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Published: September 13th 2007
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Celestun
The beach (August 6, 2007-August 8, 2007)
The Yucatan was the region of Mexico that every friend of mine from Mexico talked about. Merida, Chichen Itza, and Tulum were what everyone described to be the best of Mexico. My research into my travels always seemed to discuss Tulum, and thus became so fascinating--due to stories and pictures from everywhere--that it became the main place I had to visit. But before that Janneth and I visited Merida, Celestun, and Chichen Itza, which also make the Yucatan Peninsula one of the most beautiful places I have been to.
Our plane left Mexico City late on Monday, but made up the time in the air, arriving into Merida on schedule. Full of money because I had received my last pay check that day, we splurged on a rental car--500 pesos per day, unlimited mileage. Merida's streets in the city center are easy to navigate, as they are all numbers; with odd-numbered streets going east to west, and even-numbered streets going north to south. The man at the rental counter gave us advice on hotels, and we stayed at a nice place, not cheap not expensive, a few blocks straight north of the zocalo. We
Celestun
the clear, warm waters showered, relaxed, and went out for walk in the beautiful city--sorry no pictures, on Janneth's camera--and had dinner at a great food stall.
The streets are beautifully lined with colonial buildings, most painted in white. Tourist shops are everywhere, and prices aren't high. We bought tequila and mescal bottles as a gift for Janneth's father. We went back to the hotel, and stayed in the rest of the night.
We left Merida very early, around 9, in order to visit Celestun, a small coastal, fishing town, surrounded by a biological biosphere. The drive was just over an hour. Once in town, we parked at the entrance to the reserve, and contracted a boat, with another couple, to take us on an hour tour of the biosphere. The area is widely known for the flamingos that at some points of the year can reach up to 40.000 in population--only 10.000 were in the area when we visited, but it was still worth the 130 pesos we each paid. The reserve also has an enormous petrified forest, water holes that are extremely clear and wonderful to swim in, and mangrove swamps. The area is beautiful.
Being able to speak to
our boat guide, and becoming somewhat of acquaintances, he told us to eat at Restaurante Celestun, right off the zocalo, beach side. The restaurant is surprisingly big, and the seafood--which the whole village is known for--was extremely delicious. Janneth had fresh fish in garlic and butter sauce, and I had breaded fish stuffed with various seafood; of course washed down with ice cold beers. Delicious! We enjoyed the atmosphere, and got pretty cooled down with beer. It was already midday when we went to the beach, laid in the sun and swam in the calm, warm waters of the town.
Just before three, we quickly had to leave, as the car rental was due at 4:30, and get the bus to Piste that afternoon. The bus station is south of the city, and by the time we had arrived, the last bus to Piste had left. Instead we jumped on the last bus to Valladolid, a 30 minute ride to Chichen Itza, which didn't arrive until 8:30pm. As we got off the bus we bought tickets for the first bus out to Chichen Itza the next morning, and headed to the hotel across the street from the bus station
Celestun
Biosphere reserve in Valladolid. Lucia had told me that the town was very beautiful, and that it was worth a visit. Unfortunately we were only able to see it during the night, as we made a stroll through the center of town to have dinner.
The next morning we left for Chichen Itza early, which is the best advice I can give when visiting the ancient city. The day was warm, and it was only 10 in the morning. The entrance was half price with student IDs, around 50 pesos, and we made our way through virtually no crowds and the locals setting up shop for their crafts. The first thing that you see coming onto the site is the castle (Temple of Kukulcan--Mayan name for the feathered serpent; Quetzalcoatl in Aztec). The castle seems to be small, but as you get close, it opens up, and you are in awe of the structure. It was recently voted a new Wonder of the world, and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Around the castle is a large field, and you are left to wonder what else the site has to offer as trees cover many structures off in the near
Celestun
Biosphere distance. I couldn't take my eyes of the castle, and after a while we kept going on our way, towards the Temple of the Warriors, and all the structures behind it. The walk is extensive, and in order to see the whole site, you need several hours and lots of water--bring your own, because the locals sell bottles for 20 pesos inside. There are two cenotes, but only one could be visited by tourists. The field for the playing Mesoamerican ballgame, was full of tourists, and by the time we had made our way there, it was midday and the sun was punishing us with every step we took. The last section of the site we had left was the observatory and the structures surrounding it. We slowly walked this area, and by 2:00 we had finished seeing the whole site. The walk out was almost impossible. The crowds were unbearable, especially with the heat. The lines to get in stretched to the artisan market outside--Janneth and I were glad that we had made the visit out to Chichen Itza in the early morning. The bus was stuck outside the gates due to the massive surge of tour buses; we
Celestun
First glimpses of the flamingos in the biosphere had to wait nearly an hour.
The heat had drained us, we fell asleep, along with the rest of the bus, for the half-hour ride. Once in town, we quickly got our bags from the hotel, and jumped on the bus for Tulum. Beautiful Tulum.
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devil
non-member comment
wow
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