Sam And Saundra's Year Long Adventure - Part 48

Sam And Saundra’s Year Long Adventure – Part 48

Mexico 

2/18/09  -  Chichen Itza  - Ruins

Vagabundos at Main Pyramid

Sacred Game Hoop

Chichen Itza is the major ruins to see in Mexico! We spent the entire day and part of the night at these ruins and did not see everything.  They are soooo awesome! How people could make these structures today without using modern machinery would be mind-boggling.  Why people back ‘then’ would even think about it is astounding.  Sam was not able to climb these pyramids either – he is getting a little antsy.  It was interesting listening to all the information about these ruins.  So far, none of the histories of the ruin sites we have visited are the same, although there are some similarities.  You just got to come see!  This site allows artisans to sell their wares in the major pathways from pyramid, to temple, to columns, to burial location, to sacrificial altar, to plain living area.  We had a hard time keeping our eyes off all the wares presented.

Altar

Another Group Picture

Sam and I then walked in the shaded motel/hotel area for a while to get out of the sun.  (Yes I know – snow at home – very short pang of guilt.) Peacocks, peacocks, huge bamboo plants (the big ones that some of Sam’s drums are made of), flowers, birds and statuary.  We cooled off and it was time for lunch.  We had an outdoor buffet at the Mayaland Hotel/Restaurant, right next to the Pavarotti Restaurant.  They had dancers there – spinning and dancing with beer bottles on their heads.  Yep-beer bottles.  It was very entertaining.  Back to the ruins we went, did a little shopping on the way and it is almost time for the sound/ light show.  Another caravan’s wagon master hit the front desk before any of us even got in line, so all of the English translator machines were gone.  We got good outdoor seats that had been set up in front of the pyramid and waited.  We were totally in awe over the light show that played over the face of the pyramid.  It showed snakes, jaguar, ‘game’ being played, winner sacrificed, gods, people, oh – just everything.  It was presented in Mayan, which none of us understood, but we had listened well enough to the guides, that we really did follow much of the story.  It is hard to adequately describe the wonder and awe that these ancient sites invokes in us ‘modern’ folk.  For me, this is just a bit less then the awe and respect I am developing for Mexico’s ‘today’ people. 

Cool Bamboo

I also should mention that I have hundreds of pictures of iguanas of all sizes, colors and dispositions.  They are everywhere.  Cardinal and Orioles can also be seen almost everywhere – if you are looking up (hard to do when you know those lizards are around). We slowly return to camp and call it a night, reluctantly.  This is going too fast.