Valladolid- September 19-20

Yesterday 2 friends and I took a trip out to Valladolid in the Yucatan. The city is located close to both Ek Balam and Chichen Itza which are both large Mayan sites. We arrived in Valladolid at around 4pm on the 19th and headed straight for a cenote. There we met up with a friend of one of the guys I was travelling with. He then took us to a small restaurant in town that was owned by a friend. The dinner was amazing as usual (I don't think I have had a bad meal yet in Mexico, unless I've made it :P).
The next day we woke up early, had a traditional Mexican breakfast and headed out to Ek Balam. Unlike Chichen Itza we were allowed to climb and explore the ruins which was really neat. The view from the top of the larger pyramid was impressive.

We drove back to Valladolid after Ek Balam for some food and to see the main square. There was a hotel there that was once the home of the Spaniard who I think founded Valladolid, but unfortunately we were not allowed to explore inside.


We then went to Chichen Itza. I'm glad I was able to go a second time because there was a large part of the site I was unable to get to the first time. I was able to appreciate a little more the extent of the site, and that's without even seeing the living quarters of the commoners that surrounds the main area. We then realized at the end of the day that we were there on the day before the fall equinox and went back to El Castillo to see if we could see the feathered serpent illusion. The Mayans designed El Castillo so that on the day of the equinox, the shadow along the side of the stairway with the feathered serpent looks like a snakes body. It wasn't as good as pictures I've seen of the day of the equinox, but it was still pretty cool.

Chichen Itza and Cenotes- Sept 18 2011

Yesterday I went to Chichen Itza. It was a full day tour offered by the hostel that included seeing the site and going to some near by Cenotes. The tour started off kinda slow cause we had to wait around a while before we could actually get going. Then the highway that they usually take was closed so we ended up taking another road which was slower but went through a lot of small Mayan villages. We were able to get a glimpse of how the people lived which was interesting. The tour guide, who lives in one of the near by villages, claimed 80% of the Mayan population lives without electricity. He also said not to feel sorry for them because it's hard to miss something you've never had. Apparently they are content maintaining their traditional lifestyle. The rest of the morning was all markets and a restaurant where we had a buffet lunch which was alright.



It was only by 2:30 that we actually reached the site. The site was enormous and spectacular! There were so many little architectural features, especially with El Castillo, that made the buildings truly awe-inspiring. At the end of the tour, our guide brought is directly in front of the north face of El Castillo and started clapping. The Mayans somehow designed it so that the sound from the clap echoes back as the sound of a bird in the area that is regarded as sacred.




After seeing Chichen Itza, we went to the nearby Cenote which is a naturally occuring sink hole filled with fresh water. It was beautiful and the water was cold which was nice after a long day in the sun. Unfortunately were were only able to spend about 30 minutes swimming in the Cenote and then were headed back to Cancun. I wish the would just drop the market stuff at the beginning and give you more time at Chichen Itza and the Cenotes! But it was an awesome trip anyways!

Balam at Hostel Ka'beh