For
some reason I was awake before my alarm but I waited in the warmth of my bed
before getting up as it was rather cold out. I had the dorm to myself so I
managed to repack a few things before getting on my way to the bus station.

I
was at the station with plenty of time to spare (as usual) and checked my bag
in. When the bus arrived I showed my ticket and the guy asked me to wait. After
a little while and the bus running late there were a few other passengers also
waiting and not sure what was going on. A little while later with my limited
Spanish I understood that the road to Palenque was closed do we had to go
another route that's 3 hours longer. With chatting to some of the other
passengers I understood that there was a political protest for the Chiapas
elections and they had closed the road. The new route would get me there late
in the day. Now to figure out what time the site closes to see if I can see it.
This is the area I plan to stop in later in my trip so not a complete loss if I
have to do it then.

The
new route took us along a few old roads that looked like they were falling away
in some places. We did manage to see some more rural places when winding
through farmland and jungle. This provided for some great views of the rolling
hills.

We
stopped for lunch and a driver change at a little dorpie before pushing on and
getting stuck in traffic along the way. All in all it took us about 9 hours to
do the 5 hour trip and this meant I would have no time to do anything in Palenque.

I
decided to wait for my next bus in the bus station but this would be about a 6
hour wait and after doing a quick survey there was no beer in sight. Would I
have to resort to the last few drops in my hip flask?

While
waiting I finished my book (Little Coffee Shop in Kabul) and then the most
exciting part of my day arrived when I had to decide which book to read next.
Guess it's another one from Damien - 600 Hours of Edward.

After
sitting for a while I decided to take a walk. I have decided been sitting in a
bus since 7am and I would be in a bus again overnight so it seems like a good
thing to do, and I would be able to get a beer. I put my bag in storage and
made my way to the Zocalo (main square) and walked around there a bit. The
whole walk there was a train of cars with people supporting the Verde party and
in true political style they were throwing t-shirts out into the street to the
public. There was a lot of noise associated with this so I was happy to get
onto a side road and find something to eat (and a beer) and get away from it.

I
ordered asado pollo and it was HUGE! I got a half a chicken and a plate of
chips so I tucked in but only made it about half way before deciding that the
rest could be a midnight snack or breakfast. I then made my way back to the bus
station and enjoyed the sunset through the window over the buildings.

I
read a little to kill some time before I got chatting to Joyce who happened to
be on the same bus and hostel as me. We started chatting to a Danish couple
before we all got on the bus. Joyce and I continued chatting for a while before
she tried to get some sleep and I read some more. I decided to try get some
sleep but as soon as I got comfortable the bus stopped and some police boarded
and asked to see our passports. It was quick and painless and we were back on
the road in no time and I was back to sleep only to wake a few times along the
way.