February 9th 2017
Bavaud and I wake up early. Like really early. Having enquired the evening before at the chaotic Valladolid bus station and having learned the first public bus to Chichen Itza leaves sometime between 6 and 7 we decide to arrive right around 6 am at the centrally located bus station (with the collectivo departures happening just next door.) Chichen Itza itself opens at 8 am and trust me when I say it’s worth being in line by about 7:30.
We successfully catch the early bus and after just under an hours drive, starting and stopping to pick up locals, we’re in front of Chichen Itza’s busy entrance by about 7:40. There’s a line, but thankfully none of the day trippers from Cancun, Playa Del Carmen and Merida have arrived yet, so it’s not a long wait to buy our tickets to perhaps the most famous mayan ruins in the world. (If you want my pick of the best you’d have to look at Tikal in Guatamala and maybe Palenque as well.) . Still Chichen Itza is famous for a reason, and I’m excited to explore it with my new friend Bavaud.
Before long it’s hit 8 oclock and I’m impressed with the efficiency of the lines. Being Mexico it’s already hot early in the morning, but I know it;’s going to get worse, and way more crowded too, so Bavaud and I head straight in, setting a quick pace towards the famous mayan pyramids. I also have the side mission of spending what’s left of my pesos on souvenirs and house decorations. It’s definitely not the cheapest places to do it, but there are vendors everywhere setting up, and with some haggling the prices only seem marginally higher. As we enter the ruins and see ourselves almost alone, big smiles come to both our faces. IT was definitely worth the early wake up and I highly recommend people wanting to visit Chichen Itza spend the night before in Valladolid, because this wonder of the world almost empty is a whole different experience than at 10 oclock or so when the first of the day trippers start to arrive. Also because Valladolid is a legitimately beautiful town, and if you can find the barbecue man and his wonderful wife from my last entry, well they’re reason enough to visit anywhere in the world.
My wife would be proud to know Bavaud is rocking an awesome Brazil shirt as the Swiss and the Canadian wander through a mexican cultural monument. Simply out of sheer scale Chichen Itza is incredibly impressive. The city is huge and the pyramids some of the best preserved (or perhaps restored) . mayan pyramids I’ve found make it well worth a visit, and in these early morning hours it’s actually fairly empty too, which adds so much to the experience.
We wander through the main pavilions heading towards the back of the complex where we’ve been told there is a cenote, though sadly not one you can swim in (the crowds would make this impossible anyway.) . Sadly the cenote is not so impressive, though still very much worth a look, it however is not the highlight of these incredible ruins. It was however where many golden and jade artifacts were found by an early american explorer of the region and I do find it very interesting to wonder what the mayans may have used the cenote for.
Since we can’t swim we don’t spend too much time there and instead set off wandering towards other more hidden corners of what was once one of the most important Mayan cities.
Iguanas by now to me are becoming an expected feature of any Mayan ruins I encounter in Mexico. They were everywhere in Tulum, definitely present in Palenque and Chichen Itza is no exception as there are plenty of these mini dinosaurs basking in the sunlight seemingly not caring about the hundreds (and later thousands) of tourists wandering by and snapping photos of them. They blend in well with the stones of the ruins and sometimes I would walk by not even noticing them.
As the morning wears on paths that were once all but empty turn into highways at rush hour. I’ve already bought several souvenirs to decorate back in Brazil and bring back as gifts but there are so many vendors taking definite advantage of the swarms of tourists that I inevitably find more until I’m running low on Pesos. (Not counting the reserve set aside for dinner, the bus to c=Cancun and lots of hot sauces to bring home).
Bavaud and I spend a few more hours wandering through Chichen Itza impressed by the sheer scale of the place. Eventually though the hot early afternoon sun and the swarms of day trippers from Cancun and the region get the best of us and we decide to head out before we stop appreciating this ancient wonder. The path out takes us back through the main plaza, and some how there is a gap in the crowds and I snap a couple nice pictures of the main pyramid before heading out through a now very crowded exit.
Out in the parking area we manage to find a bus that will take us to our next stop for the day, a very famous cenote called Ik Kil which lies between Valladolid and Chichen Itza. It’s about a half hour ride and soon Bavaud an I are walking through a somewhat crowded parking lot towards the round opening in the earth that holds this picture perfect Cenote. It’s a lot like Cenote Oxman from the last post, but a lot more crowded and with a lot more rules. At least we seem to have beaten most of the day trippers so it’s not too packed. I quickly snap some pictures from above before following a well made staircase down to get in the cool water and refresh myself from the mid afternoon Mexican heat.
Down below there are several raised platforms for jumping though I don’t bother right away just wanting to beat the heat and sliding into the water as quickly as I can, swimming on my back and staring up through the lush greenery at a blue sky. The hanging vines are one highlight here much like they were at Oxman and here they seem to hold more water which drips down into the Cenote in certain spots creating a soothing sound only noticed when the crowds go particularly quiet. Despite being crowded there’s lots of space to swim around and before long i find the people aren’t really bothering me anymore.
After swimming, jumping and just enjoying the strange underground atmosphere for a bit more than an hour we decide it’s time to head up. We waste no time saying goodbye to my last cenote in Mexico for now (My flight is tomorrow afternoon, and early in the am I’ll be getting on a bus to Cancun to head back to Brazil and my lovely girlfriend (now wife) Renata).
I snap a few more photos as we leave, heading out to the highway beside Ik Kil with no idea how we will get back to Valladolid.
Buses pass but don’t seem to stop so before long we stick out our thumbs and thankfully a kind Mexican guy stops and tells us to hop in his truck bed. As he speeds down the highway toward Valladolid we’re both thankful for the strong wind buffeting us because otherwise it would just be too damn hot. Still, I’m willing to bet /i’ll be going back to Brazil with a sunburn.
After half an hour or so he leaves us in the main plaza of Valladolid and we wander back to our hostel before heading out for one last amazing meal with the husband and wife team selling tacos and quesadillas out of their little house. I eat too much because how could you not? And don’t regret it one bit, because how could you possibly regret it.
The next morning Bavaud and I say our goodbyes and I hop on a bus to Cancun where I will then transfer to the airport. My bags are stuffed full of souvenirs mostly from Mexico and Guatamala, but I find I’ve still got about 15 dollars worth of pesos left, so as I reach the bus station in Cancun on time I decide before catching a ride to the airport I’ll head to the supermarket across the street. There I ask a friendly local in the hot sauce aisle which is the best and buy a big bottle of that and three more bottles of various types. Brazil… get ready for some spicy food. Mexico… I’ll miss you… until next time.
