and on the first boat out of there. From there we avoided taxi’s and opted to walk the 15 minutes to the bus station, only to catch our bus as it was pulling out of its stop. I love the buses here, they stop anywhere and everyone is so laid back. This does make for a longer rider though! We met a British guy on the bus and I spent the next hour comparing notes and photography. He has inspired me to actually make it to a photography class. He said that he had been hitchhiking up from Costa Rica and had met many interesting characters. We made it through the border with relative ease, although our friend had to borrow American money because Belize wouldn’t let him through without an exit tax. We found our bus and took it the rest of the way to Chetumal (already starting to feel like home)! From there, our friend paid us back in a flurry, while I ran to catch our next bus up the coast of Mexico. He opted to stay and eat something before moving on. Joe and I were anxious to get moving, so we carried on despite the claws of hunger creeping up on us. We were pleasantly surprised to have locals come on the bus to sell snacks. We eagerly bought four bags of banana chips (taste like regular chips with a twist) and juice. This has become our favorite snack over the past week and a half. LOVE them. Joe and I spread out over six seats in the back and enjoyed our books and snacks. Not long after, we had sandwiches come on board and of course we had to buy them. We really enjoy helping the locals, while we gorge ourselves!
Once we arrived in Tulum, we decided, enough was enough and found ourselves a room at the Weary Traveler. Comfy beds with fan-filled rooms, it had a comforting feeling. We unpacked, showered and headed to the internet café. The shopping around here is typical, but enjoyable. At the internet café, we first discovered the “Swine Flu.” We found out that Grandma had opted out of the wedding and that the world was cracking down on Mexican travel. We were somewhat concerned as we chatted with some fellow travelers at the café. Apparently their flight was scheduled out of Mexico City.
We headed back to our hostel and cooked ourselves some dinner. They provided frozen burgers and you help yourself to salad and condiments. I MISS cooking! We met a really nice couple, he being from South Africa and she being British. We, of course, got into some interesting political debates on the myriad of topics people usually shouldn’t touch: Israel, politics in t
he USA, indigenous people in Central and South America. They were both really fun and took the conversations in stride. He talked about life in South Africa and its dangers as though it was normal everyday living. Guns, and fortresses around your house. He said that one time their alarm went off, and he and his dad headed to the safe, each grabbing a gun, went to secure the perimeter. He thought to himself “this is what we have prepared for.” He checked the front of the house of to see a man jumping back over the fence, assumedly scared off by the alarm. I asked him if he was prepared to shoot a man in order to protect his home. He said that although he didn’t like it, it was either them or him. Quite the intense conversation. He proceed to tell me a few horror stories about people he had known who had been killed for no apparent reason. He seemed to think that the pros of living in South Africa far outweighed the cons. I guess I will just have to visit to find out!!
he USA, indigenous people in Central and South America. They were both really fun and took the conversations in stride. He talked about life in South Africa and its dangers as though it was normal everyday living. Guns, and fortresses around your house. He said that one time their alarm went off, and he and his dad headed to the safe, each grabbing a gun, went to secure the perimeter. He thought to himself “this is what we have prepared for.” He checked the front of the house of to see a man jumping back over the fence, assumedly scared off by the alarm. I asked him if he was prepared to shoot a man in order to protect his home. He said that although he didn’t like it, it was either them or him. Quite the intense conversation. He proceed to tell me a few horror stories about people he had known who had been killed for no apparent reason. He seemed to think that the pros of living in South Africa far outweighed the cons. I guess I will just have to visit to find out!!Early the next morning, we teamed up with an Italian guy from our hostel and went to find out tour to Chichen Itza. We were to meet up at 9am, so I wanted to leave the hostel at 8:30, but the man who arranged it said we could easily make our ride if we left at 8:45. When we began to leave at 8:45, he suggested we take a cab, so we didn’t get lost (although he had repeated assured as previously that it was easy to find). I was seriously annoyed at this point and decided to walk. We got to the meeting spot at 9:01 precisely and I begin to panic. There are people waiting for a bus to the Tulum ruins, but no one seems to be waiting for Chichen Itza except one couple. A large bus pulls in and picks them up, totally ignoring us. Panic stage 2: Joe asked our Spanish speaking Italian friend to go across the street and ask the vans sitting there, if they are our ride. Luckily, they were and we made our connection. Mexico is so full of mixed signals and disorganization. We were told one thing, they did another, etc.
Pleased to be on the bus, we slept the two hours to the site. We began our tour of the Mayan Ruins, one on my hundred wonders list (hillmanwonders.com) with our English speaking guide. He was
somewhat informative although his English was not nearly as good as our guide in Tikal. The ruins are amazing, towers of stone, with intricate designs, snake heads and giant loops, burial sites and temples of offering. Our guide clapped his hands and we all listened to it echo seven times (a favorite Mayan number). He showed us pictures of the winter solstice, , over show the sun illuminates the snake head straight up to the tops of the structure. Slowly over a twenty minute period, the structure slowly succumbs to complete darkness. Our guide told us that 30,000 people come to see it every year. The whole area surrounding the ruins is laden with locals selling you anything and everything. “10 pesos, one dollar”, “cheaper than woman” they shout at you. If you even show an ounce of interest, the prices are appeared to rise. We have had enough of cheap souvenirs and chose to buy only two fridge magnets. It is so hot here and there is hardly any shade to speak of. We found ourselves in the air conditioned fancy stores just to escape the humidity.
somewhat informative although his English was not nearly as good as our guide in Tikal. The ruins are amazing, towers of stone, with intricate designs, snake heads and giant loops, burial sites and temples of offering. Our guide clapped his hands and we all listened to it echo seven times (a favorite Mayan number). He showed us pictures of the winter solstice, , over show the sun illuminates the snake head straight up to the tops of the structure. Slowly over a twenty minute period, the structure slowly succumbs to complete darkness. Our guide told us that 30,000 people come to see it every year. The whole area surrounding the ruins is laden with locals selling you anything and everything. “10 pesos, one dollar”, “cheaper than woman” they shout at you. If you even show an ounce of interest, the prices are appeared to rise. We have had enough of cheap souvenirs and chose to buy only two fridge magnets. It is so hot here and there is hardly any shade to speak of. We found ourselves in the air conditioned fancy stores just to escape the humidity. We rejoined our bus and were promptly taken to a local buffet. The food was awful and the entertainment sad. Three young adults dancing with things on their head, I only saw one crack a smile when I was staring at her. I swear they resent tourists and only put up with us for our money (Maybe I am just paranoid).
The next stop on our tour was to a Cenotes cave where I went swimming with all of the other tourists. The cave was really beautiful, but the water was cold, much colder than the ocean. There were little fish swimming all around. After my short swim we piled bac
k in the van for the trip back, stopping once at a church which is really too uneventful to even mention. It was late in the afternoon by the time we retrieved our bags and got into the collectivo heading towards the resort.
k in the van for the trip back, stopping once at a church which is really too uneventful to even mention. It was late in the afternoon by the time we retrieved our bags and got into the collectivo heading towards the resort. We arrived in our rooms at 7:30pm, after a short trolley ride, to a king size bed, a couch, TV, air conditioning and a bathroom that was almost bigger than the first room we stayed in. Five star is really all they make it out to be!
We headed to the buffet and gorged ourselves on more bland and uneventful food then went in search of family. We toured the massive estate, stopping at the mall, the lounge, the hotel lobby, the pool. We finally found Liam and Maggie at the “snack bar” with all night drinks and snack. Paradise! We got acquainted with all of their friends before heading off to a restful sleep in our king size bed!
Yeah, pictures!
ReplyDeleteGreat to read your latest accounts, Elana.