Week 41: On Ruins, Fishes, and Tequila Shooters

My Incan adventure was not my first encounter to a culture from South or Central America.  In my previous posts, I mentioned that for my graduate school graduation present, my mom and I shared in my expenses for a trip to Cancun, Mexico. It has been two long years of just school and work (and some sleep and zero social life in between), so I thought some rest and relaxation by the beach would be great. My featured t-shirt is from Cancun this week.

I chose Cancun because it seemed exotic and safe enough (back then) for a single woman to travel by herself. I also remember some of my college Spanish, although I am somewhat rusty. Lastly, it seemed to be a great place to veg out during the day and perhaps go dancing in the evening. The dancing part did not happen, because I really am not that big on clubbing, especially if I am travelling solo. Also, although bumming around the beach with a good book or two seemed appealing, I found that I am really a Type-A traveller. Beach time can only go so far -- I really wanted to explore. I started out exploring the miles and miles of beachfront. I found some faux ruins on the beach and was fascinated (I also saw my first iguanas, which were equally fascinating, but somewhat intimidating). So I started researching my options…

I found that there were some side trips that I can make. One of them was to Chichen Itza and Tulum. I decided turn some of my R&R time to education and booked the trip to Chichen Itza and Tulum. That was my first encounter with the Mayans.

The trip to Chichen Itza was fascinating. Exploring the grounds with a tour guide and independently was quite educational. I learned about the Maya’s astronomy skills and walked through the huge "ball" court. I even climbed El Castillo for the experience, although I forgot that I am afraid of heights and narrow ledges. Needless to say, it was an interesting experience going down.

We also travelled to Tulum. We did not have a guide for this site, but we did have an hour to explore by ourselves. I thought Tulum was more beautiful than Chichen Itza, being by the ocean. The backdrop was just gorgeous. Tulum probably served as a fort against sea invaders.

The other side trip that I enjoyed was to Isla Mujeres. It was a combination island trip and snorkeling. We took a ferry to the island and the morning to snorkel and the afternoon to shop and explore. Although I now snorkel and dive, I did not snorkel back then. In fact, I was not even a confident swimmer. With a boogie board, I was able to enjoy the underwater world of the fishes. I think this was the rationale for buying the shirt: I finally snorkeled! We were rewarded with tequila shooters on the ferry on the way home.

I really enjoyed this trip. Although I was extremely cautious since I was traveling alone. I learned I could survive in a foreign country (and a bus load of Brazilians – friendly ones, though) by myself. It did help to have some language skills. Now, every time we go to a foreign country, I try to pick up a few useful words (like "Thank You", "Please", "Hello", "Stop" - as in "Please stop the bus").

Lastly, since I enjoy learning during my travels, I’d like to spend our vacations in spots that combine culture and fun … and definitely enjoy some R&R in the process.