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Chichen Itza and Merida - We have been travelling on First Class Air con buses whilst in Mexico and had a few hours from Cancun to Chichen Itza ruins. The Mayan ruins really are amazing to see and our guide was fantastic. We learnt lots about the Mayan beliefs and traditions, much of which sounded like torture. It was a really long day as we got back on the bus for another 2 and a half hour journey to Merida. Merida was a really vibrant place where i first got a feel of the real Mexico. It is off the tourist route and not in the Lonely Planet guide so not many people stop there! On the first night we got take away pizza's and a few beers and ate on the hotel's roof top terrace before going out for a yard of cocktail! The following day was a free day with optional activities so the 6 of us on the tour went to cenote's (underground well's). First we got a mini bus and the journey took about an hour and a half, then we arrived at the point where you take a horse and cart on rails on a round trip to visit three different cenote's but as it was a Mexican holiday, loads of locals were also doing the same so we waited an hour for 2 horses and carts. Luckily we had Tom's spanish to help us get by as it was not a touristy place at all. The well's really weren't how we expected, you had to climb down steps underground onto a platform where you could then jump or cafefully climb into the beautifully clear water. We hopped back onto the rickety cart and went to the second one which had a slightly higher jump. At each pool we had about 20 minutes to swim. The third one was a bit scary as there was only a slippery wooden ladder down and it was depper into the ground. After umming and arring i carefully followed Tom and Jon down the ladder!! The pressure was on for the boys to get back for the Chelsea Liverpool game and the journey back was even longer because we had to catch the mini bus from the next village so took cyclos there. All very delayed but such an amazing day. Patience is a virtue and all that! Had a fantastic meal that evening listening to a live band. We let the boys watch the football and the girlies sat around chatting.Â
Palenque - We arrived in Palenque early evening. The following morning we were up early to get to the ruins. Again amazing but personally i felt a little ruined out. We spend the morning exploring the ruins and went through the jungle to see some that haven't been excavated yet. In the afternoon we went to Agua Azul which is a series of lots of waterfalls and pools where you can swim. The falls were amazing and it was so good to feel cool for once. I sat on a rock watching the falls and some of the others crazily climbing them as there were different levels. That evening we went to Salvador's (our guide at the ruins) restaurant for yummy fish and shrimps and lots of tequilla!
Palenque to San Cristobal - Oh my Oh my i have never had such a scary journey ever! The whole 5 hour journey was windey, really really windey and driver number one was crazy. We luckily all had seats at the front of the bus but even so i felt so sick and clammy and very very anxcious. I tried to sleep but couldn't. We finally stopped about half way and driver number two was a bit better. The speed we went into hairpin bends was well...crazy and i felt motion sick for the rest of the day! San Cristobal is up in the hills about 2200m above the sea! It is a lovely town with two main squares and really cool little streets with lots of cafes, bars and jewellery shops. Amber stone is the thing here. We had an amazing meal in an Indian/Thai restaurant on the first night and went to a friend of our tour leaders house for drinks around a fire. The temperature up here is considerably cooler which is a delight! We then headed to a club and danced the night away until 3.30am! Yesterday i had a bit of a sleep in and then me and Jemma went and explored the markets. There are so many beautiful crafts here all made by the local village Mayan people. I brought a couple of little things but could have gone mad...my bag is just too full and heavy! Early evening we went for Salsa lessons and i absolutely loved it! After dinner we headed to the club again to practice those salsa moves! So another late night! And that brings me to today - no lie in this morning as we went on a village tour of 2 local Mayan villages near by to San Cristobal. The experince was amazing. We went into the churches and saw the local people praying. They have beliefs of christianity combined with Mayan beliefs so they sit on the floor on pine needles and light LOADS of representative candles and take chickens and kill them in the church because the chicken takes away...actually maybe it replaces bad spirits once passed over someone's body. For example if someone has an accident it is thought that he distress causes loss of your spirit so the chicken is used to heal. Really facinating. There was a market on today and the colours throughout the village were so vibrant. The dress of the Mayan people is different. They make their clothes from wool...bit hot you'd think! The ladies carry small children on their backs in a fabric sling and the whole way of life is just so amazingly different. In the second village we went to a local families house and saw them weaving the wall hangings that you find everywhere here.Â
Tomorrow we leave incredibly early for an all day journey across the border into Guatemala so Me-hi-ho is finished. Think Fajita's for dinner tonight!
Bye x       Â
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