Rotterdam - Philadelphia - Cancun  20 hr journey 

Tuesday 22 March 2005

We take the 9am train from Rotterdam Central to Amsterdam Airport. At the airport we check in for the US Airways flight to Philadelphia where we will transfer to a flight on to Cancun in Mexico. Erik's suitcase gets a thorough inspection before the check-in, but that does not pose any problems. We take off at 12.45. The flight is uneventful and at Philadelphia we move through immigration, pick up our bags, through customs after which we can re-check them for the connecting flight to Cancun. The second flight is quite unremarkable too. We have exit row seats with lots of leg room, which is just as well considering Erik's length. The flight is not full so most of us have quite a bit of space. At Cancun we are being met by a driver from the Hotel holding a sign with my name on it. 

We reach the hotel El Rey del Caribe around 10pm. The receptionist helps us with our suit cases to the room, but is unwilling to leave us before we answer his unsubtle call for tips. After that we have a cool Mexican beer on a sidewalk café before we call it a day.

Cancun  - Mérida 341km (213 mi) 

Wednesday 23 March 2005

We wake up early. The shower is cold and a call to the reception does not help much. We have a good breakfast although hotel is a bit narrow minded with regard to which items are and which are not included in the room price. We take a taxi to Hertz who have an outlet in Cancun's hotel zone, which lies on an isthmus before the coast. It turns out to be quite a drive, almost as far as the airport. The car is not ready yet. We have to wait until 10am (which is what we booked). A bit after 10 we are on our way, which we loose shortly after that. Just when we find it again we are being pulled over by a police officer eager to rip us off for a speeding offence. At first he demands US$200 (to be paid at the station), then 150 dollars (without a ticket at the spot). In the end we cut a deal at 1000 pesos (US$90), to be paid "under the table", so that nobody can see it. That's Mexican corruption for you. He probably has good day with the supplement to his salary. We carry on, slightly shocked, via the well maintained toll road. The road side is lined with signs telling us things like “Moderate your speed”, “Keep our roads clean”, “Use your seat belt” and “Do not overtake at a solid white line". The Mexicans, however, do not seem to be bothered. There is hardly any traffic and we make good progress.. Around 1pm we arrive at Chichen Itza. On the roads towards the ruins there, we get a first experience with a typical Mexican traffic phenomenon: the Mexican speed bump. When any road, no matter how important, enters a village it will be adorned with a couple of these nasty bumps. Most of the time they are announced by means of road signs (“Topes”), but just as often you surprised by these treacherous bumps in the road, that smash your car against the pavement and your head against the roof! We have some lunch at the cafeteria and then visit the site with a certified guide. Julian, our guide, is very knowledgeable and guides us in the scorching heat past the pyramids, temples, ball courts and burial sites and tells us about their significance. Chichen Itza's heydays were roughly between 800 and 1000 AD. Chichen Itza was deserted in the early 13th century. Why? We do not know. We start at El Castilo, the big pyramid of the God Kukulcan. We soon understand that the Spanish names for the buildings have no bearing on their real function. It just says what the Spanish conquerors thought they were. It is the hottest time of day, but that is no impediment for many to climb the pyramid. It is for us though. We are introduced to the calendaric significance of the pyramid. It has four staircases of 91 steps. Together with the top floor this makes 365. On top of that around March 21st the afternoon sun casts a shadow on the side of the northern staircase in the shape of the body of a serpent. Only the northern staircase has snake head at the bottom end. This phenomenon draws lots of visitors. Inside the pyramid an older one has been discovered. That one can be seen through a doorway. Next is the ball court (Juego de pelote). It was here were teams of chosen Mayans played against each other with a bouncing ball, that had to be played through ring. The captain of the winning team was decapitated by the captain of the losing team and subsequently sacrificed to the gods.  Further down is the Temple of the Warriors (Templo de los Guerreros) and the Group of 100 columns (Grupo de las Mil Columnas). On top of that is a big  Chac-mool, an offering spot in the shape of reclining figure. The platform of Venus is thought to have been a site for  human sacrifice. South of these monuments lies Old Chichen.  This looks like a mini version of the new Chichen. The building are smaller and in worse condition. The jungle has not yet been removed. It is all very beautiful, but it would be better to visit places like this earlier in the day. We do not buy from the countless souvernir salesmen who are scattered over the entire site. After a couple of hours of visiting we take the car onto Mérida. It strikes yet again what little traffic there is on the main highways. We arrive at John adn José's B&B Angeles de Mérida around 6pm. A very enjoyable (gay) guesthouse. We feel instantly welcome in this very comfortable and tastefully decorated place.  

 We have a rest and freshen up. Around 7 our hosts John en José treat us to an happy hour with drinks and snacks. We take a cool beer. Later that night we eat at Amaro. Nice restaurant in the centre of town, with al fresco dining in a courtyard. 

Weather: warm and sunny 30ºC/86ºF.

Donderdag 24 March 2005

After a excellent breakfast with the other guests (most of them relatives of our hosts) we take the car for a drive to Celestun on the coast. Mele, one of the guesthouse's houseboys, explains us how to get there. After a good two hours' drive via quiet roads with numerous speed bumps we arrive at Célestun. Inside the natural reserve of Célestun we can make a boat tour on a river estuary where flocks of pink flamingos live in the salty water. The visitor centre is near the bridge into Celestun. We buy a ticket for a one hour tour (two hours is also possible). We pay per boat and per person. We speed quickly past fishermen towards the spots where the beautiful birds are feeding. Our skipper approaches them quietly and shuts off the engine. He then explains a bit about the birds who feed on micro organisms they find in the sediment on the bottom of the shallow salty water.  After having observed the birds for some time we continue to a Mangrove tunnel through which reach a landing. Here we can go ashore and make a walk over boardwalks to a natural well (Cenote) in which we can swim.  We are back at the bridge after an hour. We drive on to the town of Celestun where have a drink and some lunch at a beach side restaurant. Then we drive towards Uman and from there on to Uxmal, the archeological site south of Mérida. Here we find very steep and high pyramids from the Puuc period (600-1000 AD). The first we see is the back side of the Pyramid of the Sorcerer (Piramide del Adivino), an impressive and steep construction. It cannot be climbed anymore.  Behind that is a beautiful Quadrangle, called the Quadrangulo de las Monjas (nunnery) , enclosed by four magnificent buildings. This may have served as quarters where those chosen for sacrifice lived their final days or years in comfort. There is also a ball court and a couple of temples with astronomical significance like the Palacio del Gobernador, which in reality is no palace at all. These holy sites were not residential The site is beautifully situated at the edge of the jungle and the views are stunning. The big pyramid can be climbed.  

We drive back to Mérida. We freshen up and take a drink in the courtyard of the our guesthouse. We then take a taxi to Restaurante Nectar (arranged by houseboy Mele). This turns out to be a very trendy eatery, be it a bit remote. The taxi ride took well over 15 minutes but set us back only 50 pesos (€3,50). We have a wonderful meal. It is fusion between Asian and Yucatecan. 

 Weather: warm and sunny 30ºC/86ºF.