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Cancun - Riviera
Maya - Mexico |
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If you are the type of traveler
that steers clear of the commercial tourist areas,
you still should give Cancun and the Riviera Maya a try.
Although you definitely will not be the only person visiting
sites such as Chichen Itza or Tulum, you will soon forget
about the hordes of other tourists because the sites
themselves are truly incredible. Playa del Carmen is
also a great town to visit for relaxed upscale shopping
and delicious restaurants.
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Tulum - Mayan Ruins on the
Beach
Located on the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula
in the state of Quintana
Roo, is hard to find a more mystical and
enchanting place than Tulum. Although the actual
Mayan ruins are not the most incredible examples
of Mayan architecture, the combination of Mayan
ruins and Caribbean aqua marine beach is truly
mind blowing.
Even more entertaining, the ruins here are crawling
with giant iguanas. Every structure has at least
one giant lizard perched upon it basking in
the sun. The iguanas are used to seeing people,
so it is easy to get within a few feet of these
guys to snap a photo.
If you have your car in the Cancun area, the
drive to Tulum is pretty easy. It is about a
90 minute drive south from Cancun, and the road
there is on paved highways that are in good
condition.
There are also multitudes of charter
buses that will drive you to Tulum for a
pretty reasonable price. They are air conditioned,
and they have a guide who will lead you around
the site as well. Some guides are entertaining
and knowledgeable, and some guides are annoying
and don't really know what they are talking
about. Unfortunately, there is no way to screen
in advance for your guide - but you can always
explore the sites on your own if you don't think
your guide tells very funny jokes (just make
sure to get back to your bus before it leaves).
Many of the Tulum charter tours also will stop
at one of the natural water parks, such as Xel-Ha,
for the second half of the day. You can snorkel
and swim at these parks, and they make a nice
addition to your Tulum experience. |
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Chichen-Itza,
Mayan Pyramid
Chichen-Itza is another destination that
is cluttered with tourists, but it is
still worth the visit. The pyramid and
the giant ball court are breathtaking.
The acoustics of these structures are
a great deal of fun to experiment with. If you stand at
the base of the stairs of the pyramid
and start clapping your hands, it creates
an echo effect that sounds like a bird
singing - very cool.
If you are in town during the spring or
fall equinox, March 20-21 and September
21-22, there are huge gatherings of people
who come to witness the sun's shadow that
is cast upon the pyramid steps. The shadow
forms the shape of a serpent body which
connects perfectly with the serpent head
sculptures at the base of the steps. Even
cooler! |
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Driving to Chichen Itza from the Cancun area takes
a little over two hours on well paved highways.
There are some neat stops along the way. If you
see a sign for 'cenotes'
on the highway, these are exposed sections of
underground rivers that run through the Yucatan.
You can pay a small fee to swim in some of these
beautiful fresh water pools.
If you are a scuba diver, you should also consider
scuba
diving in the cenotes, or visiting the island
of Cozumel for incredible reef and wall diving. |
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