We arrived in Cancun on Thursday evening, and found a hotel in the downtown for only 30 USD. We walked around for a few blocks, but it was really hot and my wasp stings were killing me, so we ate and headed back to our air conditioned room. On the way, we stopped at a tour company, and bought two tours. One was for Xel-ha, a "natural aquarium", and Tulum in the same day, and the other is for Chichen Itza with a visit to an indigenous Mayan village.
We went to Xel-ha and Tulum today. It was a 12 hour tour, and the first real tourist experience we have had. A bus picked us up in the morning and dropped us off, and we didn't need to do anything but pay. Xel-ha is a natural Caribbean inlet that they have turned into a water park. People float around in tubes, snorkel, and do other watery activities. It is all inclusive, so we ate and drank a lot, which was really nice, especially because there was food, like mashed potatoes, that we haven't seen in awhile. We floated in the tubes a little bit, but there is no current, so it was really slow and boring. There were more people than we are used to, since before this vacation we have primarily gone camping. We didn't spend much time in the water, although it was nice. The resort-like feel just wasn't for us. Even though it is natural, the way it is operated made it impossible for us to believe it wasn't a pool, and we didn't want to spend our time in a pool.
In the afternoon, we went to Tulum, about 15 minutes away. It was beautiful. Many of the buildings were in good condition, and the blue ocean below was incredible. It is a small site, so it didn't take long to see. One temple there is my favorite building I have seen so far in Mexico. There is still a mural in good condition in it, and it is covered in carvings. We walked down to the beach and stood in the Caribbean ocean for the first time. I cannot believe how blue the water is. It doesn't seem possible. We didn't have our swimsuits, and it will be awhile before I get over my disappointment of not swimming at Tulum. Tomorrow I will swim here in Cancun, though.
Cancun, so far, has been very nice. It is super cheap, calm, and quiet because of the season. The more we travel in the off season, the most convinced I become that I will always travel in the off season.
We were going to go to Chichen Itza tomorrow, but we are tired after the long day today. Instead we are going to relax on the beach tomorrow, and do the 12 and a half hour Chichen Itza trip on Sunday.
It looks like we will be leaving Cancun on Tuesday, and picking up Pax (we think that's the dog's name)then! It costs just as much to fly from Cancun to Puebla as it does to take the bus, so we are going to fly and save over 20 hours of bus travel.
Also, only 19 days until Jose's appointment!
-Emma
Friday, October 9, 2009
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Merida, Yucatan
We arrived in Merida at 5:30 am on Wednesday. We had spent the last two nights sleeping on buses, so we got a hotel room and slept until 11 am. We had planned to visit Chichen Itza, but we were not up for it. We spent most of the day watching TV and napping, because it was humid and over 100 degree Fahrenheit. My ankles were swollen from the wasp stings, bites from ants the size of wasps, and other unidentified insects, and felt horrible when we walked outside. At night we ate dinner and went on a horse drawn carriage ride. It took about an hour, and was pretty disappointing. This city does not have very much to offer.
Today we are leaving Merida and going to Cancun. It is over 10 degrees cooler there and not as humid. We will visit Cancun and the ruins in that area, Tulum, and then visit Chichen Itza in a day trip on the way back to Mexico City.
-Emma
Today we are leaving Merida and going to Cancun. It is over 10 degrees cooler there and not as humid. We will visit Cancun and the ruins in that area, Tulum, and then visit Chichen Itza in a day trip on the way back to Mexico City.
-Emma
Palenque, Chiapas
On Tuesday we got off the bus from Oaxaca at 8 am after 15 hours, and immediately got on a tour bus to see the ruins of Palenque, and two different waterfalls. It was a 10 hour tour, but the next bus didn't leave until 9 pm, so it was a good way to fill up the time.
Chiapas shares a border with Guatemala. Palenque is in the jungle, and because of the time of year, it is warm and humid. While we have been in some very humid places, this was more of a choking humidity. While it wasn't comfortable, it definitely added to the jungle experience. We walked under dark green plants with huge leaves, next to thick vines that should be used by Tarzan, and saw and heard strange animals. We didn't see a toucan, but Jose heard lots of howler monkeys, which are one of his favorite animals.
Palenque is the first Mayan site we have visited. The architecture is more complex than we had seen before, but I wouldn't necessarily say it was better. The pyramids in front of mountains of jungle are really pretty to see, though. We walked around the palace, up pyramids, into temples, and through many residential homes. The regular houses are my favorite buildings to see, because that is where the majority of people lived, and where they spent their time. The pyramids are amazing, but the average person didn't spend their time at the temple. I like to see where they cooked, slept, and spent time with their families. They are so different than houses today, and so small. Some of the houses have shelves, tables, or what look like chimneys. It is such a strange feeling to know that I am standing in a house where people used to live and do many of the things I still do.
After the ruins, we went to the Mis-solha waterfall. It took about a half hour to get there, driving up steep mountains. It is a narrow, but powerful waterfall, that drops off a huge rock. People swim in the pool under the fall, but we didn't have our swimsuits. The coolest part of the visit was actually walking under the waterfall. I have wanted to walk under one since I was a little girl and saw it done so many times in Disney animated movies. It was about as cool as I imagined it to be when I was little, too. Everything was really green and the water was crystal clear. There was also a cave with a large creek running through it. It was pitch black, but we rented a flashlight and went in. Inside, there is another waterfall. We could really only see the waterfall with flash from cameras, but an underground waterfall is still pretty cool. Then too many people came in the cave and starting pushing us forward, so I got claustrophobic and had to get of their quickly.
The last place we went on the tour was to the Agua Azul cascades. They were also high up in the mountains. They were a pattern of wide, short cascades followed by a large pool, and then more cascades. The water was not quite as blue as it normally is, because it is still the rainy season, but they were impressive. The falls were graceful and all the rock was perfectly rounded by the water. Again, people swam, which we would have liked to do. Instead, we ate delicious fresh fish. Jose had a fried fish, and I had a garlic fillet.
The ruins were outstanding, like they all seem to be, and it was really nice to see something different with the waterfalls. We got back to town about 7 pm, ate dinner, and then got back on the bus to Merida, Yucatan.
-Emma
Chiapas shares a border with Guatemala. Palenque is in the jungle, and because of the time of year, it is warm and humid. While we have been in some very humid places, this was more of a choking humidity. While it wasn't comfortable, it definitely added to the jungle experience. We walked under dark green plants with huge leaves, next to thick vines that should be used by Tarzan, and saw and heard strange animals. We didn't see a toucan, but Jose heard lots of howler monkeys, which are one of his favorite animals.
Palenque is the first Mayan site we have visited. The architecture is more complex than we had seen before, but I wouldn't necessarily say it was better. The pyramids in front of mountains of jungle are really pretty to see, though. We walked around the palace, up pyramids, into temples, and through many residential homes. The regular houses are my favorite buildings to see, because that is where the majority of people lived, and where they spent their time. The pyramids are amazing, but the average person didn't spend their time at the temple. I like to see where they cooked, slept, and spent time with their families. They are so different than houses today, and so small. Some of the houses have shelves, tables, or what look like chimneys. It is such a strange feeling to know that I am standing in a house where people used to live and do many of the things I still do.
After the ruins, we went to the Mis-solha waterfall. It took about a half hour to get there, driving up steep mountains. It is a narrow, but powerful waterfall, that drops off a huge rock. People swim in the pool under the fall, but we didn't have our swimsuits. The coolest part of the visit was actually walking under the waterfall. I have wanted to walk under one since I was a little girl and saw it done so many times in Disney animated movies. It was about as cool as I imagined it to be when I was little, too. Everything was really green and the water was crystal clear. There was also a cave with a large creek running through it. It was pitch black, but we rented a flashlight and went in. Inside, there is another waterfall. We could really only see the waterfall with flash from cameras, but an underground waterfall is still pretty cool. Then too many people came in the cave and starting pushing us forward, so I got claustrophobic and had to get of their quickly.
The last place we went on the tour was to the Agua Azul cascades. They were also high up in the mountains. They were a pattern of wide, short cascades followed by a large pool, and then more cascades. The water was not quite as blue as it normally is, because it is still the rainy season, but they were impressive. The falls were graceful and all the rock was perfectly rounded by the water. Again, people swam, which we would have liked to do. Instead, we ate delicious fresh fish. Jose had a fried fish, and I had a garlic fillet.
The ruins were outstanding, like they all seem to be, and it was really nice to see something different with the waterfalls. We got back to town about 7 pm, ate dinner, and then got back on the bus to Merida, Yucatan.
-Emma
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Oaxaca, Oaxaca
From Mexico City, we took a bus to Oaxaca, Oaxaca. We had heard that Oaxaca is beautiful, but we didn't know what else to expect. We arrived in the city of Oaxaca at 8 pm, found a hotel, and walked around the downtown. The center was full of people out having a good time. Many families were sitting with their children, and groups of friends and couples were strolling around. There were clowns performing, like there are in many popular centers, who cater to adults more than children. I don't know why, but the clowns attract huge crowds. The weather was warm, but not humid, and the downtown was beautiful. Eating dinner and walking around was a great way to spend the evening.
In the morning, we took a bus to Monte Alban, ancient ruins at the top of a mountain just outside of the city. There were many pyramids still standing and fully uncovered. The site was first occupied by the Olmec, and later by the Zapotecs. There is a plaza surrounded by pyramids with an astronomy observatory in the middle. The acoustics in the plaza are impressive- if you clap, it can be heard throughout the whole plaza. It was used for ceremonies and parties, so the acoustics were important. There are the remains of some luxury homes, tombs, and small pyramids scattered around the main plaza. At the site, the whole city of Oaxaca and many small towns can be seen in all directions from the top of the mountain. It is beautiful to look at now, and I can't imagine what it was like thousands of years ago, when it was a green, empty valley.
I got stung twice by wasps at Monte Alban, but luckily it was right near the end, so they didn't affect the visit.
After the ruins, we got on a bus to Palenque, Chiapas. We wanted to spend more time in Oaxaca, but Jose is really excited about seeing the Yucatan, so we started on our way.
-Emma
In the morning, we took a bus to Monte Alban, ancient ruins at the top of a mountain just outside of the city. There were many pyramids still standing and fully uncovered. The site was first occupied by the Olmec, and later by the Zapotecs. There is a plaza surrounded by pyramids with an astronomy observatory in the middle. The acoustics in the plaza are impressive- if you clap, it can be heard throughout the whole plaza. It was used for ceremonies and parties, so the acoustics were important. There are the remains of some luxury homes, tombs, and small pyramids scattered around the main plaza. At the site, the whole city of Oaxaca and many small towns can be seen in all directions from the top of the mountain. It is beautiful to look at now, and I can't imagine what it was like thousands of years ago, when it was a green, empty valley.
I got stung twice by wasps at Monte Alban, but luckily it was right near the end, so they didn't affect the visit.
After the ruins, we got on a bus to Palenque, Chiapas. We wanted to spend more time in Oaxaca, but Jose is really excited about seeing the Yucatan, so we started on our way.
-Emma
Monday, October 5, 2009
Wedding in Acambay
On Saturday we went to Acambay, Queretaro, about 2 ½ hours northwest of Mexico City, for Jose’s great-cousin’s wedding. The bride is a daughter of Jose’s great aunt who visited us at the Mexico City airport during our layover to Ciudad Juarez in August. She is a 29 year old dentist, and the groom is also a dentist. They both live in Mexico City, but he is originally from Acambay. It was a nice enough town, but not somewhere we wanted to spend much time.
When we arrived at the Acambay bus station, we were supposed to call Jose’s great aunt so she could pick us up. Unfortunately, there was no cell phone reception, so we couldn’t get in touch with Jose’s aunt. We had no other phone numbers or names, so we were pretty sure we had spent 6 hours on a bus for nothing.
Luckily, the groom drove by the bus station and saw an American and Mexican together. He knew we were coming, and that I was American, so he circled the block and came to see if it was us. By the time he pulled into the station, however, Jose had gone to a pay phone, and I was sitting in front of the bus station alone. I tried to avoid eye contact with the tiny, beat up, bright yellow Volkswagon that pulled in the station with all three men in the car staring at me. When the men in the car got out a few feet away from me, still staring, I started thinking about my plan of action. Then the driver, who ended up being the groom, made me feel much better when he asked if I was Jose’s wife. I know Jose is a common name, but I figured a stranger wouldn’t just guess that I was married to a Jose. He then went to find Jose at the pay phone, and ten minutes later we were at his parent’s house, being treated like royalty. It was an hour before his wedding, but he introduced us to everyone, served us a full meal, and told us about the hotel room he had reserved for us (and that we were welcome at his uncle‘s house if the hotel didn‘t meet our standards.)
The wedding took place in the town’s Catholic church. We had never been to a Catholic wedding, and we were surprised by the praying and preaching that took place before they were actually married. Then they were married, and we kept waiting and waiting for them to kiss, but they never did. Later, at the reception, they had their civil marriage, where they did kiss at the end. They also signed their papers then, which included fingerprints and signatures from all four parents and their siblings.
There were about 200 people at the reception. We sat at a table with the bride’s two sisters, and her aunt and cousin from her father’s side. They were from Houston, Texas and said ya’ll frequently. Jose’s aunt was sitting at the table next to us with the bride and groom, and kept an eye on us the whole time.
We were extremely impressed with the groom. He was so kind to us, and didn’t seem rushed at all when speaking with us before the wedding. At the reception, he gave his full attention to his wife, and kept her laughing the whole night. We only said congratulations to the bride, but she also seemed nice. They are clearly in love and very happy together.
Twenty- five hours after we left Mexico City for the wedding, we arrived again this morning. We had learned of our invitation to the wedding two days before it happened, and had to do a lot of traveling to get there, but it was definitely worth going. We were the only family from Jose’s side to attend, and it obviously meant a lot to Jose’s aunt that we were there. We got to see a Mexican wedding, another area, and be a part of Jose’s family. Hopefully we will get to know everyone better when we spend time with Jose’s aunt when we visit Mexico City in a few weeks.
We are now in Oaxaca, Oaxaca, and again making our way over to the Yucatan.
-Emma
When we arrived at the Acambay bus station, we were supposed to call Jose’s great aunt so she could pick us up. Unfortunately, there was no cell phone reception, so we couldn’t get in touch with Jose’s aunt. We had no other phone numbers or names, so we were pretty sure we had spent 6 hours on a bus for nothing.
Luckily, the groom drove by the bus station and saw an American and Mexican together. He knew we were coming, and that I was American, so he circled the block and came to see if it was us. By the time he pulled into the station, however, Jose had gone to a pay phone, and I was sitting in front of the bus station alone. I tried to avoid eye contact with the tiny, beat up, bright yellow Volkswagon that pulled in the station with all three men in the car staring at me. When the men in the car got out a few feet away from me, still staring, I started thinking about my plan of action. Then the driver, who ended up being the groom, made me feel much better when he asked if I was Jose’s wife. I know Jose is a common name, but I figured a stranger wouldn’t just guess that I was married to a Jose. He then went to find Jose at the pay phone, and ten minutes later we were at his parent’s house, being treated like royalty. It was an hour before his wedding, but he introduced us to everyone, served us a full meal, and told us about the hotel room he had reserved for us (and that we were welcome at his uncle‘s house if the hotel didn‘t meet our standards.)
The wedding took place in the town’s Catholic church. We had never been to a Catholic wedding, and we were surprised by the praying and preaching that took place before they were actually married. Then they were married, and we kept waiting and waiting for them to kiss, but they never did. Later, at the reception, they had their civil marriage, where they did kiss at the end. They also signed their papers then, which included fingerprints and signatures from all four parents and their siblings.
There were about 200 people at the reception. We sat at a table with the bride’s two sisters, and her aunt and cousin from her father’s side. They were from Houston, Texas and said ya’ll frequently. Jose’s aunt was sitting at the table next to us with the bride and groom, and kept an eye on us the whole time.
We were extremely impressed with the groom. He was so kind to us, and didn’t seem rushed at all when speaking with us before the wedding. At the reception, he gave his full attention to his wife, and kept her laughing the whole night. We only said congratulations to the bride, but she also seemed nice. They are clearly in love and very happy together.
Twenty- five hours after we left Mexico City for the wedding, we arrived again this morning. We had learned of our invitation to the wedding two days before it happened, and had to do a lot of traveling to get there, but it was definitely worth going. We were the only family from Jose’s side to attend, and it obviously meant a lot to Jose’s aunt that we were there. We got to see a Mexican wedding, another area, and be a part of Jose’s family. Hopefully we will get to know everyone better when we spend time with Jose’s aunt when we visit Mexico City in a few weeks.
We are now in Oaxaca, Oaxaca, and again making our way over to the Yucatan.
-Emma
Friday, October 2, 2009
Our Exciting News!
Today Emma and I decided to buy a three month old puppy we fell in love with. We first met him our second day in Cholula in a veterinarians office that also sells pets and pet supplies. He is a small blond curly-haired puppy. We asked the owner what type of dog he was and he responded with "french." We don't exactly know what that makes him, but from our research he appears to be some kind of poodle mix. He looks just like a Cockapoo, a Cocker Spaniel and Poodle mix. He is the one kind of dog that Emma has dreamed of having after overcoming her fear of dogs. I have always wanted a dog, and have never had a pet before, so I am very happy to finally have a puppy of my own.
Our new puppy currently does not have a name. Emma claims that the name that popped into her head for him the first day we saw him was Rodolfo. I am not a very big fan of very human sounding names for pets, especially dogs because you call to them so often, so we still under debate. Another name we are considering is Guerro, which in my opinion, sounds better. We both like Guerro, but are still looking into other names with some kind of Mexican touch. We figure that since he is from Mexico, we should give him a name that relates to the country.
We are still currently traveling to the Yucatan Peninsula so we payed the vet a few extra dollars to take care of him for an extra week until we were headed back to La Manzanilla. There we will get to spend some quality time with him. When we get back to the United States, hopefully in November, we will have a few months to spend a lot of time with him because we will not be in school or working.
We are very excited to finish our trip and take him home with us. We can't wait to get back to the United States so everyone can meet him.
-Jose
Cholula, Puebla
We have been in Cholula, Puebla for 4 nights now after visiting for a planned day trip on Monday. We kept thinking we would write a blog post the next day, when we had finished with the exciting things, but they just haven't ended. I think we could actually live here, or at least stay for the month we have left, if we get to go home in November. It is the most comfortable place we have been in Mexico and it is exciting, too.
There is an amazing pyramid here, and so much culture and history. The Cholula pyramid is known as the largest pyramid in the world. It is not the tallest, but it is largest by volume. I studied the pyramid and ancient people in a class at Santa Rosa Junior College called "Mesoamerican Origins of Latino Culture." It sounded great in the class, but it is so much better in real life than I had even imagined.
This is one of the oldest continuously occupied towns in the world, and the oldest in Latin America. It's first inhabitants were the Chichimecas around 1700 BC, who were displaced by the Olmecas Xicalancas in the 4th century before Christ. The Chichimecas built the first level of the Cholula pyramid betweeen 200-100 BC. The first pyramid was made out of adobe brick, and the outlines of the bricks can still be seen in parts of the pyramid. They have turned into dirt, but the shape of each brick can still be seen as if they are still intact. In 1000 AD, the Toltecs dominated the region. Later, the Aztecs ruled, who were still in place when Cortez arrived in 1519.
In typical Mesoamerican fashion, the original pyramid was covered with later and larger structures. Altogether, there were four pyramids built. The last pyramid was huge. It was made of stone, and would have been covered with stucco. The flat top of the pyramid would have had temples built on top, likely out of wood. There is an exposed courtyard that has altars on three sides that we were able to walk through. We saw carved stones, rare murals with starfish, and the remains of many rooms and buildings. One part of the pyramid has a steep staircase from the last and largest pyramid, which we walked up. Those stairs are steep! I don't know how people used to walk up multiple flights of those stairs, especially without falling.
There are tunnels at the base of the pyramid excavated by archaeologists in the 1930's. We walked through about 800 feet of these narrow tunnels. Although it was scary, it really gave us a sense of how solid and impressive the pyramid is. It really is all brick on brick and unbelievably massive.
At some point, and for an unknown reason, the pyramid was covered with a mound of dirt. Because of this, the pyramid was lucky enough to survive the Conquistadors. When Cortez arrived, he built a church on top of the pyramid, thinking it was just a hill. The Catholic Church, built in 1594, still stands and is quite impressive itself.
This was the first ancient site we have visited, and we loved it. It was an intense feeling to be standing in ruins from so long ago, where people used to live and spend their time. We really wish we could see it as it was before, and meet the people and culture that used to be there.
As well as all the history, the town is clean and fun, and the people are great. We have had a great time here, and will definitely return whenever we visit Mexico.
-Emma
There is an amazing pyramid here, and so much culture and history. The Cholula pyramid is known as the largest pyramid in the world. It is not the tallest, but it is largest by volume. I studied the pyramid and ancient people in a class at Santa Rosa Junior College called "Mesoamerican Origins of Latino Culture." It sounded great in the class, but it is so much better in real life than I had even imagined.
This is one of the oldest continuously occupied towns in the world, and the oldest in Latin America. It's first inhabitants were the Chichimecas around 1700 BC, who were displaced by the Olmecas Xicalancas in the 4th century before Christ. The Chichimecas built the first level of the Cholula pyramid betweeen 200-100 BC. The first pyramid was made out of adobe brick, and the outlines of the bricks can still be seen in parts of the pyramid. They have turned into dirt, but the shape of each brick can still be seen as if they are still intact. In 1000 AD, the Toltecs dominated the region. Later, the Aztecs ruled, who were still in place when Cortez arrived in 1519.
In typical Mesoamerican fashion, the original pyramid was covered with later and larger structures. Altogether, there were four pyramids built. The last pyramid was huge. It was made of stone, and would have been covered with stucco. The flat top of the pyramid would have had temples built on top, likely out of wood. There is an exposed courtyard that has altars on three sides that we were able to walk through. We saw carved stones, rare murals with starfish, and the remains of many rooms and buildings. One part of the pyramid has a steep staircase from the last and largest pyramid, which we walked up. Those stairs are steep! I don't know how people used to walk up multiple flights of those stairs, especially without falling.
There are tunnels at the base of the pyramid excavated by archaeologists in the 1930's. We walked through about 800 feet of these narrow tunnels. Although it was scary, it really gave us a sense of how solid and impressive the pyramid is. It really is all brick on brick and unbelievably massive.
At some point, and for an unknown reason, the pyramid was covered with a mound of dirt. Because of this, the pyramid was lucky enough to survive the Conquistadors. When Cortez arrived, he built a church on top of the pyramid, thinking it was just a hill. The Catholic Church, built in 1594, still stands and is quite impressive itself.
This was the first ancient site we have visited, and we loved it. It was an intense feeling to be standing in ruins from so long ago, where people used to live and spend their time. We really wish we could see it as it was before, and meet the people and culture that used to be there.
As well as all the history, the town is clean and fun, and the people are great. We have had a great time here, and will definitely return whenever we visit Mexico.
-Emma
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