September 7th -
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| Waiting for take off |
After a long night of broken sleep I sluggishly rolled out of bed. We had stayed up until about 10:30 the previous night watching documentaries about the mysteries of the Mayans. I had tossed and turned with vibrant dreams of a towering pyramid and temple dedicated to the snake god. After getting up, I showered and began preparing a hearty breakfast consisting of eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits, and gravy. We waited on Bruce shortly after breakfast to pick us up for the airport. When we got to the airport, Bruce said his goodbyes to Jamie, his girlfriend, and we checked our bags. The next stop was to get some coffee. We got our coffee and did some waiting in the terminal for Brian and Jeff. I was reading some of my book, when they showed up. It’s to be noted that Brian came completely empty handed.
A few hours later, we started descending over the jungles of Mexico and beautiful beaches came into view. After a safe landing, we got our luggage and split ways with the boys, as we had different hotels. Sal, Bruce, and I decided on a shuttle and paid for it. On our way out, we got dragged into a promotional deal by a man named Danny Garcia. He let us know that we could get a better deal on Chichen Itza by attending a promotion at a hotel called "Hotel Krystal". After listening to Danny talk in length about the hotel, we accepted the offer and paid for our Chichen Itza tour. It must be mentioned that I was a little leery about the situation. We got out and it was already dark. The shuttle took us to our hostel, Hostel Mayapan.
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| Signing in at Mayapan |
We got in and put our things up, then decided to go get a 12 pack and head to the beach. On the way, we stopped in to eat. We didn’t know where anything was, so, we settled for McDonald's. (Accompanied with some “Sol” beer). The beach was nice and refreshing. We started feeling a lot better from the disasters there were from the beginning of our trip. We bought some ankle bracelets and some brandy that evening as well. We a got a good pisser going and eventually we closed our eyes to our eyes on our first day in Mexico.
September 8th –
We woke up around 6AM to hit the humid Cancun streets. We had an appointment for the previously mentioned promotion at the “Krystal Hotel” that we had to get out of the way. We made our way to Starbucks for some Americanos to start the day. After writing down our adventures in our journals in Starbucks, we walked back to our Hostel and took a picture on our way to our room.
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| Our photo in Hostel Mayapan |
We walked outside where we met our driver that would take us to the hotel. In Spanish, I asked him where the best local beach was, and he swung by to show us “Playa Tortuga”. He tried to tell us about the hotel he was affiliated with and wanted us to get out to look at it, but we just wanted to get where we were going. Our driver was completely nuts. He was going on and on about god knows what. Finally we got to Krystal and found that we owed slightly more for Chichen Itza. We paid, filled out some paperwork, then followed a lady around until we finally got to a much needed breakfast.
There were several new things I tried there for breakfast. There was some kind of tortilla casserole that was indescribably delicious, and the omelet was the best I’ve ever had. When you stand in line for the cook, you pick out everything you want in your omelet, and the cook makes it right in front of you. After breaky, we walked through different parts of the hotel. Being told that it would take no longer than 90 minutes, Sal started asking a lot of questions concerning the amount of time we had already spent there. It had started escalating because we had already been there for quite some time. Our demands got things moving in the direction we wanted, and finally we got out of there with our Chichen Itza tour confirmed.
After exiting the hotel, we walked along the beach and collected different things. Sal found a shark tooth, and made plans for making a necklace out of it, while Bruce had collected many shells and sand dollars. On the way to the hostel, we grabbed some beer at a local store and walked back.
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| Sal's shark tooth |
We discussed what to do next, then decided to take the city bus to Brian and Jeff’s hotel. We rang their room from the lobby and let them know we were there. We waited in their humid lobby until they showed up. They informed us that the previous night they had met a few lassies from Edinburgh, Scotland and made some bad decisions.
After the food, Brian picked up some Cuban cigars, and I got a Mayan Zodiac necklace. Then, we cabbed back to the boys’ hotel and they changed for the beach. We all walked to Playa Tortuga. On the way, we grabbed beer and rum to indulge upon at the beach. Under the waters oft Tortuga, we found sting rays, crabs, and what looked like an under water bomb. We took some pictures and snorkeled a bit. It’s to be noted the Bruce rather enjoyed snorkeling and finding things. We split ways with Brian and Jeff and bussed back to the hostel. We agreed that dinner at a local restaurant sounded good. That night we enjoyed Pacifico and Tacos at "The Hog's Breath". We wound down with my beach playlist from my ipod, and went to bed.
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| The Bomb |
September 9th –
We woke up at 6AM with the intent to get to Plaza Fiesta for our tour bus departure. We got there early because we were told to be there at 7:50, but the ticket showed 7:20. We waited at the plaza, and while there, met a mother and daughter from Nottingham, England. Shortly after the bus' arrival, we boarded and started on the roads of Mexico. We traversed a jungled Mexico and saw buzzards picking meals off the road, little towns full of people, and little dogs wandering across dusty streets. It was very interesting to see the daily lives of rural Mexico. Our bus finally arrived at a Cenote. We unloaded the bus to reveal a few small buildings and the noises of livestock. We first came to a building where a small Mayan woman was making tortillas by hand and tossing them on the fire.
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| hand made tortillas |
We stood in line, and finally I walked up to taste a very delicious tortilla with a tomato paste in it. Next, we followed the rocky trail to some stairs sinking into an opening in the earth. We walked down to the Cenote where music was keeping a wonderful atmosphere. I felt as if I entered a new world. Looking down, you could see water and a platform in the middle with streams of water coming out of it. We picked a spot where I decided to swim in my clothes. Stepping in, it was cold as refrigerated water. Eventually, I took the plunge. It was very refreshing. We were swimming where the Mayan Kings once swam.
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| Me in the Cenote |
We walked back where I bought Sol and lime flavored peanuts for Sal and I. We were starving because we missed breaky, thinking there was one part of the tour. When it was time, everyone loaded the bus, and we left the Cenote. We stopped to admire an Agave farm on the way to our next stop. There were rows and rows of Agave Azul, used to make Tequila. Next, we drove for about 20 more minutes to where we would eat. We parked and browsed Mayan hand crafted goods until they called for lunch. Lunch was delicious. There was lime soup, pulled pork, cheesy spaghetti, and some habaneros that would make you turn red. Ask Bruce.
It rained just slightly during our stay there. While there, we enjoyed free samples of Tequila, Rum, and I got to try Xtanbetun, which is a honey fermentation that the Mayans drank. Next stop: Chichen Itza.
We arrived to see tons of vendors and a huge “Chichen Itza” sign on a cement wall. We entered and through the trees, revealed “El Castillo”. The Spanish called it El Castillo, which means “castle” in English. Chichen Itza is a Mayan word meaning “at the mouth of the well at Itza”, “Itza” being the tribe. The great big pyramid there was erected in theory for the snake god Kulkulcan, and was used during sacrifices. Vendors followed us everywhere, but we traversed and saw:
El Castillo
The Ball Court
Temple of the Warriors
The Observatory
And many others on site
Sal found a stick there, and I bought a decorative idol. With aching feet, we loaded up the bus again and drove back home. We were pretty worn out on the way back. We decided to ease our hunger after getting dropped off, by stopping in to “The Hog’s Breath”, where we ate the night before. I had a really fulfilling and delicious pork burrito.
After getting back in, I decided to take a picture of my locker since it looked so cool from loading it up with my purchases. It was then that all too familiar cringe hit me: I misplaced my camera. I know I had it on the ride back in, but I lost it on the way. No Bueno.
September 10th –
Happy Birthday Grandpa, if he were still with us. Sal and I woke up around 6 AM, and decided to go to "Plaza Fiesta", where the tour buses load up so I could ask about my misplaced camera. I found the bus that we had previously rode on and I looked inside with no luck. Disappointed, I wandered the Plaza Fiesta store and found a leather zipper wallet that I liked, along with a few other souvenirs. I bought them, then we headed back to the hostel. Bruce came in after a while, and we decided to find a free snorkel spot. We followed a paper printout to find a place called Punta Nizuc. We stopped at the wrong place, and decided to walk until we found it. We ended up walking for a really long time in the heat and our frustration was escalating. We denied several honking taxis, and Bruce finally offered to pay for one. However, we hadn’t seen one pass by in a while. We found that there were a few people swimming when we came up to a bridge. I wanted to keep walking, but Bruce was pretty heated and left the group to talk to the people down there. Sal and I stood and debated what to do next. We went after Bruce to find him in new spirits and conversing with new friends. They told us there was plenty of decent snorkeling within the immediate area. We decided to walk down to where the “Rio Nizuc” sign pointed. We found a small restaurant placed right by the water. We ordered chips and beer and Bruce decided to order some conch. We loved it here and refer this part of the trip as one of our favorites. After achieving a good buzz, we snorkeled there, and did some snorkeling under the bridge as well.
After we got some snorkeling done, we took the bus to Playa Tortuga again. There, we met the boys by surprise. They happened to come up right after we got some beer delivered to us. We also tried “Kivas”, a corn based paste wrapped round fried pork and deep fried. Brian brought his Cubans and we drank, snorkeled, and ate fish tacos. The fish tacos where outstanding. Brian and Jeff ordered a “Michilada”, which was beer with spicy rimmed cups and lime. It was really tasty. We all where loving the atmosphere. Es la Vida, It’s the life…
We made plans that evening (since it was Friday in Cancun), to go out by “The Coco Bongo”. Sal, Bruce, and I got there and bought some rum, got McDonald's, and poured said rum into our Cokes. We walked around and people watched. What a scene it was. We wanted to get in a club , but we were low on funds. Bruce decided to get us in one by using his card. We went in, got an order on the drinks, and found out it was declined. So, we were back out on the streets again. We people watched more, then Bruce decided that he would go back to talk to Jamie. Sal and I walked to “The Hog’s Breath” after getting tired of orbiting the clubs. We had a few Corona’s and decided to walk back in case of a possible beach after party. We walked around a bit more, then hit the beach. It was lacking an after party, but we had bought a couple of 40’s of Sol on the way there. We were drinking by the beach and had a pretty great convo. I got in the water a bit with my jeans on. I really didn’t care either. I walked home barefoot in them, and they were covered in sand.
September 11th –
After waking up and enjoying a complimentary breakfast, we decided we needed to go to the store and buy groceries to save money. So, we took a bus to the local Walmart. I found it comical that every white person on the bus got off at that stop. We tried a lot of different cheeses and chips with beans that they were handing out as samples. We found a few groceries, and for lunch, I got a pizza while Sal got McDonald's and Bruce got sushi. We bussed back and I squeezed a nap in. Sal contacted Brian to meet at Playa Tortuga so we could get the Ferry to “La Isla Mujeres”. We met them there, and got our tickets. The Ferry ride was really refreshing and fun.
We made port at Mujeres and wandered the island. We found a place to get some beer and chips, then went to swim and snorkel. On the way, we ate some very tasty empanadas, freshly made right in front of us.
While snorkeling, I punctured my finger. I spend some time trying to get coral out with Sal’s knife. It was painful. We walked a long time for better snorkeling, with no luck. Darkness had fallen on the island. While everyone found a place to relieve themselves, I sat on a stone wall overlooking the ocean. While I was there, I looked into a house with open windows and took notice of the simple lives the people within were living. There was no air conditioning, and hammocks were hung up in the house, that were no doubt made by the people laying in them. We eventually made our way to a man whom we asked to point us to a local cantina. He brought us there for the price of one beer, for which we accepted and paid. We all, save for Bruce, drank some beer and got a good pisser going. We tabbed out and went to the liquor store and bought some rum. Since we had long missed our destined ferry, we loaded up on the one that would make port in Puerto Juarez. There we were, drinking rum from the bottle on a boat in the Caribbean.
We made port in Puerto Juarez, where we decided on McDonald's for food and rum mixing (coke). We chose it on lack of options. A slightly intoxicated and fun-loving Sal hit on the Mexican girl serving us. He invited her to our next stop: Playa Tortuga. We sat at the table enjoying our drinks and listening to my beach playlist. We decided to smoke Jeff’s previously purchased substance. We were all reaching for the stars in no time, and decided to take a taxi to downtown, then the downtown bus to Playa Tortuga. We were being quite obnoxious the whole way. Play Tortuga was very nice that evening with my continued music from my ipod. We were enjoying some Kings of Leon and beach tunes. Alas, we decided to visit the beach behind the Coco Bongo once again. There, we laid on the beach and beach and continued drinking. I threw Jeff in the water making him lose his Ray Bans. I felt pretty awful about the mistake. Bruce and I wandered back out of exhaustion. I was barefoot and was in pain from the walk. So, I changed and went to bed after I got in.
I woke up in sweat to see Sal steaming in a chair. I asked if all was well, and he told me that they were trying to get the A/C working. I faintly remember Sal arguing with someone before slumber crept back in.
September 12th –
The night before, we had told Brian and Jeff that we had plans to go see the ruins at Tulum this day. We woke up and tried to get ahold of them. We had no luck in doing so, and had to make plans by ourselves. We went downtown and found the ADO bus lines. They stopped going to the ruins after 10, but they went to Tulum, (the town) pretty much all day. We got a ticket for what we thought was 1:50, so we hoped across the street for a bite to eat. It was a hole in the wall gordita place. Wow, was it good!
We walked back to ADO to find out our bus had departed at 1:15. “Ya se fue”. Damn. We were going to get one for two, and then though that it may not be the best idea. If the park closes at 5:30, and we get there around 4, and we still have to find a way to the ruins. We were pretty bummed that we tried to accommodate everyone by waiting, and now we weren’t going. I didn’t feel like doing much, but we went to a supermarket and wandered around a bit, then we headed back.
Bruce got the notion of renting a car and went to seek information. We all went to check it out what Bruce had gathered when he got back. He offered to pay for it, so we went to hear it out. Unfortunately all they had was standard transmissions, so Bruce had to do some negotiating, but came in the door confirming the rental. We packed up and got ready for a road trip in Mexico to the Ruins in Tulum!
We set out and passed people that were out on the streets on Cancun. We were in high spirits. I took Bruce's panther call and did it out the window to people. We enjoyed seeing what the night time would permit us see out the window. We passed a guy being held down by machine gun wielding Mexican police officers. I thought that was pretty intense! We came up on a police check point and an officer waved us over to the side. While parked to the side, the officer asked we spoke Spanish. We told him that we did a little. My nervousness actually blocked me from using the Spanish that I did know. He told us that we were going too fast and that we needed to pay 200 dollars. I began to feel sick to my stomach. We didn’t have 200 with us altogether. He said that we could pay there and save 100 dollars. So, we all pulled together and paid him. We were flat broke and headed to the ruins with no place to stay. We got to Tulum, and spotted another checkpoint. I was fearful, but noticed a hostel off the road. The sign read that it was 120 pesos per night, per person. We were digging to see what we had, when I surprised Sal and Bruce with a 500 peso note that I still had.
We checked the quarters that we would be staying in, which was a dorm with no air running and many other occupied bunk beds. There was X-men 3 in Spanish playing outside. I paid, and Sal went straight to bed. I tossed and turned, and decided to get up and join Bruce in the computer room. There, I met a fella from New Zealand that we talked to for a bit. Bruce got some money from his sweetheart for us to take out the next day. I walked around outside and observed the people staying there that evening and the geckos that were crawling on the walls. I decided to hit the bed. Everyone that was staying there had stayed up, and all came in around the same time, which jerked me awake. Half awake, I watched the blonde German girl change into her night clothes. I felt it instinctual as if where part of a dream I was having, then nodded back off.
September 13th –
Morning came and I felt like I had gotten broken sleep all night. When I heard Sal get up, I too rose from the bed. We sat outside and talked a bit, then got Bruce up. We loaded back up and took a cautious drive into town to find an ATM. On the way, we noticed the Ruins where very close, so, we drove through ot see when they opened. We drove back round until we got into town and found an ATM in a grocery store. Bruce took out some money, and we started our hunt for some eggs and bacon. We found a place that served just that in a hotel lobby. We got fresh Italian style espresso, and eggs and bacon. It hit the spot ever so perfectly.
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After a delicious breaky, we went to the ruins, bought tickets for a train to take us to the entrance, and entered the park. We trekked through a path in the jungle to see an entrance through an ancient stone wall. We entered and immediately revealed ruins that sat within. What a magnificent site to behold! There were no vendors there to drive you mad either. We walked around and took pictures, admiring the view of the sea, lizards and even a snake had slithered past Sal at one point.
We swam by the ruins and cooled off. And then people started showing up. We decided to take our leave before it got too crazy in there. We changed in the bathrooms there and then headed back. When approaching Cancun, we decided to visit Rio Nizuc one more time. After Sal took a swim and we ate some beans and salsa on chips from our previous grocery visit, we walked to our favored nook. There, we drank our last Sol, and Bruce smoked a bit of his cigar. We left there and headed to the airport and met Brian and Jeff. The plane rides were smooth, and I was ready to see my Liam. I remember staring at his picture on my itouch and felt the longing of seeing my son. Soon, very soon…
Things Learned:
* Cancun is a Mayan word that means “Snake Nest”
* Tulum means "walled"
* Chichen Itza means "at the mouth of the well of ITza"
* Go 20 KPH at a police checkpoint
* Travel with like minded travelers
* Put things right back in your bag so you don’t lose them
* Don’t swim with electronics
