Finally Made It to Mexico

Groupon Travel is the most tempting thing out there.  I look at the listings and just itch to click. On the site, I see everything from opportunities stateside, the Caribbean, Central America, Europe and even dream trips on African Safaris, Australia... it's crazy.  And sometimes I think it's unrealistic... If you have ever been on Groupon, you know that some trips offer extraordinary discounts. Some of the deals seem almost too good to pass up.  And then there is that count down clock! It is all designed for temptation.  I wanted to test it out... but, I did not want to be completely at the mercy of the discount gods if it turned into a nightmare. I figured my best bet was somewhere outside where I could work around the system easily if it didn't work out - somewhere like the Caribbean or our neighbor to the South, Mexico.  I have never been to Mexico and a trip was long over due.  In Groupon, I did not want anything that included airfare because those deals scare me - I know I would be stuck in a middle seat, in the back of the plane, on some ridiculous low cost carrier that charges for air.  Instead, we found a "too good to be true" deal on an all inclusive hotel in Cancun for just under $200/night!  Not knowing what to expect, I did not want to stay too long, but wanted to be there long enough to take in a new area, so I settled on 4 nights.  Woohoo, my first trip to Cancun - only 25 years late for high school spring break!

So, excited for our trip, I researched options for tours and fun.  As enticing as sitting for days on a sugar white beach sounds, I did not think that was the best use of my money... I wanted to explore... I could sit on a beach at home.  Much to the chagrin of my boyfriend, I planned stuff everyday (all 3 full days there). Of course I wanted to relax too, so the days were not full days.  The activities picked gave us at least a half day at the hotel beach.  We were going to make the most of this trip. 

My priority was obviously to see

the World Wonder - Chichen Itza.  This was a must see!  And WOW, it was incredible. A lot of credit for this fabulous experience goes to the tour itself.  We picked an early access experience.  This meant we left the hotel at  4:30am, but it also meant we got to the ruins before they officially opened.  We toured with an archeologist.  We were able to wander the grounds without crowds and without the scorching heat!  We arrived by 7:30am and the air was crisp and there was a slight breeze.  Our guide immediately ushered us in we got out first looks.  Simply- Wow! We were informed that they do not refer to this as a pyramid, and the grounds have much more than this ceremonial structure.  But, let's be honest - this picture is why the area is famous.  The structure itself is stunning. What made it unbelievable was learning the "secrets" of its design:  acoustically it mimicks the sounds of a jungle bird can hear in the forest (stand in front of the steps and clap);  the whole structure works as a calendar letting the community when to plant and harvest based off of shadows; the shadows from the stairs form a slithering snake, an important animal in the Mayan mythology ... and more.  And this is where I will say people SUCK - they have stopped letting people inside - in tours past, you were able to see the passages and laberynth to the after life, but people have vandalized the structure carving names, initials and signs, and because this is a temple to life and fertility, they caught people having sex inside.  Now everyone pays the price and no one goes in.

Chichen Itza was the largest Mayan city... much like their capital.  We toured only a third of the archeological lands.  We walked near temples, and ceremonial sites.  We walked through the arena and played with the acoustics there as well.  Mayans were expert craftsman.  All of this limestone was made and cut to fit in perfect formations.  And those perfect placements created these perfect acoustic conditions. At the arena, visiting dignities could speak with the chief from across the field without the aid of a go-between because sound carries from side to side so well. 

The Well
(the only water source for the city)

After our extensive tour, we were left to wander the grounds, check out the well and the astronomy tower.  We also had sooooo many artisans to explore.  While we were busy learning with our guide, the place officially opened and local craftsman/women moved to the sides of all the trails with tempting goodies.  John and I were overwhelmed with choices and came with only limited funds (these guys did not take plastic). I love locally made art, and some of these carvings were jaw dropping.  We negotiated with one for a Mayan mask and another with a few magnets, and were done (money-wise).  I easily could have broken the bank walking around these booths.  While we were distracted with beautiful goodies, the temperatures started to soar.  Next thing we knew, it was scorching and that cool breeze with gone, replaced with stagnant heat.  It was easy over 100 with insane humidity; it was like standing in a sauna.  I left John in the shade as I rushed to see the last few structures before we had to meet the bus again.  By the time we got on the bus at 12:45, the place had completely transformed into a Disneyesque history themed carnival.  Crowds were stuck in human traffic jams, umbrellas were waiting to poke your eye out, and there was some hard pressed salesmanship going on.  I was also dripping in sweat and likely with heat exhaustion (perils of dark hair, no hat and running around to take pictures). 

By the time we got back to the hotel, I had a massive headache.  I was ready to relax, rehydrate and sleep.  Air conditioning on that bus never felt so good.  And it was there that I knew positively that waking up at 4 am was worth it! I got incredible crowd free pictures, an informative tour and we missed the hottest part of the day.

While in the city, we had our Mayan charts made. In Mayan culture, your birthday dictates exactly what you will do with your life... it tells you your job.  There is no going back.  The calendar is a beautiful piece of art in and of itself (if they spell your name correctly).  For me, I found out I would have been a bee keeper and the producer of honey for the city; I would have lived well among the merchant class...important for society as honey was used to make foold and alcohol. poor John, he was a limestone cooker.  Can you imagine baking rocks at 400 + degrees in the middle of the jungle?  Add to the fact that lime will sap the calcium out of his body - poor guy would not have had a good life and died young. Our birthdays are only a few weeks apart-what a difference it made.  But, in reality, the Mayans needed a lot of stone cookers... anyone's odds of that live are (not) good!

The next day we toured Tulum National Park with the same tour company.  We were picked up from the hotel at 5:30, arrived before the park opened to allow us incredible access to the ruins and learn history without the crowds and heat.  (Seriously this is the best option out there - if you plan a trip, take advantage of these tours).  Tulum is the only Mayan city on the water.  It's community was set up differently than the openness of Chichen Itza... here, it was known as the walled city.  There were walls around 3 sides, and the cliffs to the water made the 4th.  There is a constant ocean breeze for anything constructed close to the cliffs.  The moving air makes for a different living environment than the hot and humid city in the jungle. 

The ocean access also meant that their diets were rich in fish.  However, Tulum is much smaller than other Mayan cities. The walls were only for the royals' protection.  Everyone else lived on the outside, open to attacks on this rich kingdom.  Our tour guide told stories of what they know of Mayan life here.... how royals married inside the walls to keep the privilege within their small group of 800 or so; how royal babies born had their heads shapen to create a high dome to ensure they could not carry baskets on them when they were older; how babies were given a dot in the middle of their eyes to encourage crisscrossed eyes (said to be a sign of seeing all). 

Again here, amazing architecture was all around us... there were features that tracked the sun and the seasons.  There knew the night sky and studied the stars.  So much knowledge has been lost, the guides could not even speculate what some features were predicting.  The secrets of the Mayans are still being uncovered.  Since over 60% of the Mexican population can trace some of the DNA to the Mayans, we know they left their mark on our world in more than one way.

Beyond the ruins of Tulum, the beach is said to be one of the most stunning in the Yucatan.  The water was too rough to go in (it was a double red flag day), but that did not mean we could not enjoy the site and sounds.  The water here transitioned from a white to turquoise to a deeper blue and you could see it all from the cliffs.  I had to tear myself away and head back... it was mesmerizing. I walked the stairs 2x just to stand it the lip of the water and take in the views of the sharp cliffs against the white sand and blue waters.

 

The next day weather finally caught up with me. We had lucked out with the storms, seemingly missing them while we traveled between sites.  But, luck could not last.  We had planned a snorkeling tour of the underwater museum off the coast of Cancun, but the incredibly rough waters and threats of more severe storms had other ideas, and our tour was cancelled. So, I stopped by the hotel concierge desk first thing that morning to discuss options.  Obviously options were limited at this last minute and with the weather limitations, but they recommended a dinner river cruise ... they swore it was a blast and a great way to experience authentic culture and food.  I was hooked and we booked. 

Off we went to the aquarium downtown, because if I could not get in the water off I at least wanted to see some fish... a simple taxi ride brought us from the hotel district to the city center.   The Aquarium anchors a small shopping plaza - shopping of all kinds, food, street performers, views of the bay - perfect for the afternoon.  Inside the aquarium gleamed... these tanks were perfectly kept.  Although small in size, they packed a lot into that show room they highlighted fish you might see on area reefs, spotted eels, corals and a fabulous display on the mimicking skills of some flat fish.  The room was filled with educational tidbits on pollution, climate change, invasive species, coral bleaching.  I was in eco-education heaven. And these lessons continues into the heart of the aquarium...

Spotted Eel

it's really an interactive facility.  On the docks, overlooking the bay, there was a tide pool tank, a stingray tank and the dolphin and sea lion experiences. Guides were there to share facts about the animals and talk about how ocean pollution or climate change was impacting them. (Of course they also encouraged scared people to touch - but that is not me - HA).   Years ago (many years ago) I went swimming with dolphins in the Bahamas, and that experience has stuck with me all these years.  Here, John was like a little kid and just had to get in the water now!  I wanted to join him and do it again but, alas, I had changed out of my swimsuit earlier after finding out our snorkeling tour was cancelled.  Who keeps their swimsuit on to go shopping?  Well, guys can, and he did; he was dressed and ready.  And I watched his smile beam from the pool to the arena seating.

After such an incredible experience, John was giddy. I took advantage of that happiness (and guilt) to go shopping through the plaza.  We wandered in art galleries to look at some beautiful sculptures and stone masks, silver shops so I could salivate over intricate jewelry (I still dream about the crab bib necklace I should have gotten - it was a real conversation piece), and wandered plenty of aisles of handcrafted beaded work, quilts and pottery.  We picked out trinkets for little token gifts and walked through gauze clothing shops... and while we were looking at all of the art we decided we really need to hit the lottery!

Frigate

We headed back to the hotel for some more time by the water.  It was hard to look away from the beauty of the area.  The water, while dangerous, looked so inviting.  It was relaxing just to sit on the loungers, take in the sounds and enjoy the salty air.  I definitely do not get to do this enough.  We hopped from the pool to the beach and back.  And the whole time, I enjoyed the dance of the frigates and the pelicans playing in the wind and searching for food. 

We eventually had to tear ourselves away from beach paradise and get ready for the river cruise.  The tour was picking us up (we didn't need a car this whole trip!).  And once we arrived at the site we were instructed to bathe in bug spray.  By the beach the winds really take care of the mosquitoes, but in a closed river system, we were food waiting to be sucked on; so, with HUGE bottles of gel, we covered every inch of our bodies.  I don't want to know what was in it, but we never got bit.  

We were held in a large group adult carnival setting while the boats were readied.  There were games, picture stations, food and drinks... actually drinks became the theme of the night.  The cruise came with an all you can drink invite.  For someone like me who really does not drink alcohol, this does nothing for me... but for the big Irish guy on my boat, this meant an invitation to drink 2 bottles of tequila (and I am not kidding).  I am not kidding when I say that he could not walk by the mid-point/rest point without help and by the end, he needed a wheelchair.  I didn't even know it was humanly possible to drink that much. His craziness didn't impact anyone - the cruise boats have limited mobility with a long family style table that runs the length of the ship.  Everyone (about 20) sit on benches while the 2 crewmen work either end; 1 pushes the boat along the corridors (a la Venice style) and the other serves as master of ceremonies, singing, dancing, joking through this 4 hour trip.

Along the way our boat stopped at various stations to listen to live music.  We had Mariachi bands, Tejano, and even some Ranchera. There were floating quesadilla stations to wet our appetites. Of course out came the chips, pork rinds and salsa and guacamole... and crickets.  I laughed.  Of course this was an authentic cruise.  Back in college, I took a Culture and Environment class where my Professor brought in regional foods to test from time to time - thanks to Professor Clark, I had already tried crickets (and ants, grasshoppers and more).  Our master of ceremonies explained how crickets were a staple for many families.  I popped one immediately.  And the boat was shocked.  Almost all of them had refused, but I did it and now they could not let me do it alone.  I think liquid courage helped many of them even after I assured them that hey really just taste like the roasted pepper seasoning.  Eventually everyone tried a cricket and our boat captain was happy.  After 2 hours of eating and singing, all the boats took a break before the big party.  All the plates were cleaned away and the dancing began.  We pulled up to barges of bands that kicked the music up a notch and at each stop all the boats competed on who could be the most engaged, the loudest, or have the most up and dancing.  It was a complete blast... if you go to Cancun, take an evening and party with Xoximilco!

If you have read this far you might have noticed that I am not saying much about the hotel.... there is a reason for that.  To say it was a mess would be kind.  The air conditioning to the entire place broke our first night there.  It was never fixed.  Not kidding.  The ceiling leaked - a lot.  The front desk was infuriatingly not available, ever and made no apologies about that fact.  In guest services, I overheard a woman talk about her ceiling collapsing in her shower.  Time at the beach was filled with sounds of construction certain times of the day (they were doing work on the sea wall that was collapsing).   And beach and pool time was like playing the lottery with towels - they did not have enough for everyone.  More than once we were told that "we are out, go find your own."  I can't really talk about the food beyond the casual restaurants since we never could be a reservation at the "nice" places, where you needed to make arrangements at a specified time 2 days in advance.  It wasn't worth the hoop jumping.  We ate often at the "authentic" restaurant and had good meals.  They had live music and they had outdoor seating by the pool.  We were hooked by the fantastic mole and caramel desserts.  Much of the service staff tried hard at all the restaurants and left us feeling horrible for their situation. 

Our trip to Mexico was a like an oreo cookie - all the good stuff was in the filling.  All of our excursions were amazing, the hotel was another experience.  It turned out that this hotel was getting eaten alive in reviews off the Groupon site.  If you want to take advantage of Groupon, do your due diligence.  Research!   I am not sworn off the site.  I might take advantage of another trip (I have my eyes on a few).  Just be aware of the adage that you get what you pay for.  I am convinced that this hotel was so cheap was because it is pretty on the outside but spoiled in.   Still - we were only there for 3 full days (and one half day) - it was worth all the pain for a great experience.  We saw ancient ruins, we partied hard, we saw beautiful water and I finally get to say I have been to Mexico once.... where do I go next when visiting our neighbor to the south?