Akumal, Xcaret, Cozumel Diving

On Saturday, we visited Xcaret, one of several "Eco-adventure parks" here on the Mexican Riviera.It was a hard choice deciding which of them to visit. They're all expensive, about $100 pp, so we wanted to do only one. Besides they're an all day thing and we knew we didn't want to spend more than one whole day amidst the large crowds they were all sure to include.

Xcaret was...ok. That's about it. Different than the typical Disneyland in that there were really no "rides" per se - only 3 lazy rivers that were waaaaaaay cool.  We took some nice photos of them - our fav went through a Maya village complete w/ warriors in paint, canoes in the water, etc. The camera we used was a disposable (long story but we didn't have an underwater camera for most of this trip) and it uses FILM. Remember that stuff? I didn't even know it was still available. So we now have a camera with film that needs to be developed when we get home. It will probably be added to my collection of disposable cameras that sit for years until we don't even know what was on them anymore...

There were tons of iguanas wandering around, so T was happy, and there was a rope bridge that was kinda cool to navigate.  The place was HUGE though, so a lot of walking between. I'm sure it was twice the size of Disneyland. And twice as hot. Three times as humid.

Anyway, Xcaret included a cultural show that might have been worth the cost of admission if it wasn't so miserably HOT. We were sweating from start to finish. They were selling fans, along w/ gigantic bottles of beer in bags of ice.


The show included a re-enactment of the Maya Ball Game. You can see the size of the rubber ball in his hand below. The object is for each team to score goals by getting the ball through the rings seen in the middle of the photo on left (one on each side, high in the center of the court). They cannot use their hands and almost always used their hips!

Leaving Xcaret was an experience in itself. Driving on the road w/ NO lights. Dirt roads. Uphill. With a STICK SHIFT. Going the wrong way w/ no U turns then ending up in a long line for a policia checkpoint.
Yep, life is an adventure.

Early Sunday, we left Akumal and the Hacienda de la Tortuga, saying goodbye to the beautiful bird that hung out in the palm tree outside our room (below) and Roberto, the ex-Mexicana Airlines flight attendant who manages the property. What a great guy. So knowledgeable about the turtles and the whole area. Gave us great advice about everything we asked about. Like having your own private concierge (we never saw any other guests at the hotel - but there are only a few rooms).

We also said goodbye to the Coatimundi (right),
the funky animal introduced to Mexico & Central America by the Maya, who has the head of a fox, tail of a raccoon, and body of a cat.

The locals don't really care for the creatures because they're trash-diggers and can make a mess of things - like a raccoon. But they're kinda cute... They're not afraid of people, as you can see how close Erikka and Trevor are to them.

We drove to Playa del Carmen to catch an 8am ferry to Cozumel. It took about 40 minutes to get there, an uneventful trip (as it should be! In my job, uneventful trips are good).


At Cozumel, we caught a cab and drove about 15 minutes to Caleta Marina where we met our crew.

We got a short refresher scuba course on the boat on the way to Palancar Reef, one of the best places to dive in the world.

We stopped to pick up another couple from a small pier next to their hotel on Cozumel then the 5 divers, two dive masters and crew of two were off. It was a slow boat, about 45 min to the reef.

Our dive master stayed with the three of us the entire time, primarily with Trevor. He had his camera and offered to shoot photos. $40US for the cd of about 50 pictures. Actually much better than many photographers charge.

Summer school??

After our first dive, he said if we'd seen a sea turtle, we'd have accomplished a "Grand Slam" in diving...seeing four biggies. But we did see a huge shark, moray eel, plenty of lobster and tons of huge fish I don't know the names of (sorry). They were everywhere.  The reef was so colorful!

We stopped for lunch on a beautiful beach, then out for another dive, this time to a more sandy, not as colorful location, called, "Santa Rosa." Tons of fish though.

You're looking at my hair, I know you are...  all I can say is, "Don't judge"... the water does funny stuff to you. The nice thing about being the official blogger, is that you get to choose which photos go in. Hence, you'll see more of the kids than me :)

This fish is nicknamed by the divers here in Palancar, "The Bodyguard" because he will literally swim along with you. I thought of him as sort of an escort. At times, I thought I would swim into him, he was so close.

Look at the size of the "Bodyguard"  (not my hair, please)

We saw so many beautiful (and BIG) fish

This moray eel was soooo long. Seriously, like 8 feet.

The colors were spectacular

Photographer was too close to get the whole thing, but I'm here to tell you it went on forever...

 
Note: Both in the GBR in Australia and in Koh Tao, Thailand, we were told, "Never touch" when diving. Leave the ocean as you find it to preserve its beauty as well as the ecosystem. Its a good rule.

On this dive however, the guide picked up a lobster and the giant conch shell and handed them to us to hold. Actually, in Australia, they gave us a sea cucumber to hold too.
Generally though - we do not touch anything.

That's why we often swim with our hands clasped together, or arms folded, like you see Erikka doing below.

We were back at the marina by 2:30pm. A great day!

Now, it's off to the Zona Hotelera for 3 nights of luxury. Yes, I am going to admit we are trading in the wall a/c that blows right in your face for CENTRAL AIR. The quaint B&B pools for the massive ones with waterslide, bridges and swim-up bars. Not AI (all-inclusive), because we are not big drinkers/eaters, but still full of tourists like the AIs are. Plus, typical Westin timeshare activities, like Bingo, mini-golf, and stuff for kids (T just got back from the iguana feeding).
We own an EOY (every other year) timeshare at this resort...the Westin Lagunamar, where we are totally ENJOYING doing NOTHING!! 

One bedroom unit with full kitchen

Jacuzzi tub!

And the best part: the view from our balcony.

 See the small circular pool on the left? Just on the beach from there is a square shape. That's the turtle nursery! We hope to see hatchlings being released. They have turtles dig nests here too, but unlike Akumal, where they leave the eggs alone, they dig them up (you have about 6 hrs to move them after they're laid) and relocate them to the nursery. They bury them deep - too deep for the babies to climb out - then early each am, they check the nest to see if the babies have hatched under the sand (there will be an indentation in the sand mound). If so, they dig them out and release them at night where there are fewer predators. 

Weird, I know.

Just 3 nights here...so we're relishing every minute. 

Turtles!!

Turtles are amazing creatures...so gentle. And so BIG.

We watched a 400 lb green turtle come out of the water, dig a HUGE nest and lay hundreds of eggs Wednesday night, on the beach in front of our hotel.  It was about midnight and there was a group of about 10 of us watching. We'd all been gathered around one of the (many) turtle nests on Half Moon Bay "waiting...waiting...waiting" for the hatchlings to come out. The nests are marked with the date the eggs are laid - it takes more or less 60 days for them to hatch.

Turtle nests are marked with rocks and a sign with the date eggs were laid

Close up of marked nest. There are so many on the beach you have to watch where you walk.

But, like all babies, they are on their own schedule. We were about to give up when the CEA (the org. that protects them here in Akumal) guide called us over to watch the mama nesting. The turtles enter into a trance-like state when they are laying eggs, so they don't mind people being near.

Mama digs down, down, down with her front flippers - about 18", that takes about 30 min or so. Then she enters her trance and lays the eggs for about another 30 minutes. When the eggs are laid, she uses her back flippers to pack sand around the eggs. Finally, she buries the eggs with her front flippers by throwing sand behind her - and on us! Too funny.

Any light used on the turtles at night must be red. White light confuses them, since white light may be confused for think it is the moon. One of the people watching accidentally set off her flash - but LUCKILY...I already had my camera poised with the button ready, only it was too dark so it wouldn't take. As soon as HER flash went off, my camera took the picture! Yay! She got chastised and I got a great shot (with no flash!)

First, she digs the nest, then lays the eggs, then buries the nest.

After laying the eggs, she makes her way back to the water

The whole nest-building-egg-laying process took about 90 minutes!

 BLOG BREAK - BLOG BREAK - BLOG BREAK...

I just answered a knock on our door from the security guard for our hotel (didn't even know we had one until now). The CEA guide from two nights ago knew we wanted to see the turtles so he asked the guard to get us. It's 9:30, but our light was on. He was so apologetic, but thought we'd want to see a mama lay her eggs. He didn't know we'd witnessed that awesome event on Wednesday and we didn't have the heart to tell him, so we traipsed back out in the sand to find a small crowd already gathered.  However, it turned out to be somewhat of a false alarm because this mama had a damaged front flipper and although the guide was trying to help her dig, she couldn't do it, so she gave up and headed back into the water. So sad. They thought she'd keep trying, as she'd already come out of the water once tonight. We decided to let the rest of the folks stay up and we headed back - with a big thanks to Gabriel the guide for thinking of us (it was actually "Erikka" he told the guard to ask for :)

OK, BREAK OVER...

Thursday was snorkel day - Akumal is known for the abundant amount of turtles that inhabit the bay. Snorkelers are almost guaranteed to swim with them. And..."swimming" with them is exactly what you do, since they swim at about the same speed as we do. They don't seem to mind people at all (I'm sure we're just more fish in the sea to them).  The first photo shows two barracuda on top of the turtle. Every time the turtle surfaced, they went underneath, then back up top just before getting smushed as the turtle returned to the ocean floor to eat. Totally cool.

Akumal Bay, Mexico

Wednesday was also a snorkel day. Went to Yal-Ku Lagoon - about 3 minutes from Half Moon Bay.

Fish were EVERYWHERE here. You pay to get in - but it's a great way to spend $10.

Love this picture!!!

I need to look this up - have no idea what it is but they were all over the bottom of the lagoon.

BLOG BREAK - BLOG BREAK - BLOG BREAK ...

Gabriel just knocked again - this time the mama with the hurt fin was able to finish her nest.  Erikka & Trev were asleep, but I woke them and Erikka and I went down to watch. Trevor asked if we could "take a picture" haha.  We did - and it was worth the trip. This was a loggerhead, not a green turtle like a couple of nights ago. So different in the way she built her nest. Took great photos and video of the eggs, which were waaaay down a cylinder-shaped hole she dug.  

They use their front fins like hands, digging straight down and scooping sand, then carefully lifting it out. Amazing.

Here's a 21 sec video!

OK, Break's over - and so is this update, except for a few photos of La Buena Vida down the street...

We had drinks in the “Crow’s Nest” – a palapa-covered palm tree. Notice the bucket (white, on left of photo, hanging from rope) to pull your beverages up. And those signs on the tree? “Climb under your own risk” Ha!

What was interesting was that you couldn’t eat up there, they were only for drinks. So, climb up, drink alcohol, then don’t fall on your way down. And, by the way, they do slightly weave when you’re sitting up there – and I promise, it wasn’t the margarita 

2 Margaritas and 1 Shirley Temple Coming UP!

View from our room

This morning I noticed two turtle tracks in front of our room - two failed attempts at nest making.

Half Moon Bay

Hasta Manana!

Chichen Itza, Cenotes, Casa Venados, Villagers, and Tequila

At Chichen today (Monday), we learned something interesting about all this rain.

It seems the rain god's name is Chac. That's him on the left. His profile actually. See his hooked nose? Below is his mouth (and pretty menacing set of dientes) above, his eyes & eyebrows. He's pretty popular at Chichen Itza (Chicken Pizza for those of us who are having a hard time with the c's, h's, z's, etc...not naming any names like rick).

Maybe bc we’re here during the rainy season, or maybe bc this whole peninsula is so lush, green, and WET, but I find it hard to believe the Maya could ever have prayed for more water to fall from the sky. If anything, I’d think they’d be praying, “ENOUGH already!”

Well, turns out that’s actually true. We learned from our Chichen Itza guide, Willie, that Chac, who is shown in drawings and carvings with a hooked nose, (and tears coming from his eyes – for rain) is depicted with either his nose curving up, or down. Up would mean – “We need rain” and down would mean, “No more rain.”  Here is a photo from Chichen Itza showing Chac with both noses.

I sure hope the Maya are praying to the right one. Or maybe the prayers were delayed and he’s just now getting the requests from the last dry season. Whatever, we've just accepted it - Come 3pm, Come Rain.

Chichen is famous for a unique phenomenon that occurs twice a year, during the summer and winter solstices.  When the Maya built El Castillo, for the Maya feathered serpent god Kulkukan, they did it in such a way that when the sun sets during the equinoxes, (March & Sept 21) the shadows slither down the stairs, creating the apparent body of the serpent - that lines up with the stone head at the base! It also has axes that orient with the sun at the summer solstice & winter solstice, so the shadows appear to split the pyramid in half diagonally.

It was one big calendar.

Total steps on all sides total 365, the number of days in a year. There's 18 terraces on each side, representing the 18 months of the Mayan calendar. Nothing in the place is by chance.

The photo above is what I took yesterday.  This one, from the internet, shows the phenomenon on March/Sept 21. Pretty amazing. Our guide called them the Ancient Greeks of the Yucatan.

We were there early, fortunately, so there were no crowds. Here is the Maya ball court, where to object was to get a 9 lb. softball-sized ball made of solid rubber through the rings up on the top (above Erikka's head).





Only problem...no hands. Only other problem, if you win, you die. According to Willie anyway. There are various other versions of who is sacrificed...losers, team captains, a pre-determined prisoner, etc. Not a game I'm interested in playing...







Closer view of the goal - the ring mounted on the right wall.

Here Willie is explaining to us, but for some reason, mostly to Erikka, the meaning of the carvings along the ball court.

So...here goes. The guy shown sitting in the middle, a side view with his feet flat on the ground, has seven snakes coming from his head. Seven is important but I can't remember why. The center snakes continue on and wrap around the drawing, showing fertility I think. There's some human hearts in here somewhere and they're significant somehow, like everything here, I just can't remember why or how.  Basically, everything here means something.

Like I said, nothing is by chance.

Those sacrificed ball players? At least they got their image preserved in stone..












and they were in good company - you can see how many heads were carved in the wall.

Chichen gets a lot of negative feedback about the vendors that peddle their wares throughout the grounds of the complex...right in with the ruins. Supposedly, they will shout, "Lady, only one dollar!!" and such as you pass.  We heard none of that. Many were just setting up, but a lot were already finished and just silently sat at their tables as we passed. Most were preoccupied with other things and didn't really seem to know we were there - but then again we did have a guide which would probably cause them to leave us alone a bit more. However, we just didn't hear any calling out from any of them. Willie told us the gov't has come down hard on them and they were told if they didn't keep quiet - they'd make them all leave.

Still, many people feel the grounds with the ruins should be free from peddlers, period. I agree.

The vendors setting up their mobile store on the grounds of Chichen Itza.

Erikka's new best friend, our guide Willie.

Ever read the book, Caps for Sale??



Could not resist this photo!











After Chichen, we swam at the Ik-kil cenote. A bit more commercialized than others, but beautiful. Cost about $6 per person.

You can see the guys trying to help me with the lens cap...

Interesting little side note:  As I looked down into the cenote from above, to take this photo, I dropped my lens cap. Ugh! It fell about 6 feet down onto a jungly ledge. A couple park guides tried to help me retrieve it, but they brought this gicantic, 6 foot long metal pole with a hook on the end. Ummm...unless you stick some chewing gum on the end, that plan just wasn't gonna work. After a few minutes, they just said, "Es impossible".

*sigh* We're using a sock.

Showers required before entering and no sunscreen other than biodegradable allowed. Don't ask me how they know if your sunscreen is biodegradable...honor system I guess.

The view looking up from the water  >

Below:
There were several jumping off spots. Of course Erikka had to jump from the top, which is actually much farther than it looks in this photo. And since she did, of course, Trevor had to also. Didn't my mother used to say, "Well...just because your brother did it, it doesn't make it right. If he jumped off a building, would YOU?" Um...Trevor? Guess the answer is yes.

Had a nice buffet lunch at the Best Western in Piste.
Price of meal comes with entertainment...and tip :)

Food was good - about $9US per person. Lots to choose from. We were full way too early.

Trevor is an "adult" sometimes (like for this buffet) and a "child" other times. We found the magical age is either 11 or 12, but either way, he's on his last year of childhood as far as travel and cost goes I guess.

His can of Sprite from the restaurant came with this funny looking guy on the side.


I'm pretty sure he's the Mayan god of sugar.







Back at Casa Hamaca to chill, then dinner at a great place up the block.  Cunatos. Mexican, Italian, Chinese, you name it. All on one menu. Amazing thing is, they do it all pretty well!

``````````````````````  Tuesday  ``````````````````````

Tues am, we went to the market, since Trev and Erikka hadn't gone when Denis took us, then stopped by Casa de los Venados in Valladolid for a tour. It is owned by the ex-CEO of a computer company in Chicago. He rec'd a massive 1.7 million (controversial) executive bonus in 2006 and bought an 18,000 sq ft home in Valladolid. It's not the home that's impressive though - it's the collection of folk art inside. He commissioned most of the work by Mexican and Spanish artists and designed some of the pieces himself. They offer tours of the home once a day for a donation of $5US per person. It lasted about an hour.

This mural is 12 feet tall, hand carved in clay, depicting typical life in the Yucatan.


Below, a close up of one scene.

Very...interesting...clock designed by the owner.

Pool is amazing. The palm trees to the far right (close up below) are made of metal.

Each chair in the dining room is a famous Mexican. Front and back of chair has carvings.

Had to photograph this:  That's Moreno against the wall, and Diego de Landa wearing the cross.

The beer-bellied policia pinata!

We stopped by the square in Valladolid to buy some authentic Maya organic chewing gum. It was...different. Not quite as "different" as the green apple-looking sucker thingy Trev had to have. After buying (2 pesos) and opening it, he saw it was covered in a red powder. Chili powder isn't exactly the first thing we would think of to dip a sucker into, but here, well, they like it. 

It's all an education.

 We walked through the park on the way back to the hotel. These conversation chairs Trev and Erikka are sitting in are all through the square.

Back at Casa Hamaca, summer school is going on under the palapa for the local kids.

Next, we made a trip to a local Maya village that we'd arranged yesterday. One of Denis' employees, Gabina, lives in this village about 20 min away. We gave Denis money to buy food for one of the families there who needed it more than most. When we got there to deliver it, we found it was "El Dia de la Paga" and all the residents were gathered at the town hall to receive their monthly stipend. Social Security in Mexico I guess. Well, the elderly woman we had intended to visit was at the square, so Willie took us to another man who was home (can't walk well enough to go to the square).

His hut reminded me of those teepees you go in at Knotts Berry Farm, or the Jamestown fort in Virginia. But in those places, they're empty and you have to visualize how it was when it was being occupied. Here, it was like having it come to life. This was actually the way he lived, today. 

Wow. 

Look at Trevor...taking it all in. One of my favorite photos of this trip.

Typical Mayan stove on the right - 3 stones. His dining room table has the groceries on it. Entire kitchen is the shelf on the left. Most bowls are made from jirara, which looks and grows similar to a coconut.

That's Gabby, behind the man. The man spoke only Mayan, Gabby spoke Mayan and Spanish, Denis spoke Spanish and English. We got by. No trouble communicating here; much was communicated without words.

Various forms of insulation for the cooler months of January-March.

Not sure what kind of tree this is, but we've never seen anything like it - huge HUGE spikes growing from the trunk.

After the food delivery, we went to prison. To buy a hammock. The prisoners make the best hammocks in the area and receive a portion of the sale. It takes about a week for them to make one. E & T each picked out one for their room. It was a hard choice - sooooo many to choose from. They were $50US each.

The photo above was from Case de los Venados. I included it here to show how the Maya use hammocks. They are born in them, they sleep in them, they sit in them. They are a very important part of their life. All the hotels/b&b's have them.

Next stop was ANOTHER cenote called Dzitnup. This one was underground, so it was quite different than the other two we've been to. Hanging from the cieling were huge stalactites. Trevor had to have a picture of the sign we passed on the way in. Gotta love Mexico.

 

Last stop for the day (busy day) was the Tequila distillery...only they can't call it "tequila" because that's a named owned by the liquor that comes from Jalisco, Mexico. But, really...it's tequila.




 
 The agave species native to the Yucatan is Agave henequén or sisal, used for twine string. Agave azul or blue agave was imported from Jalisco to the Yucatan in 2003. This species is used to produce tequila, the national drink of Mexico. They have perfected the process of tequila making here and offer free tours - which include free samples, Ha!! They are smart, because after you've tasted the three kinds (they vary depending on the length of time it takes to distill them) you HAVE to buy the best kind - and most expensive.  So, the "free" tours can be pretty expensive after all :) But worth it! We left with three large bottles of Agave Azul!!
Not meant for a shooter - you enjoy the taste instead of gulping it.

Under those blue leaves are huge pineapples that are the heart of the tequila. They are cooked in an over for four days, then pulled apart and the lucky horse below gets to drag a 2000 lb stone around and around and around, smashing the pulp before it ferments in a barrel for six days. Then it is distilled for a few days and when that is finished, you have tequila BLANCO - but that's not the good stuff. The good stuff ages for a year.

That's what we bought...:) Anyone up for a tequila, ooops, I mean "agave azul" party when we get back?

Tomorrow, it's off to the coast. We need an ocean. We'll get our room in Half Moon Bay where we can hopefully see turtles nest on the beach in front of our hotel. Then we'll try to get some snorkel time in before taking Rick to Cancun airport - so he can fly back.

To work.

Lest anyone think my husband is on a vacation from work while here on vacation.

 Another update soon!