Cancún

Cancún is our last stop for this Magical Mexico Tour.  Until about 40 years ago, Cancún was a small fishing village with a handful of inhabitants.  The Mexican Government had to finance the first nine hotels.  Since then it has become a popular tourist destination, especially for American tourists.

Our private van took us from Chichen Itzen to Cancún in almost 3 hours.  However, our hotel is not one of those along or near the beach where all the big hotels are.  We are in downtown Cancún, where most of the locals live.  Our small hotel is hidden on a side street.  Along the sidewalk next to a major highway are all kinds of local shops:  pharmacies, supermarkets, offices, restaurants, some tourist shops, etc.  In order to get to the beach where all the big hotels are, you have to take a local bus or a collectivo, a type of private van shuttle.  Two travel companions and I took a local bus there.  The fare?  12 pesos or about 80 cents.  About 15 minutes later we arrived on a stretch of road that is lined with those big hotels on both sides.  We got off the bus and tried to figure out how we can get to the beach.  Then we boldly walked into one of the hotels, through the lobby, the pool, and onto their private beach.  All guests at the hotel have wrist bands so that they can order drinks, food, etc.  No one challenged us so we hung around the beach.  We even ordered lemonades before we left.  Perhaps we should've gone for the food and margaritas as well.

Beach in front of hotel

Pool area where guests enjoy themselves.

 I think this is what most tourists come to Cancún for - to frolic on the beach or pool and eat and drink to excess.  They come on all-inclusive packages, which typically includes airfare, hotel, unlimited beverages (including alcoholic beverages) and food.  You pay one price and you don't have to worry about anything else, unless you choose some optional activities like parasailing, jet skiing, visiting Chichen Itza or neighboring towns, etc.  Most stay from 3 days to a week and probably never saw the part where the Mexicans live and play.  If lazing on the beach is your idea of a vacation and fun, Cancún is the place.  Since I grew up in hot tropical Singapore, I am always looking for shade.  Sun-bathing is for those "ang-mo", a term we used for the colonial British in my childhood days.

We stayed where the locals live.  Where you can get a big tasty quesadilla for 13 pesos or 3 tacos for 25 pesos.  A very nice chile rellenos dinner with soup and tortilla for 50 pesos or less than $3.  In the evening, the locals come out in full force - to eat, watch the kids play, to be entertained, shop, etc.  This is the real Mexico.

Food trucks selling marquesitas (rolled crepes) and churros

Locals enjoying some corn

A line of food vendors selling local Mexican food

Our group ate at a restaurant nearby, entertained by a guitar duo sitting favorite Mexican songs

Vendor making marquesitas

Store on left sells Mexican food, on the right sells drinks like smoothies, juice, ice cream,.

A chile relleno dinner complete with soup, rice, beans and tortillas (not shown)

An entertainer at the park

I signed up to stay in Cancún for 1 extra day.  I'm glad that's all I signed up for because there's not much to see.  There's no zocalo, no cathedrals, museum, etc.  My thrill was visiting a local supermarket and watching a lady cutting up prickly pear cactus pads.  She said, through some sign language, which I understood to mean that you can use them to cook chicken, or stir-fry with other meat.  During the middle of the day it was too hot for me to walk around.  In the late afternoon, I walked in another direction and went to another supermarket.  I did see some European tourists in the neighborhood, probably some poor backpackers who can't afford those expensive all-inclusive packages.  I picked up a doughnut and muffin for breakfast the next day.  Each costs 8 pesos, less than 50 cents.

She is removing the thorns and cutting off the tough edges of the cactus pads

ready to be chopped into smaller pieces

The diced cactus ready to be cooked with chicken and other meat

The taxi picked me up at 4:30 am the next morning.  I was told it'd be a 45-minute ride but the driver made it less in than 30 minutes.  In my parting memory of this wonderful trip in Mexico, the taxi-driver told me that he is giving me a deal for 350 pesos for the trip.  I replied that the hotel told me that it is 300 pesos and that's all I was going to give him.  He had no choice but to take it.

The moral of the story is that even when things are going good, you always have to be on the lookout.    That's what I'll talk about in my next post, how to have a good time in a place like Mexico but still avoid any unfortunate travel experience.

Chichen Itza

Chichen Itza is the face of Mexican tourism.  It is one of the most visited archaeological sites in Mexico with over a million visitors every year.  Because it's such an important site I thought it'd be good to to focus on it alone instead of mixing with my last post for this Mexico trip, which is on Cancun.

El Castillo, the Temple of Kukulkan

We left Merida early at 5 am so that we can be one of the first in line to get into Chichen Itza (CI).  This is not only a smart move but weather-wise it makes a lot of sense.  Keep in mind that this is July and we are in a tropical region by the ocean.  The temperature will probably reach about 90F and the humidity will be about 80%.  It's relatively cooler in the morning and the smaller crowd makes it easier to take pictures.  We arrived at the entrance just before 8 am and were the one of the first 5 in line.  Our guide, Diego, met us at the entrance.  He explained later that most Mexicans from the area have Mayan blood in them.  He has been a guide for about 10 years and speaks fluent English.

It is impossible for me to repeat what Diego explained in two hours.  There are too many details and sometimes I stole away to take pictures.  If you are interested to learn more about the Mayan history and CI, you should get a book on it or for a summary, click on the Wikipedia link at the beginning of this post.  One thing I remember Diego saying is that a lot of what he said are hypotheses because there were no records of who lived at CI and what happened there.  It was said that there were 24 books on Mayan history written by the Mayans but they were burned by a Spanish missionary, except for 4 that are now in various museums in the world.  (I know I am not factually correct here but I hope to find more details later.)

Skull Platform

Venus Platform in the Great Plaza

One of the small statues

More excavation found a different level

El Caracol, Observatory

Temple of the Warriors

The Sacred Cenote (a sinkhole with fresh water)

More engravings from the Skull Platform

Grand Ball Court, with the stone ring at left of center

More engravings

Temple of Warriors

After an hour at the site you start to see a constant flow of tourists.  By the time we left at about 11 am, the entrance to the site was like a zoo.  Tourists come from all over the world and you can hear different languages spoken.  Those who did not hire a guide have to guess what each structure mean.  Each guide costs about 1,000 pesos or about US$55.  If you are in a group, I think it's worth it.  As we leave, big tourist buses from Cancun, about 2-3 hours away, start arriving.

Until 10 years ago, tourists were allowed to climb El Castillo, the main temple.  For safety reasons and fear of vandalism, visitors are not allowed to climb the steps anymore.  Again, I suggest you click on the Wikipedia link above to read more about the history of Chichen Itza and the Mayans.  If you have a chance to go to Yucatan, I strong suggest you visit the site in person.

Mérida

In the morning we checked out of our hotel in Palengue and walked about 5 minutes to the bus terminal.  We were to take the 8:30am bus to Mérida, our next destination in the state of Yucatan.  We'll be traveling from Chiapas, through the state of Campeche, then Yucatan.  It's a 8-9 hour bus ride, but at least the bus stopped for lunch and we were able to get out and stretch.  Although the bus is fairly comfortable, being stuck in one is not my idea of fun.  I was able to pass the time listening to music on my iPhone with my noise-canceling headset.  I could've read my Kindle but the uneven road and the bumpiness of the ride would've given me a headache.

We arrived at Mérida at about 5pm and checked into the Hotel Colonial, about 3 blocks from the zocalo.  Mérida is the capital of Yucatan.  An old colonial city with beautiful buildings and churches around the central square.  Signs of tourism are everywhere around the square: foreign tourists, souvenir shops, nice restaurants, shopkeepers speaking better English, tourists buses, etc.  However, the locals also congregate around the square, especially in the evenings.  A restaurant specializing in ice-cream, smoothies, Mexican desserts, seem to be a very popular meeting spot for locals and tourists alike.

Zocalo in Merida

A monument at a nearby square

Cathedral next to the zocalo

Government building on another side of the zocalo

We spent little time exploring the city.  By the time we arrived there, it was dusk and as we started walking around, there was a sudden tropical downpour.  We met for dinner at an excellent and busy restaurant across the street from the hotel at 7pm.  I'm glad I've fully recovered from my stomach episode a few days earlier and was able to enjoy a nice local version of tamale, wrapped in banana leaves.  Tamales are popular all over Mexico but each region has its own version.  The concept is the same:  some filling (usually meat) wrapped in ground corn (called masa) then wrapped in corn husk or banana leaves.  They are usually cooked in water or some flavored liquid.  In Arizona where I live, tamales are very popular near the Christmas season.  Click on the link here to read more about Tamales

Tamale wrapped in banana leaves

Making fresh tortillas in the restaurant

The next day we were off to our respective tours.  Interestingly, the 3 Australians (2 girls and 1 guy) chose to go and swim in Cenotes.  Click on the link to learn more about cenotes.  They are basically sink-holes caused by the collapsed of limestone, filled with water.  They are connected to an underground ground water systems.  They are very common in the Yucatan peninsula.  The Mayans used them for their water supply system.  Today many tourists visit cenotes to swim in them.

A cenote in the Chichen Itza area

The five Americans, including our tour leader, on the other hand, decided to visit the Mayan ruins of Uxmal and Kabah.  Our guide Jose picked us up at 9 am after we had a sumptuous buffet breakfast at the hotel restaurant.  Jose gave us a quick tour and history of the city.   About an hour later we were in the ruins of Uxmal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Although it's a major Mayan archaeological site, you don't see as many tourists here because it's quite far off the tourists path.  Those who chose to come are rewarded with a rich history of Mayan culture.  The crowd is a small fraction compared to what we saw later at Chichen Itza.  We had to brave the tropical heat to stay focus on what Jose was explaining.  Below are some of the picture highlights:

Pyramid of the Magician

Governnor's Palace

Sign explaining the history and architecture of Uxmal

Our energetic guide Jose

Another view of the Pyramid of the Magician

Sundial in the quadrangle

Nunnery Quadrangle

Close-up of architectural details

More details

Hoop where Mayans play their version of "basketball"

Mayan "basketball" court - 7 against 7

Our small tour group.  I am the "thorn among the roses"

We also visited a smaller archaeological site called Kabah.  Below are some pictures from that site:

Carvings of 2 kings

Codz Coop Palace

Architectural details

Although we spent very little time in the city, I did a quick walk around the zocalo in the morning after breakfast.  The area is not as nice as those in Puebla or St. Cristobal.  Even 2-3 blocks from the city we see fairly run-down areas.  Jose explained to us that some owners abandoned these old buildings.  You can tell that the economy of the city is heavily dependent on tourism.  Some businesses are spoiled by it.  You run into aggressive shopkeepers and promoters trying to drag you into certain stores.  One shop I visited was nonchalant about whether I buy or not.

The next morning we are scheduled to visit the face of Mexican tourism:  Chichen Itza