Chichen Itza. Advertised as one of the new seven wonders of the world, The Temple of Kukulcan lives up to its billing. Under reconstruction at the moment, this enormous temple was first crafted by the Maya around 800 AD. The temple is devoted to the plumed snake god, Kukulcan, and at the foot of the staircase (pictured here) are images of those serpents. On the equinoxes, a shadow extends down the staircase, terminating at the snake`s head, and the shadow appears to be the body of a rippling, sinuous snake.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
Rode 120km today.
A short story called “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” tells of a man, Walter Mitty, who is the hero of his daydreams. In his dreams, he saves lives, barrels into dangerous situations without the least bit of fear, and demonstrates coolness and bravado in the face of death. The daydreams are all that Walter Mitty has, other than a termagant wife who breaks into his fantasies and reminds Walter of his daily responsibilities and his humdrum existence. After about the 100km mark, my own daydreams were more of the “Secret Lives of Lassitude in the Lower Latitudes” variety, polar opposites to those energetic fictions of Walter Mitty. My first daydream of sloth centered around a scene in which I am wrist deep in a bag of Tostidos, a great cup of salsa nearby, a cold beer at my elbow, football on the TV, surrounded by friends, with a poker game in store for the evening. It is the paradox of the human psyche, however, that whatever we´re doing, no matter how wonderful, we often want to be doing something else. If I were at home, with my grubby paws deep in a bag of chips, very likely I would want to do something other than watch TV.
Kilometers passed. The temperature climbed like a monkey. A second daydream visited my wistful coconut. It was winter, snow fell outside, and I lay cozy under thick quilted blankets in an enormous room. Jeeves — Wodehouse´s Jeeves — had just lit a fire. ¨That´s excellent, Jeeves!” I said.
“I endeavor to please, Sir,” this sterling butler replied.
“That´s all for now, Jeeves,” said I.
“Very good, Sir,” and he shimmered out.
And then I slept for a month.
At last, Merida. The capital city of Yucatan state, Merida boasts museums, good food, cool architecture, and — most exciting of all — close proximity to Campeche, city on the sea. My mother remarked that the ride is a bit ahead of schedule. If Campeche is reached with time to spare, the plan is to bus to Chetumal, capital of Quintana Roo, and then cross the border into Belize.
Below you can find photos of the last days in Valladolid, Coba, and Chichen Itza, when the computers would not allow photo uploads.
The ruins of Coba
Brilliantly colored lizard
Valladolid´s cathedral stands in the town square.
One of the ubiquitous VW Bugs. The Bugs come in more colors than the factory makes — locals have undertaken many of their own paint jobs.
Valladolid´s pastel colors and an agressively styled tourist bus.
Much to my delight, skeletons abound.
Results, posted in the town square, of Valladolid´s effort in Mexico´s recent presidential election.
The picturesque B&B in Valladolid, managed by Juan and his mother, Maria.
A tarantula crosses the road. In addition to the tarantula, the road has also displayed a four foot long roadkilled python, a headless black and red snake, dead butterflies of brilliant hue, two splatted vultures, a squashed bullfrog, and a black plastic sack in which the remains of a deer were decomposing. Stay clear of the road, animal friends.
The Cenote Samula, pictured here, is unique because of the tree roots that descend through a hole in the top of the cavern and travel all the way into the water. The water is rich in minerals, filled with fish, and chilly to the touch. The cave walls are of limestone, and the cavern — whose diameter is about 65 yards wide and whose ceiling above the water is about 100 feet — is a home for swooping bats, birds, and insects.
View of the hole in the limestone where the tree´s roots reach through the cenote and begin their 100 foot descent into the water.
View of the cenote´s cave walls and stalactites.
Chichen Itza. Advertised as one of the new seven wonders of the world, The Temple of Kukulcan lives up to its billing. Under reconstruction at the moment, this enormous temple was first crafted by the Maya around 800 AD. The temple is devoted to the plumed snake god, Kukulcan, and at the foot of the staircase (pictured here) are images of those serpents. On the equinoxes, a shadow extends down the staircase, terminating at the snake`s head, and the shadow appears to be the body of a rippling, sinuous snake.
Located in Chichen Itza, this is the largest ball court in Mesoamerica. It is formed by a long wall on each side that has embedded rings with plumed serpents carved on them. The slightly sloping walls are decorated with scenes of sacrifices of ballplayers. At each end of the U-shaped ballcourt there are low walls supporting buildings that are richly decorated with reliefs and paintings. The size of the court and the height of the rings indicate that the ball was not hit through the rings with the hip, although that was generally the case at the time of conquest.
Heh! Honesty!
A Merida church tower rises above foliage
View from my window of one of Merida`s colonial streets
My window looks out onto Merida´s zocalo — the city square
¡Vaya Gringo! ¡Tus fotos son excelentes! You should tell Lonely Planet folks that they should check out your pics of the cave, it looks like a piece of moon -like landscape:-) Well done! And probably the Merida´s Mayor should pay u an extra beer for the wonderful pics you took in his city:-) BESOS!
I guess you can see skeletons everywhere..actually, another great time to be in Mexico is when they celebrate ¨el día de todos los muertos* (1-2 November), which would make Tim Burton feel home:-))
Indeed — perhaps the only thing better than a skeleton is a day of dancing skeletons. I am ready to adopt this holiday into the American holiday system.
David Murphy 
4 replies on “Maya Calle — Merida!”
¡Vaya Gringo! ¡Tus fotos son excelentes! You should tell Lonely Planet folks that they should check out your pics of the cave, it looks like a piece of moon -like landscape:-) Well done! And probably the Merida´s Mayor should pay u an extra beer for the wonderful pics you took in his city:-) BESOS!
LikeLike
¡Muchas gracias! The Mayor of Merida does a fine job of keeping the little zocalo safe and clean.. Perhaps I should buy him a beer. 🙂
LikeLike
I guess you can see skeletons everywhere..actually, another great time to be in Mexico is when they celebrate ¨el día de todos los muertos* (1-2 November), which would make Tim Burton feel home:-))
LikeLike
Indeed — perhaps the only thing better than a skeleton is a day of dancing skeletons. I am ready to adopt this holiday into the American holiday system.
LikeLike