Chicken Pizza

Welcome to the LOOOOOOONGEST day of the trip -- our outing to Chichen Itza.  Or as a family friend's little boy dubbed it many years ago, Chicken Pizza.  Exactly one week ago today, we ventured out on a tour bus with dozens and dozens of other people to travel to the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza which were 2 1/2 hours away.  Along the way, we made new friends, ate some more okay food, felt bad about not buying any of the junk that was being hawked our way by modern-day Mayan vendors, melted into a puddle of sweat while roaming the ancient Mayan grounds, and then almost got hit by lightning while visiting a nearby sinkhole at Ik Kil.  Okay, so that last part probably isn't entirely accurate, but it sure SEEMED like a possibility as we huddled under an awning near the cenote while waiting for our group to finish up their swimming in the major lightning and thunderstorm that was taking place that afternoon. Hahahaha.  It was CRAZY bananas.  And then the day STILL kept on going as we stopped at one more Mayan town and then drove the 2+ hours to get back to the hotel.  It was an exhausting day.  From 7 in the morning until 8:30 that night we were at the mercy of Dream Tours Chichen Itza.

Requisite picture in front of Kukulcan at Chichen Itza.

According to Raul, our tour guide, everything the Mayans did was all about "the cosmos."  And creating "good energy."  Or something like that.  Scott and I had both been to Chichen Itza before, so we were sort of familiar with the history of the ruins, but it never hurts to have a refresher course and it really is very interesting.  The heat, however, combined with the fact that you're no longer allowed to climb the pyramids or even get all that close to them, made it a slightly less exciting venue this time around and I don't think I'll ever need to go back.  At least not with a tour like this. 

Once we were FINALLY there, it was overwhelming to see the tables and booths set up EVERYWHERE along the perimeter of the site with the local people trying to sell their Mayan goods.  Even though the vast majority of it was trinket-y, and junky, and a complete waste of money, I still felt REALLY bad and guilty about not buying anything they were selling.  Maybe that sounds crazy, but I couldn't help but feel like even if they WERE trying to rip me off, their standard of living and MY standard of living are so worlds apart that I could have at least bought SOMETHING to help them out. 

Once we were on the grounds, Raul turned the time over to Pepe the Chichen Itza tour guide who REALLY knew his stuff.  Like amazingly well.  It was definitely very interesting even if I was mere moments away from melting into an absolute puddle on the ground.  It was easily the hottest and sweatiest I've been since I don't even know when.

 This is my "I'm melting! I'm melting!" face.  Hahaha.

Hoop/ring on the wall of the Ballcourt.

Carvings on the walls of the Ballcourt.

Stand/viewing area for the ballgame on the side of the Ballcourt.

One of the faces of Kukulcan.  Apparently the pyramid has been recently named one of the new seven wonders of the world and I think that is part of the reason why it is now roped off.  Also, someone said it was because tourists were hacking off pieces of stone from the building and steps.  Even if that weren't the case, that stairway is STEEP and more than a little scary to climb.  When I went with my family over a decade ago, me and two of my sisters did climb to the top and I was very grateful there was a rope attached and slung down the side to use as a kind of railing for going up and down it!

The feathered serpent.  Check out that sky brewing in the background.

Requisite dumb tourist pic.  Hahaha.  Look!  I'm holding Kukulcan in my hands!

Relfie count up to this point?  Probably about 25.  :)  I'll spare you the repetition.  Just know that they all look kind of like this.  Hahaha.

Kukulcan itself.  The Temple of the Feathered Serpent.  This is what a hashtag No Filter looks like!  Hahaha.  That sky up there would soon be opening the floodgates.

After we were finished with the ruins, we headed over to the sinkhole.  Just as our tour bus was pulling up to Ik Kil, it started to sprinkle.  It wasn't long before someone saw a flash of lightning in the distance, but Raul assured everyone that the cenote was perfectly safe because it was so far down that the lightning couldn't hit it.  Well, it was perfectly safe except for the fact that the minerals in the water made it "very heavy" and you would have a hard time staying afloat unless you rented a life jacket at the site for $3.  Hmmmmm.  Pass!  Hahahaha.  Scott and I weren't ever planning on swimming, but there were plenty of people who had packed a swimsuit and decided to give it a go anyway.

It was really hard to get a good shot from up at the top, but it DID look pretty cool.

Within minutes, the sprinkling of rain turned into a steady downpour that eventually upped its ante into a veritable flood of biblical proportions.  At one point, there was a flash of lightning so bright, and a clap of thunder so loud and so close, that I really did think it had hit the snack bar right next to us!  There were quite a few more close hits before our allotted hour at Ik Kil was up, but we stayed safe and mostly dry as we hunkered down under a tent and worked on some more crossword puzzles while watching the rain pour down.

 

A kind tour-mate saw us taking our "scared face" relfie up there and didn't realize that we actually WANTED to take it that way.  Hahaha.  When he offered to take one FOR us, we couldn't really turn him down, now could we?

All in all, it was quite the day with lots of memories made! We found out on the bus drive back that a couple of the people sitting near us had been in the sinkhole when that big lightning bolt hit and had actually gotten shocked!!!  What the bunnysauce???  So, in the future, for all those of you who might ever want to swim in a sinkhole during a thunderstorm -- don't do it!  Use some common sense and remember that Raul doesn't know what he's talking about!  Hahahaha. 

Stay tuned for the last couple of posts about this trip.  Until then, peace out!