Chíchen Itzá

Friday morning found us up and about early again. We had to get to the bus station early to take it to Chíchen Itzá. I was really excited about seeing this grand example of the ruins of the Mayan civilization. Noel...not so much...he's not big on history and ruins, but he went along for his friend. Isn't that was a great relationship is all about??

It was an all-day trip and were glad it was an air-conditioned bus. After leaving Cancún behind, we entered the state of Yucatán. The road was basically in the middle of nowhere. It was a nice change of pace from being in the city.

Our first stop was at Suytun Cenote. Cenotes are natural underground wells that are interconnected by underground rivers. The Yucatan Peninsula has no above ground rivers. The Mayans useds the cenotes for their water supply and also considered some of them to be sacred and used them for rituals at times. It was in a rural area and it was interesting to descend the steep stairs into the cool, moist air of the cenote. There were a few stalagtites and other formations. The water was clear and cool and there were even a few small fish swimming around! Some of the people went in for a dip but Noel and I didn't feel it was necessary. After a while, we loaded back into the bus and went on down the road to our next stop--souvenirs.

After we purchased all we wanted, we made a short stop in the town of Valladolid and then on to a Mayan restaurant to eat lunch. I had Mayan lime soup and cochinita pibil along with some other Mexican dishes. It was absolutely wonderful! After a few more customers were eating, a small group of Mayans performed a few dances for us with filled bottles on their heads! I have no idea how they didn't drop them! When everyone was finished eating, we loaded back into the bus and headed for Chíchen Itzá.

Upon arrival, we received our tickets and waded through the sea of locals selling their wares. I did break down and buy a hat because the sun was bearing down on us at full throttle. Our tour guide led us through the gates and started his presentation. Since everyone else in the group was a native Spanish speaker, he started speaking in Spanish. When we was finished, he then spoke only to me in English. I think he soon realized that it would take him forever, so he found an all English-speaking tour and asked if Noel and I could join it. The guide was very good and had a good sense of humor balanced with lots of information. I won't bore you with all the details of the visit, but I learned a lot about the Mayans in a short time. I knew they were a highly developed people but I never knew just how absolutely intelligent they were. Their mathematical and astronomical skills were outstanding and everything was built to perfection for them to know the signs of the seasons. The pyramid itself was absolutely amazing!

After a very nice tour, it was time to walk around and see more of the grounds and then head back to the bus. We returned to Cancún late and finished the evening at home. Saturday was our last full day there. We spent it walking around Cancún and seeing another movie. It was another nice time together even if we were hot! That night, we went out with Noel's friend and another guy to eat tacos al pastor! I absolutely love them! It was a nice evening.

What can I say? Yes, Cancún is touristy and definitely not representative of the real Mexico, but I really enjoyed my time there. I am planning on going back in the future to see everything else I missed.

¡Cuidate! Nos vemos.