Mexico (Yucatan)

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Arriving into Chetumul by boat is a much better alternative than by road from Belize. It´s quicker and cheaper (you only pay a 7.50B environmental tax rather than the 30B tax approx. by land). Immediately there is Mexican military/police awaiting our arrival and have sniffer dogs at the ready for our bags. Funnily one of the luggage is a plastic box carrier containing a puppy; this being the only part of the luggage that the sniffer dog is interested in!...of course, I don´t want to be held responsible for giving drug traffickers any diversion ideas! Whilst there are shuttle buses available at our port, we have no Mexican Pesos to buy any tickets so we catch a cab to the bus station and pay with Belize dollars. Despite the taxi drivers assurances, there are no cash machines at the bus station so we catch another taxi to a marketplace where we are able to exchange Belize Dollars for Mexican Pesos. It allows some time for lucnh before hopping on a coach to Tulum, a journey of around 4 hours.

The best hostel in Tulum is apparently The Weary Traveller so we check in there for a few days. It is a strange place and almost overly efficient. At times you fell you are serving a sentance carrying numbered sheets around (which consists of a double sheet with a pillow sewn into it, almost like a rubbish sleeping bag without a zipper!), being given plastic trays with food you have to make yourself etc. However, it´s also the best place to arrange tours and book myslef on two: cavern scuba diving and Chichen Itza.

Chichen Itza is a large pre-Columbian archaeological site built by the Maya civilization located in the northern center of the Yucatán Peninsula. It´s key attributes are the El Castillo Pyramid which dominates the site, the Great Ball Court, Temples of the Warriors and the El Characol observatory temple. This latter part of the site I find to be the most impressive; the building almost has a Roman appearance and is testament to the fact that the Mayans were mapping the skies when Europe was still in the dark ages. Chichen Itza is a small site compared to other ruin sites but is well regarded. For example and surprisingly, it is one of the new seven wonders of the world. I would question it´s inclusion as there are plenty of other more impressive ruins than Chcihen Itza, such as Copan or Tikal, or even El Mirador which is the oldest and largest of all the Maya civilisations. I guess the inclusion of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro speaks wonders for the reliability of this list; frankly, it´s just a big statue. Swiss-based The New Open World Corporation compiled the list and leading corporate sponsors, including Banco Bradesco and Rede Globo, had lobbied to have the statue voted into the top seven. I guess a smiliar approach had been followed by the Mexican authorities.

The site also suffers from innumerable stalls selling tourist orientated gifts. They are everywhere, so much so that you feel you are in a market at times. I´m also dubious of some of our guides claims, for example, how the Ball Court was built to "make a statement" through built prowess rather than being used as a ball court, highlighting the echoes it creates. Somehow, I don´t see why the Mayans would go to such great lengths to build something without purpose, and if a purpose did exist I doubt it would be show off some echoes! The El Castillo is also famous for an effect captured twice a year from the sun. A light is shown on the edge of the pyramid much alike a snake crawling down the pyramid and then scaling back up the pyramid as the sun changes its course. It might be my sceptical mind but perhaps this was just a fluke and now plays to the minds of tourists? However, I won´t deny the 40,000 people that decend twice a year on this event to believe what they want to believe. There are also some folk that believe the world will end on 21.12.12 which they believe is when the Mayan Calendar ceases. However, this - as we are told by our guide - is untrue as that date conveniently coincides with the solstice; the true Mayan Calendar runs up to 23.12.12 after which it starts again rather than ceases. Roll on 24.12.12!

After our visit to the ruins, we stop off at a quite amazing cenote. It´s a circular sink hole with steep sided rocks with hanging vines containing clear blue waters, creating quite a magical appearance. It´s the perfect way to follow a hike around some ruins. We decide to jump in off the highest available platform; so high that the clear waters deceive your depth perception, I thought I was going to swallow my tongue as I contuned falling from the jump!

I also complete two scuba dives in two of the areas famous cenotes. The first is Dos Ojos (´two eyes´) cenote which refers to two neighbouring cenotes connecting into a very large cavern zone shared between the two. The surveyed extent of the cave system is 67.8 kilometres, which began in 1987 and still continues to this day (our dive guide being one of the explorers). Today it is the second greatest cave system in the world. The visibility is incredible, estimated at around 150m alike that of a swimming pool. Of course, you don´t have the chance to see 150m as you are forever exploring a variety of cave systems. Also, the deeper we go the less natural light there is in the fully submerged cave systems, hence we require a torch to see where we are going and guided by a small rope so that we don´t get lost in the system. This is a distinct possibility as you can easily turn into the wrong systems with likely fatal consequences. We are fortunate enough to be good with air supply and so are submerged for almost one hour, thereby completing two dives at the site for the price of one. It´s a fabulous experience swimming through many different kinds of cave systems which were once part of a coral reef prior to the ice age, full of clear water and fish following you around. I´d definitely recommend it to any divers out there. For those wanting a sneak preview, the Dos Ojos underwater cave system was featured in a 2002 IMAX film, Journey Into Amazing Caves and the 2006 BBC/Discovery Channel series Planet Earth. Also, parts of the Hollywood 2005 movie The Cave were filmed in the Dos Ojos cave system.

The second dive is into the more arduous Cenote Calavera (Skull Cenote which is also known as the Temple of Doom). The scary sounding name reflects the ominous feel of the cenote and it´s large underground cave. After walking 100 metres along the jungle trail (which is more difficult tham it sounds with all your scuba equipment!) you come to a literal hole in the ground with a 10 metre circumference. It takes some guts to jump off the edge to the clear water 3 metres below with all your gear.

Once inside, the large cavern opens up all around you and looking up you are able to see the "skull"as light passes through holes in the ceiling which create an effect of two eyes and a mouth. We enjoy four separate entrances to the continuing flow of underground river, with depths up to 19 meters. We pass through 3 separate halocline layers, the first one at a depth of 10 meters and each one obscuring your view of stalactites and stalagmites. "Halocline" is the word which describes the mixing of fresh and salt water. The salt water does not mix with the cooler fresh water. Instead, it creates a layer which is not unlike the mix of oil and water. In addition to the dive guide who has to swim at the front, there are three of us diving and I have to stay at the back through being the more experienced diver. Therefore I hit worst visibility as the fresh and salt waters mix, almost alike the haze you might see on a summer horizon. Two days previous a friend had panicked whilst in the cave system owing to the lack of visibility and was taken out by the guide. I can sympathise with her position as you are often searching your path through the murky visibility (not murky as in muddy, but murky as if you are drunk). You therefore have to keep calm at all times and try to enjoy the experience without using too much of your air as the next time you can surface is all the way back at the skull! All in all, a fantastic experience which makes up for the diving I missed on the Bay Islands through bad weather and illness.

We also visit Tulum Ruins which are ok (I guess I feel I´ve had my fix of ruins!). The well maintained site almost has an appearance of a golf course rather than a ruin. However, it´s position next to the coast, with it´s pristine turqoise waters and great beaches, makes for a wonderful backdrop. It´s no wonder that it was one of the last Maya sites to be abandoned!

From Tulum, I head onwards to Cancun. The purpose of visiting Cancun was as an airport hub for Havana and Miami. I initially spend two nights in Cancun which inlcudes an all you can drink on spirits beach party. It was a bit of a blur. Apparently there was a bikini competition. After these initial days, I head to Havana, Cuba for four days and then return to Cancun for three more days. Hostel Quetzal is a favoured destination for most travelers in downtown Cancun but I much prefer Hostel Mundo Joven (HI affiliated). Hostel Quetzal is a homely place but quite pricey at 230 pesos (this includes breakfast and dinner though neither were impressive). Mundo Joven is only 150 pesos (for HI affiliates) and inlcudes a great breakfast at the cafe next door. There is a terrific rooftop terrace with hammocks, bar and a jacuzzi (!). The attention to detail is astounding for a hostel - automatic foot lights which come on as you walk into the door (thereby stopping drunks turning on the lights in the middle of the night), bed lights, massive lockers, dorm beds spread out (and not cramped like Hostel Quetzal), air con, free wi-fi and 3 computers with fast internet, free liquid soap in the hot power showers etc etc. From Cancun, its a 45 peso bus to the airport where I fly to Miami. Read my next blog for more.

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