Mayans of the Yucatan
Yesterday we got back from a wonderful week on the Yucatan peninsular, on the gulf coast of Mexico. We purposely left it late in the year, knowing that summer months are both very crowded with beach-goers, and the weather very hot and sticky. It being hurricane season, we spent a lot of time monitoring the storms moving through the Caribbean, and while we were in Cancun we caught the very edge of Hurricane Ike (cat 2). It gave us moderate winds and a couple of deluges of rain, but we actually enjoyed the light overcast; it kept the temperatures very enjoyable in the low 90’s.
This was our first time at an all inclusive resort (The Sun Palace, which we can recommend), and we felt very spoilt having as much free food and drink as we wanted. Sitting by the pool, we only had to ask a waiter to deliver yet another Mojito or Marguerita. The mini bar in our room actually had full-size bottles of spirits with dispensers! No over-priced miniature bottles here. There’s definitely something to be said for splashing about in the infinity pool, one foot from the beach. and about 20 feet from the ocean. Heaven! I had fully intended to go parasailing, but after the first day the high winds grounded all the operators. Somehow we never got around to kayaking either.
The highlight of our week was three days out in the “jungle” visiting various ruins. Our first trip was of course to the famous Chichen Itza, one of the seven new wonders of the world. Unbelievable! The ruins were spectacular and extremely well restored from the jungle that once overran them. You aren’t allowed to climb the pyramid any more, but when we visited Coba, I climbed the 300′ pyramid there. which is actually the highest in the Yucatan. What a view! Nothing but trees in all directions. Our final ruins-trip was to Tulum, a trading settlement right on the edge of the Caribbean; and the water was the most magical shade of blue you could imagine.
Photos will be available soon for perusal. I’ll post again when they are available.
