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Published: January 19th 2017
We left Caye Caulker to head towards Mexico. It was an uneventful trip apart from that our bus ran out of petrol right in the no man's land between Belize and Mexico. Luckily the Belizeans are very organized and we were whisked away in the back (no seats) of a mini van in no time.
Bacalar
We stopped in Bacalar as we had enough from sitting on buses and it has a big lake with pretty surroundings and clear water (good for jumping into off the dock). It was a good start to Mexico as we found a really nice accommodation, the small town was pleasant and we had finally our first real Mexican tacos. Not to forget are the first of many cerveza.
Kellie ended up in hospital here. Not to worry though it wasn't that bad she just didn't hear well in one ear. The staff in the hospital were super friendly and fixed her up in no time. They didn't even charge us for it.
Tulum
Our "hotel" in Tulum was quite a step down from what we had so far. As it is very touristy the prices for everything are significantly higher especially close to
the beach. So, we ended up staying in a tent. This wasn't glamping either just your standard two-person tent with a mattress. It was worth it as the beach was just across the road and a quick walk through one of the many luxury boutique hotels where the “other half” live. The sea was pretty clear, the sand white & fine and there were heaps of small waves for Dillon to play in.
We found some bikes with child seat (hard to find in these parts of the world) and explored the surrounding area. Tulum is famous for its ruins, which themselves are not that spectacular but they are set on a small cliff next to the blue Caribbean water. Certainly a very impressive sight. There is even a small swimming beach just underneath one of the ruins. The Mayans knew how to live.
On we peddled to visit our first Cenote which was ominously named the "Grand Cenote". The whole Yucatan peninsula is criss-crossed by caves which can be hundreds of km long and often are full of water. Cenotes are either cave entrances or holes where a cave ceiling collapsed. The result is a largish hole in the
Our accommodation in Tulum
I like camping but this was basic even for meground that is filled with very clear blue and cold water. We went in for a dip and explored the cenote which in this case was about 20m wide and we were able to swim through a dark cave to the other side. We could see stalagmites under the water which means that at one stage the cave must have been dry. There were also plenty of turtles, including baby turtles the size of 20 cent pieces and little fish that try to eat the dead skin of your feet.
Back we went to the small town of Tulum to eat some excellent ice cream which, we discovered many times over, the Mexicans are pretty good at making.
Valladolid
Staying in a tent is nice but we were happy to move on to more luxurious (as in proper walls and a bathroom) accommodation, so we went to the town of Valladolid. The town has a nice colonial core with some impressive buildings around the main square.
We had a great dinner in a lovely restaurant set in an old mansion. The highlight for me was a cheese soup which seemed to contain everything the cook could find plus
a block of cheese. Somehow he managed to make it taste great though.
As it was close to Christmas there was quite a bit going on in town. The central plaza was filled with people and a band was playing at night. As this is Latin America people were out dancing in the streets. We and especially Dillon joined in and shaked out booty. Didn't look as good as what the locals did but was fun.
The town also houses what must be described as a mansion of an American couple. They collected Mexican folk art for over 40 years then they bought a rundown house near the main square and renovated it. Renovation is an understatement. The house is spectacular and huge. Once finished they filled every surface with their collection. The result is amazing. There is art screaming “Mexico“ at you from every angle. Quite unbelievable how many very beautiful, colourful and often quirky pieces they crammed into this place.
Chichen Itza
Chichen Itza is the Yucatan peninsula's most famous Mayan site. Obviously not to be missed by the Wartas.
The site itself is very touristy (in hindsight the most touristy of all) but impressive. There is
Cenote
Pretty isn't it the usual but this time large pyramid. The area around it had been cleared so it looks even bigger. Unfortunately, no one is allowed to climb on it as the many feet would damage it and apparently someone some time ago fell down and died....
The pyramid is famous for the "serpent" (snake) that appears during the summer solstice. The Mayans were pretty clever when they built the pyramid. Each side of the pyramid has stairs leading up and on each side of the stairs is a low wall. At the bottom of the wall is a snake head. The pyramid itself is a step pyramid and when the sun shines at a precise angle, the shadow of the steps are projected against the small wall leading to the snake head. All that together looks like a snake going down the pyramid.
The site contains also the largest ball court of the Americas with impressive carvings and original colours still visible (if you look closely). The game was played with a rubber ball and from what historians could decipher (from wall murals) was played with every body part (no hand though) and a stick. The rules seem to be different
between each site but the aim usually was to get the rubber ball to touch a statue or go through a hoop. The winner was who ever scored the most. You didn't want to be the loser though as it seems that the losing sides captain was beheaded and sacrificed. Bit of an incentive to train hard.
There was also a lovingly decorated stone platform. Lovingly as in scary. The whole thing had skulls around it and was used for human sacrifice. Most likely of prisoners which were captured during the many military conflicts. Nice.
The other buildings were not as grim and included large buildings and smaller temples used to observe the stars.
Merida
Man Mexico really has lovely towns. So let me say again and not for the last time, Merida is a nice colonial city.
We explored the city on the first day and saw the usual pretty buildings and cathedral. The city itself is very old as it was built on top of an existing Mayan city. The Spaniards tore down the Mayan buildings and pyramids and "recycled" the stones to build the new town. Usually you can see a large building or church where
a temple once stood.
The next day we hired a car to visit yet another Mayan ruin. I spare you the details as we are getting tired of ruins ourselves. Uxmal contains the usual huge pyramid. It was interesting though as the 5 stages the pyramid was built in are pretty much still visible. The Mayans expanded and changed their pyramids every 52 years as it was the end of a calendar cycle. Obviously, every time it got bigger. The site contains also some very nice carving including a snake with a human head in it. Ok thats enough of this one.
It's surprisingly warm in Yucatan given that it's the middle of winter so, to cool down, we visited another Cenote. This one was spectacular and we had it to ourselves for a while. A beautiful setting in the bush, nice rock formations and crystal clear blue water. Check out the pictures.
Once refreshed we stocked up in the mobile bakery which was just an old car with a boot filled with very tasty baked pastry goods. Being the bakery addict that I am, I couldn't say no. The village must have “had its day” it
was almost like a ghost town, dilapidated buildings, no car traffic, very few people to be seen, so the mobile bakery was a real delight to come across. Stomachs filled it was off to an old Hacienda.
The area was known for and got rich from ropes that were spun from the fibres of the local agave (a plant). Must have been profitable as the Hacienda grounds were huge and a very nice example of a wealthy industrialists colonial abode and on-site factory. It felt like we were stepping back in time as we explored the huge outdoor factory where the ropes were made and it was a beautiful scene as the sun was setting over the paddock. We were the only tourists there apart from the local girls having a friendly game of softball on the hacienda grounds.
Campeche
Ok ok maybe this will be the last time I say Campeche is a nice colonial town. Man they have a lot of them here. This time with some of the original city walls and forts still standing. The city is situated on the Gulf of Mexico, was an important trading port and the departure point for
the Spanish gold fleet. No wonder it had a history of pirate attacks and hence the fortification. They even have a Pirate museum and a themed pirate show at night (Dillon was happy).
Our accommodation was just steps away from the very beautiful and quaint main square.
We enjoyed a heap of free entertainment each night. It ranged from Christmas carols (pretty bad) to a very top class ballet and avery cool rock concert (similar to Domain stage set up but smaller scale audience). The city has also a spectacular video show where they project a film about the history and culture of the city on a historical building that spans one side of the park. A great free tourist drawcard and Sydney should do the same.
It's also now pretty noticeable that not many foreign tourists venture to this part of Mexico. We could count all foreigners we saw during the day on two hands.
Apart from the Mayan museum, we also explored the huge shopping mall where we watched some movies to escape the heat. Who can't say no to the latest Star Wars movie for 3 dollars? Most cinemas have the movie dubbed but some sessions are
in English with subtitles.
Palenque
I am happy to report that we found a Mexican town that is not that pretty or colonial. It has a nice town square but the building style is more 1970 concrete than Spanish colonial.
Christmas is really a good time to come to Mexico. There is something going on in every town and Palenque was no exception. The town square was filled with stalls selling local art, clothes and food. Santa Claus was there as well with his elves to pose for pictures. Dillon discovered his inner artist and painted quite a few pictures at the kids painting stall. A habit he keeps up since then.
Ok its getting boring now but we also saw some ruins. Palenque (the ruins) are by some considered to be the prettiest in Mexico. The setting is very nice as the city was built on a hill and is now surrounded by Jungle. It has some unique features including the only square tower in the Mayan world. It was very pretty spot to set up a city and the remains are unique in their own way and impressive like the others we have visited.
The excursion was
rounded off by visiting a big waterfall or probably better described as a long cascade of a wide river over several tiered pools that continue down the river for about 3-400 meters. The river must be rich in minerals as the pools that have formed are framed by a brownish (once white) hard smooth calcium type substance and form to make a very attractive scene. There are pools at the top for swimming, but we didn't take the plunge as the water wasn't blue like in the brochures but instead a nice brown due to rain.
Mexico is just too big and we did too much for just one blog. So … to be continued….
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