Lauren's Kiwi Adventures: Updates from the dream team!

Hey again everyone! Jeff and I are having a total riot here in Mexico, and we've been super busy cramming in a bunch of adventures over the past few days, so we haven't been updating as much as we'd like. Anyway, here's the rundown of what we've been up to!

On Saturday we went to the ancient city of Coba, first stopping in the jungle to do some rappelling, zip lining, swimming in the Chimuch cenote ("Chimuch" is Mayan for "bullfrog's mouth"), and then onto the city to climb their huge temple. It was a great day, and I took a ton of pictures.... and then lost my camera in the van when our driver dropped us off, and I haven't been able to get it back. I think it's gone for good. Fortunately Jeff took 2 pictures of me on the steps of the temple on my climb back down (on the internal memory of my waterproof camera which I still have), so once I get home with the proper cable to hook up that camera to my computer, I'll be able to get those pics off and prove that I was, in fact, actually there.

Anyway, my waterproof camera is now my only option, as the Canon has likely been swiped by someone else who found it in the van. The lost and found people from the company that organized the Coba Mayan Encounter said that it was never found, so I've got to just cut my losses and carry on with a camera that's lesser quality but still does the trick, especially after some photo boosting help from iPhoto. :o)

On Easter Sunday we went to Chichen Itza to see the most magnificent Mayan ruins in all of Mexico. En route we stopped at the Ik Kil cenote for a swim. Gorgeous!

We then had lunch and watched some traditional Mexican dancers with the group from our bus.

Arguably the most amazing sight (or at least the most famous) at Chichen Itza is the Temple of Kukulcan, also known as El Castillo (the castle). It is a pyramid built on top of another pyramid - the ancient Mayans built new temples on top of existing ones every 52 years, or at the end of one cycle. They believed that the higher the temple was built, the closer to the gods it (and they) would be.

We also saw the cenote of human sacrifice, where the high class Mayans would sacrifice children and virgins to the gods. The Mayans had to sacrifice their firstborn child without question; boys around 3-5 months, and girls around 12 years old. They would have a big ceremony before the sacrifice, with music, dancing, food, etc. and then the child would have a steam bath to purify them before they would be thrown in. Divers went down into the cenote in 1904 and found that there were 12 metres below the surface - 4 metres of water and 8 metres of bones.

The Temple of Kukulcan isn't the only temple at Chichen Itza. In fact, it is only one of about 300 in the city. This was another much smaller one that interested me, with its symbolic carvings and animal/serpent heads.

This next bigger temple was used for warrior sacrifice. The warriors would lay on the stones at the top and have their backs broken, their chests opened, and their hearts removed from their bodies.

This was part of the ball court where Mayan warriors would play the game "Pok ta Pok." The object of the game was to get a 9-12 pound rubber ball through this ring without using your hands or feet - only elbows, hips, etc. The games would last for 12 hours straight, the winner being the team who could score the first and only goal. 1,200 spectators would sit on top of the walls and cheer, and when the game was over, the losers would be sacrificed to the gods.

On Monday, Jeff and I tackled the public transit system and caught a bus to Playa del Carmen, where we spent the day shopping at the markets and buying souvenirs to take home. Here Jeff is explaining to the shop owner that "this is OUR team!" :o)

We also got to hold an adorable little squirrel monkey named Chencho. I fell in love with him immediately!

While we were shopping we saw a young man dressed as an ancient Mayan warrior:

When we got home after Playa del Carmen, we went out on the Cancun Party Hopper tour, which was extremely loud, energetic, and chaotic. Fun though! It's a good thing for your eardrums that these pictures are silent!

After a night out on the Party Hopper, Jeff and I got up extremely early (again!) to catch the first bus to Merida, the capital of the Yucatan.

Merida is an interesting place with lots of old Spanish conquistador architecture. The bus ride there was 4 hours long, we shopped for 3 hours, and then took the 4 hour bus ride home. A whirlwind trip to say the least, but we made it happen!

The cathedral in Merida is the oldest cathedral in mainland North America. It was build between 1562-1598 and the only older one in the entire continent is Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. We wanted to go inside but it opens at 4pm and our bus was leaving at 3pm.

This man was playing the saw! It was totally entertaining and I paid him a few bucks, for which he played me "Memory" from Cats, and "Fur Elise," which I got to help him with by hitting his saw with a stick while he bent it to make the correct pitches. Neat!

A couple more pictures of the architecture in Merida (which reminded me a lot of Cuba in many parts):

After the whirlwind of the past few days, Jeff and I decided to take today to chill, relax, follow our own schedule, etc. This is what our first few hours looked like (after sleeping in until after 9am, of course!):

We then went shopping for souvenirs, and then made our way to Playa Tortugas, which was supposed to be good for snorkelling. Unfortunately the water wasn't very clear, and I couldn't see many fish at all even in the clearest spots. I still took a picture of myself anyway, just for fun, since I have an underwater camera and may as well use it. :o) Hopefully it'll come in handy tomorrow in Xel-Ha, which is supposed to have some of the best snorkelling around!

Tonight we ventured away from our hotel for supper, and we found ourselves at Carlos and Charlie's, which was a total blast and very high energy. The place had a great laid-back atmosphere, and we are thinking of going back again either tomorrow night or Friday.

Tonight I finally caved and bought some bracelets from the little children who go around the downtown hotel zone selling them for $1. This little one was supervised by presumably her mom, and she was SOOO cute. I bought 2 bracelets from her, and she gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Jeff and I then did a bit more shopping, and on our way back out I bought 2 more bracelets from her again because I'm a total sap and I loved her. :o)