The Mayan Ruins of Chichen Itza

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!