Two taxi companies at the airport of Villahermosa. Same prices posted on the wall. M$250. On the drive out, I could see that if I just walked across the big parking lot, I could have hailed a tuk-tuk or taxi at the junction of Carretera Al Aeropuerto and Carretera Villahermosa. At 12:30, I checked into my hotel at the edge of the pedestrian zone. It has AC. 78°F. Very green and humid here.
Walked over the street to Bicentennial Plaza with the elegant state government building. Quite nice. This is Tabasco's capital.
Got on a yellow taxi to Parque Museo La Venta (my reason of visiting this town). All yellow cabs are M$25, and white cabs are M$40. My driver picked up another couple on the way. At the ticket counter of La Venta, a family of 3 generations was buying tickets before me. The mother was spraying something all over everyone. At my turn (M$44), I saw my first mosquito. Oops, left my bug spray in the hotel! A big mistake. I got maybe 30 bites! I liked the park. Tropical. Saw 2 black jaguars (in 2 different enclosures) and two yellow ones (share the same home). A few monkeys dancing on top of trees, lots of coatis, a pheasant in the main exhibition room, a few crocodiles, many turtles. 
The entrance to the archeological section is staffed with a girl at a table, and she made me register. A towering Ceiba tree. The path is wide (wheelchair accessible), one way, marked with red footprints pointing the direction. Statues are placed here and there with both Spanish and English description. Some are replicas. Not a big area, but the winding path makes it feel larger. The notable specimens are the colossal Olmec basalt heads. Olmec flourished ~1000 BCE, the oldest known culture in America, before Maya.
Afterwards, I walked on the road to the beginning of Parque Tomás Garrido Canabal, and back along Laguna de Las Illusiones. Quite a few heron and egrets. Pleasant, less mosquitoes.I walked back through neighborhoods, some small parks. Bought 1/2Kg freshly made tortilla. Very good. Checked out Ado bus station. Went to Chedaui supermarket (also sells TV) just a block north, but left after seeing the long lines. I returned to the hotel. Bought beer, yogurt and banana at Soriana Supermarket in the center.
Retired early.
11/17, day 2, Saturday. 7-10am breakfast at the hotel. Very good. Rice, beans, egg with green bell pepper, taco in some kind of tomato sauce (a little spicy). Coffee tea milk yugort, honey, watermelon, papaya, orange drink. I filled a bottle of water here.
Left my bag at the reception when checking out. They issued me a bag ticket. Walked ~15 minutes to Comallis Plus bus station, 1 block NW of Ado. Got on a big bus for Comalcalco, just before it was leaving at 8:09. Only half full. M$40. Non-stop. AC in full blast. Blue curtains at each row. I had to change seat because the vent above was open (shutter broken). The one I moved to had a piece of paper stuffed in the vent, in lieu of its shutter, so not as cold. By 9am, we arrived. I asked the driver about return bus. He said every 20 minutes.
Got on one of the many white taxis by the bus stop to the archeology site. M$50. Entrance fee is $60, the ticket shows and says Tulum, on the back stamped with Comalcalco . I really liked this Mayan site. Not very big, very green. I followed signed direction. West most of the known Mayan world. Brick construction with plaster. I was the first visitor when I signed the register at 9:19am. When I left, I only saw one family. But a couple more cars. Mosquitoes. This time I wore long sleeves and permetherin. The little museum at the entrance houses the artifacts found here.
I like it here. No one else but me. No peddler or guide to bother me. This is the west-most site of the known Maya world. A peculiarity here is that the construction material is brick. No taxis when I left. Most people came in their own car. Walked to the main road. Waited under the bridge at the junction of hwy-187 and Reforma-Dos Bocas. There was a girl waiting there too. She told me that combis come fairly often. M$30. I got on one signed for V. hermosa (from Paraiso) in about 10 minutes. But she was still waiting. A 15-seat minivan. ~10 on board. AC, tainted window. Gas price ~M20/L. An hour later I'm back in town, this time at Transporte Cardesa.
Took a yellow cab to Regional Museum of Anthropology. The driver beckoned me on even though he didn't understand where I was going. Very congested in the center. I could walk faster. The driver stopped at the theatre before the museum, because I told him the museum is near the theatre. He really didn't know of the museum. M$22. The main purpose here is this monument #6 from Turtugero. The end of the world on 12/23/2012 was predicted according to the calligraphic symbols on its surface. There are also some real heads from La Venta, and other Mayan ruins in the state. 
The museum houses artifacts from the entire state of Tabasco. It has two Olmec colossal heads. It has a good of of Grijalva River and clean bathroom.Picked up my bag at the hotel. Went to Cardesa. The driver told me the next one to Palenque is at 3, even though it's written as 2:40 on the board. Then to Ado, and the cashier refused to sell me a ticket even though I'm still a minute before the 2pm departure. So I walked back to Cardesa, passing another bus company called Jaguar. The minibus to Palenque had already semi filled up, so I climbed in. We left at 2:30 with only 1 open seat. Before it even got out of the parking lot, 15th seat was claimed. $75. But the driver still stopped for more passengers. They had to stand hunched down in the short isle. I ate the rest of my tortilla, washed down by beer, too dry now. Other than picking up passengers, we also made a stop to change a tire. At the junction of 186 and 199, all but 2 of us remained on board, and now it was cold.
