Just a few more temples, but then chilling at the beach...Mexican Style

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I arrived in Merida in the wee hours of the morning and was lucky enough to find some decent accommodation immediately. The owner of the hostel was actually hanging out at the bus station at 6am with free rides, so it was an easy decision. I had a moment of doubt when I saw my pack being roped onto the roof of a gas guzzling 1970's jalopy, but after a coughing start we finally made it. I then opted for a bit of a snooze before walking through the central Zocolo area. I quickly learned of the biggest attractions in town; hammocks and artistic murals. Vendors seem to outnumber tourists as they share their woven lounge chairs in a variety of colours for all available wallets walking by. I was tempted to take one home with me (not the vendor...the hammock!) but as I don't particularily have a home to string it up in, I opted for saving my money. I also have a good friend in Canada that makes hammocks with air mattresses so I have something to look forward to when I move back. As I explored the streets further I discovered murals spread across all available spaces. Mexico has certainly made it's mark in the artistic world with colourful and historic reminders of where they came from.


In the evening I looked at a few 19th Century mansions along the tree lined boulevard of Paseo de Montejo. Accentuated with lights and chandeliers in the windows, I felt like I had warped to another country. As beautiful as everything I had seen throughout the day was, Merida had not gripped me enough to spend a few more days there. Had I coincidently arrived at the time of one of their many festivals dancing through the streets I'm sure I would have felt differently. I bought my bus ticket to the southern coast of the Yucatan peninsula via another ruin affectionately known by some as 'Chicken Pizza'.


I arrived at Chichen Itza early in the morning which allowed me to roam through the ruins by myself. El Castillo, the grand pyramid in the center of the grounds dominated the view in all directions. I had read earlier of the connection this structure has to the Mayan calendar (all surrounding steps equate to 365 and during the spring and autumn equinoxes the shadow of a serpents' head will reach it's tail) so I was eager to examine it further. I strode up to the base looking forward to my temple workout that I've also become so accustomed to over the last couple of weeks. A neon barrier tape that was stretched between two serpants heads' made me think of a CSI investigation and could only result in disappointment. Unlike temples throughout the rest of Mexico, climbing to the top has been banned at Mexico's most visited Mayan ruin. Chichen Itza may be the most restored site in Mexico, but that wasn't enough to lift my exploratory spirits. I continued the ground tour and glared at any official looking person that I passed.


For me, the ball court was the next most impressive feature on the grounds. As the largest known court of it's style in existence, it was easier to imagine sexy sweaty men running around trying to impress the upper class in the stands and save their lives at the same time. Carved drawings at the end of the field showed players forming the symbol of death as a decapitated player sits on the sidelines. I don't know the full ins and outs of the games played, but target rings high up the walls on each side made me think of lacrosse, perhaps with a few daggers in hand.


I continued to tour the site and found the Observatory, the Temple of Warriors, the group of the Thousand Columns and the Nunnery. Some sites were barely standing, others were still enhanced with remarkable detail. When one of the craft traders yelled out he was pleased I had returned to his table of Mayan mementos after so many hours, I realized it was time to jump on the bus to Tulum.


I didn't venture down to the beach for accomodation as I figured I might spend half of my days based in town. The first choice was booked solid, and the runner up was a clear winner as I ended up staying there for the rest of my days in Mexico. Many of the guests staying at Rancho Tranquilo were from the Pacific NorthWest, so we had a few chuckles at the weather comparisons (rain records versus sunshine records!).


After a lazy morning downing multiple coffees I took the free bus shuttle to the beach. I couldn't help revelling in the fact that there were so few people lapping up the Caribbean Sea and white sands. Quite a drastic contrast to the last beaches I sat on in Rio! I laid out my sarong, opened the pages of my book and stared in space for the rest of the day. The occasional gliding of a pelican above was the perfect aphrodisiac for an afternoon of zzzzzzzzzz's. This level of relaxation and intake of sun is exactly how I had hoped to end my time in Mexico.


In the evening I finally tackled a few pages in my book as I swung in the hostel's hammock. I was soon reminded of the benefits of pure relaxation. Isn't it funny how when in this state of mind you can meet such charmers in life? Evan from Seattle had just arrived and after chatting for awhile we decided on a somewhat early morning start exploring the ruins that sit just a few steps away from the beach.


It may have been because I had seen just under 10 different ruin sites in Mexico over the previous couple of weeks, that my intake of the Tulum ruins was slightly jaded. I was still impressed, but it wasn't the most extrordinary location I've been to. We were wise to arrive early, as before long the tour buses pulled up. We listened in to a few of the guides historic interpretations, but before long we were pulled into the most spectacular feature of the site, the proximity to the beach.


The state of relaxation took over as we dove into our books, dove into the sea, extended our life conversations and simply enjoyed baking in the rays of the sun. This should have been where I embraced yoga manoevers and spiritual enlightenment like everybody else on the beach. Unfortunately, I can't deny my ability to cherish the sun and daytime snoozes as being my ultimate joy for now.


We changed the pace for the day in the afternoon by joining a tour to one of the largest cenotes in the area. Don't worry, I didn't have a clue what a cenote was either! We geared up by slipping into a wetsuit, jumping onto the back of a tractor and driving through a dry area of trees to a large hole in the ground. Sounds wierd huh? We then climbed down a ladder and found a cave filled with thousands of stalagtites and stalagmites poking out of pools of chilling water. If there had been any critters larger than my foot I don't think I could have gone further, but I was assured I would only see a few fish, maybe even a turtle. When I suctioned the mask to my face and took a few breaths through my snorkel, I was gripped by the scene beneath me. We swam through the maze of channels and let the scuba divers pass us on their 2 km. route to the next cenote (=a water filled limestone sinkhole)


The following day I met up with Jack and Lili (who I had first met in Yaxchilan) for a leisurely breakfast before finding a bike rental. It didn't take a lot of pedalling with our masks strapped to our backs before we found another cenote. This one had a bit more animal activity as the island of trees in the middle of the hole allowed birds to nest and turtles to crawl onto dryland. I chased a small catfish and dove into a few dark corners before drying off in the sun and heading back to the beach. We were able to ride the bikes straight onto the hard packed sand resulting in a few chases and much laughter. These were my last moments in Mexico as I was scheduled to board a flight to Miami in the morning.


Mexico has been the country of biggest surprises for me on my travels sofar. I can't really think back to what I assumed it would be like, but whatever it was, it's now better. The history and natural beauty have filled me with a desire to educate everybody else to the joys of exploration here. So hopefully these last few entries have done that, and the months to come will be filled with conversations followed by people booking their trips.


Now it's time to delve into the western world and hit a few states before the homeland. The flight from Cancun to Miami isn't too far, but I expect it will be a world away from anything on my travels sofar.


Until then...

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Photos

Me
I finally figured out the self timer

Cenote Stalegtites and mites
No photo will give justice to the underground beauty of the cenotes

Mexican boat
along the beach in Tulum

Ladies Guarding the window
one of the interesting buildings in Merida

Pink Buiding
in Merida

Zocolo Life
in Merida

Uniform
Even from behind, the uniform is appealing!

Painting
I thought it was going to turn into a comedy act

Building
along Paseo de Montejo

Building 2
The wealthy look of this building resulted in a hoard of tourists taking photos of it

Building 3
I tried to sneak into the food banquet they were holding here, but the security guard didn't go for the batting eyelashes manoever

Chicken Pizza pyramid
How many billions of people have this photo you think?

Carvings for Sale?
at Chichen Itza

Columns
Chichen Itza

Comments

[Paul and Cathy]

Real travel
This is what travel should be!!