Can you see the Face in Stone?

Posted on February 12, 2013February 12, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Mayan carvings are always features in NatGeo specials. Also in those Ancient Alien shows to support the idea that we were visited by aliens/ space travelers in ancient times. Whatever the reason a trip to Mayan Ruins would feel incomplete if there wasn’t at least one carving.

At Tulum the guidebooks talk about frescos and paintings but they were not open to the public when we were there but we still got to see a face carved in stone.

Can you see it?

How about now? See the eyes, the mouth?

Or from this angle? You can even make out the nose in this one.

Pretty amazing!

The Beach at Tulum

Posted on February 11, 2013February 11, 2013 by Dusty Roads

The beach at Tulum is one of the most visited parts of the site and it’s easy to see why.

Even on an overcast, dreary day the sea was a beautiful aquamarine.

Maybe not crowded, but there were still quite a few people enjoying the water.

Imagine what it would be like on a sunny day!

Like a post card!

On the point a ruin stands alone.

Some research speculates that this was a Mayan “lighthouse” .

It’s certainly in the right place.

Tulum Ruins

Posted on February 10, 2013February 10, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Location, location, location…the mantra of the real estate industry was true even in Mayan times. Tulum’s greatest attraction is its location. The walled city perched on a bluff facing the rising sun offers nothing less than spectacular views. Tulum is also different because it is a “walled city” and the Mayan’s were not known for building fortified cities. Research suggests that Tulum was originally called Zama, meaning “to dawn” , which makes sense given its location.

It is speculated that Tulum was not so much conquered by the Spaniards as destroyed by the Old World diseases they brought which wiped out the native people who had no resistance. So like so many cities, Tulum was abandoned to the elements.

The Walled City of Tulum

Posted on February 9, 2013February 9, 2013 by Dusty Roads

True to the guidebooks’ promise the little shuttle dropped us at the entry to the ruins of Tulum but we hadn’t caught up to Paula and the rest of our group yet.

We had a new guide who was very considerate and kind. We had some stone stairs to climb before we actually reached the main ruins and he graciously helped some of the older guests as I helped a lady who had somehow attached herself to me. He never rushed anyone and always asked if we were ok.

Finally we saw the site spread out before us. Paula and our group were off the path ahead of us so our guide sent us to rejoin them and he went back for the next tram.

The site spreading out before us was impressive.

Paula was pointing out the various structures and points of interest before turning us lose to explore on our own.

While she was giving us a history an animal ran out from a clump of trees.

Of course I had to interrupt by loudly asking “What’s That?” and pointing. Paula looked and quickly dismissed it as being “our raccoon”.

It didn’t look like any raccoon I’d ever seen but before I could get a picture one of the other guests stepped between me and the animal. According to the internet it’s a coatimundi and it is called the Mexican Raccon.

Finally Paula pointed us in the direction of the beach and told us when we were done to come back to the bus. She gave us a time because we had to get back to the ship or end up staying in Mexico.

A Mayan/ Mexican Ritual

Posted on February 8, 2013February 8, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Our Mexican jumping bean of a tour guide’s name is Paula. From the moment she introduced herself she was just a bundle of energy. One of the first things she did was tell us all to sit on the lower deck of the ferry for the return trip and to close our eyes. She said she would guarantee we would not be sick if we did that.

That out of the way she began explaining the true meaning of the Mayan calendar.

You know the one… the one that was supposed to end the world on 12/21/12. Having prepared us with the history and true meaning of the calendar we pulled into a trading post.

She called it a shopping center but it wasn’t anything like our shopping centers. It was a super sized souvenir stand.

There were some amazing things there including replicas of the Mayan Calender.

We spent about 30 minutes there before we all climbed back on the bus to finish our trip to the ruins.

I would love to go back with pockets full of cash!

Maybe 45 minutes later we pulled into the parking lot at Tulum.

The tour description said there was about a mile walk to the ruins. Miss Ball of Energy said it was a 5 -7 minute walk. Still suffering from a blister on my foot I opted to take the “tram” instead of walking. I was sure I could walk that far but not that I could keep up with Speedy Paula with my sore foot. Joe headed off with Paula on foot.

While those of us too “infirm” to walk waited for the tram we saw a group of costumed mexicans begin climbing a huge pole.