Posted at 12:00 PM in Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Technorati Tags: cenote, Ik-Kil, Mexico, Riviera Maya, Yucatan
So, yeah: Mexico. The Riviera Maya vacation we took last week. Very, VERY nice. But not at all restful, which is something Hubs and I were desperately needing.
But fun. Oh so much fun.
I wrote virtually nothing of this trip beforehand - in actuality it came together just a few months ago, mostly through the availability of the perfect number of miles to cash in for our flights, and the grace of Hubs' cousin who gifted us with an amazing condo for the week. We'd been to the Pacific side before, namely Zihuatanejo last August, and we loved that trip, thoroughly enjoyed Mexico and I wrote about it here. But just as Oklahoma and New York are technically part of the same nation, so drastic are the differences between Zihua and the Yucatan.
Where Zihua and the rest of the Guerrero state are slow, sleepy seaside fishing villages with not a lot to offer in the way of nightlife or touristy excitement, that snail's pace is exactly what you need for a childless week of relaxation and mental rest. The Riviera Maya on the other hand has something to fill every minute of every day, for every flavor and whim imaginable. And so we did....despite the fact we never actually made it into Cancun proper.
We flew into Cancun on Sunday night, the 4th, and believe it or not I only realized just then that the following day was Cinco de Mayo. In California it's mostly just an excuse for excessive guacamole and margarita consumption, but I assumed it'd be a bit more serious taken down here so close to Puebla. In fact it was not. Maybe it was the isolation of the gringo resort we were at, but other than a floor show and a mexican buffet there wasn't much celebration to speak of.
In fact, after checking in the evening before we spent our first day just stocking the condo with groceries and checking out the local town of Playa del Carmen. That guidebook you see over in the sidebar led me to believe it was a much smaller town than it actually was, but in reality development marches where tourist dollars lead. No matter, it was still nice to find gas, good restaurants, gorgeous beaches and an amazing grocery store with the best bakery I've ever seen and the best cappuccino I've EVER had, bar none. And so all of these mundane tasks filled day one.
The next day was devoted to all things archaeological. We drove about two and a half hours inland to Chichen Itza to see the ruins of, at the time of its building, the largest city in the world.
Hubs is the archaeology geek in this family, and while I appreciate those things it doesn't necessarily get me all hot and bothered. But even having seen pictures beforehand and reading some history, I was still unprepared for the raw power and effect the ruins would have on me. For one thing, the place is immense - 16 square kilometers on the perimeter wall, and the structures themselves including El Castillo pictured above tower above are so much bigger when you're standing in their shadows.
I could prattle on and on about how amazing the site is, with it's perfect acoustics built so you can hear whispers from one end of the temple court at the other end; the gorgeous relief work carved into almost every stone on every building and the simple awareness that at the time of its building, this was the largest city in the world, over 100,000 people. But lots of pre-Hispanic historians are better spoken than I on the subject, and I can better supply pictures.
The rest of the Chichen Itza pictures are here.
Posted at 09:26 AM in Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Technorati Tags: Chichen Itza, Maya, Mexico, Quintana Roo, ruins, Yucatan

Lest I make the impression that my life is all gloom, doom and despair, one really great thing is on the horizon: the plans for a trip to the Big Island came together this week.
Originally we planned to go immediately after Christmas, but air was outrageously priced so we went for mid-January instead. Nice break from the winter...that is, if Southern California had anything even remotely resembling a season. But it will be a warm escape for my mom, who will fly in from Kentucky and fly on with us. Only a week, but it'll be fabulous to have 3 whole adults looking after the kidlet full time. Oh yeah, did I mention the husband unit is coming too? After countless trips with his family, HE OWED ME.
The condo looks great; only drawback is that it's not right on the water. I really wanted Zoe to have a sandy beach to play and swim on, but the whole island is practically black craggy volcanic rock, beaches included, because it's so geologically young. So I found a resort that is set back off the beachfront, on a golfcourse (gah), but they do have a sandy area for little kids. She'll get a big kick out of that.
Also on the travel calendar: kidlet and I are flying to see my mom in KY next month, for another week. This will prove interesting to fly with her, now that she is completely mobile and UNCONTAINABLE. I'll have to make sure to inform my mother that immediately after disembarking, we will head directly to the terminal bar. Flying alone with a one year old = many many drinks.
In the meantime, some eye candy for your Friday...
PS - That second picture? is actually a green sand beach. Can you imagine?? I soooo want to see this. Although, I'm not too hot on the black sand beaches...I keep remembering that scene with Debra Winger from The Black Widow.

Posted at 09:59 AM in Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Marlena De Blasi: A Thousand Days in Tuscany: A Bittersweet Adventure
Reminds me a lot of the Pat Conroy cookbook, as a mixture of storytelling and recipes that I find appealing. So far the stories are engaging and the recipes look delicious, but I'm not sure how I feel about the writer.
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