Valladolid, Mexico
5th-7th Abril 2012
Packed, checked out, walked, boated, minibused (collectivo) and coached it two hours before arriving in Valladolid. This part of traveling is annoying and exciting. Don’t know why. After checking into our new pad, which was pretty nice. An old spanish colonial building with a pool in the courtyard. All for the price of a chinese takeaway or indian if you prefer. Which brings me to my next point, food. Walking around town we found another market. Cheap as chips. This time celebrations for Easter where under way. This market having local musician’s and dancers of la salsa. All I cared about was understanding the food menu, so I can get what the guy next to me had.
The main reason people come to Valladolid is to see the Zaci and Dzitnup cenote’s, Ek Balam ruins and of course, the big one, Chichen Itza. We went to all. The cenote’s for people who dont know, are big holes in the ground, most of the time underground cave’s, filled with water, fish and the odd turtle which i guessed someone threw away. A turtle is for life, not just for christmas, idiots. We have similar one’s back home, just that we call them swimming pool’s, build them out of concrete and usually come with a gym attached.
Chichen Itza on the other hand we don’t have. This is the place you see when something is advertised about the Mayan’s. Amazing place. Coming through the tree’s and into the open space in front, you are hit by the massive stone structure of the Mayan Calendar building. The one that everyone is going crazy about and using as the reason for the end of the world. Which is not true kids. My source’s tell me the calendar complete’s its cycle and begin’s again, which doesn’t mean the end of time or the world. Blame that one on Hollywood.
Being at Chichen Itza, gives you a real sense of how life in the Mayan times was like. They played sports for one, where both side’s would lose. The winners, got their heads cut off and the losers became slaves or used in sacrifices. Imagine how well England would play if they where the only options to choose from. Head or slave?
We took postcard inspired pictures while trying to stay away from the few tourists that where there. One of the advantages of being early. By the afternoon, the place was like Leeds festival, i’m thinking 2005, at the main stage when Marilyn Manson was playing. Way too many people.