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Published: July 14th 2008
Day 14: Sunday 13 July - Mission Accomplished (3 bus journeys and Uxmal ruins)
Another early start today. The plan is to get a bus to Uxmal (3 hour journey), visit the ruins, get a bus from Uxmal to Merida (1 hour journey) and then to get a bus to Chichen Itza (2 and a half hour journey). I don't know if this is feasible as I set out but I'll give it a shot, and find somewhere to lay my head if I fall short.
Leg 1 is easy enough, get a bus at 9:15 which drops me off at the ruins some 3 hours later. Uxmal was built between 900-1200AD, and when I get there it is swarming with tourists.The Uxmal ruins lack the setting of Palenque or Calakmul but the stone carvings are more impressive than the other sites. The Nunnery quadrangle is my favourite Mayan building to date, and the other main buildings are also impressive. After spending an hour and a half at the site I head out to wait for my bus to Merida, the state capital. Fortunately, I only have to wait about half an hour at the side of the road
before a bus turns up.
The bus takes me straight to the second class bus station in Merida where I just manage to catch the next bus to Chichen Itza. As we get closer to Chichen Itza it starts to rain heavily, and I haven't got anywhere to stay the night yet, nor am I absolutely clear where I'm going once I get there. Get dropped off in Piste which is the nearest village to the ruins, and quickly find accomodation, although its a bit of a dive and even though I bargain down from 250 pesos to 160 pesos (8 pounds) for a single room I still feel like I've been had. Nevermind, at least mission was accomplished and I got to Chichen Itza today which was uncertain at the outset. The plan is to awake early and walk to the ruins before the crowds arrive, so aim to get an early night.
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Phil Curran
non-member comment
It looks like you are after a job with Lonely Planet? There's some great reading and pics in the blog that take me back a few years and are beginning to make my mouth water. I think you said that Tikal was on your hit-list, if so, then make sure you listen out for the Howler Monkeys. If you are going there via Belize City it will introduce you to the land that time forgot! I'll continue to follow the adventure with envy. Regards, Phil