Now we’re in Mexico with better internet, I’ll add more photos (many of which will be Tom’s as he’s better with the camera).
Our next stop was inland, in the town of Valladolid. We stayed in a stunning colonial building with incredibly high ceilings and a gorgeous patio with plenty of hammocks. Safe to say, we explored the surrounding area but certainly spent a great deal of time lounging (Tom found another guitar so he was happy). We also made the most of the old kitchen area and cooked ourselves lots of chicken and veg which was a good shout. One night we went into the city to watch a light show projected onto the convent, detailing the history of the area. We learnt about how important this area really was, but also the graphics were just very cool.
The main draw of Valladolid is Chichén Itzá, one of the 7 Manmade Wonders of the World, so we popped along. It’s essentially a Mayan city (also fused with Toltec structures) that consists of over twenty different ruins. The main one (the opening photo) is huge, amazingly preserved and just so impressive. The Great Ball Court was interesting (very into their sports but also merged them with sacrifices) and many buildings had amazing stone carvings of skulls, eagles or gods. One section is simply a group of columns, all engraved to correspond with various warriors. The site was incredibly vast and, as we’d arrived as it opened, it was fairly empty.
The Yucatan peninsula is also famous for its cenotes (sinkholes) that have appeared from cave roofs collapsing and the resulting cavern filling with rainwater. We headed to Hacienda Oxman to explore one, the water was really fresh and was full of little black catfish (with birds flying and bats hanging above). You entered the water via a rope swing, some entrances were more graceful than others! The tree roots all hung down the drop to reach the water and there were various patches of sunlight to enjoy. All in all, it was fairly idyllic, and topped off with an incredible portion of nachos, a fab day!
holahola2019 