Mas de Mexico

We woke up today to a beautiful morning in Mexico-- there was not a cloud in the sky and it was about 75 degrees :). We boarded the bus and, partway into the ride, were surprised to hear the itnerary for the day. Unlike on airline flights where they, early on, verify that this is flight xxxx going to xxxxx, they did not do such a thing here. So we were listening to all the additional archaeological sites we were to visit today, when we were under the impression that we were supposed to be going to Celestun, a bird sanctuary. Ruins are great, don't get me wrong, but I love wildlife (and I knew JB was going to be jealous if we'd gotten to go to the bird sanctuary!). But oh well. There was some mix-up with the tour company, so it was off to more ruins for us (forget those flamingos!).

Here are some pics from Mayapan, the first place we visited. It was supposedly the most powerful Mayan city from the 13th- 15th centuries. It featured some really nice frescoes, as well as an impressive Castillo de Kulkulkan, which Vanessa and I summited. Behind Mom and me are banana plants. The view from atop the Castillo
Steep descent
Van is very cool doing it, though.
We then stopped in a small village called Oxkutzcab, where we visited a fortress-like church as well as a traditional market (mostly citrus fruit).
They even had little piggies hanging around... These are the town taxis! They're like wheelbarrows!
Then it was onto las Grutas de Loltun, a fascinating set of caves used in Stone Age times (around 15000 B.C.) but then also later by the Mayans for religious purposes. These were some of the largest caves I have ever been in! They even had one section referred to as "The Cathedral" with tons of open space inside-- no danger for claustrophobics! Interestingly, there were all kinds of visible patterns on the walls that resembled things like the Virgin Mary and frogs, although they were purely natural stains from water! They had tons of stalactites and stalagmites, some of which were hollow, giving the name to the cave.
A less-than-desirable part of being in these caves... I can't believe I got this close to these bats! Believe me, we were watching out for guano during the entire tour's duration!

We also went to another set of ruins called Labna, which included a Palace and interesting Arch.

We returned to Merida just in time for 'Happy hour' at a nearby restaurant, Pancho's, that we have frequented. They have 2-for-1 drinks from 6-8 p.m., so we loaded up, as you can see below. Again, I repeat, our family does not consist of alcoholics. We do like a good drink or two, however, especially when the second is free! So here below is an assortment of bebidas alcoholicas including margaritas, pina coladas, tequila sunrises (Dad's choice!), and mojitos (my new favorite drink! They consist of club soda, rum, mint, brown or granulated sugar, and lime. Mmm.)


Tomorrow I think I get to hit up Chichen Itza en ruta a Cancun for our final full day in Mexico :( It has gone by too quickly!