Cancun - Tulum

Tulum - A Mayan port city by the sea. This was a settlement that was built in a later period from Chichen Itza and provided an interesting insight for me on the development of the Mayan culture in the area.

In fact, after the trip, i made it a point to watch Apocalypto - the movie directed by Mel Gibson with a strong Mayan theme. The movie was constantly brought up & slammed by my tour guide which all the more made me want to watch it.



Just a top down overview of Tulum, from here, one can tell that this was a fortified city with walls built around the perimeter.

Cancun - Isle Mujeres

Isle Mujeres is an island off the shore of Cancun. Located about 20 minutes away by ferry, the ferry terminal was about 20 mins on foot from my hotel. It was an easy trip to make. Out of my days in Cancun, this day was my favorite.

On my way to the terminal - Puerto Juanz - used mainly by the locals

 


Upon arriving on the island, i rented a golf cart for a day to take me around the island. Took random shots of the island..








Visited the Turtle Farm 





And spent the day at the beach :)

Cancun - Chichen Itza

On my second day, I visited a cenote - an underground limestone pit with water filtered from the rain.


Of course, it was partially a tourist trap. With demonstration tents & performances, angling for tips.





The cenote itself was beautiful & deserved a refreshing swim. Though it was disturbing that there was a performance in the podium while everyone was swimming in the cenote. There was chirping, dancing, drumming and of course, photo opportunities for ... more USD. Sigh

Next stop was Chichen Itza, one of the largest discovered Mayan cities. When the Spanish discovered the city, it was already abandoned as a site for worship.







The site was fairly huge & the stone structures remained in place. The tiles that used to adorn the buildings are mostly gone. The remnants of the engravings on these tiles are now faded but still exposed to the elements. The areas are cordoned off from the public for a distance.

Chichen Itza was a good experience. It made me want to go watch Apocalypto

Cancun - Hotel Zone

On a whim, i booked myself a trip to Cancun, Mexico. Known for its beautiful beaches & Mayan ruins, i made the trip down & booked myself in the 2nd cheapest hotel i could find on Expedia.

On my first day, i explored the Hotel Zone. 

The main tourist zone, Hotel Zone - made up of a cluster of resorts & hotels by the sea. Extremely commercialized & expensive. There were many resorts here that offered an all inclusive of meals & drinks during the entire trip. One never has to even step out of the hotel at all. But that really wasn't for me.

All the prices were quoted in USD. Everytime i turned my head, i spotted US brands everywhere like Hard Rock & Outback Cafe. Paddlers were trying to sell me fake Tiffany bracelets at 30 USD a piece.

 

The main form of transport around the island were these local buses that took you from area to area for about 1 USD per trip. 

Within the hotel zone, there was El Rey - a small Mayan ruin. Devoid of any human presence, with plenty of iguanas. There were hardly any explanations on what i was actually seeing within the site. 

Disappointed on my first day, i was hoping that the entire trip won't be a bust.
Then, i discovered the beach with Caribbean waters so clear and green and cool. Ahhhhhh.... I spent the remaining day just walking on the beach with sand in my toes. :)

Sometimes, the best things in life are for free.