Yucatan/Mexico 08 with Brewers

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Betty Brewer said:
February 12, 2008
Xcaret  49 miles from Cancun

I had never heard of the place we visited until today.  It is called Xcaret ( X?s are pronounced as sh so it sounds like shiscaret.  I think.  It is an amusement park that I can compare to Disneyland, Wild Animal Park and Monterey Aquarium.  We arrived after a 49 mile bus ride and were given maps, coupons for lunch, drinks and discounts on scuba gear.   We were told to meet for the dinner show at 5:30.  On your mark, get set, HAVE FUN!  We played like kids all day. The first thing we did was to figure out how to get a locker, get our clothes changed, pack a wet bag, get a life jacket, get snorkel equipment and get into a river which follows an under ground tunnel for almost a mile. We floated down this large tunnel with about 15 of our closest friends.  Or at least they were after all of the pushing and shoving and water banging us into each other and the side.  We finally got the hang of just relaxing and letting the slow current carry us around the twists and turns of this tunnel.  Occasionally a skylight would appear and we could see the sky above us.  We paddled and screamed and posed for the many photo opportunities along the way.  At the end we were wet, tired and very hungry so we trotted off to the seafood buffet.  It overlooked the part of Cancun you see in the travel magazines.  White sandy beaches, turquoise waters, then deep blue waters, Palm trees, balmy breeze and a scrumptious buffet.  We went back for seconds, desserts, ordered beers and then we were set for the rest of the day to tour the park.  We went off to snorkel, rest under the cabanas, hang in the hammocks and use up the free beer coupons. We saw the bats in caves, big sea turtles in ponds, manarays, rays, leopards, fish, dolphins, parrots, a tapir,  and many others but I?m too tired to recall them all.  We managed to return our locker keys, change clothes and meet the group for the dinner show at the theatre.  The theatre is a huge arena type deal that seats 4,000 people and we had VIP seats that included a 4 course dinner and wine with the show. 
The show depicted  an historical timeline of the Mexican history through dance and music. The ancient games of Mayans were enacted and we cheered when our side got a goal.  We marveled at the feathered costumes of the Mayan dancers. I wanted to boo and hiss as the Spanish soldiers came on the scene (but they were good dancers). The songs and dances went through the history and came into modern time where we saw a rendition of the Mexican hat dance. The Mariachi?s trumpeted and singers sang and the audience clapped.  I can?t begin to describe how elaborate the costumes and how precise the dancers.  There were hundreds of dancers who thrilled us all evening.  It was like a culmination of all that we had learned on our trip so far in a musical format.  But alas the day ended and we arrived back at our motorhome at 10:15 pm.  I?m writing this late as I don?t want to get behind in my story telling.  Tomorrow is another big day in Cancun. 


Statistics:
Motorhome Miles Driven:  0
Temperatures:    High 84    Low 71   Humidity 92%     .2 inches of rain during night
GPS Coordinates: N 21 12.77   W  86     48.22

Thanks for the details and the photos of everybody i'm glad to see everyone's having fun.  I didn't think that you were visiting that much of Mexico.  My parents look great and happy.  Hope they don't hexagerate on food and boose.  Sorry if i don't wright that great i'm french and don't use my english enough.  Tell Nann & Fern that I miss them and anxious to speak to them on saturday.  Have fun !!  And Enjoy !!  8) ;)
 
February 13, 2008
Isla Mujeres, an island just off Cancun

The first thing I did this morning was to check out the bathroom her in our trailer park. Now I?ve heard about Mexican bathrooms but this one was really unique that reflects the true meaning of a potted plant.

Today we took a 20-minute ferry ride to a small island, Isla Mujeres, just off Cancun.  It reminded me of Catalina for my California friends.  It is a laid back island with a few touristy shops, white sand beaches, crashing white waves, a turtle farm and numerous restaurants.  We rented a golf cart and shared it with Jack and Shirley all day driving a big loop around the island.  The island has very few private cars but the taxi?s are fast and numerous.  Shirley and I had more than one thrill watching the driver come up from behind at a very high rate of speed.  Terry stopped at several restaurants so we could fill up on beverages. By this time Shirley and I are feeling quite daring and decided to get a tattoo.  Yep, she has a seahorse and I have a turtle.  We had lunch on the sand while watching the sharks swim in a nearby caged lagoon.  Shirley bought a conch shell and tried to call us to order, but the island has a quiet way about her.  She is known as the Island of the Woman.  Almost all of the women on the trip got t-shirts, which will show up, in photos tomorrow.  We owe a thank you to Paulette for being the personal shopper for some.

We returned to dine at the restaurant of 2 nights ago and brought new friends.  Mosquitoes nearly drove us out, but Jack got in the car and drove back to his motorhome home to get us some bug spray.  We loved our dinner by the sea overlooking the water with a balmy breeze blowing.  This is the life!  Life is good.




Statistics:
Motorhome Miles Driven:  0
Temperatures:    High 84    Low 75  Humidity 87%   
GPS Coordinates: N 21 12.77  W  86    48.22
 

Attachments

  • IMG_1260 (Small).JPG
    IMG_1260 (Small).JPG
    37.6 KB · Views: 107
  • P1020809 (Small).JPG
    P1020809 (Small).JPG
    50.3 KB · Views: 86
  • IMG_1305 (Small).JPG
    IMG_1305 (Small).JPG
    48.6 KB · Views: 86
  • P1020810 (Small).JPG
    P1020810 (Small).JPG
    64.3 KB · Views: 88
  • IMG_1267 (Small).JPG
    IMG_1267 (Small).JPG
    39 KB · Views: 80
  • IMG_1293 (Small).JPG
    IMG_1293 (Small).JPG
    62.1 KB · Views: 93
  • P1020821 (Small).JPG
    P1020821 (Small).JPG
    53.9 KB · Views: 101
  • IMG_1302 (Small).JPG
    IMG_1302 (Small).JPG
    75.6 KB · Views: 85
February 14. 2008

Happy Valentine?s Day
  Xel-Ha Parking Lot

Today our route only had 2 turns but many had concerns, as the mileage in our trip log was way out of whack. Pat and Alice had left an hour ahead of the group to scope out the destination, as Adventure Caravans had never stayed here at this parking lot in Xel-Ha before. Along the way the CB radios informed us that Phoebe and Warren had been pulled over by the Policia.  It seems the police thought they ran a red light.  The rig following them did not think so.  But as the rumor has it, Warren paid the fine, $800 pesos and was ?Let free?.  We arrived in this parking lot to ?dry camp? for 3 days.  We are happy as it is on cement pavers with no mud, sand nor dirt.  We jumped out of our rigs and went to tour the waters.  Terry and I had been here over 20 years ago and we do not recall any of what we saw today.  This is now an upscale destination amusement park.  We got snorkels, fins and masks and slipped into the warm waters to see the sea life. I saw two stingrays along the bottom, several blue tangs, and a few other fish I could not identify.  If my mask had a prescription lenses, I may have been able to see more but even when I spit into my mask many times and it was still a blur.  I did enjoy it but my memories of Xel- ha snorkeling were better than what I saw today.

As everything was included, I had lunch, 4 margaritas and dessert.  Then we went on the River trip.  We boarded a train to the ?end of the line? and got inner tubes where we floated down the river back to the lagoon.  Float is not a good word as I thought we had to kick and paddle all the way.  I was exhausted.

Upon return we ordered more margaritas, Terry went to the hammocks to rest and I found new friends who enjoyed the outfit of the day.  Many of the girls had a new uniform, which got either whistles or mostly laughs.  When we returned to our rigs in the evening we sat around and Trish passed out glow sticks for us to twirl to celebrate Valentines Day. We told the secrets of the day.  This place is very ecological friendly and we are not allowed to poop, party or pee.  But as truth be told, a bird pooped on Eileen (splashed on Shirley) the whole group partied tonight and Sherry admitted that she did pee in the water today.  No one else admitted such a deal!

We have an early call in the morning so I shall call it a night.

Statistics:
Motorhome Miles Driven:  75  but ?the book?  said 122
Temperatures:    High 84    Low 78  Humidity 80%   
GPS Coordinates: N 20 32201  W  87 36016
 

Attachments

  • Xel-Ha11 (Small).JPG
    Xel-Ha11 (Small).JPG
    58.9 KB · Views: 89
  • Xel-Ha27 (Small).JPG
    Xel-Ha27 (Small).JPG
    52.6 KB · Views: 89
  • Xel-Ha05 (Small).JPG
    Xel-Ha05 (Small).JPG
    73 KB · Views: 97
  • Xel-Ha07 (Small) (2).JPG
    Xel-Ha07 (Small) (2).JPG
    73 KB · Views: 109
  • Xel-Ha23 (Small) (2).JPG
    Xel-Ha23 (Small) (2).JPG
    66.6 KB · Views: 95
  • Xel-Ha15 (Small).JPG
    Xel-Ha15 (Small).JPG
    71.9 KB · Views: 89
  • Xel-Ha17 (Small).JPG
    Xel-Ha17 (Small).JPG
    54.7 KB · Views: 95
  • Xel-Ha18 (Small).JPG
    Xel-Ha18 (Small).JPG
    75.2 KB · Views: 91
  • Xel-Ha29 (Small).JPG
    Xel-Ha29 (Small).JPG
    80.4 KB · Views: 82
Betty Brewer said:
February 13, 2008 - Isla Mujeres, an island just off Cancun
Betty, opened your pictures as every day during your trip. When I saw the 4th picture from the left of your Isla-Mujeres-Pictures - that one with the boats on it - I saw the water and immediately I had the smell of water in my nose. Wonderful. Wish I could beam me there...
Thank you for your trip report!
 
Hi Betty!
Bob's watching Lonesome Dove while I'm looking at your blog!  You are doing a great job on this forum!  I'm just send a little journal to family and friends.  Anyway, just wanted to let you know we are enjoying being on this caravan with you and Terry.  See ya tomorrow morning!  lane
 
February 15 2008

Tulum
Xel-Ha Parking Lot

Today we got to be the first ones into the Ruins of Tulum.  This is good because we beat the tour bus groups and the heat of the day.  Some 22 years ago Terry and I visited Club Med and made a side trip to these ruins.  Our expectations were high.  The Ruins are impressive but the place has gone completely commercial.  You can?t climb on the ruins and there are grassy areas with landscaping and it is a definite tourist attraction and because we have seen so many ruins and listened to so many tour guides we felt as if we had ?been there and done that.?  However in our guided tour today we did learn to tell the difference between a male and female iguana.  Do you know?

Answer:  The males have spines on their backs and the females do not.  Lots of the creatures roamed the ground?s blending into the scenery whenever they can. These ruins are right along the beach so the setting is beautiful.  After our ruin tour we set our to find white sands and found a restaurant on the beach for lunch.  I love it when you can put you toes into the moist sand while having lunch.  Some in the group went swimming in the balmy waters and Sandy had her hair done in cornrows.

  We returned to our parking lot RV Park and rested.  This touring is very tiring! Of course the humidity, heat and beverages are contributing to the fatigue. It was my turn to provide Happy hour snacks this afternoon.  As has been the tradition on this caravan, we (3 people) sign up for a day when we bring goodies to the group.  This tradition would have my Weight Watcher leader in shock, as healthy snacks are not available.  Guacamole, chips, meatballs, cheese, crackers and dip are the norm. The laughs during Happy Hour tonight included the group photo of ?the Girls? in their uniform.  Tour busses drove by and we flashed them with our outfits. I do not believe you could ever have this much fun traveling on your own.  It just might take a caravan to get this much energy and creativity and laughs together!  Warren got the Goofy award, not for his traffic ticket of yesterday but for arguing with the Policia about it.  He is a riot.

The schedule for tomorrow is to take a ferry ride to Cozumel but Terry and I may stay back and take another day on the beach.  I am shopped out and I want to sleep in for a day.

Statistics:
Motorhome Miles Driven:  0
Temperatures:    High 85    Low 77    Humidity 82%   
GPS Coordinates: N 20 32201  W  87 36016
 

Attachments

  • Tulum10 (Small).JPG
    Tulum10 (Small).JPG
    54.1 KB · Views: 80
  • Tulum13 (Small).JPG
    Tulum13 (Small).JPG
    47.6 KB · Views: 67
  • Tulum27 (Small).JPG
    Tulum27 (Small).JPG
    43.2 KB · Views: 69
  • Tulum41 (Small).JPG
    Tulum41 (Small).JPG
    56 KB · Views: 83
  • El Paraiso14 (Small).JPG
    El Paraiso14 (Small).JPG
    50.8 KB · Views: 76
  • El Paraiso21 (Small).JPG
    El Paraiso21 (Small).JPG
    62.3 KB · Views: 76
  • Sandy Corn rows (Small).JPG
    Sandy Corn rows (Small).JPG
    42.2 KB · Views: 72
  • Happy Hour06 (Small).JPG
    Happy Hour06 (Small).JPG
    77.5 KB · Views: 91
  • Happy Hour07 (Small).JPG
    Happy Hour07 (Small).JPG
    76.7 KB · Views: 80
  • Goofy (Small).JPG
    Goofy (Small).JPG
    42.7 KB · Views: 68
blt2 said:
  Anyway, just wanted to let you know we are enjoying being on this caravan with you and Terry. 

Hi Lane,
We are also enjoying getting to know our new friends (especially those from Texas) .  We noted today that Bob was out bright and early fixing  water heaters of folks!  I also noted your bug bites are healing up. I'm glad you are following the Forum and our travels.  Isn't Mexico just the best!  I may not be up early in the morning so I'll see you at Happy Hour!

Betty
 
Mike (ex-f-221) said:
When I saw the 4th picture from the left of your Isla-Mujeres-Pictures - that one with the boats on it - I saw the water and immediately I had the smell of water in my nose. Wonderful. Wish I could beam me there..

Mike,

Thank you for your kind words.  I am doing the log for my own memory but also for those who will never be able to make the trip.  I'm glad you could smell the water.  I wish I could beam you  here too.  Those Mayans had such a command of the astronomical features of our planet  but alas, I have not mastered those yet.  (Terry watches Sci Fi so he may be better able to  fill your wish)

Betty
 
We look forward to your posts every evening.   I print them out for Tom to read and we have begun to call them the "Daily Betty".  Thanks for taking us along on your journey ... and please keep writing.  We'll be tuning in tomorrow for our Daily Betty.   :D

Margi
 
Betty, those are great photos of the girls - fore and aft!  I'll bet it got a lot of laughs just taking the picture.

Sorry to hear Xel-ha and Tulum are getting so commercial.  We loved stopping there on one of our Caribbean cruises years ago.  The white sandy beach and the green waters are still gorgeous!

ArdraF
 
El Pariaso Beach Club
Xel-Ha Parking Lot

Today at 7:15 am while we were sleeping, most of our group left to drive the 20 miles to board the Ferry to Cozumel, an Island off Cancun. We chose to skip this trip, as we wanted to sleep in, rest and shopping was not high on our list today.  Around 10:30 we trekked back to yesterdays beach with several of our group.  I felt like those who might live the lifestyles of the rich and famous.  When we arrived Walter had already reserved 3 palapas and 6 mattresses on the beach. We rented enough   lounge chairs to accommodate the 10 of us.  It was only $10 dollars US per couple to reserve our spot, furniture and Alberro, our waiter for the day.  He set up a table right on the beach for our lunch and provided us with menus.  We swam in the crystal clear turquoise waters before lunch, but we did manage to have margaritas before and after our swim.  Since we had dined here yesterday we knew just what to order and I had the chicken Caesar salad.  Eileen had the coconut mango shrimp to the tune of $25 US dollars.  (Remember how I said the RICH and famous eat here?)   No matter? everything was perfect today.   The white sand beach, the breeze, the sun, the water, the company were the best.  It was my favorite day of the whole trip.  It also ranked in the top of all of the days of my life.  I had a massage right there on the beach.  Some of the photos Terry took of my massage left a bit more exposed than I would ever post so you will just have to imagine the rest.  The beach is the white powdered sugar kind of sand, the water looked just like the travel brochures.  We saw topless sunbathers but we were not among those getting that much exposure! We did go out into the water every time we dried off and wanted to ?check the prop.?   We stayed until the sun went behind the clouds and then reality hit as we had to go to the grocery store on the way home.  After dinner we had another ice cream social and a trip briefing.  Life is very good.


Statistics:
Motorhome Miles Driven:  0
Temperatures:    High 84    Low 77    Humidity 82%     
GPS Coordinates: N 20 32201   W  87 36016
 

Attachments

  • IMG_1397 (Small).JPG
    IMG_1397 (Small).JPG
    65.6 KB · Views: 106
  • IMG_1395 (Small).JPG
    IMG_1395 (Small).JPG
    49.9 KB · Views: 105
  • IMG_1399 (Small).JPG
    IMG_1399 (Small).JPG
    39.4 KB · Views: 106
  • IMG_1407 (Small).JPG
    IMG_1407 (Small).JPG
    41.4 KB · Views: 96
  • IMG_1408 (Small).JPG
    IMG_1408 (Small).JPG
    54.1 KB · Views: 105
Feb 17, 2008
Chetumal (Yax-Ha)

Today was a sad day for 2 reasons. 1. To leave our neat clean parking lot with nearby ?to die for beaches!?
2. We had to leave Ted and Anne  (Number 12) behind due to mechanical problems on their motorhome. It is Sunday and no place is open to repair their alternator for the second time.  So they got another day to enjoy the beach and will hopefully catch up when they get a repair.  Hex, the tail gunner stayed behind to assist and to make sure they get to meet up with us again safely.

We drove through thick jungle today on very narrow roads. We passed through quaint villages and on our 20-minute lunch break, Terry, Less and Cathy and good old Fern found a local restaurant to get tacos. I had a PBJ sandwich in the rig. We hit a variety of severe topes today.  They certainly are effective in slowing traffic in small towns.  Warren gave Mike a heads up when the Policia followed him through a small town. Recall he is the one and only recipient of a traffic ticket on any caravan led by Pat and Alice.

We arrived at our beautiful seaside RV Park and were delighted by the beautiful pool, balmy breezes and yet another Happy Happy Hour.  It was the guy?s turn to delight the ladies with the shirts they had found in Cozumel yesterday.  NOT every guy was game for the fashion show but those who did, wore them well, don?t you think?  We did have a good laugh again.  The Chicken Award is presented to a couple for Loving Acts toward one another. Tonight Barb presented it to Sherry and Bill, I don?t know why.  The chicken is now in fashion and dons an outfit like the girls. Bruce wrote this poem to go with it.

To This chicken we will send, a bathing suit that meets the trend.
As a mother she did say, dress me or you will pay.
My little baby needs one too, he would like to look like you.

A new award was passed on tonight from Fern, (who appears to be losing his battle to give up drinking.) to Terry (who does not drink at all) The Camping crystal has a broken bottom so you can never set your drink down.  Terry chugged his glass full of apple juice (I hope) and now must look for a recipient tomorrow to carry on the beverage trend. The margarita I ordered at dinner tonight was the WORST one I?ve ever had.  Neither Shirley nor I could finish them.  Terry says that it is something when we don?t chug our margaritas.

Statistics:
Motorhome Miles Driven:  168
  Temperatures: High 82  Low 74  Humidity 82%  .02 inches of rain as I had my towel out to dry overnight.        GPS Coordinates: N 18 33.676  W 88  14.913
 

Attachments

  • IMG_1430 (Small).JPG
    IMG_1430 (Small).JPG
    51.7 KB · Views: 84
  • IMG_1429 (Small).JPG
    IMG_1429 (Small).JPG
    44.3 KB · Views: 87
  • IMG_1438 (Small).JPG
    IMG_1438 (Small).JPG
    46.9 KB · Views: 78
  • IMG_1444 (Small).JPG
    IMG_1444 (Small).JPG
    64.8 KB · Views: 87
  • IMG_1446 (Small).JPG
    IMG_1446 (Small).JPG
    73.2 KB · Views: 87
  • IMG_1460 (Small).JPG
    IMG_1460 (Small).JPG
    66.8 KB · Views: 93
  • IMG_1486 (Small).JPG
    IMG_1486 (Small).JPG
    56.7 KB · Views: 104
  • IMG_1489 (Small) (2).JPG
    IMG_1489 (Small) (2).JPG
    59.6 KB · Views: 100
  • IMG_1500 (Small).JPG
    IMG_1500 (Small).JPG
    49.7 KB · Views: 84
  • IMG_1504 (Small).JPG
    IMG_1504 (Small).JPG
    51 KB · Views: 86
Feb 18, 2008
Chetumal (Yax-Ha) Free Day

Today was a rare free day with no specific activities planned.  We are having a potluck tonight so the major projects included grocery shopping, swimming, reading, haircuts (thank you Sandy again) What a thrill it is to have a day with no agenda.  I?m not complaining but this touring is tiring!  We got rested today. The wind off the sea is refreshing but it does bring humidity.  Our towels don?t dry and if things are kept in small places they begin to smell musty.  My big news of the day is that I defrosted the refrigerator and expelled things whose shelf life had expired!  I know I need to get a life! I will try tonight to get photos of our fellow caravaners who have friends following on the forum and miss them.  We want those of you reading the RVForum to visit often, as it is a wealth of RV or travel information. Some of you lurking may want to know that we love caravans in Mexico. If you have a hankering for adventure ?Just do it? (As Nike says) however if you are fussy, need 50 amp service and perfections, Mexico is NOT the place for you.

After a wonderful potluck tonight we heard on the CB that Hex, Sandy, Ted and Anne were within 5 miles.  We got our flashlights and glow sticks and wandered into the street to welcome them into our Park.  We resurrected the potluck with the left overs so they could eat and enjoyed hearing their tales of the success of getting Ted?s RV fixed, some many dollars and peso?s later.

Terry held a ? waypoint slide show of the photos he has been taking of our group from Pharr for the 9 hearty souls who could stay up past 7:30 pm. We had lots of laughs.

I failed to mention that Terry and I almost won the Triple Crown of Awards tonight.  We ?Earned? two of the three awards.  Walter gave us ? Care bear? because we have been so diligent with our RV Forum posts. Sherry and Bill gave us ?The Chicken? for a reason that escapes us but we graciously accepted as the chicken has now been embellished with a nursing baby, along with the bikini and a cape. The poem that went with the award goes like this:

Barb made some swim wear
Bruce made a poem,
Everything there was greater than Fair.
Because that was quite a home.

Now we?re with Bill and Sherry
And though we thought  it would be dim,
A cover up was needed to make us merry
To follow a cooling swim.

So now to a new home we go,
I hope the feeling is there
I?ll put on quite a show to find a loving pair. (Did I tell you I could see into his bedroom coach window all night?)

So from the coach of
Bill and Sherry I?ll go to Betty and Terry 

Terry presented Shirley with an award because the margarita she ordered at dinner last night was ?undrinkable?? and he thought that deserved a medal. Well needless to say this lack of news day had quite a bit of fun.  Join a caravan to travel in merriment.

Statistics:
Motorhome Miles Driven:  0
  Temperatures: High 83  Low 79  Humidity 84% 
      GPS Coordinates: N 18 33.676  W 88  14.913
 

Attachments

  • Chetumal Day 20003 (Small) (2).JPG
    Chetumal Day 20003 (Small) (2).JPG
    61.2 KB · Views: 78
  • Chetumal Day 20007 (Small).JPG
    Chetumal Day 20007 (Small).JPG
    58.6 KB · Views: 81
  • Chetumal Day 20008 (Small).JPG
    Chetumal Day 20008 (Small).JPG
    61.3 KB · Views: 77
  • Chetumal Day 20009 (Small).JPG
    Chetumal Day 20009 (Small).JPG
    60 KB · Views: 76
  • Chetumal Day 20010 (Small) (2).JPG
    Chetumal Day 20010 (Small) (2).JPG
    55.7 KB · Views: 75
  • Chetumal Day 20011 (Small).JPG
    Chetumal Day 20011 (Small).JPG
    51.8 KB · Views: 74
  • Chetumal Day 20012 (Small).JPG
    Chetumal Day 20012 (Small).JPG
    64 KB · Views: 76
  • Chetumal Day 20013 (Small).JPG
    Chetumal Day 20013 (Small).JPG
    47.6 KB · Views: 77
  • Chetumal Day 20022 (Small).JPG
    Chetumal Day 20022 (Small).JPG
    60.1 KB · Views: 74
  • Chetumal Day 20023 (Small).JPG
    Chetumal Day 20023 (Small).JPG
    37.1 KB · Views: 75
Feb 19, 2008
Chetumal (Yax-Ha) Touring

This morning we met as a group and car-pooled to the finest Museum in Mexico on the Mayan Culture and ruins.  It has been recently remodeled but unfortunately it did not include air conditioning and with today?s humidity many of the women (me) had ?hot flashes? while inside.  I wandered thorough the museum and rushed for the air-conditioned gift shop to recover.  Terry took photos in the museum.  Some of the video displays explained the Mayan alphabet complete with 700 symbols.  It is phonetic and reads left to right but bottom to top.  The Mayans used leather for pages in books.  I thought it was hard to teach 26 alphabet letters to kids.  Can you imagine 700? 
Following our Museum experience Terry navigated and Jack drove through the town to the Malacon ( Sea front) .  We love to follow the beaches.  We drove on strangely vacant streets.  I mean NO CARS at all for several miles.  Finally we entered a zone with habitation and checked out restaurant menus.  Terry got a hot meal, his first in Mexico.  We enjoyed the waterfront and the windy breezes seemed to cool the humidity.  The area was hard hit with the hurricanes in October and many trees are still angled and fallen.  Villagers are repairing thatched roofs all over.  I recall when our news at home warned that Cancun was to be hit by a big hurricane.  Well it missed Cancun but it did hit here!

Following lunch we ventured out to follow the tourist signs to yet another ruin.  While Shirley and I are sweating and tired we were game to visit this place, which had only 4 tourists visit all day evidenced by the sign in. It was in an over grown jungle with a good path.  Shirley shrieked as she saw the jungle floor move.  Leaf ants were transporting leaf sections some 50 feet across our path and up onto another tree.  It was a moving phenomenon.  We could really see evidence of the hurricanes in this jungle.  Downed trees blocked many of the paths and signs were mangled.  We came across several Brahma cows feeding and took pictures like crazy.  We are pure tourists!  Upon return to the RV Park, we packed up everything to move so we could dump.  There is only 1 dump here and with so many of us leaving early in 2 days, we chose to dump today to avoid the rush. Then we swam in the refreshing pool.  After a magnificent happy hour that included grilled zucchini by Hex and Sandy, our guide for the Belize trip spoke to us about what to expect on tomorrows big day, a visit to yet another country, Belize.  Trivia question:  Do you know what Belize used to be called?  ANSWER:  When I studied Central America in the 6th grade it was called British Honduras.  The name changed in the early 70?s.  More to come.


Statistics:
Motorhome Miles Driven:  0
  Temperatures: High 86  Low 77  Humidity 90% 
      GPS Coordinates: N 18 33.676  W 88  14.913
 

Attachments

  • Mayan Museum02 (Small).JPG
    Mayan Museum02 (Small).JPG
    47.9 KB · Views: 76
  • Mayan Museum03 (Small).JPG
    Mayan Museum03 (Small).JPG
    51.8 KB · Views: 79
  • Mayan Museum04 (Small).JPG
    Mayan Museum04 (Small).JPG
    43.3 KB · Views: 71
  • Mayan Museum10 (Small).JPG
    Mayan Museum10 (Small).JPG
    50.6 KB · Views: 69
  • IMG_1534 (Small).JPG
    IMG_1534 (Small).JPG
    64.6 KB · Views: 73
  • Oxtankah02 (Small).JPG
    Oxtankah02 (Small).JPG
    76.6 KB · Views: 74
  • Oxtankah03 (Small).JPG
    Oxtankah03 (Small).JPG
    79.1 KB · Views: 71
  • Oxtankah04 (Small).JPG
    Oxtankah04 (Small).JPG
    93.6 KB · Views: 73
  • IMG_1544 (Small).JPG
    IMG_1544 (Small).JPG
    95.5 KB · Views: 76
  • IMG_1542 (Small).JPG
    IMG_1542 (Small).JPG
    95.9 KB · Views: 76
That model in the museum is really interesting.  The smaller building in the front center has an unbelievable "roof line" - very vertical.  It makes you wonder how on earth the ancient Mayans were able to get the stones up there.  Every time I visit ruins like those I'm impressed by what the people were able to accomplish with comparatively few tools.  And wouldn't they be amazed to see some of our modern structures.

Betty, I'm with you.  Can't imagine learning a 700-character alphabet, much less teaching it!  ;)

ArdraF
 
Feb 20, 2008
Belize

Today we visited another country. BELIZE      It was wonderful and I learned so much!

However, I am going to do the first thing I?ve done on my journal so far?postpone the details of the day for a separate posting.  There is so much to share, that I want to spend a bit more time than I have energy to complete tonight.  It is 10:10 pm and I have had a van ride, cleared immigration, took another van ride, then a 60 mile boat ride, climbed a ruin, shopped in 3 souvenir stores, purchased booze, purchased groceries, cleared customs and immigration back into Mexico, held a margarita costume party, watched a total eclipse of the moon start to finish and made scrambled eggs and tortillas for dinner and am now getting ready for our 305 mile day tomorrow.


Statistics:
Motorhome Miles Driven:  0
  Temperatures: High 83  Low 78  Humidity 84% 
      GPS Coordinates: N 18 33.676  W 88  14.913
 
Betty,

Does that mean you missed the Shuttle when it passed just east of the Yucatan peninsula on it's way home to Kennedy?? ;D
 

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
131,670
Posts
1,382,736
Members
137,455
Latest member
MtnRV
Back
Top Bottom