Merida Day 28 -3rd time lucky,Chichen Itza

Mum and Dad must have got off OK because they didn't wake us but we are still awaiting confirmation they got home OK. We woke early and were on the way to the ADO bus station by 8:15. Got there by 8:45 for a 9:15 bus. The guy who mans the door to the buses, who was instrumental in Mondays problems and solution, recognised us and came over, checked our tickets, told us where the bus would be and was very friendly and assuring. We were very grateful to him and George went and thanked the supervisor too.
We caught a 22 seat van to Chichen Itza, met 2 Asian guys who had had 2 days in Merida, were going to have 2 days in Cancun (after Chichen Itza) and then 6 days in Havana, don't know where after that.
We arrived at Chichen Itza about 11am and it wasn't as crowded as we expected, only a little more than when we were last there. We decided to walk around the Chichen Nuevo part first, the part that was covered by our tour. El Callisto  was still impressive as was the huge ball court.

I promised you Iguana and ruins and this guy co-operated right away. He is sitting
on the Tzompantli ( the platform surrounded by carved skulls) and El Castillo is
behind him.

This time we had more time to explore and take pictures as we were not following a group and a guide. There were so many groups and guides around that every now and then we could over hear what was being said ( in English, French, German, Spanish and lots of languages we weren't sure of)

Frieze along the ball court

We found that we weren't hearing anything we hadn't heard on the tours we went on. It was very hot, forecast was for 39 and that's not hard to believe, so we walked quite slowly, drank lots of water, hugged the shade whenever it was available.

Serpent head at the end of the ball court.

Because I had sketched last time, George had explored around and behind the Temple of the Warriors and into the Mercado. So that's where we went next. It was quieter there and shadier.

A Frieze of jaguars and eagles went a long way along the edge of one of the buildings.

I sat and sketched part of the Mercado  behind the Groupo De Los Mil Colmnas and we had some lunch (pastries and an apple we had bought with us). It was lovely there, off the beaten track, random stones to sit on. Amazing that given the popularity of Chichen Itza and the reconstruction work done there, there are still carved column parts and serpents heads just lying about to be sat on.

Part of a column, great seat.

From the Mercado area we walked on and found the East entrance which allows people to access the site directly from the nearest hotels. The hotel closest looked lovely, with rooms in Mayan type houses with thatched roofs and more to the point there was a bathroom we could use.

Ruins through the trees. Because it is winter many of the trees here don't have leaves so it
is limited shade.

There was a very strong wind today which had its advantages and disadvantages. On the plus side, to get a strong wind, even though it was a hot one, gave some respite from the heat. On the other hand, in the open spaces it picked up the dust and blew it in your eyes.

Pyramid in Chichen Viejo section

We actually sat downwind of a sprinkler system at one point in order to get some cooling spray. People were running right in it and splashing it on their faces and legs. We walked further into the Chichen Viejo (Old Chichen) section. This is the older part of the site and more important to the Mayans.

Ironically, it is also the less crowded part of the site. Tours that have limited time stay in the newer section with the huge pyramid and ball court. This older section amazed us with the variety of buildings and the number of different areas.

The serpent winding his way down the pyramid, I think there is
a rug border in that some day.

This area felt older. Hard to explain but the carvings were very worn and it felt more primitive.

This is called the Observatory as the roof had slits that aligned with the constellations.

It was time for another Iguana shot. This one thought the woods a better place to be.

Building near an area called the Nunnery. Cha'ac, God of Rain, noses sticking out.

Iguana trying to sleep in a crevice of the Nunnery but the stupid tourists keep
taking pictures of him. Last Iguana pic, I promise.

George listening to his I Pod, waiting patiently while I
sketched here too.

After seeing all of the old area we decided the only part we hadn't seen was the cenote that gave the site its name (beside the well of the Itza tribe) so we walked down to it. This is along a raised road that links the Castillo plaza area with the cenote. It is lined by vendors.

I can't post about the site without some mention of the vendors. There is a large area outside of the site that has been set aside for vendors and there are some out there. However the tourists would have to stray from their natural path, into the site, to go to them. So instead there are many, many vendors along the pathways through the site hoping to encourage those impulse buys. "one dollar, come look, one dollar", "beautiful T Shirts, carving, ceramics, come see", "lady, you like, special price, last one" "Hey, you forgot something" and the most honest of all, "I need your money". They are not rude, overly pushy, they are just trying to earn a living, but they do detract from the experience of the site and walking down the paths involves not making eye contact or they engage and pursue and then I feel rude.

On the flip side, some are carving or painting or embroidering and I would like to see their work.

In total we were there from 11am to 5:15. Aside from doing 2 sketches and finishing off one I started when I was there on the tour, we were on our feet and walking for most of that time. The bus cost us 120M$ ($12) each way, each.

First class ADO bus stop at Chichen Itza, at least there is a tree for shade.

When we got back to Merida we walked to Santiago Square, picked up a couple of things at the SuperAki and took the bus home. Hot, dusty, tired - I drank a beer with lime while I was in the pool!