My Mayan Quest and Journey to the Yucatan 2012

In the Jaws of Kukulkan 

(Links to each new destination at bottom of page or on sidebar
click on photos for slideshow)


I arrived at my hotel in Cancun very tired after the flight and late in the afternoon but by the next day I was eager to explore. At one of the many tourist kiosks I found that there was a small archaelogical site at Punta Sam that was easy to get to by public bus so I girded myself with backpack, camera and spanish phrase book and boarded the Ruta 1 bus to my destination. It turned out to be a lovely site, off the beaten path and with the added attraction of few tourists.  Don't forget to always bring (bottled) water with you wherever you go and comfortable shoes.

 El Meko

A contemporary inhabitant

 One Visitor of three there that day (one was the iguana)

continue on to sunbathers

sunbathers

 



I checked the pool carefully before jumping in

My  hotel was very pleasant and the beds comfortable although the bathroom was a little tired looking and the jacuzzi tub didn't work. It was on the lagoon side of Cancun as opposed to the ocean but with very pretty gardens.   By 6.a.m. the mornings were full of jungle bird song and by the lagoon some unexpected guests were sunbathing.
I had actually wanted to swim with dolphins but I suppose I didn't read the fine print.




 

and by tour bus (tours from hotel) to Tulum and Coba 

(click on links for next chapters)

http://gatewaysandjourneys.blogspot.ca/2012/02/tulum-and-coba_3797.html

 

A Day in Tulum and Coba

Gateways and doors were sacred spaces to the Mayans who believed that when you passed through you were entering into another dimension of the world and of life.

Not far from Cancun, on the Mayan Riviera, Tulum was built in the post classic period of the Mayan and as their civilization was declining. It's beauty lies partly in the wonderful setting and turquoise beaches of the Caribbean.

Coba is an older city through which the Sac be (white road) connected to other cities of the Mayan world like the roads of Rome. It runs for 100 km through the jungle.  With palaces, temples and ball courts Coba was one of the largest Mayan cities but not as restored as other sites such as the well known Chichen Itza. I gathered my courage and strength and climbed the crumbling, perilous pyramid steps in the humid heat and  got a touch of vertigo. Descending is much more daunting as you can imagine one misstep and your broken body lying far below, a sacrifice to the merciless Chac Mool.

riding the sac- be (white road

And on to the the ADO bus station ( dowtown Cancun) to Valladolid and Ek Balaam

http://gatewaysandjourneys.blogspot.ca/2012/02/valladolid.html