We booked a day trip to Chichen Itza through our CheapCaribbean representative during our stay in Mexico.  They actually had reps in our hotel at a concierge desk everyday which I was pleasantly surprised to find out.  Our rep was great.  He showed us all the options and gave us great recommendations.  Then he told us every single detail of the trip and exactly what to expect.  We chose the "deluxe" package which was a little more expensive, but it guaranteed that we wouldn't have to spend any time stopping at other hotels to drop people off which can really add extra time onto an already long day.  Our package included softdrinks and beer on a new 2008 bus, entry into the ruins, a guided tour, a buffet lunch on the way back and a stop at a cenote. 

On the way to the ruins our guide told us great stories about the Mayan people which were very interesting to hear and really helped pass the time because it's a 1.5-2 hour trip.  We made a short 20 minute stop at a little "rest" area that had a convenience store, restrooms and a great souvenir shop.  I heard some tours will urge you to shop here and tell you it has the best prices because they're connected with the shop.  But, I thought the prices were reasonable and they'll bargain with you so I enjoyed it.   It does have quite a few items that you won't see inside Chichen Itza.  The other option for shopping is inside the ruins at Chichen Itza.  There are tons of vendors everywhere.  It gets somewhat exhausting because they practically beg you to buy from them.  If you so much as look in their direction they'll start haggling you to buy and won't leave you alone until you walk about 10 feet away!  But again, if you see something you love, go for it.  I actually bought a beautiful dress inside the park for $20 (first price was $40) and my friend got the same dress in a different town for $35. 

On to the ruins...A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!  Seeing these ancient ruins in person with your own eyes is quite an experience.  Our tour guide led us around to the major ruins and explained about them for the first 1.5 hours then we were free to explore on our own for the last 1.5 hours.  The stories of what the Mayan people did are amazing...especially what happens when the sunlight hits the pyramid on the equinox and creates the slithering snake!  When you first walk into the park the field opens up and you see the main El Castillo pyramid and a few other major ruins, but there are so many more ruins as you wander into the woods.  It's such a great place to walk around and discover all of the interesting buildings.

I have to say we picked the perfect time to visit Chichen Itza!  The weather was in the mid 80's with bright sunshine, and the park was much less crowded than normal.  Even some workers at our resort told us that the tourism has been low probably due to the American economy slowdown.  Our resort was only 40% full.  It was great for us!  Chichen Itza is usually blazing hot with thousands of people being bused in every day.

After spending three hours at the ruins, we filed back into the bus and drove a short 5-10 minute ride to a cute little town for lunch.  It was a buffet lunch at a large hall with a bunch of very long banquet tables.  The food was good enough and there was a little show while we ate which consisted of a few traditional dancers.  As you leave they ask for tips.  When we finished lunch we took another 5-10 minute ride to a cenote (see-NO-tay) which was amazing!  Essentially it is a sinkhole where the ground collapsed and then a natural pool was formed in the hole.  Anyone can swim here but since we only had 30-40 minutes there we chose not to get soaked and jump back in the bus.  I was so glad we got to stop here because it's an amazing natural site.  We took a bunch of great pictures here.  There is also another souvenir shop and they don't pressure you to buy.

The trip back seemed to take forever but I think it's because it was dark and we were in the bus and I had no concept of where we were.  Our day started at 8:00am and we arrived back at our hotel just before 7:00pm, so it was a long day but definitely worth it.  If you are in Mexico, I highly recommend a visit to Chichen Itza...after all, it's a new 7th Wonder of the World!

Oh what's a trip to one of the new 7 Wonders of the World without a little complaining about the heat, right? =)

We took a trip to Chichen Itza today, right in the middle of the week, as per Joy and Rob's suggestion. They said Chichen Itza was so amazing that nothing else would really compare, therefore the best thing would be to visit sort of in the middle of my stay, a little towards the end. So today it was =) I chose an afternoon tour with a night show because I wanted to see this place after everyone had left, as I was worried about the crowds. It takes a little over 2 hours to get to Chichen Itza from Cancun, and if you get the tour with the night show it includes a trip to the Gran Cenote which is pretty amazing.

God I love Mexico, there's an incredible history no matter where you go, and the sense of closeness with nature is unbelievable. It seems all of their attractions involve some sort of natural wonder, whether it be a sunken limestone pool that you can swim in or a mangrove arch you can float past. We saw an alligator at dinner, and when we went to Xel-Ha we were told by a bunch of snorkelers that there was a barracuda in the river (yeah, thanks for your insane story, Will - I'll never hear the word barracuda and not be traumatized again!). Lord, if we make it out alive with all the ferocious wildlife, I'll be quite pleased! =)

I had completely forgotten to go searching for a cenote to visit, so I was very happy to hear we were visiting one on our way there. A nice staircase was build into the side of the cenote so that people could descend approximately 3 stories into the this wonderful place. There were quite a few fish swimming around in there and the water looked fantastic. I imagine it's freshwater, and although it's not very big, there are lifejacket rentals right on site if you want to jump in the water for a swim. Just please be careful to use biodegradeable sunscreen as it really is a blessing that Mexico shares its natural wonders with the rest of the world in such an intimate manner - "come jump in our cenotes, go climb our ancient pyramids." Take advantage, but also take good care.

It was really a wonderful experience making our way to such a gorgeous and personal gift of nature. I left truly touched and awed. Like a cavern, created by a misty god, to show you how beautiful even the belly of his planet is. And then while we were leaving, a party bus full of bikini clad collegiates and beer guzzling frat boys from Club Med arrived. I was glad to have missed them by minutes, as that would have really ruined the experience.

Off we went to Chichen Itza! Lord it was HOT and HUMID today. The park is extensive but we had the most amazing little old man tour guide!! I wanted to take him home with me so that he could share the history of Chichen Itza in his humorous, knowledgeable and charismatic manner. His voice was so pleasant and his cadence was very unique, it was like listening to a song the entire time. But goodness, just standing still was difficult. The Mexican sun was relentless and the humidity was off the charts. I've never sweated so much for SO LONG in my life!

The guide was wonderful and so informative. Did a great job of painting the history of the Mayans and Toltecs. The celebrated El Castillo Pyramid is the large one that everyone thinks of when they see Chichen Itza but was actualy rebuilt by the Toltecs. The Mayans worshipped the serpent and therefore got harshly punished by the Catholics who saw snakes as a symbol of evil. And the Mayans created the calendar before the Gregorians did. I missed a lot of stuff because I was running around and taking pictures pretty far into the field.

I had the opportunity to videotape our guide to show what an amazing storyteller he is. Imagine two hours of this incredible informative narrative. At the end of our tour, I ran up to give him a tip and accidentily did the math wrong, handing him $40 in American dollars. Oh well! What I wouldn't give to this toothless, sweet old man anyway!

I have to mention what an amazing experience seeing Chichen Itza is. I've seen the pyramids at Teotihuacan in Mexico City, which I believe are even bigger than this pyramid, but there's definitely a very special feeling that this area has. It's so beautiful and serene and awe-inspiring. The guide told us about some amazing ruins in Guatemala and Cebo(?) that I now want to visit. But if you have a chance to see one Central American ruin in your life - this one will not disappoint. It is incredible.

We were actually with quite a few older people who had seen the ruins before. They came back because these ruins are continually restored. They keep finding things on archeological digs and whenever they have the money - rebuild whatever they can find. One can see this restoration even in the large El Castillo pyramid as one side was left as it was originally found and is in pretty bad shape. One of the smaller pyramids in an older section was completely reconstructed after being a heap of rubble 10 years earlier according to one couple. It's absolutely amazing what archeologists do! They take every rock, tag them, fit them together and rebuild things from thousands of years ago!! What a cool job.

We had an awful dinner that was included nearby and invited at the adjacent liquor store to try Mayan alcohol. I've never seen people more enthused about getting their hands on some alcohol after a rough day of walking in the humidity and drizzle. =) We then came back for the sound and light show. I have to say, it was pretty darn awful. But if you can bear an hour of melodramatic narrative and just 3 structures being constantly lit up in different colors (and not well, either), definitely go just to see what it would be like to be a Mayan in this gorgeous city at night. It aroused all sorts of feelings - awe, anticipation, romance and pride. I bet it was impossible not to walk into the presence of just amazing structures and not be immensely proud of your city and your people. A truly awesome sight no matter who you are and I bet evern more gorgeous on a night where the moon was out. It's not a bad eerie, it's the kind of place that gets your blood flowing! Just the past weekend, they said that Placido Domingo sung here for a very exclusive crowd. I bet even he was floored by this amazing place.

Some cautionary advice on what to expect when visiting Chichen Itza. The tour to Chichen Itza will bring you through the heart of the Yucatan. Although you will not stop, you will get a sense of how incredibly poor this area is. Skinny dogs run around, many houses are made of tin and wood. People are along roads trying to sell whatever they can. And then you get to Chichen Itza and there are vendors EVERYWHERE. Some will literally pop out of the ball court to sell you stuff. They will follow you pretty insistently unless you are with a guide who will help to wave them off. But you will find some of the cheapest items here as well. "Hand-woven" dresses for $20, silver bracelets for $15, wooden masks and sculptures, etc. It's like the largest bazaar in Mexico! And having bought Mexican silver with Sybil before, I can attest to it all being real silver.

Under construction

On July 26^th, Paul (LoganBruin) earned the Photographers award, and as usual I went through his gallery to look at his photos before giving him my congratulations. One photo caught my eye, and even he had commented “Stupid sign” under it.  So I asked if I could do my little magic and get that sign to go on vacation.  The sign agreed and said as long as it could take the people along with him to the Caribbean he would be pleased.  So that’s how the sign left. Hope you like the results.

If you have any pictures that you would like me to work on, just let me know. Thanks.

We woke up mad early on Thursday because we were signed up for a full day Chichen Itza trip.  The bus was supposed to pick us up at 7:00 am in the morning and after some arguing with the complimentary breakfast man at our hotel we ran out with some jimmyrigged sandwiches.  The van arrived at about 7:15-7:20 and took us to the dock were Fat Tuesday is held.  We checked in and waited for a few in a half sleepy daze until it was time to climb on the charter bus to make the three and half hour trek to Chichen Itza west of Cancun.

After sleeping on the bus for the first part I woke up early and began to see the real Mexico.  The homes and living conditions the local people live in was quite surprising and not in some ways.  Although we constantly hear about other countries being less fortunate and know this fact its a completely different story seeing it in person.  About halfway through we stopped at a mayan "mall"  it was just a large area of indigenous folk selling their wares.  Lots of silver, pottery, blankets, tapestries, shot glasses, clothing, masks.  I picked up a medium sized mask and a pretty pottery piece that I found for my parents.  We were only alotted 30 minutes here so we hit the toilets, picked up some water, and i bought the souvenoirs in the last ten minutes. 

We were pretty hungry at this point but we still had a little ways to go before we reached the restaurant where we were supposed to eat.  We passed through two more towns before we reached the restaurant.  It was a buffet style restaurant with all kinds of food.  Midway through the meal some of the locals came out and did some traditional dances.  The first was one with a lot of stamping to the music, the second dance they did they brought out beer bottles which they had to balance on their heads also while stamping their feet to the music.  After totally pigging out on their super spicy tacos, multiple types of chicken and rice and beans (for my friends), we hopped back on the bus for a 20minute ride to Chichen Itza.

When we arrived we were broken into spanish speaking group and an english speaking group to follow our respective guides.  our guide was awesome.  He was funny and very knowledgable.  He told us about the lucky numbers of the Mayan, their advanced knowledge of astronomy, the awesome acoustics, learned about the sacrifices, archetechtural facts, and other customs.  We saw the main pyramid, did the clapping action, learned about the snake at the base of the temple, and that the pyramid is like a russian nesting doll with several other temples inside the main one we see.  We saw the stadium area where we learned that the winners of the games would then be sacrificed to the gods.  Don't wanna be the winner in that game!! 

The guided tour then ended and we all had free time.  The tour group offered a trip to a Cenote about five minutes away for an extra six us dollars.  Glenda and I decided to go and check it out since it was brutally hot we just wanted to go jump in some water.  We arrived at the Cenote and looked over the edge to the water.  It was so impressive and looked beautiful.  It was about 150-200 feet down to the water.  Overpacked with tourists?  Yes.  But still a sight to be held.  We only had one hour so we quickly put our backpack in the locker, picked up a lifejacket for Glenda (the water is deep) and then headed down the stairs to the bottom.  When we got to the bottom they cut out ledges and stairs into the side.  About 30feet up people would climb the stair and then jump of the side to the cool water below.  Glenda went right for the kill.  I was still being a scardy cat and started at the base, climbed halfway, and then a few steps from the top.  And then Glenda's lifejacket broke, and we were running low on time so we went back up to check out.  When we finally got back to the backpack we were running really late.  We were supposed to be at the bus at the front five minutes ago!  so we really hauled ass back so as not to be left behind.  The bus took us back to chichen Itza where we picked up the rest of the group and then headed on back to Cancun.   We arrived back at our hotel at 7:00pm.

After showering up, checko and I decided to go find some dinner.  Glenda was too tired and stayed in.  We decided to do something chill and low maintence.  We decided to go to Carlos and charlies for dinner and a few drinks.  Located right on the strip we just relaxed.  I got some Oysters rockafeller.  Which were so-so.  And huge super tall beers.  We got a seat right at the edge so we were able to people watch and just relax.  By about 1:30 or so, we pooped out and headed back to the hotel to go to sleep.

Three hours away from Cancun is Chichen Itza, one of the new seven wonders of the world. The place was just HOT!! HOT as in i  was perspiring a lot!! The place was just crowded with tourist, but seeing the pyramids was just an extraordinary experience...  Though they don't allow us to climb at the pyramids anymore, just standing right before it was just awesome...They do have an ancient games similar to basketball, how it was played remains a mystery... The pyramid also over cast a shadow similar to a serpent during the late afternoon, and moves like a snake at dawn... i was not able to witness this event but it was said that this usually happens once a year ..

Needless to say I was not able to listen anymore with  our tour guide, i was just busy taking pictures because we only have  three hours to cover the whole place but it is something to look forward to revisiting in the future....

There are still some areas that are not excavated and they are projecting that it would take another 2 decades to finish all this...

Though the story behind of Chichen Itza is a little bit too graphic for me, how it was able to withstand the test of time was something to think of how great the Mayan engineer was... They love to study the sky, the stars, and the moon and their calendar is the most accurate one up to date... no wonder they were proclaimed as one of the new seven wonders of the world...How the Mayan ingenuity runs over the MesoAmerica really amazes me...only thing i could think of is visiting Tikal in Guatemala..the best of the Mayan ruins!!!

After leaving Merida, we head to the ruins of chichen-itza, now one of the seven wonders of the world!. We got there by bus, once again we got helped from our travel books! It was sooooo hot! and we had our luggages with us, there is a place to leave your stuff at the ruins though, so that was very helpful.  It was somewhat crowded, but these ruins were amazing! It was pretty cool to see the mayan ruins, specially after visiting the aztec one in mexico city.
What I found in this site were what I thought were temples, although each building served a different purpose. The ball court was pretty cool to see, how did hey ever play that game?! it seems so hard!! another cool one was the observatory, now all of these buildings had on their walls some desing of some sort, it is very impressive. I think it was the castle the one with the steppest stairs I've ever climb, coming down was kinda fun. We walked around a lot, cheking stuff out, besides the ruins there are also "cenotes", which looks pretty much like a hole with water. Here is where the mayans made human sacrificies. Overall this site was very interesting, impressive and super HOT!! but totally worth it. :)

i stayed there for 2 nights this is the only hostel in chichen itza town, the rooms are separate in genders and the bathrooms were super clean the employees and the owner very nice people and give full information from the attractions and tips of places to visit and hostels to stayed in, the price is 12 us dollars including locker, kitchen facilities and continental breakfast

I have always been fascinated with the Mayans.  There is a certain mystique about this incredibly advanced civilization that thrived in Central America for centuries and then seemed to vanish.  Almost all of us have seen pictures of the reliefs depicting human sacrifice and menacing creatures that are half-man/half-animal.  Scientists are still amazed by the accuracy and complexity of the Mayan calendar, and we all wonder if anything will happen in December 2012 when the Mayan calendar ends.  All of these things had piqued my curiosity and made me eager to explore the cities of these intriguing people.

When I had started planning my March 2008 trip I had wanted to stay at a resort in the Riviera Maya so that I could enjoy the beaches and visit the Mayan ruins.  My younger brother and two good friends had really wanted to go on a trip with me since I had been out of the United States for five months.  Since none of them had passports or could be counted on to get them in time for the vacation, air flight to Mexico was not an option.  We finally decided to take a five day Carnival cruise out of Galveston, Texas.  Right now you are still able to enter Mexico from the USA by land or sea with just your birth certificate.  The ports of call for the cruise were Progresso and Cozumel, Mexico.  It was on the Cozumel day that we opted to go to Chichen Itza.  The shore excursion to the Mayan ruins was $75 USD which my friends were unhappy about.  They considered this a high price to pay to miss a day of laying on the beach and chasing girls in bikinis.  I was with a group of people that would laugh and shrug off a $200 bar tab, but balked at the idea of spending money to see "some old buildings."  Once I told them I didn't care if they snuck beer on the bus they were alot happier about the trip.  With everyone finally appeased and sedated with cold Corona, we boarded the bus for the two hour ride inland to Chichen Itza.

The Chichen Itza ruins are now part of a national park to keep them maintained and preserve them.  We entered through the main gate and walked through a path in the jungle up to the clearing where the old temple was.  It is safe to say that everyone there was awestuck when they crested the hill and saw the temple and all the other buildings in the complex for the first time.  There is something awe inspiring about seeing the monuments from a long gone culture.  Each building in itself was a work of art.  We had a tour guide who explained what the buildings were and some of the details that went into the planning and layout of each.  Since the temple was used in religious ceremonies it was laid out in accordance with the changes of the sun in each season.  Astronomy is a little over my head and not an interest of mine, but the fact that they had achieved such a high level of understanding and knowledge of the natural world blew me away.  Due to the time constraints from the cruise ship we only had an abbreviated tour and then we were given time to explore the grounds on our own.  We walked from building to building absorbed by the magnificence of the architecture and stone reliefs.

All throughout the park are vendors selling souviners.  The vendors are more than happy to take a gullible tourist's money.  Unfortunately, there are alot of ignorant travelers out there who unknowingly pay more than they should for things and this drives up the prices for the rest of us.  Many people just pay the first price offered without even attempting to broker a better deal.  Luckily, the vendors around the ruins love to haggle so if you are a discerning shopper you can get the price down lower.  I personally love to argue and considered the verbal jousting to be a highlight of the trip.  After a little sightseeing and picking up presents for family back home, we boarded the bus to head back to the cruise ship.  Even though we were only there for a short time, it was a great trip.  My friends and I had a wonderful afternoon and managed to soak up a little culture in the process.  I cannot wait to head back down to Central America to see more ruins.  I am currently waiting for some spring vacation time to head back down there.

Chichen Itza is an ancient Mayan city on the Yucatan Peninsula. It's only mid-morning but the day is hot and humid as we reach the entrance to the city. Perhaps it's just the weather, but you feel a weight here, with the history and the events that occurred here. The center of the city is marked by the castle-like Mayan pyramid, but other structures are equally interesting. The Great Ball Court where teams played to a life and death finish, and the Temple of A Thousand Warriors, with its dozens of rows of columns. The pyramid itself is not that high, but once you're on top, the steps that you climbed blend together to form the illusion of a smooth surface. I had to help a German lady down who developed vertigo and anxiety from the illusion. The top of the pyramid is small and crowded with people, and there's little in the way of safety, you could drop off the edge of any of the corners if you're not careful. On leaving the city you experience two emotions: happy to see it, glad to be leaving, especially if your next destination is the beaches on the Caribbean side of the peninsula.

Based on all of the reviews and recommendations, we got up early and caught the 7:15am bus to Chitzen Itza.  It took about 1hr and we arrived before the ruins were open to find at least 50 people in line already.  Luckily they were mostly with tours, so we bypassed most everyone.  It is one of the new 7 wonders of the world and it cost $10 US.  I think the last wonder of the world I was at was the Grand Canyon.  I had driven down from Flagstaff, AZ and when I got there they wanted to charge so I turned around and went back.  The hell if I was going to pay to drive down there.  Needless to say I'm glad I paid to see Chichen Itza.  Since we didn't hire a tour guide we just booked it past everyone and were the first ones to see many of the sites.  It is amazing at how much work it took for the magnitude, precision and detail of everything.  It is interesting to think what it would have been like to live there during the peak of the Mayan culture.  The largest mayan field or ball court is located here and for some reason I believe they sacraficed the best player on the winning team.  The legends had themesleves carved into the wall of the stadium.

Piste is a good place to stay and you can walk to the ruins or take a cheap mini bus.  No one that I talked to in Cancun even knew this place existed.

We headed back to Valladolid and from there caught a first class bus to Tulum.  Decided to bypass Playa del Carmen this time.  Checked in to the Weary Traveler.  I've also stayed here before.  Abraham was still there, but Shane the pessimistic drunk Australian that was funny as hell had moved on.  Ate some tacos from the Taco stand and had a couple drinks.

Arrived around lunch in this small town close to the ruins at Chichen Itza.  Hot and dry day, made it uncomfortable walking to the hotel with our packs on.  Stayed at the Posada Olade for 20,000 pesos.  Quite expensive but cheaper than a hotel nearer the ruins.  Spent the afternoon lazying about in the room. Trying to catch up sleep before tackling the many steps of the temples at Chichen Itza.

Not as impressed with these ruins compared with Palenque.  Many of the buildings partially restored and the grounds surrounding each temple were well-trodden by the thousands of tourists visiting the site.  Even while we were there, buses kept arriving from the resorts at Cancun or other cities in the Yucatan. 

I made the effort to climb El Castillo the main pyramid but didn't venture any higher than 2 steps on any of the other temples.  Had to come down on my backside from the top of El Castillo as it was so steep and made me giddy just looking down to the base.  The setting at Chichen Itza is flat, dry land fairly similar to bushland areas in Australia.

Our Lonely Planet guide suggested that Merida was a good place to buy quality "hamacas" (hammocks) so after informing ourselves about what to look out for and how much we should pay we set off to the hammock shop recommended by our hostel. Their hammocks seemed to be decent and we each opted to go for an individually sized nylon one (#4) as these would be the lightest to carry and the most durable for the months ahead.

We then moved onto the bus stop and took the next bus to Chichen Itza which has just this year been voted one of the new seven wonders of the world. At Piste, which is about 1.5 kms from the Chichen Itza ruins, we checked into the Pyramid Inn resort where you can camp or put up your hammock, in little shelters specifically built for this purpose, for just 50 pesos. This also included use of the swimming pool which were only to happy to make use of as this was the first one we had access to since we've been in Mexico.

After our swim we went to get some dinner at a place just down the road from the Pyramid Inn where I had the Lime soup which was very good. We finished just in time to catch a taxi to the ruins for the nightly Sound and Light Show which starts at 7pm in winter. The show was a little bit kitch but still quite pretty with the main pyramid, ball court and other ruins on the central plaza lit up in red, blue, etc... in the middle of the night. The show itself seems to be just a distraction to keep your attention while they tell you some history and background about the ruins itself which I'm always interested in.  The show is quite expensive but as the fare counts towards the next days entrance ticket I think it is worth it.

The night we spent in our newly acquired hammocks which was pretty interesting. It initially wasn't easily coordinating the hammock with the mosquito net on top of it and the sleeping bag inside. Usually I have no problem with hammocks but being inside a sleeping bag severly restricts your ability to balance and also provides you with a lot less friction against the material of the hammock so I ended up sliding around a lot. Eventually I did get comfortable though and managed to get some good sleep. I'm hoping though that the hammock sleeping experience will improve with practice.