What a week, huh? It's been pretty non-stop here. That doesn't stop the Drewster though.
Today, the call to adventure took us to Costa Maya in Mexico, a port city designed specifically to provide a stopping point for cruise ships. The vibrant resort area is filled with shops, swimming pools, bars, and dining opportunities meant to entice the more urban tourist - but we are adventurous, and had plans that took us well away from the comfort of the city.
We boarded a bus with our local guide, Reggie, and set off into the heart of the jungle to go to our true destination: the Kohunlich Mayan Ruins.
During our two hour trip we passed through several local villages, as well as the city of Bacalar. As Reggie said, this was a great way to view the REAL Mexico, not just what we see in Hollywood or at tourist destinations. Alongside the road there were convenience stores, restaurants and fruit stands advertising their wares to travelers. Despite how remote the villages were, they were still able to get water and electricity. The journey was a much needed break from the hustle and bustle of the cruise
While we traveled, Reggie explained the history of the Maya civilization to us, as well as Mayan culture in modern Mexico. The Maya prospered from around 1400 BC to 1600 AD, with the height of their civilization spanning from 250 AD to 650 AD. They had countless cities all over Central America, with the ruins of many still hiding in the jungle. Even though their ancient cities are gone, the Mayan language and culture lives on through the modern Maya people who still live in parts of southern Mexico.
After two hours on the bus, we finally arrived at our destination; Kohunlich Ruins.
The ruins themselves are very overgrown, surrounded by thick jungle, but still extremely remarkable. The city itself was constructed out of limestone, a plentiful resource in this region of Mexico. On some of the buildings there are still traces of the red stucco the Maya used on many of their buildings. During our journey through the ruins, we were able to walk through and climb the stairs of buildings that, thousands of years ago, were lived in by people just like us.
As we explored, Reggie explained to us how the ancient Maya built many buildings in their cities based off the positioning of the sun. Many of the buildings, such as the royal palace, were set facing towards the east. He also explained to us how the city was built in such a way that rainwater would run down from the city into a large moat, providing the city with a source of water all year.
All of this is very impressive, but not nearly as impressive as the towering Sun Temple, the tallest building in the ruins. The Sun Temple was built for the purpose of making offerings to the gods, so that they might bless the harvests and provide fair weather. The architects designed it in such a way that climbing up the steps was easiest if you were walking sideways - not turning your back on the altar, but also not staring directly at it, as a sign of respect. During the solstices, the sun shines on either the leftmost or rightmost corner of the upper platform, as a way to tell what season they were in. The most impressive part of the temple, though, as the carvings.
Four of the original masks carved on the temple's front have been preserved and protected from looters, and are still able to be seen by tourists. The masks still have traces of the red pigment used to paint them, and still bear many details.
After taking in all the impressive sights of the ruins, it was back on the bus and over to the port once again. I didn't spend a lot of time in port because frankly it was very loud and overwhelming and everyone is trying to sell you something. A very far cry from the peaceful countryside we had just passed through.
Back in the ship, I needed to rest off the long journey. It's been a very long and busy week. While I was snoozing, my fellow travelers decided to go to line dancing class and had a very fun time. We met for dinner again, where I decided to make the brave choice of trying Escargot. Conclusion: snails are meant to be friends, not food. After dinner I once again retreated to the safety of my cozy internal room, while Andrew and Brayden went rock climbing under the stars.
That just about sums up the day! I'm absolutely worn out from adventuring. If I could, I would sleep the rest of the week, but we still have plenty more to do! So this is Drew, signing off for the night.
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