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FRONTERA COROZAL |
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Twenty kilometres beyond San Javiér, the turning for FRONTERA
COROZAL is marked by a comedor and shop selling basic supplies. Corozal
itself, another 19km down the paved side road, and served by regular
buses and combis from Palenque (last one back at 4pm), lies on the bank
of the Usumacinta, where you need to catch a boat to get to Yaxchilán.
There's a Mexican immigration post : visitors to Yaxchilán will always
be asked to show their passports, despite the fact that the site is in
Mexico. On the right past the immigration post are the thatched and
brightly painted cabañas of Escudo Jaguar (tel 5/147-9300 in Mexico City;
US$15-40), named after Jaguar Shield, a king of Yaxchilán. These
spacious rooms have comfortable beds with mosquito nets, hot water in
the tiled bathrooms and full-length windows open onto the porch - a
touch of luxury at a bargain price. There's also a good restaurant here,
and you can camp nearby for less than US$3. More basic accommodation is
available at Corozal's two posadas - the Yhani (with fan; US$5-10), on
the right before the immigration post, is marginally the better - and
the Usumacinta is the best of Corozal's comedors .
To reach the site , you need to get a ride in a lancha - a narrow
riverboat with benches along the side and a thatched roof for shade.
Officially tickets are only sold at Escudo Jaguar but it's worth asking
around at the waterfront. Increasingly, however, fares are set by the
lanchero co-operatives in Corozal and Bethél, and work out around US$12
per person, depending on the number in the boat, with little scope for
bargaining. The journey downstream usually takes under an hour and when
you arrive you'll have to scramble up the steep bank or climb a flight
of rickety steps.
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