Highlights Yucatan Mexico I
Our tour started in Cancun and took us to the highlights of the Yucatan Peninsula.
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Day 5 - Mayan city of Palenque and Cascadas de Agua Azul
02/2011 This morning we set off half an hour earlier than usual. The reason is an unscheduled hike through the jungle. We hike with two guides through the rainforest to the pyramids of Palenque. On footpaths we go over streams past the diverse vegetation from small bushes, palm trees, medicinal plants to the large trees covered with lianas. The background noises and the smell of the forest are great! Again and again we pass overgrown old remains of Mayan buildings. The excavations of Palenque are unique. The pyramids and temple complexes are fully accessible. Embedded in the rainforest, you have a little feeling of being on the trail of Indiana Jones. From the highest temple you have a fantastic view of the central part of the temple complex with the watchtower. In the background you can see mountains and valleys with rainforest as far as the eye can see. We buy a small obsidian figure from a street vendor depicting King Pakal, who was instrumental in building Palenque. For lunch we drive to the Cascadas de Agua Azul. Here there are stepped waterfalls with almost crystal clear water from the mountains. The water is bathing temperature, so that many locals are here to swim on this Sunday. In the evening we drove back to Palenque on the same winding serpentine roads over the foothills of the Chiapas mountains. On the way to the hotel we got out in the city center and looked at the main street and the main square. In the main square there were a few musicians playing the marimba. The national musical instrument of Guatemala looks similar to a xylophone and can be played by up to four musicians. We listen for a while and then walk through sometimes dark alleys back to the hotel.
Day 6 - Excavation Chicanna and Kohunlich
Today we have a very long drive (460km) ahead of us. From Palenque we go back part of the way until we turn east. We stop for lunch at a truck stop. The food tasted rather mediocre. Some went straight to Burger King. After about five hours of driving we reach Chicanna, the first excavation we visit today. We take a short tour of the facility. The special thing about the complex is a temple wall with an almost completely preserved door lintel. There is even an old wooden beam incorporated above the door to support part of the construction. About 70 kilometers further we stop at another Mayan site in Kohunlich. Here we even see howler monkeys in a tree. As we walk through the complex, we look at beautiful stone masks on a pyramid. You can even still see traces of paint on the masks. The complex is particularly beautiful because it is embedded in a palm jungle and is virtually deserted. On the way to the parking lot we see a street of leaf-cutting ants crossing the pedestrian path. The tiny animals carry around huge pieces of leaves. In the evening we spend the night in Chetumal. The border town with Belize is not particularly beautiful. Due to a hurricane in the past, all of the historic houses were destroyed and then rebuilt in modern solid construction. In the evening we go to a tacceria for dinner. We are served tortillas and mountains of meat outside under a canopy. There is also good beer (Amber) and tequila.
Day 7 - Mayan city of Tulum
In the morning we start towards Tulum. On the way we made a stop at a cenote. Some used the stop as a swimming break. Unfortunately the sun didn't shine today, so we only drove past an adjacent 50 km long blue lagoon. An hour later we reach Tulum. However, the temple complex by the sea is very touristy and commercial. If you have already seen all the other excavations on the tour, there is nothing exciting left to see here. The only special thing is the location on a rocky cliff directly by the sea. After Tulum, some participants will be divided into minibuses. This is great for the group because it means everyone can get to their beach hotel as quickly as possible. The expressway is around 1-2 km from the sea and the hotels. So the bus has to go to and from every hotel. We arrive at our hotel (Excellence Riviera Cancun) around 7:00 p.m. It's actually a shame that the great tour is already over.
Conclusion
The tour was just great. The tour guide, the group, the schedule and the hotels were just right. In a country as diverse as Mexico, such a 7-day tour is highly recommended!
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