Blogs from Yucatán, Mexico, North America - page 16

Got to see Chichen Itza with Cara... read more

Our Arrival The bus from Merida dropped us off at the bus station in town on calle 39 and calle 46. Where We Stayed Hostel de Huespedes - calle 39 and calle 48. M$180 for a double room with bathroom and TV. Internet worked in reception area. The whole place was pretty grubby and there was a dirty kitchen which could be used but no fridge. However it seemed to be the cheapest place in town and the room was large. What We Did VISITED CENOTES Cenote Zaci - in town on calle 37 and 34. M$25 admission. A half open cenote with swimming. Cenote Samula - out of town on the way to Dzitnup. We walked there and it took about 1 1/4hrs on a path running alongside the highway. There are also colectivos that ... read more

10 to 13 May 2014 Saturday through Tuesday. Even by my standards, the ten day whirlwind through Peru and Bolivia was exceptionally fast paced. We were ready for a rest. As explained in my planning blog at , due to a lack of frequent flyer miles to fly directly from La Paz to Denver we were "forced" to take a break in Mexico, and where better than the beach and cultural location of Cancun, with the Mayan Yucatan within easy reach. As it was off season in Cancun, we booked four nights at the Marriott CasaMagna Resort at a very reasonable price...I've paid more for a two star motel. When we checked in the receptionist apologetically told us that the hotel was fully booked and that they had upgraded us from a garden view to a ... read more

The third set of Mayan ruins that I visited after Palenque and Tulum were at Ek' Balam situated ~30 kms north of Valladolid. The ruins don't get near the traffic of nearby Chichén Itzá which is a major part of their appeal. Ek' Balam means "Black Jaguar" and although it's been eons since any jaguar prowled the premises there is a tomb with an incredible carved doorway depicting the mouth of a jaguar-monster. US$ ≈ 13 Mexican pesos (M$) Playa del Carmen Secondary beach resort to Cancún/Cozumel but purportedly not as built up as either. I stayed a few blocks back from the beach which has a totally different ambiance than around "La Quinta" where all the schwanky hotels and restaurants are located. I really just wanted some beach time (which is beautiful all along the ... read more

Que tal! Had a shortish bus trip from Playa to Valladolid. Been very impressed with the bus service here. I had read that in Valladolid very few people spoke English so was excited to practice our spanish which I think we are both doing quite well...along with hand gestures. Valladolid is a cute colonial type town and our hostel was next to a nice square and church. In the middle of Valladolid is a square full of trees where allthe local families hang out instead sitting at home in front of a tv like we all do. The buildings are all painted diffrrent colours. From Valladolid we did a day trip out to Chichen Itza and Il-Kil, a sink hole you can swim in. We got to Chichen Itza early to beat the crowds and the ... read more