Hi everyone! I'm back from a restfull vacation in Mexico. Unfortunately (and yet fortunately at the same time), I've been pretty busy since I got back. Easter dinner, some thesis work, a day trip to Montreal, going back to work (with my co-manager gone on travel) - yeah, it's been busy.
I wanted to give an overview of our trip, but I'll be frank, we stayed at our resort almost the entire time. It was pretty though, and fully of friendly things (see our friend Iggy).
We went on a day trip to Chitchen Itza, and spent an afternoon in Playa Del Carmen, but other than that we spent our time sleeping, sunning, playing and eating at the resort. The resort was super nice, and I only got burned 2-3 times during the week - woohoo! Playa del Carmen was touristy but cute and quite busy. It seems as though it's a popular vacation spot for foreigners and Mexicans alike.
Chitchen Itza was super cool and we were really glad that we picked that particular tour. We'd wanted to go see ruins but there are 3 decent ones in the vicinity (Coba, and Tulum in addition to Chichin Itza). We picked what we did as the site is a UNESCO sight and the main pyramid was in the 7 wonders of the world that they redid a few years back.
The site is huge (we didn't see it all due to time constraints) and popular. I took the majority of my vacation photos there. It was super dusty and hot as there is a lot of large flat open spaces all around the buildings. The coolest and most well known buidlings are the pyramid, the ball court, the temple of the warriors, and the astronomical tower. See the photos below for an idea of each one. It's amazing the restoration work.
Ballcourt - place of special ceremonial sport played every 4-8 years or something. The players tried to kick the ball into the circle on the opposite side of the court, and the best player was sacrificed at the game's end. Crazy athleticism would have been required to play, let alone be the best player on the court. The carvings on the side illustrate the game.
Warrior palace - big building on the site, and the details were super cool - lots of carved elements. You couldn't go up the stairs or on the building at all. Bummer.
Observatory - really cool building, very similar to other ruins of astronomical observation buildings I've seen elsewhere (including a single tower in Korea that was like a tiny leaning version of the main dome in this one).
The details and architecture was amazing when you think of how long ago these were built, that they were all done without the use of the wheel, and that they burned through an incredible amount of forest building everything. The craftsmanship of the carvings is amazing - they are some of the most complex of the BC era. So, cool. Oh, and of course, there were more friendlies on site.
Anyhoo, after a few hours there we left for lunch and went to swim in a cenote. I didn't get a picture (I borrowed this one) because I was basically having to chose between being able to jump in and take a swim or bring my camera with me. So glad I chose to go take a swim - it was awesome to be in the water! There were little fishes, the vines hang down right into the water, the sun shines through the hole in the earth in the top of the cenote and a little bit of water drips down in some spots, and the water is fresh. So beautiful - like a scene from a movie of tropical paradise.
Overall, it was super great. It's been so hectic, and I apologize for the delay. I hope that my travel with work will slow down a bit and I'll be able to post more (on baking, etc.) this summer. I plan to go back on a modified allergy diet, so I'm sure to be baking up a storm.
No comments:
Post a Comment