At the time of sending our last update we had just arrived in San Christobal Del Las Casas having ridden 2500 miles in a little over a week. We were riding hard so we could spend Christmas in Belize but still have time to take in the sights of Southern Mexico and the Maya World. On reaching San Christobal Del Las Casas we couldn't believe our luck. We'd arrived just prior to the weekend celebrations of the Pilgrimage to the Virgin of Guadeloupe. From hundreds of miles around people had thronged to the city to take part in the celebrations and welcome the pilgrims to the city having run hundreds of miles over the past week carrying flaming torches to the Virgin. For four days the city was just one big party in which the varied cultures of Mexico came together in a religious frenzy. People living modern lives and those leading traditional lives stood side by side in the streets respecting their profound differences but sharing a common worship. For us it was a startling reminder of how varied Mexico is. It may not be economically rich but it certainly is in culture and values. If there's one thing Mexico could teach the rest of the world its probably how to party. We looked on as men ran down the main streets with huge fireworks strapped to their backs that went off in every direction and the onlooking crowd ducked for cover as the fireworks exploded through windows and shot of through open doorways. At one point we looked on with our hands firmly over our ears as a group of men lit one end of a trail of gunpowder which snaked up the street igniting charges as it went. The street filled with dense smoke and the deafening explosions shattered the adjacent windows. No one seemed too upset by the damage and just carried on partying regardless.

Our time in San Christobal Del Las Casas was supposed to be relaxing but turned out to be exhausting. We envisioned going out on some of the tours of the local area taking in the canyons and Mayan villages but we never left the city in our entire time there. There was no need, it all came to us.

On our fifth day we did reluctantly leave the city and rode for a day over to Palenque. Renowned to be the 'must see' Maya city of southern Mexico we were looking forward to taking in our first Maya ruins of the trip. Standing on the edge of the mountain jungles overlooking the planes of the Yucatan Peninsula, it was once inhabited by thousands but today stands deserted, reluctantly giving up its secrets. A lot of people had said to us that we mustn't miss seeing these ruins and they were impressive in their own right. However, we found that the areas around the various temples and pyramids etc. were so manicured that they'd somehow lost some of their charm. Almost by having made them more physically accessible they'd become less spiritually accessible. We enjoyed the area but moved on quite soon.

Still heading for the Yucatan and ultimately Belize we stopped off in the small town of Rio Bec, half way between San Christobal and the Yucatan peninsula. We knew of several ruins in the area which were less excavated and more inaccessible. Becan was the first ruin town we visited here and although much smaller than Palenque it was in some ways more impressive for its setting. Surrounded on all sides by thick jungle and still consumed by it Becan revealed itself to us in small bite sized chunks. Rather than rounding a corner as in Palenque and seeing the entire city before you, all but the immediate foreground was revealed and in the hours we spent walking round the area it was a constant process of revelation. I could write for hours about the ruins of both Becan and Chicann that we later visited. They are the kind of places that can't be captured on paper unfortunately so you'll just have to go there yourselves some day.