Highlights on Yucatan Mexico II
Our tour started in Cancun and took us to the highlights of the Yucatan Peninsula.
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Day 1 - The Pyramids of Chichen Itza
02/2011 We set off for Chichen Itza shortly after 8:00 a.m. The journey there took us along a motorway through endless forests. The road was almost straight as an arrow, and there were only three exits and three gas stations on the 350 km of motorway. We arrived in Chichen Itza at around 11:00 a.m. It was incredibly warm, but luckily there was a light breeze. The temple complex is very extensive. We visited the large pyramid (which you are unfortunately no longer allowed to go up - like all the other monuments). Then we went on to the infamous ball sports field and the water hole (cenote). Afterwards we went past the Hall of a Thousand Columns to a few excavations and temples away from the large pyramid. All the paths in the excavation are populated by vendors, who are quite reserved in their advertising of their wares. In the afternoon we left the temple grounds and went for lunch. The restaurant was beautifully laid out and we sat outside under thatched roofs. The buffet was OK and there were small tables where Ina and I could sit alone. After dinner we went on to M'rida.
Day 2 - Sisal factory and Merida
This morning we started from Merida to a sisal factory. The trip was unofficial at the request of the group. The factory is one of the few active factories of what was once a major industry in the Yucatan. We were lucky because the hundred-year-old defibering machine was running that day. The old dilapidated hacienda next door is a silent witness to a glorious era. Then we went to Hunucma, an ancient Mayan village. Here we strolled through the market where locals sold colorful fruits.
Some old women wore the typical white embroidered robes. At the end of Marktstrasse we stumbled into a small bakery for burritos. The baker was happy that we were German and in the next moment he already had a German-Spanish lexicon in his hand. He told us “Welcome to Mexico”. Afterwards we took small boats on a river delta. On the trip we saw pelicans, flamingos and other birds. After a short trip through the mangrove forests, we went back to the jetty and from there to a fishing village on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico for lunch. Here I ate a kind of cordon bleu with fish. Shrimp and raisins were wrapped in a breaded fish fillet - very tasty and something completely new.
Day 3 - Hacienda Yaxcopoil as well as Uxmal and Kabah
Early in the morning we drove to Hacienda Yaxcopoil, which was equipped as a kind of museum with original furniture, etc. After the visit we continued towards Uxmal.
Here we looked at a really great temple complex. You could even climb up one of the pyramids. The view from the top was impressive. There was even a tortoise temple, but unfortunately the tortoises were so degraded by the weather that you could only guess what they were like based on their body shape.
Our restaurant for lunch was a few meters away from the temple town. Here people still really cooked in the earth oven (pip). The meat and potatoes were very tender. At the end there was a nightcap for each guest, which was served with much fanfare by a Mexican.
After strengthening, we go to a small, only partially excavated Mayan city called Kabah. Here you can see what the facilities look like before and after restoration. The elephant ear tree is also interesting. This has thick, rounded leaves that look like elephant ears.
Next the journey takes us to a Mayan family. The unplanned detour is interesting and shows the original life as lived by many older Mayan farmers. The visiting "grandparents" of the Mayan family are happy about the visit and proudly show us how to sleep in a hammock, their gods, which all stand on a small altar, and the many useful and medicinal plants in their garden. Using an algave leaf, our grandfather shows us how to remove the fibers using simple means and how to weave a rope from already dried fibers in just a few steps.
Day 4 - Old Town Campeche and Mexican Gulf
In the morning we went from the hotel to downtown Campeche. The central square is in colonial style. The houses are colorfully painted. On the east side of the square there is a typical Mexican cathedral. After visiting the historic city center, we go up to a fortress on the outskirts of the city where a museum resides. From the fortress there are beautiful views of the sea, the city and the villas along the coast. The museum has an exhibition of various Mayan cult objects and archaeological finds.
The rest of the day we drive several hundred kilometers along the Mexican Gulf. For lunch we stop at a small restaurant by the sea. The fish fillet tastes fantastic! The view is wonderful! Then it's a several hour drive to Palenque. Here we come to a great hotel at nightfall. The complex resembles a jungle-like park. The rooms are a bit poorer, but the dinner (buffet) is quite good.
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