Mexico, I Love You: Part 2

 *This is a continuation of yesterday's post*

Also, this post is flooded with pictures. If you haven't figured it out, I love love love photography, and thankfully, Iryna does do. A decent amount of our shots end up looking like this:

(Photo credit: Iryna Sazonova)

 Anyways- back to the original post...

Thursday, August 11

This is what yesterday consisted of

Looks like the Mayans discovered tic-tac-toe before we did.

Amazing how these carvings survived thousands of years.

Carvings of human skulls on stakes.

A Wonder of the World.

This is also what yesterday consisted of:

As you can tell from the first set of pictures, Chichen Itza was absolutely amazing, powerful, and unforgettable. And as you can tell from the second set of pictures, it was anything but serene.  As soon as you step foot through the park entrance, you have vendors running up to you, completely oblivious to the fact that you’re trying to listen to a tour guide and enjoy the experience, holding souvenirs while yelling “One dollar! Only one dollar! Diez pesos! Si? Si?” I mean they literally get in your face and yell over the tour guide. If you say “no thanks” that will be an invitation for three more vendors to walk over and try to change your mind; and if you ignore the vendor they will stand there yelling “one dollar” in your ear over and over and over again. And if the wasn’t bad enough if you actually see something you like and want to buy it for a dollar the conversation will go something like this-

“Only one dollar for that?”

“Yes.Si.”

“Okay. I’ll take it!”

“Si? Okay, twenty dollars por favor.”

“But you said it was only one dollar.”

“Yes, it’s one dollar off the price. This costs twenty-one dollars but I give it to you for twenty. Si?”

“No, I’m not interested anymore.”

“Okay fifteen dollars. Look how beautiful. Si?”

“No.”

“Okay fourteen dollars.”

“No thanks.”

But at this point it’s too late. You are now surrounded by at least 10 other vendors trying to sell you the exact same thing, you lost your tour guide, you are in a foreign speaking country, and you have no idea how you’ll get back to your resort. Game over.

(Photo credit: Iryna Sazonova)

A little more annoying than the vendors themselves are the merchandise they were selling. For instance, take the jaguar whistle. Apparently it's supposed to sound like a jaguar in the wild. Kind of cool, right? It is, unless you have to listen to it all day long. Every vendor was selling one and as soon as you passed by, they all thought you needed to hear it. Over and over and over again. If I never hear the sound of that whistle ever again, I will live a happy life. 

Tired after a long day of walking, absorbing, and picture taking. (Photo credit: Iryna Sazonova)

Aside from the vendors though, Chichen Itza was an incredible place. I could feel the power of the people vibrating in the stones and walking on the same ground the Mayans did was magical. It really was a beautiful experience. 

Walking on Mayan ground.

Chichen Inza also consists of a giant sinkhole that we were able to swim in. It was beautiful! Definitely an experience of a lifetime. We splashed, we swam, we floated. 

Kind of like frogs in a pond, right?

A little blurry, but hopefully you can tell that's me!

 And after getting out of the water, feeling rejuvenated and blissed out, we had the pleasure of finding out that the Mayans used the sinkhole to dump dead bodies into. Seriously. They found bones and skulls at the bottom, some 150 feet down.  Sick, right? Naw. I think it’s pretty awesome. I mean, who can say that they swam with the greatest warriors, sorcerers, and magicians known to man? Yes, ladies and gentlemen; I swam with the Gods and Goddesses, the objects of myths and legends, the stars of fairytales and folklore, our ancestors of the ancient Mayan civilization. I mean, who can say that, right?

We were also able to drive through some villages along the route. And let me tell you, it's quite a humbling experience. However, our guide made some really great points; he said

"You have to have an open mind when driving through these villages. These people live in a way that most Americans are quite unaccustomed to. But these people don't know about money, vacations, fancy gadgets, luxury departments stores, and all other modern day conveniences. And because they don't know about them, they don't miss them. You don't miss what you don't have and what you don't know about. These people experience very little stress and they are happy. And even with all the luxuries of U.S. life, most Americans cannot say the same."

Our guide was awesome. He also said something powerful when it came to buying souvenirs from the vendors at Chichen Itza. He said

"These people will try to sell you fake things. And yes, everyone needs to make a living but not in this way. Because when you go home and realize what you bought is fake, you won't say 'Those damn vendors at Chichen Itza', you will say 'Those damn Mexicans'."

Powerful words. Very humbling, also. 

The white embroidered dresses are traditions Mayan dresses.

As you can see, yesterday's adventure was just that- an adventure. A once in a lifetime adventure. And this morning I got to experience something just as powerful.

Sunrise. Bliss. Bliss. Bliss.

 *Check back tomorrow for the final part of my Mexican adventure*