Coba and Tulum

Well what can we say about Coba and Tulum.

Coba is about 30 miles from Tulum in the jungle and only 10% of the 70 km2 site is being restored.

The God of the Underworld

Ball games were played at every opportunity. The ball was made of solid rubber and was 12 inches in diameter and had to be passed through the hoop using the knee, hip or elbow.

The pyramids here were slightly different to those found at other sites - notice how they are more rounded.

The  tallest pyramid is also found at Coba, and yes we did climb the staircase to heaven.

Tulum Mayan Ruins are unique in that the site was built on the cliffs overlooking the Caribbean Sea. The buildings date to between 1200-1450 AD (post classic period).

El Castillo

Templo de Pintura

The view from El Mirador looking out across the clifftop to the sea beyond

Those who don't like BUGS look away now and advance quickly to the end of this blog.

where's that pesky pigeon..

...One of the locals....Iguana go home

Please re-leaf me let me go.......

And when you are tired of traipsing around some ricketty old ruins you can always slouch on a beach .........

From Guatemala to Mexico via Belize

After visiting Tikal we headed back to Mexico via Belize City. Belize City is not worth mentioning. Our arrival in Mexico felt like coming home. We spent a night at Casita Carolina in Bacalar by the lagoon. The accommodation was excellent.

Bacalar Lagoon

On Wednesday we arrived in Tulum - a pleasant town on the Yucatan Peninsula. We will stay here until Saturday. The accommodation is good, we are staying on the coast at a little place called Yoga Shala. We visited a mayan site at Coba yesterday and today we are going to visit the ruins at Tulum. Will post pictures later.

Guatemala - Tikal The City of Sounds

Well the main reason for the detour from Mexico to Guatemala is to visit the ruins of Tikal. This city was started around 500 BC and remained in use until 1000AD.Tikal History Wiki

The buildings are amongst the tallest in meso america upto 70 metres. and the views form the top are stunning...

The Site has not been cleared completely of jungle so these manmade structures rise out high above the trees.

The ruins also lie in the El peten national park so there is plenty of wildlife too.

Coatimundi...Cheeky monkey was after food in our bags... He's not a monkey but is related to anteaters.

An ocellated turkey... looking a little shaken...

 And of course there are always ........

SPIDERS!!!!!!.... This one is a banana spider almost walked into this on the trail, lucky escape or I might have slipped.

On the road to Guatemala not Mandalay!

Today we entered a time warp and gained an hour - we are now 7 hours behind the UK. The border crossings were relatively simple not like the ones experienced by Michael Palin. Although we did have to go in a motorised canoe to cross into Guatemala.

Mexico on the left, Guatemala on the right

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Once we reached Guatemala we boarded the bus to Flores.

On the way to Flores we passed many towns (muchos pueblos) and farmsteads (fincas).

Flores is an island in a lagoon. It is attached to Santa Elena on the mainland by a land bridge. Locals use tuk-tuks to get around.

Tomorrow we are going to visit another Mayan site - Tikal.

Palenque - Chiapas Region

The town of Palenque exists for one reason, the ancient ruins also known as Palenque, home to a large group of Maya led by a King called Pacal. The town itself is a modern creation and exisits to support the tourist trade. The region of Chiapas is the poorest in Mexico so the attraction of the town is great and allows locals to access the tourist dollar.

The ruins themselves are about 20 minutes away by bus/taxi. We left our Hostal (Yaxkin) about 0800 and were there before the bus loads of touristas.
The route thro' the ruinas is paved and grassed and the buildings themselves have not been overly restored so you can still picture them as a newly discovered site. There are teams of men working on the site removing encroaching vegetation, and there is some restoration work going on, though not to make it look like new. The  complex was started about 100 BC and abandoned in 900AD. The small museum just off site houses the remians of any plaster and paintwork that the jungle had not reclaimed, and some amazing pottery figure work. These people worshipped the underworld and heavens and used astronomical observation to plan crop cycles. They had a concept of the roundness of the earth and the precise number of days in the earth's orbit around the sun, and more amazingly a realisation that the earth spun on its axis and that this axis rotated to a 25000 year cycle. They did this without the invention of the wheel or the use of metal?
There are 25 temples and the main palace, all of impressive scale and at least 30 metres in height, of course there are trinket sellers, but unlike other countries a courteous no gracias does not lead to a battle to get away.

The grounds also had some intereating wildlife too.

spot the lizard...

Mariposa muy bonita,,,,,

This monkey was the size of Siobhan's hand....and if you think that is frightening then look away because of the next hideous creature of the jungle.................

Aaaaaagggggghhhhhhhhh.......

We also visited Misol Ha Waterfall and the Cascades of Agua Azul, both tourist spots, but no less beautiful for being so. The waterfall was 90 metres high and you could walk behind the falls - nice and cool in the spray. Agua Azul has a series of seven cascades beautiful blue water and fountains of spray. Off to Guatemala tomorrow early start ( 0600 grrrr) guess what to see some more ruinas de maya. Hasta pronto chicos

Merida to Campeche

Short journey today 3 hours.

Arrived in Campeche mid afternoon, just in time for a nice ice cold cervesa from and ice cold glass, muy bueno!!


Campeche is an old colonial port, restored carefully to its former glory, most buildings in el centro are 17th and 18th century from the era when Spanish had a flourishing empire you can walk around the centre pretty quickly, so not much to see, but the buildings are beautiful, painted in bright sunshine colours.( have a look at the picture).

Temperature is a very cool 30 celcius plus, quite mild for the time of year.

Tomorrow we leave for Palenque, another ancient mayan temple complex, as large as chitzen itza, but less restored, more junglified.

Chitzen Itza Photos

Hostal Chichen Itza - the penthouse

Mr Angry!

Chitzen Itza - Ancient citadel of the Maya's

No we are not staying in the citadel, we were just visiting.

If you folks think Manchester has bad rainfall, then "yooo know nothingggg". No coats walking around the ruinas, we were very comprehensively rained on by the ancient gods, not sure if this is displeasure on their behalf, or encouragement to plant crops; whichever it was, we were very definitely soaked, but the upshot was we had our clothes washed for free on a moderately warm cycle.

The site is no 5 on the world heritage list, but this has added to the commercialisation and prevalence of trinket traders, who do not mither you when you say no gracias.

some of the buildings have been heavily restored and others just cleared but nevertheless the 20sq km site is impressive. Its been an ambition to visit this since 11 years old, so today feels very unreal.

Also visited a "cenote", a sacred sink hole, a limstone cavern with a water pool and an open roof. These were regarded as a window on the underworld, full of spirits to be calmed in some way, usually sacrifice.

Tomorrow is another " On the Buses" day, we go to Campeche old Spanish Colonial port with castillo and all the trappings of the old world!

Starting to ease into the slow lane, because we're 48 u know (hee hee).

First Bus Trip

Well we're like a couple of pensioners we've got our bags, we've got our tickets and we're going on a bus. Its the 18th Sept and our first bus journey of many. We're off from Cancun, to Merida, across the other side of the Yucatan peninsula 4.5 hours ( thats 2 films and a sandwich). This is a stopping point for travellers who want to see the mayan ruins of Chitzen Itza, tourist mecca, but nevertherless impressive (and we haven't seen them yet, getting another bus to see them tomorrow. The buses are really good, This was a first class, with A/C reclining seats, plenty legroom too and a loo It waslike boarding a plane,with baggage checkin, gates to board your bus, numbered seats, v well organised; the bus left on time and arrived early.

Merida has a quaint colonial feel to it, not regarded as Mexico much like Wales isn't England. Found a great Hostal if anyone is travelling here, called Casa Chalia, run by two lovely people Jan (a Belgian) and Rosalinda (a Yucatego), v good hostal. They are v helpful, and very welcoming.

Just off to snooze now so we are fit for Chitzen Itza tomorrow. Had a cracking storm when we arrived, flooded the streets to calf height.Saw some poor soul trying to cycle through the torrent - good effort.

thats all for now folks!!!!!

Arrival in Mexico

Arrived in Cancun. Very hot here 28oC. Occasional thunderstorms. Accommodation ok we will be staying here at El Meson de Tulum Cancun until Saturday and then we start The Little Mayan Way around the Yucatan.