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Trip to Cancun and Chichen Itza--March 2015
Jan and Don Phillips

Slide Show of Photos with captions at end of trip information

Chichen Itza – Bucket List item  Check it off!!!   In early March Don and Jan Phillips took off from Seattle to Cancun, Mexico.  After an interesting and trying experience with Mexican customs it was out the door to find the shuttle.  We also connected with our traveling companions who had arrived at an entirely different section of the airport.  After a 30-minute drive we pulled off the highway between Cancun and Tulum.  After going through many twists and turns we were dropped off at the Grand Mayan, our home for the next week.  NICE (VERY Large connected) pools, warm air, iguanas, good restaurants and rooms.  We did not do the all-inclusive option so paid separately for meals and drinks – beer, Pina coladas, and margaritas.

 We arranged for 2 tours, one to Chichen Itza and the other to Tulum and Coba.  The first tour to Chichen Itza took off at 7:20 AM from a bus stop down the road from the Grand Mayan.  Many buses came and went, then ours finally arrived.  Our first stop was at a shopping mall to drop off some riders, who were destined for other places and to pick up other riders.  We also picked up breakfast and liquor. 

During the day our guide who was tri-lingual (English, Spanish and Mayan) gave us cultural lessons including Mayan language and math.  The next stop was a centos.  If you wanted to swim you needed to rent a life preserver (state reg).  The way down was steep, but the water was blue and the opening to the world was high above the water.  Many including Don did swim.  There were blind fish that came close to the bank.  After getting out of the water, margaritas were handed out and we were off to an isolated Mayan village for lunch. This village although obviously catering to the tours was also home to some of the workers.  Silversmiths were there who would translate your name into a Mayan glyph and make a silver pendant for you while you ate lunch.  After lunch our hosts danced for us and encouraged a few of us to dance with them for one number.

 On to Chichen Itza.  El Capitan was magnificent.  91 steps up each side of the pyramid with the top step the chamber marking 365 steps. No one was allowed to climb the pyramid. Our guide clapped his hands and the pyramid chirped back at him.  How on earth did the Mayans have the knowledge required for such a feat?  Our guide pointed out that when the crowds would gather it was quite impressive.  The ball court had walls perpendicular to the ground.  It was very large, larger than a football field in both length and width.  However you could hear a whisper from one end of the court to the other.  Vendors were permitted to sell on the way into the grounds.  On our way back home we drove through a Spanish colonial town with a typical Catholic Church and main town park.  At the 14th hour we were dropped off at the same bus stop as we started.

 Had to rest up at the pool the next day but that evening we watched a Mexican Fiesta.  This was a magnificent buffet with hundreds of different food options.  After the buffet, we were treated to a musical production that featured many different types of dance and songs.  A comedy sketch involved a dancing, teasing skeleton (reminiscent of Day of the Dead). 

The next day was our day to go to Tulum and Coba.  Again an early start.  However this time we were dropped off at the shopping mall for another bus.  This one was not nearly as nice as the bus to Chichen Itza and had younger guides.  We stopped at Tulum for both a history lesson and a chance to walk around the ruins. The water was rough and we did not have time to go swimming.  Again you could not climb the pyramids.  This time we also had a Mayan lunch but unlike the previous place, this was not isolated but was a restaurant in town that catered to the tours.  Then we arrived in Coba.  Here we were again given only about 1½ hours to walk the ruins. This ruin was very large, so we decided to take a tricycle taxi, which was fun. We were oh so glad we rode instead of walked.  This set of ruins was not as well developed as were Tulum and Chichen Itza.  Here you could climb the pyramid and there was a very thick rope that you could use to climb up or down.  As in the other pyramids each step was probably 3 feet in height and 1 foot deep.  At Coba the ball courts had slanted walls with a running platform on each side that was about 2 feet high.  We were dropped off alongside the highway for the ride back.


At the resort there was great food with a variety of presentations.  The resort was on the beach, but when we were there the red flags were out so snorkeling or swimming were off limits.  But the pool definitely made up for this.   There were many sun burned bodies, but we lucked out and found a covered area that we called home.  Wait staff would bring drinks if you wanted, but you could also buy a limited amount of groceries at the resort.  On Sunday we caught a shuttle back to the airport for the return home.