So, for the last few days we sat in the sun 🙂
  
 
  
Mexico – days in the sun
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Monthly Archives: November 2013
Mexico Cenotes Diving
So here was quite a special dive experience. All over the Yucatan are underground fresh water ‘wells’ or cenotes. They are really huge flooded limestone caverns. Many are available to dive – I did just two dives round a single cavern system
 
 
Almost impossible to get good photos because of the complex lighting conditions, but hopefully you get a sense of it from these examples
 
Essentially treated as wreck dives, with a permanent penetration line laid in, following the ‘thirds’ principles on air (third to get in, third to get out, third for emergency), and never being more than 40 m from a light source.
  
Many parts of the cave were very dark, so it was all on torches.
Mexico Reef Dive Days
Elected to dive off resort after the Virgin recommended we do so. 2 days of boat dives, onto the reef just 10-15 mins boat ride from the shore.
  
Nice and easy at around 20m. Saw lots of turtles …..
  
Some really quite large Angel fish, and a tiny sea horse…..
   
A big fish I don’t know (zebra?)….and big Rays
 
And a huge green Moray, that unfortunately I didn’t get photograph.
Mexico Day 6 – Chichen Itza
Early start from the hotel in Merida to get on the road to Chichen Itza. A two hour drive got us there and the place didn’t seem too busy.
 
Straight to the main temple, probably the most photographed of the Mayan temples, and is most famous for the optical illusion of the moving Serpent at the solstices.
 
The ball court here is the ‘Wembley’ of Ball courts, much bigger than anywhere else, and carrying the carvings of two teams of 7 facing each other, with the lead player from one team having been decapitated.
Many other splendid carvings, with a a story of two brothers who went to fight the underworld and lost, so one was beheaded (theme here?), the carvings show the other brother going back for revenge.
  
On to the temple of the warriors, and temple of 1000 columns (678 actually) .
 
Finally an unescorted potter round to the observatory and the ‘Nuns palace’.
  
This was the first Mayan site where we had traders on site. Properly spoiled the whole place.
As we came out, the crowds were building to the awful. Glad we got there early.
 
A short drive to the restaurant, and an opportunity to swim/jump into a 60m deep Cenote (natural well)
  
  
Finally, the 2 hr drive back to the Riviera resorts and the Gran Bhia
Mexico Day 5 – A quiet potter
So, no early start today as its a free day. Lazy breakfast and then a walking tour of Merida. Some quite nice buildings….
  
  A Cathedral….
a very, very large market….
and shops – including industrial cooking gear for brewing..
   
and then a sit in the sun and a beer by the pool..
  
Mexico Day 4 – Uxmal
Morning drive up from Campeche to Uxmal. Very warm day !
 
A huge late-classic Maya site, 7-1000 AD, really well restored. The stand alone magicians pyramid most impressive, together with the acropolis.
 
The complex also had a large enclosed Plaza, heavily decorated friezes…
  
The ‘main’ temple was actually tucked away at one end of the site with the Iguanas
  
and then heres a picture of our Guide, Alexandro. Just the two of us on this tour, so very nice to have a personal guide.
  
After an excellent visit it was on to Merida for a short orientation drive round the city in readiness for a free day the following day.
Mexico Day 3 – To Campeche
A long morning drive up the edge of the Bay of Mexico to Campeche.
The first Fort Santa Francisco was closed :-), so it was on to San Miguel
  
Fortress had an interesting Mayan collection, including the Mayan equivalent of Rosetta stone – but no photo – so here’s a seat that’s a bit similar, and a skull showing the skull deformation the practiced in the name of beauty
 
Campeche is an interesting Colonial walled town, most of the buildings survive. Late afternoon stroll round the town.
  
A look inside some of the government buildings with Moorish decor
  
and then the usual Cathedral and dancers !
  
Mexico Day 2 – Jungle exploring at Calakmul
A quick look round in daylight at the hotel ‘ecovillage’ site and take a picture of our lodge, and then breakfast.
Its an early 8am start as we head of into the jungle. Half an hour on the main road and then 40 mins down a one way road to find a Museum introducing the Bisophere that is the Calakmul protected area.
 
Then a further hour drive on tracks deep into the jungle to get to the main Calakmul site.
  
Calakmul was the main Mayan city in the classical period 600 – 1000AD. Â It boasts a 50m high stepped pyramid thats the highest in Mexico, and from the top gives views all around.
  
Theres a lot of other buildings and temples on the site including the ‘fight to the death’ ball court. All still pretty much undisturbed, and very much in the jungle.
 
A long retun journey to get lunch at 4pm. Beer for tea  then 🙂
Mexico Day 1 – Tulum and beyond
Early start from the luxury of the Gran Bahia Principa hotel. The biggest buffet Ive ever seen, but then the resort is probably be biggest of its type Ive been to. Tour guide and driver there to meet us at 8am, and its just us. Short trip to Tulum
  
A late Mayan site from1200 -1500, a spectacular cliff top position overlooking the Caribbean sea. Notable main temple to the Descending God and a temple of the wind (quite apt), as well as a protected turtle beach
 
Then a long drive, including a 1 hr detour because of striking teachers, in the rain to Bacalar.
  
The Azure Cenotes was supposed to be a perfect blue lake, but with the weather, was a grey uninviting lagoon in which I didn’t swim. Then to a restaurant for a 3pm Fahitas lunch over looking a very full lagoon.
 
Finally a quick look round a very wet San Felipe fortress before a drive to the Ecovillage Hotel. Not bad – purpose built for the tourists as ‘jungle lodges’ but very nice all the same.
Hoping for a good hols !
Off soon to Mexico to see the Mayan sites…
and hopefully, a dive or two in the Cenotes
  
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Cenotes are huge underground river and cavern systems that are accessible to all certified divers. The Yucatan Peninsula is famous for these systems that allow us to dive amongst amazing formations of Stalactites, Stalagmites and Limestone Columns.