Tuesday : Mayan history day

By 9:30 this morning we had eaten breakfast and were on an air-conditioned 57-passenger bus headed for Chichen Itza.  The ship had docked this morning at Progreso in Yucatan.  Progreso boasts of having the longest pier in the world, but in spite of its size, the pier could be better described as "under construction". That did not bother us since we were not spending the day in Progreso.

Our guide on the bus was part Mayan, dispelling the rumor that this group of people no longer exist.  He gave us excellent information about the Mayan culture and the Chichen Itza site during the two-hour bus ride.

Basically, the roads were very good for rural Mexico, with some quirks, like speed bumps here and there on the main highway.  We made one comfort stop during the trip, and when we got back on the bus we were given a bag lunch and bottle of cold water.  The sandwich was good, along with the other items, but we were most interested in the "Sabritas" (potato chips).  We thought it appropriate to take a photo of Sabrina with the Sabritas.

We passed through the large city of Merida, with a population of one million.  We even saw a Wal-mart there.  After that we were in a rural area most of the rest of the trip.  There were no mountains in this area of Mexico, and the land was extremely flat.  We drove through small villages where the housing was fairly primitive.  Many of the houses had roofs made from reeds. It was easy to see how a major hurricane could devastate an area like this.  One village had a local school where the students were outside playing soccer.  Soccer players Maggie and Sabrina took note of that.

Finally we arrived in Chichen Itza, the largest and most famous archaeological site in Yucatan.  Our tour took us to many fascinating structures, but we were told that what we could see today was only a tiny part of all the structures yet to be uncovered In the area.   We took the once-in-a-lifetime picture of Samuel, Maggie and Sabrina in front of the temple of Kukulcan.  How impressive!  This structure has 91 steps to the top (sorry, no climbing) and is 24 meters high.  Do the math to change meters into feet.

Then the kids wanted to take the traditional jumping shot at that location.

They posed by the structure used for human sacrifices.  From the direction Maggie and Sabrina are pointing, apparently they choose Samuel for the family sacrifice. 

 However, before the girls could carry out this plan, it was time to return to the bus, and eventually to the cruise ship.  We were all tired from the day's activities, so we spent the remainder of the evening in the area of the various food stations.  We played games and ate various foodstuffs (including salads, fruit and other healthy items) off and on for about four hours before retiring to our rooms for the evening.  The ice cream consumption during this time period was at an all-time high.  Vacations and unlimited ice cream on cruise ships make an unbeatable combination for teenagers.  

Tomorrow will be a day at sea as we make our way back to the port of New Orleans.  More exciting events ahead for tomorrow...and perhaps even some more ice cream!