Cenotes and Chichen Itza. I was staying at one of the Barcello Resorts south of Playa del Carmen when we decided to take a tour to Chichen Itza. My God! the roads inland were rough. The tour bus was comfortable enough but they must have to change the shocks on that thing after every trip. Chichen Itza itself was a very interesting place and I enjoyed learning about the Mayan culture, their amazingly accurate calendar system (I was there in 2002, before the supposed end-of-times 2012 rumoured by the calendar!), their celestial observatory, the ball games pitch (was it death to the players who win or who lose?), the nunnery, and so on. I remember climbing those steps to the top of the main pyramid. A bit steeper than it looks from a ground view! Thank God they had that rope banister to hang on to, to help me descend. Not sure which Cenote we went to but we had to bus it from Chichen Itza and it was a bit of a tourist trap. It did have a good set of sloping stone steps to descend to the pool. Not too busy around the pool but quite impressive. There was a set of stone steps down there to allow you to get quite far up above the pool and take quite a nice dive into the darkest water I have ever seen. This pool was very deep and the vegetation hanging down from the ground level opening, in the centre of the Cenote, was a little creepy.
The water was quite warm.
On the bus trip back to the Mayan Riviera, one thing that struck me as funny was when we would pass through what appeared to be quite poor villages, where you could see between the boards that made up the side wall of people's homes/huts, you could see animals inside the home along with 40 inch flat screen TVs!
Oh well! Each to his own I guess. Enjoyed reading about your trip. Too bad about the camera.
Regards, Stephen Young, Toronto, Canada. April 2017.
Romance! What a memorable, romantic proposal in a such a gorgeous, unique place! I'm sure this means you will have romance and travel all your lives. Congratulations and may you have many more adventures together!
Chiapas Southern Mexico is a great place to visit. I really enjoyed your article and pictures. I'm also writing a bit about Tuxtla http://www.travel-tourist-information-guide.com/mexico-tuxtla-gutierrez
Thanks for the tips! Thanks for such an interesting and honest blog! We are planning an adventure trip to the Yucutan in October this year, and have got some ideas from your blog about where to visit and where to avoid. We were thinking of a trip to playa del Carmen, but would think again! Isla Mujeres sounds amazing!
Mexico I think things are usually popular and famous for good reason - and I have to say even at Chichen Itsa it was possible to not feel too overwhelmed by tourists. Also good that people aren't allowed to climb the pyramids: better for the structures and way better for photos.
That said, there's nothing like uncovering an undiscovered/un-hyped gem... as you say, a little bit of both is best!
CRC from NZ Hi Xave. Thanks for sending the blog. Despite the loss of your camera there were many excellent photos, each one of which told a story. The abandoned cities looked magical - the cenotes inviting and the food mouthwatering. I love your easy-going narrative writing style. Recommendation - There were a few typos that could easily be proof read out.YELF
Changing times! Wise to have left Cancun, and Playa Del Carmen sounds like a nightmare too. I'm so glad to hear that Isla de Mujeres is still as lovely and laid back as when I visited a million years ago, and how great that you went snorkeling there--so perfect! However, it was shocking to read of Tulum's transformation from hippy/backpacker haven when I was there to ultra-chic and expensive. I guess it deserved it--really so beautiful!
Re. Changing Times! Thanks for your comments Tara. I can imagine Tulum was a lot more basic not so long ago! it may be more upscale but it still doesn't feel over-developed by any means. And yes, Mujeres is still perfect... long may it remain thus!
Spectacular! Great images of the Northern Lights--how lucky that you went when you did! Quite a saga that you two had there--geysers and a very impressive waterfall, daring ingestion of rotten shark, and soaking in the Blue Lagoon (which sounds much better than Disneyland!). Loved the Guitar Party, B & B to yourselves and open window curtains. Inspiring adventure!
What a fantastic story Xave!! Keep on writing your trip experiences, it is great fun to read it and it makes me want to go to all those places!! Thanks!
D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
A beautiful part of the world
Clear blue sky. Just stunning.