Mission Merida

... down hand built wooden staircases. The last one we had to climb down a 40 foot ladder. Looking down into the hole, you couldn't even see the bottom! It was definately a bit scary.<br> <br> The water was crystal blue and it was eerily quiet in these caves. There was a large tree at the top of the cave entrance, and its roots hung all the way to the water, 100 feet below!

Siamo partiti sabato mattina da Tulum sotto una pioggia scrosciante che ci ha accompagnato per molti chilometri; volevo andare a vedere il sito di Coba, ma non era possibile, così abbiamo proseguito verso Merida. Nel primo pomeriggio il tempo è migliorato e così sono riuscita a visitare il sito di Mayapan, l'ultima capitale Maya. Un sito piccolo ma molto bello, mi sono inerpicata su un tempio (i soliti 60 gradini) per l'ultima volta.<br>Domani lasciamo la macchina e ...

... po' piu' caro degli altri, ma non c'e' paragone. La struttura e' bellissima, inizio del '900, le camere sono veramente chic con mobili d'epoca, letto enorme e comodissimo, aria condizionata, ventilatore, soffitti alti, tv lcd. <br>Anche se solo per una notte... <br>Il caldo e' tale che passiamo da un negozio all'altro per approfittare dei ventilatori, magari tra ...

... we reached the center circular road. There was lots of traffic and people drive much faster like they were in Cancun. We pulled over and let Fredrik switch to drive when we are in town.<br><br>Once we got into the center of Merida, we tried to visit Museum of Mayan History but it was already closed.<br><br>Then, we drove around the hotels while reading the guide book and decided to stay Hotel Maison ...

... forest and its buildings are set at varied elevations of the hilly landscape. It is considered one of the most complex and beautiful expressions of Puuc (meaning hilly country) architecture and is characterized by elaborate horizontal stonework on the upper levels of the structures. Unlike most Yucatan sites, Uxmal derived its water from man-made cisterns that collected rain water, not cenotes. The constant concern with the supply of water probably explains the numerous carvings ...

... caves near Boracay. Hey, you live and learn. After the tiring journey back from the cenotes, we went off in search of a cab driver to take us to Uxmal for the sound and light show. Thanksfully, we found a really nice driver called Pedro, who even gave us tips on good beaches to see (Majahual) and drove safely through the thunderstorm. The show was worth he trip. The ruins looked amazing. Tomorrow, we head off to Chichen Itza.

... that it was a socialist hang out with lots of local communists sitting in the open air area partaking of some ´smokes´! But the ´band´was due to come on so we figured we would live with it. The entertainment turned out to be an american guy from Idaho who had consumed 10 tequila shots before getting on stage. Entertaining but for the wrong reasons! His supporters didn´t seem too impressed, but none of the locals seemed to notice, apart from ...

... manually lift the truck off the rail to let the other trucks past. Quite a regular palaver! And quite weighty trucks with metal wheels and axel.Then the truck is put back, the horse reattached and we are off until we meet the next onward traffic! At one point there is a sharp bend and points change, and hold on tight as we stop suddenly round it and feet used to break as there is horse oncoming.. Then there is shouting of `Alto` (Stop) as we hear behind us another cart ...

... you say where you want to go, they put you in the right one, then you wait until the van is full of people. Sometimes it fills quickly, sometimes, like yesterday you have to wait for about half an hour. But we took the van straight to the Cenotes. Well, we took it to the drop-off, then got on the horse drawn buggy thing that is on tracks like old mining carts (again, see pics). That was a really cool 'ride', and our drivers took us to the first Cenote ...

The drive from Cancun to Progresso normally takes about 4 hours; our trip took about 5 because we had to change a flat. I was still dressed in my Canada clothes so it didn't take me long to check for traffic and change into something cooler. The road is straight and rather boring - but it gave my friend and I a chance to chat and talk about what we would be doing for the next two weeks. Photos: view from our terrace, the beach at Progresso and the hotel.