Isla Mujeres, Mexico

With a final early morning wake, I had packed my bag the night before and so was out the door at 7am with the minumum of fuss and noise first thing in the morning. I should have brought my flipflops and splashed some suncream around but I had no idea how long I would be out and about and I did not want to carry more than I needed.

I had already checked with the hostel staff the night before that it was ok to leave my stuff in their main office during the day, and the mere weight of it alone I am sure would put off the most casual of theives and the fact that it looks tatty and has broken buckles and straps through excessive usage over the last few months just adds to the image that inside is nothing of any real value. Of course, I took my wallet, passport and digital camera, but my laptop is just too big to fit in my mini rucksack so I had to leave it inside the main bag and hope for the best.

The tour guide had given me directions of how to reach the meeting point in the hotel district at 8:15am but I had no real idea of how frequent the buses there were or how far into the district the meeting point was, so in the end I left at 7am and upon finding a bus right away I was there at just past 7:15 and with an hour to kill before things got going. It is at this point that I could have killed the agent as I later found out that they do not leave until 9:25 and so I could have woken up at a normal time, enjoyed the free breakfast in the hostel and still made it in plenty of time.

As it was, I found a hotel with a restaurant that would allow non-hotel guests to buy a breakfast, not cheap however, and then after being the first to get my ticket and wrist band then spent the next hour on a deck chair on the beach waiting for the boat to arrive.

Although the guide had told me that it was a full inclusive, this too was a lie - as confirmed by the writs bracelet that I had saying "basic" and the fact that all the activities on the Island would cost me extra as would anything I wanted to eat and drink before 2:30, so as you could imagine I was not a happy camper.

The final kick in the teeth was that when we were all underway, the ships rep who spoke both languages decided that as the main bulk of tourists were other Mexicans, that she had no need to repeat anything in English and it was only my bored face that attracted another of the staff who stopped to see why I was looking unhappy and then he offered in English to help me if I had any problems, at which point I offered up that could he help me organise another snorkling trip.

It turned out that he himself couldn't but it didnt matter as all the staff spok English, one of the prequisits for being hired, and the lady who did organise the water activities took my money and then told me where and at what time to arrive and collect my flippers and mask. The equipment they offered was not as high quality as the ones from Xel-Há, in fact they still used old life jackets for flotation vests, but then beggars can't be chosers and I didn't want to spend a half day on my own on a beach without any food or drink so even this did not prevent me from going on my second dive in two days.

This time the experience was still fabulous, but for different reasons. The water was cooler, deeper and more dangerous as it was now on an island beach coast and not a secluded inlet, and also it had its own tide and currents that you had to flip against, but then the water was somehow clearer and the variety of fish there was even more varied, and I got to see both a Barracuda glide underneath me and a Manta Ray sitting gently on the bottom of the ocean floor.

We were only given an hour, had to keep within the buoys for protection and with more of us in a tight group we were often bumping into each other, but it was still fun and being a beach the whole place was filled with people, including plenty of attractive young ladies in their bathing suits which is a welcoming sight of a different variety.

Once we were back on the island I just allowed the sun to dry me, switching from my front to my back ever two or three songs to ensure that I didn't get to badly burned yet still somehow I managed to burn my back and shoulders at least a small amount.

Without my flipflops I decided to go barefoot on the island, as much was sand anyway and only a few times did I have to stop to pick out tiny bits of rock and rubble from my soles of my feet and I had more trouble with ground being sun baked rather than it being filled with sharp bits.


Although there were plenty of vendors and shell necklace sellers, I didn't see any women offering massages on the beach like I have on so many other beaches, and with further investigation I did end up finding a spa that offered massages but at a price so high I could tell was only for rich tourists and foreigners and that no proper locals would want to afford even if they could, so I went back to my sun bathing.


The sand on the beach was so small, soft and white that I had no problem walking on it and even though it did find its way into my clothing it was not too much of a disconfort. Walking around the small island it was fun to see so many golf carts being used as private run arounds, as the island is just too small for it to be practical to transport a cars over, although I still saw a few, and also the roads were to uneven and short to allow anyone to get up to speed, so puttering around at 10 miles per hour is perfectly suitable for the majority.

I could have got myself one for 250 pesos for 2 hours, but I couldn't really see the point in it, as there just wasn't any need and instead I just wandered around, took a few photos and lazed around on the beach til 2:30 when I could finally help myself to the free food and drink that I had been promised.

The food buffet was pretty good and I could probably have seconds without anyone caring, but instead I just filled up on bread rolls and fruit til it was time to go back on the beach for a last half hour, ignoring the vendors and then queued up for the ship ride back to Cancun.

The ship left at a little after 4pm and I had no idea of how long it was getting across til I got to the other end and checking my watch, saw that it was almost 5:30 and as I had a flight at 8:40 I couldnt waste to much more time before heading off to the airport.

During the journey across I was seated next to a group of Mexicans, all from different citie son vacation here and once again all able to speak English, which yet again made me feel that the UK system of education has something to be desired in terms of helping out its future travellers and globetrotters. The bunch that I was with were all very interested in my travels and I ended up handing out several of my business cards to them after they had quizzed me on where I had been and still had to visit.

They also gave me plenty of places and things to visit when I arrived back in Mexico City, so many in fact, that by the end my head was spinning with Spanish sounding places and I requested that instead they email me so as I knew my brain would fail me should I try to memorise them all, especially as they were plying me with the free Margarita's being served.

Once I was back on dry land I had no problem catching a bus, as they were running very frequently through the hotel district back to downtown Cancun, and with a quick word of thanks to the hostel owner for keeping my stuff during the day I walked the three of four blocks to the bus depot and was again happy to see that during the day they buses to the airport were every twenty minutes and the next one was imminent.

With such good timing I had made the airport with plenty of time to spare, so as their wifi internet had a cost, I instead chose to try out a TFI Friday meal, which could have been better ( the bread was as hard as rock ) and the price was no cheaper than in London or New York, so for 320 pesos I was only able to afford a shrimp and chicken curry, an ince cream for afters and a couple of drinks, non alcohol this time!

The early nights, the food and the warmth worked their usual trick and I slept on the flight even without headphones are eye mask from almost the second that we took til we touched down, thus giving me two hours uninterrupted sleep. Being on a local flight there was no immigration to pass through, just collect my luggage from the carosel and as soon as I got outside I saw K's flash me from her car and then pull over to let me get in, whisking me back to her apartment without a moments delay.

Cancun and its sights were nice to visit for a weekend, and certainly if you like nightlife then the hotel district is almost unbeatable for miles around, but for me it was nice to be back to a normal city where things made sense and was more my normal life.

Chichen Itza

I had to wake up at just a little before 6am in order to get ready for the daylong trip to Chichen Itza staring at 7am.

Thankfully I was organised and although I couldnt have breakfast, I was able to ready bright and early to catch the little bus that arrived to collect me a little after 7 and take me to the meeting point for an 8am departure proper.

I shared the little bus with a family from Colombia who were very chatty and currently living in the USA which explains the two girls great understanding of English. Arriving at the meeting point I had to follow a group to collect my ticket at the main desk and then board a big air conditioned coach that would take us the 2 1/2 hours to our destination.

Throught the drive I was chatting to the group of Mexicans that I was sitting along side as well as listening to the fascinating stories and anecdotes from our two guides, Edgar and Hector.

I learned that there still existed a group of Mayan descendents who still speak the original language, which was based on a phonetic alphabet. I also heard that the Spanish conquistadors burned the entire library of Mayan books except 3 volumes, and the man responsible was declared a traitor to Spain and imprisoned for a decade for his impudence and arogance.

I leared that there was actually a secondary "High Mayan" language that the elders knew and refused to teach the peasants as way of controlling and frightening the general populatoin.

I learned that on Christmas the tradional pinata is a 7 pointed star, created by the christian bishops to be full of sweets and food as treats and a reward for the peasants who converted to Christianity.

The guides were very clear to mention that most of their conclusions are based on the translation of the 3 remaining books and of the many carvings and stone scultpures that have been lovingly restored and repaired as best as the archaeologists could do, adding that they are only around 30% positive of their facts and the remaining 70% is conjecture and their best educated guesses.

I also heard about the Mexican president who sold Chichen Itza to his friend for 75 dollars about 80 years ago, and since then the entrance, the land and the sites have been a constant battle between the new owners and the govermment, and after heading that the owner has allowed vendors to sell on the premises and also use many of the pyramids stone blocks for the lobby of his 5 star hotels that are barely in the shadow of the main pyramid I am 100% behind the government who are trying to get it back again.

In the last 30 years much restoration has been done to the site, and an elderly American who had visited the site almost 35 years ago later said that the entire place was almost unrecognisable from what it once was.

Finally I heard that the Mayans had no gold to speak of, but what they did have was golden amethyst, a polished black stone that in the morning sun looked like gold but was no more than a precious stone. When the Spanish came across Tulum they saw much of the walls covered in such stones and from a distance it looked like gold, but as the coast was pretected by a deadly coral reed the Spanish could not beach there, so came via the south and when they finally found Tulum almost 50 years later they were very dissapointed and were positive that they two places could not be one and the same place.

The entrance to Chichen Itza is only 48 pesos, which is cheap when you consider that it is a wonder of the modern world, but then as it hosts almost 8000 guests per day, you can see that even at such a small price the owner is making an absolute fortune.

Before we reached the entrance we had to pause at a market / restaurant about half an hour away and here you could get a custom made necklass pendant with your name spelled in Mayan Heiroglyphics made from either silver, gold or a mixture and as I am on a budget I got my name done in just silver for US $39, being US $29 for the backing and first letter and then another 2 US$ after that.

As we left here for the ruins out guide mentioned that it was on the edge of a rain forest and thus we should all have adequate protection from both and moqquitos, which was news to most of us, but luckily there werent enough to worry us and I didn't see more than one or two the whole time I was there.

The site was magnificent in all its glory and almost fully restored was an avenue of almost 500 pillars, the main pyramid, the observatory and the ball court with overlooking seating for the masses. The thing that impresses you first if you are aware of it, is the almost perfect acoustics of the place, being able to hear an echo of a clap up to 7 times in the ball court and have it transformed into a snakes rattle or the a bird call at specific axis away from the main pyramid.

They went into a bit of detail about the ritual occasional sacrifice, which was first starved and then drugged with a alcohol and mushrooms mix before being thrust onto a rock seat which was intended to paralyse them and ensure they could not scream before finally being stabbed with a obsidian blade, all very public and done to both wow the crowd and ensure their loyalty and obedience.

The next thing, again if you are informed, is that they were great scientists and mathmaticians, able to predict eclipses, epochs, lunar cycles and their 365 day calendar is alledged to be accurate to 17 seconds every 5012 years or there abouts, which is very amazing for a civilization built a few thousand years ago. Their knowledge of binar and a bidecimal code is also impressive and you cannot help but wonder if there is any truth in the myth that they are descendents from aliens or from another dimension.

Finally before we were free to split up and have an hour to ourselves we were explained the rules of the super hard ball game. Two teams of seven players competed in a bizarre game of a sort of cross between basketball, lacross and american football, each player with padding and a pair of non identical raquettes all trying to get a rock hard rubber ball through a hoop 4 meters above their heads without using their hands.

The winner captain was beheaded, but in a ritual that was meant to bring good luck and revitality to the land, with huge rewards for their family and also the promise of being reincarnated into a better position in the future life.

With my coach load of tourists I wandered around for a couple of hours, listening to claps and chatting to various people before it was time to split up and take a few photos of things if you missed then the first time around.

On the way back we passed onto a place that was a huge sink hole with a pool at the bottom where you could swim in, and although I did not have my bathing suit with me, I took a gamble and after renting a towel for US $10, less $7.50 as a refundable deposit, I decided to jump in and wow oh wow.

The water was fresh, clear, had fish at the bottom ( how they got there I dont know ) but was also extremely deep and cool. There were a few overlooking ledges and places to jump from but I forgot to breath in first so my lungs were not full of air and I took a second to rise to the top, not what I had planned and without being able to get my bearings or touch the bottom I decided to not waste any more time and headed for the wooden rungs to climb out.

The American / Mexican couple that were sitting next to me on the bus had brought flippers and face masks and happily flaoted around for a half hour while the rest of us took turns diving in and then climbing out, or taking photos.

After the sink whole we were taken to a the place where we first arrived, where we were offered food from a huge all you can eat buffet, all included except the drinks and as I finished quickly I then gave myself a chance to relax by the pool that I had spotted just behind the restaurant. I then collected my neck pendant and then it was back on the bus to go back to the dock and then back to the downtown where I got off.

As the bus was driving back the sun set which brough almost total darkness except for the illuminated cats eyes on the road for most of the journey until we reached the harbour and 5 star hotel zone once more and then the scene outside was breathtaking for a whole new reason.

Most of the hotels have very stylishly designed exteriors that are lit up, and with it being Christmas as well there was hardly a meter square that wasn't lit up somehow or other and I hate to think what their power bill is like. We passed three glorios old style ships that were also lit up like Christmas trees and if I had time I would love to come back here and just take it all in, snap a few photos and stay awhile, but my time here is limited.

I asked a few others how much they had paid for the trip and they said about US $33, so my $55 was not exactly cheap but then they were staying in a 5 star hotel under a sort of vacation club prepayment scheme with discounted excursions so if you taken into account both our accomodations and the fact that I had booked my over the internet I dont think I got a bad deal in the end.

Back in downtown I found a tour agency to sell me a discounted trip to Tulum and Xoi He all inclusive for US $105, which was a lot less than the US $125 for Xoi He alone and then a 60% off a second trip the following day as an all inclusive boat ride with dancing and so I will be sure to take my swimmig stuff with me this time.

Finally I helped myself to a lime soup and steak meal that was not exactly cheap at 249 pesos, but acceptable and then headed on back to the hostal to check out my photos and update my blog.

Outside in the square they were holding a sort of live rock concert that went on til around 1am and was so close that I could hear every sound, regretfully as they murdered classics like "Child of Mine" by Guns And Roses amoung others, and reminded me that the best things are often the originals.

Arrival in Cancun, Mexico

The trip to the airport in Mexico City was a doddle thanks to my friend K, who drove me all the way and showed me where I needed to go to get the tickets.

I had arrived with only an hour spare time, so basically I just checked in and then after changing over my remaining money from Costa Rica and Honduras, I went through the security gates and waited to board the flight.

The flight itself was short and was without a movie, but I expect this was because the flight was only a couple of hours so once you deduct the time taken to take off and land then what you have left is hardly enough time to watch anything anyways.

Arriving in Cancun I was not sure what to expect, but whatever I had in my mind I was not prepared for how modern, glamarous and touristy the place was. The airport was the picture perfect place with a large room dedicated to tourist information with plenty of brochures, no hard sell and both thick guides and maps for the surrounding area all free, such a relief and a boon it was hard to graps how it could have been any better.

I didn't want to waste money getting cab to the city centre, and the bus terminal was just outside with several different places where you can buy tickets and for only 30 pesos the price was affordable, even considering that it was a half hour ride and the bus had recliner seats and airconditioning.

Once I got out of the bus terminal, which again looked like something right out of an architects manual, it was then a quick taxi to my hostel, that had I know I could have walked as it was really only about a five minute walk once you knew the route.

I checked into my hostel without any fuss, found a room overlooking a big plaza and chatted happily to the couple of other guests who were there til I went to get some more cash for the weekend ahead.

On my way back I took a stroll around the place to see what else was around there, and I was amazed at how many 4 or 5 start hotels there were all in such a close area, along with the thousands of restauants and gift stalls. All I can say is that once the hurricans damanged the region they didnt waste any time in rebuilding and renovating what was there to make it look fantastic.

I overheard one American say that it was just like Vegas but without the gambling, and that is to say that it was birght flashy lights and huge boarding adverts just about everywhere, even more impressive at the moment than New York.

I stopped at a sports bar and grill and had a nice pizza and coke before I headed back to my hotel in order to get a good nights sleep before a full day tomorrow, where I had an early trip to Chichen Itza.