Chichen Itza, Cancun and Isle Mujeres: 4th December to 10th December, 2016.

It was another trip on the comfortable and reliable ADO bus, as we crossed through northern Mexico on our way across the Yucatan. This was only a relatively short journey of two hours and unbeknownst to us we had booked a second class bus instead of the usual first or tourist class buses. The major difference seemed to be that we would stop and pick up anybody waiting anywhere along the road - no bus stop signs required! 

We jumped off in the tiny village of Piste, hardly more than one street, with a couple of small hotels and restaurants. Our major reason for stopping off here was the extremely close proximity to the famous Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza, one of the 7 man-made wonders of the world. After the success we had had at previous ruins and following several first hand, fellow traveller recommendations, we had decided that the best way to visit the site was right at the 8am opening time to avoid potential heavy crowds. We checked in to our little hotel for the evening and got an early night ready to be up bright and early then next morning.

The ruins are located 5km east of Piste, so at 7:15 in the morning we set off trekking down the road. Accompanying us was a swarm of locals, all towing or carrying armfuls of trinkets for stalls they were setting up along the sides of the road leading up to the entry gates. I have to say, it was quite pleasant beating the vendors and therefore not having to fend off insistent offers of 'must have' items such as obsidian knife blades and jaguar whistles! 

We arrived to the Chichen Itza entry point and quickly got in to the small queue of people who obviously had the same idea as us! After a short wait we paid our entry fees and gained access to the site itself.  A short five minute walk took us to the primary highlight of the site, the iconic El Castillo, the 30 metre pyramid honouring the feathered serpent god Kulkulkan. Our tactic of arriving early paid off, allowing us to essentially have this amazing structure to ourselves for the first 45 minutes or so, before the tour buses started to arrive in force! 

El Castillo stood as the tallest structure in what was one of the largest Mayan cities, and the capital of the majority of what is now, modern day Yucatan. The city was at its peak between the years 600-1200AD before becoming yet another city abandoned, well before the arrival of the Spanish.

  

We had a bit of a wander around the rest of the site as well. There are many other structures accessible aside from just the main pyramid, including the largest known Mayan ballgame court in existence at 150 metres in length! Winners in this game in Chichen Itza were often sacrificed to the gods while the losers were tossed in to a nearby cenote (talk about a lose-lose!). Some other notable structures through the site included the Temple of the Jaguar, the Temple of the Warriors and the Temple of the Descending Gods. All still containing some amazingly preserved carvings and sculptures. 

After a few hours, we left the site, grabbed a bite to eat and collected our packs ready to continue our journey east on the afternoon bus. Our destination was Cancun, famous for the spring break party scene, and we were a little unsure as to what we could expect. We pulled in to the bus station at after dark and quickly hailed ourselves a taxi to take us to our hostel. There are two main places to base yourself in Cancun, the downtown city area and the Zona Hotelera, located on a thin peninsula directly on the Caribbean ocean. 

We had chosen the latter option and after a 20 minute ride out along the tiny strip of joining land, we arrived at the Hostal Mayapan. We hadn't really had much choice, this was the ONLY hostel in the area (and therefore the only option in our budget), but it turned out to be quite a nice little place, converted from an abandoned shopping centre! 

All around the area were gigantic, multi-level, upscale hotels clearly marketed at the flocks of American tourists who are known to favour the area. This was a little different to what we had experienced so far, and for us we no longer felt like we were experiencing anything close to the 'real Mexico', but rather something a little more contrived. We had certainly visited our share of touristy places on the trip so far, but this was certainly next level! While planning the trip, Cancun had been a late inclusion. However, in the end we thought we had to drop by for a couple of days in order to see what all the fuss was about! 

The next major thing we noticed is that suddenly we were paying a lot more at restaurants, clearly tourist prices were in full effect! Nevertheless we found a nice little cafe round the corner for a late dinner where we met a very friendly local server who went out of his way to give us a great welcome. Including a free round of tequila shots!

The next day we set out to see the side of Cancun that really interested us, the beautiful beaches. It was only a few minutes walk to access the nearest beach, Playa Tortugas. The beach certainly did not disappoint and with a famous hot and sunny Cancun day to back it up, we were treated to a beautiful postcard like view over stunning aqua blue waters. 

There were quite a few people, though it certainly wasn't peak season. This meant that we had a nice little slice of white beach to ourselves while we soaked up some rays and enjoyed some time in the water, which was at a perfect temperature! 

When we were satisfied with our time at the beach we decided to go for a bit of a walk, in a northwards direction along the beach for some sightseeing. The intention along the way was to cross back to the Main Street via the next public access point.

Little did we know that the next public access point was more than two kilometres away! There were plenty of access tracks in between, but all of them were privately owned by a never ending run of hotels who refused the passage of anyone not staying with them! So after a longer than expected beach tour of jettys, boat docks, beachside pools and hotel sundecks we reached the next public access point, left the beach and turned around to walk back to our hostel along the footpath flanking the main road. 

The next day we headed back to the glorious beach, this time Playa Chac-Mool, a much larger strip a little further to the South. Again the colours of the water were amazing and we spent a few hours bodysurfing in the warm turquoise waters and tanning on the white sand beaches. It really was a postcard setting as we sat and watched people jet skiing and parasailing over the brilliant blue oceans. On the way back to the hostel we checked out the party strip (very dead in the mid-afternoon!) and spotted a couple of lazy iguanas basking in the sun by the side of the road.

The next morning it was time to move on. We were heading further east again, by ferry to the tiny Isla Mujeres, 8 kilometres off the coast. It was a pleasant 45 minute trip over the water, before we arrived to the bustling island dock. 

Isla Mujeres is small. Only 8 kilometres from end to end, with motorbikes and golf carts the primary transports on the narrow streets. Immediately we felt like we were back in something like the 'real' Mexico again. Although still a little touristy, it was nothing like the western excesses seen in Cancun. 

We paid a visit to the popular Playa Norte, at the northern end of the island, and spent another couple of hours in the beautiful warm waters. Playa Norte was only small and was a bit of a gathering point for every visiting tourist on the island, but it is certainly easy to see how it regularly gets voted in the top 5 beaches in the Caribbean! We were also happy to see plenty of cheap, good quality eateries scattered through the streets which was certainly a relief for the budget! 

The next day, we took a locally run snorkel trip out in to the bright blue waters. We visited a couple of different locations in the small reefs surrounding the islands and had our first taste of the underwater life of the Caribbean. There was a large assortment of fish, especially the yellow and black Sergeant-Majors, who were loving the fistfuls of food being tossed about by our guides. It was also exciting to see a couple of barracudas lurking a little off to the sides of the coral, waiting for a tasty meal to come along. 

We stopped for a quick lunch on the south western beaches of Mujeres, just south of a mini SeaWorld type dolphin park. Next to the docks leading to our little restaurant was a small pool netted off that advertised the exciting sounding experience of 'swimming with sharks!'. Inside the pool were a group of scared looking nurse sharks doing their best to keep out of the way of the occasional tourist who would go wading past. The 'shark-wrangler' would grab one of the sharks every now and then to bring it up for a close encounter, turning it on its back so people could pat its belly. Not quite the mental image that I get when I think about swimming with sharks! Needless to say we did not partake!

  

Our final snorkel spot was at a little location known as the 'Underwater Museum’. This is a collection of over 1000 underwater sculptures and statues including a lifesize model of a Volkswagen Beetle, and multiple other sculptures, effectively making it an extension of the reef and a potential home to some of the marine life. Other sculptures in the 'museum' include the 'time bomb', a commentary on the effects of climate change and 'the banker' a statue with its head literally stuck in the sand. These statutes are all located at a depth of 8 metres below the surface, meaning they would be more effectively appreciated by divers rather than snorkelers, but it was an interesting and unique experience nonetheless. 

We headed back to the island and had our last night of experiencing Isla Mujeres before heading back to the mainland the following morning. We were headed to the airport to catch a flight to mysterious and exotic Cuba! 

Adrian.

Merida: 28th November to 3rd December, 2016.

We arrived in Merida after a short 5 hour bus ride from Palenque. After some of the other bus rides we had had, 5 hours felt like a breeze. However, I was especially happy to arrive, as I had developed a mild case of the hives! So after checking into Nomadas Hostel, a delightful place with a pool, live music and a great free breakfast, we hot footed it to a pharmacia to get some antihistamines!

Once the itching had subsided, we made our way out for dinner. Immediately we could tell that Merida, much like San Cristobal, was a cool and pretty city with a cosmopolitan feel. So we were excited to be there and looked forward to exploring the city the following day.

After a hearty and free breakfast (the best kind) the next morning, we set off around town. Once again like all the other places in Mexico which we had previously visited, Merida had a gorgeous central and cobblestoned square, positioned next to a beautiful church. The square was particularly pretty as it was beginning to prepare for the upcoming festive season. 

Again, like San Cristobal, Merida had many funky shops and cool little restaurants. One restaurant in  particular caught my eye. It was like Mexico’s version of Hogs Breath Café, as in it had a bunch of Mexican paraphernalia and license plates all over the walls. So I convinced Adrian it would be a good place to go to later for dinner. Once we had a good look around the town, we headed back to the hostel to book a few tours for the next few days. 

After a restful afternoon it was time head back to Mexican Hogs Breath. It had a cool atmosphere and was pretty lively when we got there. Once we were seated and ordered our beverages, the menus arrived. Typical Mexican dishes were on the menu. However, they were not typical Mexican prices. Yep, I had managed to pick one of the more expensive places in Merida. However, we felt we’d committed ourselves after ordering our drinks, so stayed and ate. We both had meals common to the region. Both delicious, but probably not worth the price tag, especially when other meals, which were almost exactly the same in other places we ate at in Merida, were a third of the price. Ah well, the atmosphere was good...

The next morning it was time for our first tour. We were off to Homún Cenotes. A cenote is a natural pit, or sinkhole, which is caused by the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater underneath. There are three different kinds, including exposed, semi exposed and enclosed. Thankfully at Homún Cenotes, we got to experience all three.

  

Homún is about 90 minutes from Merida and has multiple cenotes. We got the chance to visit three. The first one was quite small and open. It was a cool, however, it was the next two that were the show stoppers.

To get to them we had to take a horse and wagon train. When we arrived we were escorted down some stairs where it opened into pool of blue. The second second cenote was enclosed, meaning it was in a big cave, accessible by stairs. The water was super blue and quite cold. It also contained a fish endemic to the Cenotes. It is a blind fish known as Astyanax Mexicanus or Mexican blind cave fish. It was a little creepy, but kinda cool.

The last cenote was my favourite and is known as Cenote Chaksikin. It was semi enclosed, the largest, and by far the coolest. It had stalactites and stalagmites, there was a section you could dive from and of course, the blind cave fish. It was truly beautiful. 

After swimming for a while, we took our horse train back to the main area. We were treated to a delicious lunch and got to know the others in our group. One was a lovely older couple from Chile, and another lovley couple from Chicago. Thankfully one of the guys from Chicago spoke fluent Spanish, so through him we got to know each other. The lady from the older couple was originally from Mexico, but found the standard of living in Chile better, even if she thought their Spanish was strange. The two guys from Chicago were escaping winter and had met through work. Both had been to Mexico before and loved it so much, they were back. They were all so nice which helped to make it a great day!

The following day we got up bright and early for a trip to Reserva De La Biosfera Celestún. We were visiting this place for one reason and that was to see the amazing flock of pink flamingos which frequent the biosphere every year after mating elsewhere. They start migrating there in November, so we didn’t get to see the flock in all its masterful glory, but there were a couple of hundred and still an incredible sight to see. The population at its peak can number more than ten thousand! 

We learnt that the flamingos are protected in this area, but still have to contend with natural predators such as the jaguar. If there appears to be one in the area the local rangers will find it and try to get it to go away by leaving their dirty clothes around the area. Apparently jaguars don’t like stinky men’s clothes either. We also learnt that if you see flamingos away from the flock and by themselves, it means they are sick and singled out so as not to infect the flock.

As well as the flamingos we saw other sea birds and a small Morelet’s crocodile. However the flamingos were the highlight. Especially when we saw them flying. Not the most graceful of birds, especially when their necks are not quite at full stretch, as they look broken. Very funny to see.

After the reserve, we then made our way to a local beach area, Progreso. It was very pretty and the water looked inviting. Unfortunately it was blowing a gale. Adrian was the only one to brave the whipping sand and go for a swim. The rest of the group chatted over a few beers and let our seafood lunch settle. Not too long after, it was time to make our way back to Merida.

For our last day in Merida, we had a sleep in, then made our way out for lunch at one of the many lovely restaurants the city has to offer. Then at around 2pm we were picked up for our final tour of the area. This one was to the Mayan Uxmal Ruins for a tour of the archaeological site, as well as a light show.

Uxmal actually means ‘thrice built’. The whole city itself was not built three times, but refers to the Pyramid of the Dwarf, also known as the Pyramid of the Magician. It is the tallest building at the site and is pyramids built on top of one another. Uxmal was one of the largest cities on the Yucatan Peninsula and at it’s peak, had a population of around 20,000.

When we arrived we were given a tour by a very eccentric tour guide who was carrying a cane, wearing a fedora and a cravat. He explained the site very well and also treated us to his singing ‘talents’ in order to demonstrate the acoustics of the main square. He was certainly a showman!

  

After the tour we were free to explore the ruins. Unlike other ruins, here they were stable enough that we were allowed to climb to the top of a few structures and take in some amazing views. We also got to see, for the first time, a blue crowned mot mot. However, the real star of the show was the Pyramid of the Dwarf or Magician. The pyramid was named as such because the Dwarf/magician promised the higher powers in the Mayan community that he would build the pyramid over night and of course, as legend has it, he succeeded. Whether it was built in a day or over 10 years, it is still one of my favourite pyramids. It is very tall and the details facing one of the courtyards is so intricate and we’ll preserved. It is truly beautiful.

Not too long after, we were asked to leave and head for dinner down the road. Then once we had finished dinner, we were escorted back to the ruins for the main event. The light show. When we got there, we discovered that the lovely boys from Chicago and the older couple from Chile, who had been at the cenotes with us, were also there. We all sat down together and got ready for the show. As it started we realised, it wasn’t just lights, but a story of the Mayan population to go along with it. Of course it was in Spanish, but luckily our Chicago friend translated for us all. 

After about 45 minutes the show came to an end. The story was interesting and the lights pretty, but as I had suspected, it was a little cheesy. Kind of Vegas meets the world of the ancient Mayans. The first half of the tour was definitely the highlight.

Soon it was time once again to say goodbye to our lovely friends and head back to Merida. The next morning were up bright and early. It was time to see what Chichen Itza and Cancun were all about. 

Holly.