A while back while living in Bushwick, I discovered cenotes and told Matt about them. They are fresh water holes all over Mexico where you can swim or snorkel. There are about 6,000 in Mexico! I always wanted to go to one. I also read this year while doing research, there are alligators in some of them! I have a fear of alligators/crocodiles; for some reason they haunt me in my dreams. So I did some more research and tried to go to less river-like ones where alligators live/hide in the vegetation and more cave or closed swimming holes. I decided to go to Cenote Zacil-Ha. It is developed and has a regular swimming pool right down the path. It is more for families, but I felt safe and it was so much fun. I didn't see any alligators! Matt jumped off the ridge into the refreshing cenote! After swimming in the cenote, Matt and I changed our clothes and headed north towards Isle Mujeres, an island north of Cancun. We drove up route 307 which was totally different than 180. This road has more things to gawk at like elaborate entrances to resorts. We parked the car then took the ferry to the island. Here we also stayed at an airbnb and that evening we walked around the north side of the island surrounded by tourists. The next day we rented a golf cart and toured the south side of the island which is quieter. Punta Sur is at the very southern tip of the island and Matt and I arrived early once again to beat the crowds. We saw iguanas and Cancun from the cliff side. After eating at Polos Mango Cafe, we saw a little beach area with umbrellas! This couple was leaving and we got to sit under the umbrella. It was so hot out and Matt and I needed to be in the shade if we were going to be out all day long. Plus there were only 2 other couples on the beach. I loved that so much. Finally some peace and quiet! The next day I had to return home, but Matt stayed another 6 nights without me! Here are some of his pictures from Akumal and Chemuyil.
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After touring the magical Chichen Itza ruins, we went swimming at the hotel. Their pool was cold but I had to swim in it, because who can say they went swimming in December? Me! We only stayed one night at our hotel since it was sold out, so we had to stay at another hotel across the street, which we didn't like that much since it was small, but was super cheap. Instead we went to Mayaland another hotel down the street for dinner, cards, and drinks. The next day we woke up early to drive to the Coba Ruins then our Tulum Airbnb. The drive to Coba was boring and long along route 180. You are surrounded by jungle on both sides and the radio only played Mexican songs. which we didn't know. So it took a while to pass the time and get there. Once we did, it was in the afternoon and packed with people. Upon researching Coba, I read you should rent bikes to get to the ruins, which only cost 50 pesos (~$2 USD). because it is a long walk, so we did. It was very hot and I could tell Matt didn't like the crowds or the heat, but we survived. The main temple is at the end of the bike path and is very steep. You could walk up it and there is a rope you can hold on to, but I said to myself "No Gracias". It looked dangerous and I read people have fallen there. The Coba Ruins also had a ball court like the one in Chichen Itza, but much smaller. It also had smaller temples and it is located in the jungle. After Coba, we finally got to Tulum. We stayed off a dirt road on the outskirts of downtown, which is fine with me because Central Tulum is packed with tourists, restaurants, shops, and speed bumps. That evening we went out to dinner and shared a Mexican Platter. We decided to wake up early to beat the crowds to see the Tulum Ruins, then go to the beach. Tulum was a trading center during the 11-16th century on a 39 foot cliff, looking out at the sea. I don't think there were any sacrifices going on here, it was too relaxed and calm. Matt and I walked around the cliff and looked out into the waters, wishing the beach was open to the public, but no dice. The waters looked so inviting and beautiful. Since our place wasn't on the beach, we decided to try to get a beach pass and pay for chairs and/or an umbrella to hang out in for the day. Our Airbnb host suggested Ziggy's beach. Though all the chairs were sold out, the hostess said we could use the beach for free and order food. It was so hot and I couldn't wait to get into that water! Ah, that beach was so nice and the water was warm and gentle. I loved it so much! After a long, hot day, the husband and I headed home. I definitely got some sun and tan lines. We took a shower and headed to Burrito Amor and ate delicious burritos with amazing sauces. I also put a dent in my book.
The next day was windy and we were granted beach passes to chairs and umbrellas at La Luna Cabanas. This place also allowed us to order food right on the beach! It was nice to be able to sit and watch the wind surfers try their luck. We spent the whole day there and took a walk during sunset along the beach. The husband and I decided to go to Mexico for vacation this year during my December break. I/we stayed there for a week and then Matt stayed by himself for another week for more rest and relaxation. We flew into Cancun and right away I noticed how verdant everything was. It took some time to get through immigration, customs, picking up our car, and getting pesos. Then we drove 2 long hours, west on route 180 to Chichen Itza and finally reached our hotel: Hacienda Chichen, which had back yard access to the Chichen Itza ruins. We made it through the interesting village of Piste and arrived at 8 pm at our hotel. Matt and I reserved our tickets to the ruins and a guide at 6 am for the next morning. It was a long, stressful travel day! The day before we woke at at 5:30 am to travel to Mexico, and day 2 we also woke up at the same time to see the ruins. We didn't want any people invading our photos and wanted a quiet experience. The sun was slowly coming up and the ruins were coming into the light. Since we were coming from another entrance, we saw this first. It is called the Nunnery or Iglesia (Church). The façades are decorated with geometric patterns and animals that we learned about. The Mayans worshipped snakes, eagles, and jaguars. Below is called the Temple de los Tableros. Our guide was nice, funny, and knowledgable regarding the site, giving us a lot of information. We proceeded to the Caracol, thought to be an observatory, where priests determined the date. The next thing we saw was called Tomb of the High Priest or Tumba del Gran Sacerdote. This pyramid had tombs inside. Finally as the sun and clouds were in the sky, we reached El Castillo or Pyramid of Kukulkán. I learned there are 365 steps, 9 platforms, and is 98 feet high, The Mayans were into astronomical and astrological ideas and incorporated this into the pyramid. They also worshipped snakes, eagles, and jaguars. Apparently during the equinoxes, the sun will hit the 9 square terraces forming a snake like body shadow running down the pyramid with a carved head of a serpent at the bottom of the temple. I couldn't believe it until I took a picture from the side. This was such a magical experience for me since I always wanted to go to Mexico and visit the ruins. The husband made all my dreams come true! I also found out there are 2 smaller pyramids inside El Castillo and a cenote. Our guide said this is symbolic to the Mayan religion of people's souls entering down towards the underworld. She also said if you clap (which she did) between El Castillo and the Temple of Venus (which I did not take a picture of) you can hear a chirping duck/bird sound! Next up was the Temple of the Warriors, where the statue Chacmool sits at the top. I learned that Chacmool is a statue where human sacrifice were performed. It is like a table or sacrificial vessel where it receives gifts of food like tamales or blood and human hearts. We couldn't climb us to see the Chacmool statue on top of the temple (you can see the silhouette in my photo), but our guide showed us a close up picture of it. Another statue of Chacmool was found inside the El Castillo pyramid, along with jade and a statue of a jaguar. Adjoining the Temple of the Warriors, is the Hall of a Thousand Columns. The columns also go around the back of the temple. We continued on to the House of the Eagles. Here our guide explained the carvings: a chief/warrior wearing a headdress, holding a head and heart of his sacrifice and the blood returning to the top and the bottom of a snake. Right next to the House of the Eagles is the Wall of the Skulls. Apparently, this is a base for the stakes on which the decapitated heads of were impaled. This platform was used to memorialize past victims, heads of sacrificial prisoners, enemies that had died in battle or players who lost the Mayan ball game. Speaking of the ball game, we entered the Great Ball Court and it was huge! Plus no people were in our photos! 545 feet in length, 225 feet in width, and 39 feet high walls with rings in the center, I wondered how the Mayans played ball here. The players were not allowed to use their hands or feet to get the rubber ball into the stone rings. The losers got decapitated as shown on the panels on the sides of the walls. What a gruesome game, but Matt and I are still smiling nevertheless. The Temple of the Bearded Man is behind us in the picture below. The Temple of the Jaguars is built on one of the walls of the Great Ball Court and unfortunately that was the last temple we saw because we had to leave at 8 am, before the crowds arrived. But I think we saw everything, except the sacred cenote. That was closed and that is where the sacrificial victims were thrown in!
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My short blog topics include: photography, music, science, crafts, vacation photos, movies, events in NYC, and of course stop motion animation.
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