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 In 1997 we traveled to Cancun with friends Steve & Elaine, Rick & Alice, and Jim & Janie. Our first all-inclusive, we had a wonderful time; and we would definitely go back. |
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| Russ about to enjoy himself. | Suzy about to enjoy herself. |
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| Sweating at Chichen Itza | Breakfast makes for happy faces! |
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| Poolside | Captain Russ and first mate, Suzy |
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| The hotel as viewed from the pool. | The pool as viewed from the hotel. |
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| The adult(?) pool. | The tennis courts we never went to despite taking our rackets! |
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Chichen Itza is the
most visited archeological site in the Yucatan peninsula. It was founded in 514 a.d. by
the priest Lakin Chan who was also called Itzamna. When the Spaniards arrived in Chichen Itza, it had been abandoned as a consequence of the civil war fought with Mayapan. Between 1196 and 1441 the final collapse of this culture took place in the north of the peninsula. The conquerors found the buildings partially in ruins and their names and real uses were unknown. The archeological site is divided into two parts: the northern group with great Toltec influence; the central group having, for the most part, pure Mayan architecture. |
The Pyramid |
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| Getting ready to tackle the pyramid. | Halfway up, I made the mistake of looking down. | So
down I came! Russ didn't even attempt it. |
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| The Observatory where they gazed at the stars. | The Schoolhouse where they trained their children. |
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| The Playground where the winning team captain won the right of going to the afterlife by losing beheaded. | The
Beheading Platform. The game continued until there was a winner (er, loser). |
  This was a wonderful trip. We went during spring break week, so our flight down and back was filled with very young adults (gee, my parents would have never let me go down there at that age! the legal drinking age in Mexico is 18). Regardless, at least all the kids were not staying at our hotel and that was a relief. While at the hotel we spent most of our time at the adult pool where there were very few people. Miguel kept us happy ... so to speak ... and we all had a great time. Shopping was also great, and getting there was a no-brainer as buses rolled up and down the main highway every 10 minutes. So we did not have to rent a car to get anywhere (thank goodness). The highlight of the trip was Chichen Itza, a marvelous archeological site that I found fascinating. Our Mayan tour guide was very knowledgeable and proud of his people. After touring the site we had lunch at a buffet where we were entertained by young Mexican dancers (very colorful) before heading back to the hotel. The small boating excursion on the sound side was also fun, but I think dangerous as we went at breakneck speeds (following our guide) ... and I'm just happy that Russ was driving as I don't think I could have controlled the boat. Would we go back? It's a definite YES! The Mexican people in Cancun are a friendly and hardworking bunch of folks; and seemed to be enjoying themselves as much as we were. Memorable Moments: Never visiting the tennis courts even though we all took our tennis rackets (it was Steve's idea to take the rackets), and the boys being outridden on a bicycle tour by the tour guide and Mr. Body Builder and his equally built girlfriend (the boys were left in the dust ... some tour!). |
Home, Katie!
