paraphernalia

We left at 7:30am for Tulum, one of the most complete Mayan architectural sites in Mexico. I really didn’t know what to expect, but I was most certainly impressed. The photos speak for themselves, but to give you some idea of what it all means, the site was a religious centre for the Mayan civilisation. It was not, as many other ruins are, a city. Instead it represents the city centre – a place of worship and politics. The quality of buildings and its location reflect this. It is built on a cliff overlooking an amazing beach and crystal clear Caribbean waters.

The buildings themselves are mostly located according to certain lunar-based rules. For example, on the 6th of April, the sun aligns in a certain way and the boy born on that day is declared King. For more information, visit Loco Gringo .

We ate lunch at the hostel nearby (and I tried some Mola, which is chocolate-flavoured sauce over red beans, guacamole and meat – so good!), before boarding another 4hr bus to Chetumal. Chetumal, on the Mexico-Belize border, was our overnight stop before tomorrow’s journey to Belize.

The bus itself was fine – air-con, TV, bathroom – but came with this ABSOLUTELY annoying kid who continuously ran between his seat at the front of the bus to the bathroom, opened the door, and ran back to his seat. This meant that the ‘aroma’ from the bathroom filled the air. Eugh! If I see that kid again I’ll kill him! We even plotted to feed him sleeping pills hidden in M&Ms! On the plus side, I watched Princess Bride 2 and Suddenly 30 in Spanish. It helped that Mila knew the plots inside-out, so I had a running commentary. Plus, let’s be honest, they are hardly deep films! The bus passed such Spanglish classics as “Chilly Willy’s International” and “Wonderfull Sex”.

Had dinner at our hotel – Mayan Chicken (cooked in oranges!). Really quite tasty, although not exactly what I expected!

Photos of Mexico