Actually it was not my plan to go further than Mérida, but to explore a bit more the surroundings - natural reserve areas, etc. But then C. gave me the idea that we actually were pretty close to some very famous pyramids like Chichen Itzá - one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. She already had seen them, but wondered if I wasn't interested. Well, now that you mention it... So I headed to Valladolid, arrived there in the evening and the next morning I went to Chichen Itzá:
 |
| From Mérida (E) over Valladolid (F) to Chichen Itzá (G) |
Unfortunately, C. returned to Puebla after Mérida. In the hostel we slept in different dorms and she apparently had a bit of bad luck with the choice of her bed: The next morning she woke up with bed bugs. Uuuhh... The itchiness almost made her crazy, so she preferred to return, wash all her clothes, get a medical treatment, etc. Totally understandable, but still a pity. Well, at least I didn't have the same problem. Perhaps it finally was worth to always choose the suposedly least popular bed (upper part of the bunk bed, close to the entrance) and always sleep inside my light liner, which protects me from such animals to a certain extent.
Well, I'm not exactly unfamiliar with travelling solo, so it was not a problem and actually it is always a nice way to get in touch with locals. Everything has its advantages, right?!
My guide book writes that apparently even the grandmas want to see Chichen Itzá and in fact it
was crowded (wait -
that's the line for buying the ticket?!).
 |
| Archeological site or flew market?! |
 |
| One of the largest ball courts in a Mayan pyramid. Can you imagine how they smashed the ball through the ring you can see at the right side of the wall - without using their hands?! The ball court was so impressive - the crowds didn't do no harm. |
 |
| Ambulance in the pyramid? Ya, that's when you are in one oft the most visited sights of Mexico... |
Even more, as I didn't arrive before noon as a result of Mexican transport and me being in relaxed travelling mode. Perfect to calm down (missed the bus and have to wait for one hour?
No pasa nada.), but not the perfect strategy to have the most famous sights for yourself. But all right - it is still a very impressive complex, huuuuge and almost unimaginable how the Mayas had created all this such a long time ago in such a sophisticated way. The observatory even boasts windows directly facing certain stars. What an advanced stage of development!
 |
| The observatory. |
 |
| Lots of iguanas again. |
 |
| I told you. |
 |
| I loved the child's comment on the pattern: "Hey, they played Xs and Os" - in fact, it does look like Tic Tac Toe, I was just missing the imagination of a child. |
 |
| "Cenotes" are natural sinkholes you will find all over Yucatán. The Mayas believed that it was the entrance to the underworld. This one is inside of the Chichen Itzá archeological site. |
|
 |
| The most famous pyramid in Chichen Itzá |
No comments:
Post a Comment