Mexico Day 9

Hola ninos y ninas!

We are reaching the tail end of my trip, but I actually have decided to stay 2 more days and come back Wednesday. I really wanted to see Cozumel, Cancun and tulum before I left, and didn’t get a chance during my first ten days. Now we are planning a couple of excursions. Once those are checked off my list, I think I will be all Mexicoed out.

Yesterday was an awesome tour. First we went to Chichen Itsa, the Mayan religious site. The Mayans are famous for their advanced architecture, knowledge of astronomy, and religious sacrifices. Their architecture was really cool- I got a lot of great pictures that I will be posting first thing when I get back. The main temple is spectacular- it is at a 45 degree angle and the Mayans built it so that on both equinoxes, the sun shines on it in a way that creates an optical illusion (of a snake slithering down the steps). Obviously I wasn’t there on the equinox, but that’s nothing google images won’t fix. Another architectural marvel is the 300 yard ball field with walls and temples positioned in a way that people could talk normally on one end and be heard at the other end.

The Mayans somehow were able to learn about the stars completely by staring DOWN at puddles of water. Like 3000 years ago they calculated that all the planets will be in a line in December 2012 and were RIGHT?

Finally, the Mayans worshipped many gods who gave them life and to show their thanks made frequent sacrifice. Apparently to decide who was to be sacrificed they played a 7 on 7 game of what is strangely close to basketball with a 25 foot high ring and a much heavier ball. The WINNING team’s captain got the honor of being sacrificed. Crazy.

Unfortunately, when the Spaniards saw this ritual they thought the culture was consumed by the devil and destroyed all their books of “black magic.” So any record of HOW a society was able to do so many amazing things were lost. That’s why we think James Naismith invented basketball! And Galileo knew the most about the solar system?

After Chichen Itsa we stopped at a cenote: a natural formed pond in a cave. It was a little dirty but this was a once in a lifetime opportunity so I was the first one in! With bats flying overhead it may not be everyone’s definition of cool but it was probably my favorite part of this whole trip!

Last night we decided to check out the Playa Del Carmen nightlife. Basically they have a strip of bars/clubs where they all have promoters trying to convince you theirs is the best. We went beachside which was a novelty for me, but quickly turned into a reminder of why I don’t usually go to clubs, in any country!

This has been a long-unfunny account of my sightseeing. Lets see if I can add in any interesting observations…

The best place to buy meat in Mexico? Believe it or not, Wal-Mart!

My hotel has a rule paper that asks me not to keep food in my room to “Prevent the generation of plagues.” Apparently the Pharaoh was eating in his hotel room.

If you think I could pass up the opportunity to buy a Mexican scratch ticket with a Lucha Libre wrestler on it, you just don’t know me that well.

The Mexican equivalent of a penny is the size of a lithium ion battery. You could seriously make good money running a scam with these things. It’s the only real value they have.

What I have experienced more than anything is shopkeepers/restaurants trying to get my business. They have different methods. Some go with “Hola Amigo”. Some “Hey man what you want? I got it”…. One guy actually barked at our group. Some restaurants just have a beautiful girl stand outside smiling (completely silent). There are tons of drink and food specials. One seeing me walk with my German friend (a guy) said “Hey Honeymooners.” I long for the days of no-pressure sales where you can look at a posted price and decide if it’s enough for you…

Tomorrow I am moving to a room with a spotty internet signal so you may not hear from me until I make it home. Until then….