The Beautiful Yucatan
We have just spent a week in the Yucatan, home of the Maya people, ancient pyramids, Cenotes, and the Turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea.
Merida, the peaceful Colonial capital of the state, is a charming city of squares where on Sunday afternoons people dance and music plays. On Monday nights folk dancers perform free for tourists and locals alike. There is fabulous food and friendly people who proudly wear their Maya heritage. Many speak the Mayan language at home.
Folk dancing on the square.
Sunday dancing, open to everyone.
The Maya people, and their descendants are immensely proud of their heritage and have built a spectacular museum which celebrates it. Not to be missed.
Maya Museum.
The marvelously preserved ancient city of Chichen Itza which we visited on our way to Merida, has beautiful ruins of the royal buildings, pyramids and ball courts where impossible games were played to the death..
The pyramid in Chichen Itza.
Immense ball court in Chitzen Itza
We left Merida and Chitchen Itza for the blue coast. On our way we stopped to swim at the turquoise underground cenotes, or pools of water formed by the asteroid which landed in the Yucatan and caused the extinction of the dinosaurs. They are wonderfully refreshing places to swim on a hot afternoon.
The sun peeks through a hole in the ceiling and you swim through the light.
And finally we are at the beach, in the charming small fishing village of Puerto Morelos
They have great margaritas.
In Puerto Morelos we went snorkeling in the Caribbean, and watched the sunrise over the blue waters. Heaven.
The captain of our boat watches as we are specks in the water.
Our last morning we greet the sun with gratitude.