February 24 - Day 24

Chichen Itza Tour
I had to be at the tour meeting place at 7:45 a.m. I got to sit in the front seat because I was solo. I like to keep my eye on the driver. Roberto drove slowly at first.

Tour Group
Our group consisted of a couple from Canada, a couple from Norway, a couple from Italy, a couple from Bueno Aires, and four people fromSpain.

Pit Stop
We stopped to use the washroom and they also had a gift shop. I realy wanted a candy bar, but they didn't have any without nuts. I ended up with a bag of fritos instead.

Prison
We passed the prison on the way to Chichen Itza. It wasn't very big, so I would imagine that they haven't caught all of the Drug Lords yet. Otherwise, it would be grande. The prisoners made hammocks and other items that were for sale outside the prison.

Chichen Itza
When we arrived at Chichen Itza, our guide was not there. There was supposed to be a guide for each nationality, but there wasn't.

The English speaking guide was Carlos (and he had about 4 missing bottom teeth). During his speach, the Italian couple asked me if there was an Italian tour, and I asked Carlos for them. He was pretty pissy about it and said that the Italian tour was the other one (with the Spanish people). I told them and they went over there. I explained that they didn't understand. I think it's funny that I always get nominated. I don't speak anything except Ingles!

The story about Chichen Itza was pretty interesting. Carlos really did seem to be a good resource. He took his job very seriously.

Chichen Itza is much easier for older people to manage. It's more open (so, not as much shade) but not as much walking either. Although, at Coba, you can rent the bicycles or the bicylists.

When the tour was over, I was the only one to tip Carlos. I think I've heard before that a lot of European countries do not tip.

We had some free time after the guided part, so I looked around at the people selling their goods. There were a lot of people who claimed that their stuff was $1.00, and I flat out told them that I don't buy anything from people who lie. They need to learn that it's not appropriate. It's not a joke, and tourists are not stupid. That's not an ethical way to sell.

Outside there was also a little market, where a little girl sold me a short and top set for Sam for his birthday. It was a great deal at only $150 Pesos. The lowest price I found in town was $150 Pesos just for the top.

Kuculcan Lunch Buffet
Roberto didn't know where the restaurant was, so he had to stop and ask. The Mayans welcomed us to a buffet lunch. During lunch, they entertained us with a dance. I'm amazed that people can dance, let alone dance with beverages on their head!

Lunch was very interesting because I sat next to the Italian couple and the couple from Argentina. We were all able to communicate amazingly well. We mostly used Spanish, and sometimes it was like playing charades.

Cenote
The cenote was different than I expected. I didn't realize that the water was very cold and that you had to go down into it (similar to going into a well or a sewer). I wore my bathing suit, but I forgot my floaties! The Italian couple and the couple from Norway didn't swim either. The Italian lady kept saying, "Mama Mia!"

Instead, I opted to check out the shopping (what a surprise!) and the resort. The Senor who directs the hotel was a very charming older man. He had someone show me some of the rooms. They are individual thatched roof cottages for $100/night, and you can have 3 adults or 2 adults and 3 children for the same price. It's a great place to stay for a night or two when visiting the ruins. The grounds were beautiful. It's a quiet place. There's no entertainment, but if you do want to swim in the cenote in the evening, they will turn on flood lights.

Vallolodid
This is a small, authentic town not far from Chichen Itza. The Carnival was taking place there as well. The atmosphere is more real with old people watching from balconies and children playing and dancing and vendors selling Quesadillas, crepes, and Fried Pork Rinds in the park.

There are some stores/restaurants set up around the park.

The church is made from the stone taken from the pyramid that used to stand in the same location.

Naturally, I found a street dog that just had a litter. She just wanted love, not food. She was lickng me and wanted me to pet her. She was very dirty, but I felt bad, so I pet her, and then got out my Purell wipes. The driver, Roberto, told me that I was "a nice lady!"

The highlight of the town had to be the Cockroach-like bugs that they dressed up with sequins for the Carnival. Totally disgusting (And, yes!...I took a picture).

The Road Home
Roberto was tired, I am sure, but the ride home was quite scary. He was driving very fast, and almost went off the road a few times. We were very close to the edge, and if we went into the edge while driving at that speed, we would have been doomed. He kept telling me to "relax." I was happy when the street changed and there were bushes next to us instead. To tell you how close he was, the mirror was hitting the bushes.

As it got dark out, Roberto was having a difficult time seeing. I think he needs glasses because I could see fine. He kept turning on the windshield wipers, and he was trying to figure out where to go.

The whole bus fell asleep, but I had to stay awake to ensure that Roberto didn't fall asleept too!

I started having an allergic reaction on the way back. The only thing that I can figure out is that some people on the bus had ice cream bars with peanuts in them. It kept getting progressively worse, but I had to keep talking to Roberto.

As Roberto dropped people off, we all said our goodbyes, ciao;s, and adios's!

It was very nice that he drove me back to the condo. I was so lucky because otherwise, I would have had to walk back from 10th Avenue. I felt like I was going to throw up, and my head was going to burst open.

E-Mail to Mom
I e-mailed my mom to let her know that I got in and I went straight to bed with a water bottle on my head.

My allergy medicine finally helped at about 3:00 a.m.