at least three days.

We saw such a window coming up, and it looked so good we spent a couple of days bussing to Tapachula and taxiing back with all our provisions...fuel...laundry...the usual Cruiser Departure Drill. Given the distance of travel and our general busyness for that couple of days, I hadn't noticed I wasn't drinking the amount of water I normally did.* (*Literary types call that "foreshadowing.")

Bonampak and its Murals

Our 13-hour-long day trip out of Palenque was only half over when we approached the Mayan Classic era ruins of Bonampak, located on a tributary of the Usumacinta River. In a history similar to Yaxchilan's, artifacts recovered from Bonampak indicate it was a nondescript agricultural settlement in about 100 CE, that amassed wealth from river commerce and assorted wartime conquests as it developed into a city-state from about 450 CE through 791 CE. Bonampak royalty intermarried with Yaxchilan royalty to consolidate power, and the glyphs at both sites report that the in-laws fought side by side in one or more crucial battles. Archeologists have identified over 100 separate structures comprising Bonampak's ruins, many of them as yet unexcavated and still covered by rain forest.

Modern visitors enter Bonampak via a sacbe (pedestrian road); I imagine that 1200 years ago it was lined with entrepreneurs' shops and stalls much the way it was when we visited in 2015:

As at Yaxchilan, the excavated ruins of Bonampak feature a large main plaza and impressive monumental stone architecture. Portions of stucco still survive here and there on some structures, and as you can see in that first photo up there on the left certain stelae have been replaced in their upright positions and somewhat protected from the elements by small rooflike covers.

Yaxchilan

Back in the 1980s, travel from Palenque to the two Classic Mayan sites of Yaxchilan and Bonampak was a multi-day trek along muddy roads through the jungle followed by hiring boatmen to paddle you and your gear along the Usumacinta River - the border between Mexico and Guatemala. These days it's a more-straightforward all-day trip along paved roads until you reach the river; you still need to hire boatmen but now they use 70hp outboard motors, mostly at full throttle. Getting to the ruins via high-speed jungle-boat ride is half the fun.

GB and I generally prefer DIY tourism so that we can explore places at our own pace, but given the number of visitors, the length of time required to visit both sites (12-13 hours), and the boatmen's very strict schedules in January 2015, it made more sense to join a small group of strangers in a van tour instead of having to wait on standby for two seats to maybe-possibly become available in a boat going each way to each site. We got lucky with our tour group; nobody acted like a jackwagon or caused any significant delays so everyone was able to use all the daylight to maximum effect.

Palenque, Part 2

And now, for some details Palenque has disclosed.

Portions of the structures' original stucco can still be found in sheltered places; some of the clearest examples are on the palace walls and show combinations of black outlining with predominant reds and the deep sky-blue color known as "Mayan Blue."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shown above are examples of some of the numerous artifacts recovered from all around Palenque's ruins during various periods of excavation. They include stucco masks; finely detailed figurines; hundreds of three-foot-tall censers in which burnt offerings of copal incense and human blood were made; and funerary masks and headbands crafted of mosaics of jade, shell, and onyx. Remnants of Mayan Blue paint can still be seen on that censer in the middle photo. Many such censers have masks and faces stacked upon other masks and faces, reminding me of miniature terra cotta totem poles.

One of the smaller temple pyramids near Pakal's tomb is Temple XII, known as the Temple of the Dying Moon. Mayan spiritualism associated rabbits with the full moon, and a dead rabbit accordingly represented a waning moon or new moon. Assuming tourists are still permitted to climb halfway up Temple XII, they will see a carved mask of a rabbit's skull. Except this particular rabbit's skull sports fangs, which archaeologists seem to have difficulty explaining without using the word "zombie." Come to Palenque and check it out. Carefully. In broad daylight, when critters like this hide from the sun.

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Palenque, Part 1

Palenque is a major Mayan archaeological site located at the jungle's edge in southeastern Chiapas highlands. It rose from a small regional center in about 500 C.E. to a major Mayan city-state in the Late Classic Period, about 600 C.E. (when my own ancestors were living in mud huts and painting themselves blue). Of all who ruled Palenque, the greatest was K'inich Janaab' Pakal, aka Pakal the Great (that's him on the right, here), who succeeded his great-grandmother and his mother to the throne and ruled for 68 years until his death in 683 C.E. at age 80. His tomb, enclosed within the Pyramid of the Inscriptions in Palenque, is known as the richest and most elaborate yet found in Mesoamerica. Visitors to Palenque can enter his tomb, where the original massive limestone cover to his sarcophagus still rests underneath a thick etched plexiglas replica of the tomb's vaulted and inscribed ceiling. It is an exquisite and informative restoration. My flash-free photo over here on the left does it absolutely no justice but perhaps it gives an idea of the grandeur.

A Brief Stop at San Cristobal de las Casas

San Cristobal de las Casas is a charming Chiapas city known for its international tourism, international cuisine, a variety of hotels and hostels for all budgets, and lots and lots of college kids and grad students visiting from the US, Canada, and Europe. With the largest, heaviest backpacks you will ever see.

We visited San Cristobal twice - in 2010 via Huatulco and again in 2015 via Tapachula; both times en route to Palenque by bus. San Cristobal is easy to walk around, its historic buildings are generally well maintained, and some streets in the historic district are pedestrian-only. There's a terrific Thai restaurant on Real de Guadalupe street. Their Sunday market brings vendors from all over the place. But any day of the week, San Cristobal is a feast for the eyes. Come see for yourself!

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Return to Palenque

It had been about five years since we'd last had the chance to visit the Mayan ruins of Palenque, and this time our schedule in Tapachula was open enough that we were able to include visits to the nearby highly-regarded sites of Yaxchilan and Bonampak in our travel plans.

We took one of Mexico's fancy interstate buses to San Cristobal de las Casas and Palenque. Protip: it is a very long bus trip from Tapachula to Palenque, about 15 hours one way, but at least someone else is doing the driving. The road winds up and down and around the mountain ranges of Chiapas through several picturesque Mayan towns, which is very lucky for any would-be photographer. Each of these towns has so many topes (gnarly speed bumps) that buses have to almost come to a stop to climb over them, giving a passenger plenty of time to photograph the street scenes. The downside is that the bus encounters literally one tope every 60 to 90 seconds. For 15 hours. I am not exaggerating when I tell you I got seasick from all the up-and-down. But I got some fun photos anyway. Like, a view of Ocosingo's Saturday market, that takes up a few city blocks. Or the shot I got of how rural folk in Chiapas spread out tamarind pods and coffee beans to dry in their front yards, long before their products arrive in your supermarket of choice. Also: fresh grilled chicken for sale!

Antigua, Guatemala by Bus

GB and I spent some time in Marina Chiapas paying attention to The Fox, with general cleaning, replacing the fridge's thermostat, and repairing the toilet in the head. Toilet repairs should always be rewarded with a nice trip, so we planned to end 2014 and ring in 2015 with more tourism: a visit to Guatemala.

We'd originally hoped to see Guatemala by rental car, the better to visit the ruins of Takalik Abaj, an ancient sister city to Izapa. Plus, we'd intended to drive across Guatemala to visit the Mayan ruins of Copan in Honduras. But alas. Due to logistical and bureaucratic difficulties getting in, across, out, and back in, across, and out of Guatemala, we soon concluded it would be a much easier trip to just hop a bus in Tapachula and stick with visiting Guatemala.