8am we arrive via overnight bus to the town of Palenque. Check in at a cheap yet tidy hotel with a young, handsome receptionist who has a very laid back aura about him.
The Palenque ruins are different compared to those seen before, mainly because of its tropical weather. There's something really jungly about the setting, and it makes the approach to the ruins that much more exciting.
A river (or a few rivers) run through the whole of the park, and I realize that I enjoy bodies of water more than any other geographic or artificial creation. The path down to the museum along the flowing river pleased me more than anything here.
Back into town, Dad wants coffee, but not just normal coffee, he wants "GOOD coffee in a cool place." So we ask around and find a place that makes espressos and spend what seems like a bit of a fortune for good coffee and A/C.
For dinner, tired of tortillas, Dad wants pasta. So by default we choose a touristy restaurant that offers spaghetti and hamburgers for 2.5 times the price of local food. Dad learns his lesson to not order pasta around here, the noodles are overcooked and he leaves the place dissatisfied with both the taste and damage done to our wallets.
Back in our humid room with laundry hanging on every protruding object from the wall, I calculate our spendings up until now. About 33% more than what we had hoped for.
We look back at the days and realize that what we think we NEED are actually just WANTS. We're being luxurious beyond necessary. We decide on a coffee a day for Dad, a beer a day for me, and to try and hold back on any cravings for particular food; especially if they're expensive.
I take a quick walk to refresh myself from all that math, and see the receptionist again, sitting on his comfy couch, blankly looking out into the street with a grin. He seems so satisfied with life just sitting there...
He notices me, smiles, bids me buenas noches, and goes back to being entertained by the street, its passerby's, lights, and noise...
Buenas noches :)
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