2008-01-20T06:12:45-08:00
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2008-01-21T20:49:43-08:00
2008-01-20T06:12:45-08:00
<P>It's day 6 of our wonderful cruise of September '06. Destination: Cozumel, Mexico. Mexico is one of my favorite places to go. I have a lot of memories from Mexico. This time, we're going to go see the ruins of Tulum. Normally, we could have pulled right up to the port in Cozumel, but due to recent hurricane damage, it was not accessible. The cruiseline was smart enough to separate the people by the excursion they were taking and a tender would come for each group. In this case, I would suggest getting down to the line as soon as possible to get a good seat on the tender. It fills up fast and if you don't get there fast enough, you'll end up standing for the very bumpy 45 minute ride. Not fun. We were going to Playa Del Carmen, so we got on our tender to the mainland. When we got there, we were herded off the boat and separated into smaller groups. This whole process took about 30 minutes. Or maybe it was more - I don't remember, but you better be armed with lots of sunblock and very comfortable shoes. I also suggest some bottled water. Anyway, we were led through the town, which was about a 10 minute walk, to our bus. Thank goodness it was air conditioned! Well, sort of . The bus ride was about an hour long, but not altogether uncomfortable. Our guide Angel was quite entertaining - "si senores?" We stopped at a little store on the way for about 20 minutes. Here, they had samples of tequila, snacks, drinks and many wares for sale - everything from clothing to home decor. This was a very good place to buy souveniers that you might not find at other shops. Most of their stuff was hand made and unique. Some a little expensive, but very nice. We got back on the bus and headed for Tulum. </P>
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2008-01-21T21:01:08-08:00
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2008-01-20T06:41:09-08:00
If you've ever been to Mexico, you have surely seen men do this. These are Mayan Pole Flyers or Voladores. Five costumed men recreate a ceremonial ritual first started by the Totonac indians from Veracruz. The flyers begin by climbing the tall pole, then each of four of the men slip a foot into a loop at the end of a rope that is wound around the top of the pole. The fifth team member performs a special dance to each of the four cardinal directions, dancing upon the top of the pole while playing a flute! At the right moment, the four flyers release themselves from the small cap on the pole and fall to earth, circling around the pole in expanding circles as the rope unwinds, eventually touching ground. Looks pretty scary to me ...but a must-see if you get the chance.
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2008-01-21T21:02:03-08:00
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2008-01-20T07:46:59-08:00
After we caught our trolley to the ruins entrance ($2 by the way - make sure you bring some money for that or you'll be doing a little more walking), Angel, our guide, gave us some great information about the lives, culture and history of the Mayans that once inhabited this area. Here are some of the ruins that we came to located near the entrance. The people must have been very short in stature, since the doorway was probably just under 4 feet tall. Most of the people in our group had to duck to get through it. The view from this part was spectacular and looked over the crystal blue ocean.
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2008-01-21T21:04:10-08:00
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2008-01-20T07:54:57-08:00
This, the largest structure at Tulum, is called "El Castillo", which means "the castle". Although it is named as such, it really isn't a castle at all. It was mainly used for sacrifice and ritual celebration, with the king making his royal proclamations (sometimes involving death sentences), from the very top of its staircase. There are three known entrances to El Castillo, but rumor has it there was a fourth, secret entryway, known and used only by the king himself. Supposedly, it was located at the very bottom of the cliffs, far beneath the castle, and could be accessed only via one secret passage that led to a hidden beach grotto. I would have liked to have gone inside to see what it was like. I really loved this place. I wish I could have stayed there longer and explored more, but we were on a time schedule, and well, you know how that goes. After the tour is finished, you'll get about 1hr & 1/2 to walk around and take pictures or go down to the beach (pictured below).
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2008-01-21T21:06:03-08:00
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2008-01-20T08:02:40-08:00
Here's a view of the beach below the ruins. I loved this picture so much, I had it blown up and it is now on my wall. This was such a beautiful place. I would LOVE to come back here, on my own time, of course! Unfortunately, they were not allowing people inside any of the structures, but I know that they have in the past, so maybe I'll get the chance one day.
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2008-01-21T21:06:47-08:00
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2008-01-20T08:36:43-08:00
This lovely creature was almost going to let me take a really great picture of him, but decided to turn tail and run from me. There are iguanas all over the place here. Some of them are actually pretty with their different markings and what-not. So, anyway, we have finished our tour and decided to make our way back to the little place where we would catch our trolley back to the main entrance. It was VERY hot and I was thirsty, so we went into the little shop while we were waiting and bought a bottle of water (warning: it was not too cheap). We got back to the main entrance where all of the little shops were and decided to buy a few souveniers. I believe we have mastered the art of bartering. We got a really good deal from one of the shops. We were about out of time, so we headed back to the bus where we had box lunches waiting for us. I had a some-kind-of-lunchmeat sandwich (dry) and some chips of some kind. I believe they were Mexico's version of Fritos, but I'm not sure. The food you get is more like a little snack, so I suggest bringing snacks with you or purchasing them at the little "convenience" store at the entrance.
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2008-01-21T21:09:22-08:00
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2008-01-20T08:46:41-08:00
Back on the bus and on our way back to Playa Del Carmen to catch our tender back to the ship. The bus ride seemed a little faster going back but maybe that's because I dozed off. We got off the bus and walked back to the dock, waitied in line for about 15-20 minutes to get back onto the tender, took that rough ride back to the ship. A note to anyone who plans on taking this excursion: must wear comfortable shoes! You'll be doing a LOT of walking. Finally, back on the ship, I was able to snap a few shots of Cozumel before we took off again. This was a great day.
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2008-01-21T20:49:43-08:00