If I were to caption this photo, it would be something like: “tourists rationalizing that it’s probably not that interesting up there.”
If I were to caption this photo, it would be something like: “tourists rationalizing that it’s probably not that interesting up there.”
Long ago, in 1976, on a 4 month trip through Mexico, Belize & Guatemala, we stopped in to see the ruins at Palanque. We got up very early, to see the sunrise over the site. Sitting on top of this structure, and not having read our guide book beforehand, we noticed an entrance and stairway down into the pyramid. Adventuresome as we were, and nobody around, we descended. At the bottom, we discovered a jail cell like door with steel bars. Well, one of the bars was missing at the bottom, just big enough for me and my brother to squeeze through. It was pitch dark, except for our little flashlights. Upon entering, we walked around on this huge carved stone. Examining it closer, we realized and recognized it to be the slab in pictures we’d seen of the “astronaut” sitting in a capsule with fire coming out the bottom! Wow, this was the most famous stone carving of the Mayas. Still nobody around, we decided to get outa there fast before we were caught.
I’ve been back once since then and it’s quite different with better security and a lot more people around. Ah, the old days before the crowds of tourists.
Thanks for sharing, great story!