Luckily for me, the main language of Palenque was Spanish, so most of the conversation was very familiar. Because I was in a city that has a lot more tourism than Chetumal, I was also able to hear a lot of English and even French!
Palenque uses pesos and monedas as its currency, but I was able to trade a couple of nice oranges for a cool tour of the local balneario (a slow-moving river or stream used for relaxing and bathing)!
A bottle of water will cost you around ten to fifteen pesos, but since it is so hot in Palenque, it may be smarter to buy what is called a garrafón. A garrafón is a 20 liter jug of water (what we use in water coolers in the U.S.) that is a common, cost-effective and environmentally friendly way to get fresh drinking water in México.
You all know that I am a fan of food, but I have to be honest with you, my favorite meal this week was not solid food at all, but rather a delectable drink! Tascalate, a very traditional drink of Palenque, is made from smoked corn that is blended with milk, cacao and achiote (seeds from a native tree that give the drink a bright orange-red color). This drink was creamy, cold, and filling...
