we boarded the
catamaran and
set sail for the
second part of
the island, the
Garrafon Natural
Reef Park. Here
you can zip-line,
snorkel, kayak,
relax in the infinity
pool, relax in the
hot tubs and relax
in a hammock.
talk for the entire length of the journey
prompting some of us to have a midmorning snooze. We arrived at Chichen
Itza to a barrage of people selling their
wares and the calls of “one dollar” and
“hello mate” ringing through the grounds.
We walked with our guide round the site
and the further we went, the more in awe
we became of this historical wonder. The
architecture of the arenas and temples
was astounding especially the way they
were built to reflect and encompass
aspects of their environment. We spent
a lot of time in the “arena” area where
local people would have played sports
and taken part in tournaments. Their
games had much more interesting
outcomes than our modern versions
though, as they were not just playing to
avoid relegation to a lower league, but
to physically keep their heads. It would
appear that the Mayans, as intelligent as
they were, were fairly cruel; the losing
team were offered as sacrifices to the
Gods! It is an incredible place to visit
and really worth the trip and it’s always
good to say you have seen a Wonder of
the World!
We spent a couple of hours wandering
around by ourselves finally giving in to
the sellers and buying a few Christmas
present for unsuspecting family and
friends. The temperature that day was
in to the 30s but felt much hotter so we
were definitely ready to retreat back
to the bus and move on to our next
stop, the Ik Kil Cenote or “Ts’onot” in
Mayan. Cenotes are natural sinkholes
which after collapsing, often expose
groundwater underneath and have
become popular attractions for people
to swim in. They were sometimes used
traditionally for sacrificial offerings
and so continued the sacrificial theme
from Chichen Itza. We ventured with
trepidation down the stairs carved out of
the sinkhole’s structure and made it to
the bottom. It was spectacular to see. My
partner was first to jump in to the 50m
deep pool and he did so with caution.
As we watched children aged five and
under dive in from the 10m platform,
we leapt from ground level. The water
was fresh but actually warmer than the
hotel swimming pools and Matthew even
braved the 1m board towards the end!
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