Chichen Itza

Chichen Itza is a very popular Mayan ruins site (mainly because of its location close to the very much touristed Cancun). Again it was amazing to see these structures that these groups were able to build. I was disappointed to find out that the ruins have been closed to the public for climbing up them. I was temped to jump the fence for a quick jaunt to the top for a few pictures, but my better senses stopped me. There were a few places at the site that some of the original carvings were still intact and in good condition. Normally the bulk of the structure is still in place with the original plaster layer with the carvings having been peeled off over the years. I can see why so many people head to Cancun. The water is warm, the beaches are great and most people speak English so it's easy to communicate. The hurricanes this past year have really damaged the place greatly. It seemed like about half of the hotels were still closed with severe damage. Also there was this huge pipe on the beach. I have no Idea why?? From Cancun I took a ferry to Isla Mujeres to get away from the busy Cancun to find a place to stay for the night.

Isla Mujeres

The Cafe is closing so this will be short, but it was another interesting day. The bus dropped my off early at Chichen Itza (another huge Mayan ruins) then I headed to Cancun for a stroll along the beach and after a short boat ride I am now chilling on the Isla Mujeres.

Palenque

If anyone ever wants to visit a lovely colonial city go to San Cristobal de las Casas. The cobblestone streets, Mayan markets, lovely buildings and of course diverse places to eat add to the appeal of the city. The streets had many tourists (seemed like mainly European), but it somehow only add to the flavour of the city. Palenque was my next stop of the journey. This is another place that deserves a wow. The city itself is nothing extra special but the surrounding area is very much so. The ruins of Palenque were truly incredible. The Mayans truly knew how to pick a good spot. They build on the side of the hills in the jungle on the edge of a large fertile valley. The feeling of being there was something special. My biggest problem was leaving my pack in town and running out of batteries not long into exploring the ruins. Misol-Ha, just south of Palanque was my next stop. It´s the site of a beautiful waterfall. It may be hard to tell from the picture but you can climb behind the waterfall then just out of the picture to the right there was a cave that goes into the side of the hill with much more water flowing out of it. The cave wasn´t huge but it was still fun to explore and find a waterfall flowing into it at its end. Agua Azul was another waterfall about an hour south of Misol-Ha. This waterfall had much more flow, but I didn´t find it as impressive. It is still a must see especially with the drive there and back through the hills filled with Mayan villages and the jungle vistas.

Distrito Federal (Mexico City)

Mexico city is a happening place with lots to do and see. Initially I was planning on spending a couple days in the city, but as I quickly checked off everything from my to do list for the city it only took 16 hours. Early in the morning I visited the ancient Aztec city of Tenochtiltan. It is incredible to see what these early civilizations were able to create from pure brute human muscle power. After spending a number of hours baking under the sun I returned to the city core. While there I spent a few more hours in the Bosque de Chapultepec, which is the largest city park in the Americas. In the park I spent most of my time at the Zoo and the National museum of Anthropology. These where both great sites to see (and cheap) it was the first time I have seen a lot of the animals they had there, such as the pandas, monkeys and giraffes to name a few. From there I had a fun time trying to squeeze into the subway. I am not kidding here. It was literally crazy. It took 4 subs to go by before I was able to squeeze in and I mean squeeze. It was like playing sardines, how many people can we get into a subway car. With that experience I made my way to the Zocalo (Plaza de la constitucion). This is was another very interesting place. It had everything from native singers and dancers, to protesters, to religious groups and of course lots of people trying to sell stuff. Around the Zocal were a few buildings and sites of interest. The most enjoyable thing in the area was the absolutely huge market that covered I would say over 50 blocks (it felt like it at least). After that full day of exploring it was another night on the bus making my way to Tuxtla Gutierrez.

The Coast

A few of the statues that line the coastal walks of Mazatlan.
Puerto Vallarta in the evening hours. It was a bustling town. For some reason beyond my imagination everyone walks along this extremely crowed walkway along the coast when they could simply jump down and walk along the beautiful beach basically all alone (well at least 30 feet from the crowded walkway) .
Zihuatanejo was a great town. Much more laid back and take it easy compared to the other cities I had visited. Before I left I was able to take a boat ride across the harbour to a "secluded beach" were I was able to go snorkeling. When I got there I thought of my brother Ben since there is this old, now basically washed away, wall that was build by some king back in the day to keep out the sharks. (for the uninformed Ben does not like sharks very much)
Acapulco (population 2 million) was another fast paced city. However this time it was from locals not gringos so it was a different fast pace. I could see how back in the day while it was still a fishing town that it would have been amazing, but now the slums climb the hills in the background.
The famous cliff jumpers of Acapulco were crazy. They jumped from a 35 - 40 meter cliff after they climb it. Not only that, they jump into a small area that the waves are crashing back and forth with great force. I sure wouldn't jump it.

Along the Way

The ferry ride from La Paz to Los Mochis was lovely. A great sunset along with seeing some huge Wales. It reminded me of the good ol´days of taking the ferry to and from the mainland. The only thing was that this was a bit longer of a boat ride (a little over 8 hours).

The train ride "chepe" from Los Mochis to Creel was simply amazing.

It would have been interesting to spend more time in El Divisadero to hike down into the canyon.
In Creel I rented a bike for the day with a few guys and biked around. This is in the Valley of the Monks.

Zihuatanejo (See-wah-tah-NEH-ho)

Since leaving the rugged beauty of the Copper Canyon I have been exploring the Pacific coast before I head inland for a short time. (Pictures are still to come, still waiting on a place that I can get my USB key to work-Hopefully I´ll find a place in the morning.)   My first stop was in Mazatlan.  Overall I enjoyed the city even though the beaches are nothing overly special.  I thought it was unfortuanet that there was an extremely heavy fog going on for the majority of the time I was there, but I feel I got some fun pictures non-the-less.  Next stop was in the ever popular Puerto Vallarta.  All I have to say is "gringoville".  I had a good time, but the streets were simply packed with gringos.  The beaches were nice, but all backed by huge hotels (not exactly my style).  Manzanillo, well I did stop there very shortly.  I didn't see much.  I would have to have gone out of the city to see good beaches so I simply moved on and hoped to see them on my bus ride to Zihuatanejo.  Well that I did and more.  The 9 hour bus ride to Zihuatanejo was extremely beautiful.  Weaving though the hills that cut right into the Pacific.  The views were incredible.  However for most of the other passengers in the bus I think they would have preferred an easy straight road to the constant tight, hilly corners because almost everyone was throwing up (it was gross).  At first I heard people throwing up, but wasn't sure what it was.  Then the lady next to me did it and when I looked, yikes I quickly clued into what that noise that everyone was making was.  About half way through we had to stop and mop the bus then pass out new barf bags (good times).  I'm Currently relaxing in Zihuatanejo with the locals.  I am really enjoying it here.  There are not nearly as many gringos.  It seems to be more of a tourist spot for Mexicans (possibly from Mexico city). Tomorrow I plan on stopping at my last beach on the Pacific side of Mexico before I head inland and onto the Yucatan.

Copper Canyon

The Copper Canyon is simply amazing. I can easily see why it is such
a popular attraction for so many tourists. The Chepe train goes
through the canyon with over 7 hours of breath taking views. During
the course of the track there are 87 tunnels and 37 bridges. This
trainride should be on everyones todo list.
On the long ferry ride from La Paz I met a Brit (he has been traveling
for 2 years now) who I have been traveling with for the past couple
days. We stayed in Los Mochis then caught the train to Creel (where
we are now). Today we rented some bikes and toured around a few areas
of interest here. When I get to a better internet site I will try to
upload a few pictures, but for now you have to trust me that this is a
beautiful area.

San Jose and San Lucas

Oop it´s sideways. If you look hard you can see a few surfers waiting for a wave.













There are beautiful beaches all along the coast.














I would like to say that that is me, but I wasn´t quite up to that skill yet.













El Arco or the Cabos Arch was just off the end of this outcrop of rock. It was a fun time to climb and swim out to that area. It would have been nice if I had an underwater camera to get a few shots of the fish in the area.

Baja

Playa Los Cerritos, this is such a beautiful area. The waves were huge so it is a very popular place to surf. Although the surfing was mainly done in the other direction as to what the photo was taken from mainly so if you take a fall it doesn´t hurt as much.









This is the little palapa that some of the locals said we could stay under. The guy on the right taught me to surf and the two guys on the left that are trying to make tacos are the guys that I went out there with.