Mexico, Palenque

We took an overnight bus from Merida to get here with ADO. It took 8.5 hours and cost US$28.70. There have been many warning posted about overnight travel on this route but we were assured first class would be OK and it was.
We arrived in Palenque just before 7 and decided to go and see the ruins in the morning. There was left luggage at the bus station for 4 pesos an hour.
We took a collectivo to the ruins for US$1. There was a National Park Entry fee to pay before getting to the ruins of US$1 and then the ruins entry of US$3.80 plus the usual US$3 for video if you owned up.
It was definately worth doing this early even after no sleep on the bus. Palenque is extremely hot and you could feel the heat and humidity from about 9am. The Templo de las Inscripciones was closed when we were there. The ruins are in a beautiful setting in the jungle and we could hear howler monkeys while walking around.
Visit the tomb of the red queen in Templo XIII and also climb up Templo de la Cruz to see a great view of all the other temples. Once you´ve seen everything, walk downhill to the Grupo Norte and then follow the signs to Museo across the river. This follows a path down through the jungle and past a few waterfalls and other ruins very hidden in the jungle. You then come out at the bottom and it's worth visiting the Museo se Sitio which shows finds from the site. It's closed on Monday.
You can then get a collectivo from here back to Palenque or to somewhere along the road if you are staying out of town.
we had a great meal at Restaurant Las Tinajas. There are two branches near each other. One is a little more expensive with a big balcony but the other has mostly the same menu for a few pesos less. Have the tacos filete which was enough for 2.
See the Agua Azul, Agua Clara & Misol-Ha post for info on visiting the waterfalls.