LAND OF MYSTERY

The beauty of this land of mystery, called the Yucatan Peninsula, obviously has inspired many artists.  In a previous post I included one of the window murals on the front of the Mayaland Resort.  Following are the photos of all of them.



The grand pyramid

 


Mayan countryside

 

Water well



Temple scene



Temple on the coast

 

Excavation at Chichen Itza



TANGERINES vs WATERMELONS

There is nothing like a beautiful day in late summer, especially when a grandchild is playing in a soccer game.  Rachael is on a team called the "Tangerines," and rightly so, because of the color of their uniforms.  "Watermelons" is the name of the other team.

 I don't know if you can see them, but if you look closely, I believe there are little "rocks" embedded into her eyes.  If you don't know what rocks are, gaze deeply into her Aunt Sherry's eyes, and you will find out.

The sun was blinding, and Rachael had to shade her face often, but this little obstacle was not a problem as the game progressed.  I was surprised at how much teamwork there was this year as opposed to last year; even so, our girl showed great athletic ability when it came time for her to go after the ball.

Notice the determination on her face in the following photo.  She is not one to go unnoticed during intense play.

The next two pictures show Rachael attacking the ball, and then moving it to the goal. 

We were all proud of her play.  I believe her mother was very happy and proud of her.  Water seems to hit the spot during this little time-out.  Notice that she is looming at the camera with great suspicion.

Rachael is posing while eating this candy snack.  One does have to keep up the blood/sugar level during a game. 

Other spectators at the game were Erin and Jenna.


 

Also Rhonda and Jim.

   

MORE PHOTOS



Towel sculpture

 

Towel sculpture

Jack Marshell

Riu Playacar Resort

Our room was on the 2nd level

Pool at the Riu



Chandelier at the Riu



Standing in line for the Cozumel ferry

  


Ferry




A church in Cozumel



Cozumel savages





Cozumel restaurant

 

More savages




A time of reflection







We really liked this place





Chitzen Itza snake heads




Observatory




Snake on the wall of skulls




Dining area at Mayaland Resort




Bev and Linda at Cancun Airport




This seaplane model hangs over the bar at Cancun Airport.




We are in 1st Class seats on the way home




Texas coast.  You got to love the USA, baby!

 

The best auto repair in town




Typical Mexican town alleyway.





CENOTE at Chichen Itza

According to Wikipedia, a cenote is a deep natural pit or sinkhole, characteristic of Mexico and Central America, resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater underneath. 

Our guide informed us that this particular cenote was used for the ritual human sacrifice of children.  When this was excavated, thousands of skeletons were lifted out of the deep. 



Centote where children were sacrificed


Just up the path of this cenote is the wall of skulls.  Since it was considered an honor and privilege to be sacrificed, I suppose that this wall was constructed as kind of a memorial.



Wall of skulls



Just up the road, about 3 miles from the Mayaland Resort, is a resort that is built around a huge cenote.  A special bus was designated to take some of us, who wanted to go swimming, to this resort.  As you can tell from the above photo, the walls have been reinforced with concrete and two good sized ladders have been constructed for those who do not desire to just jump.  I used a latter, by the way!

The water was very cold and clear.  I had to ease my way into it.  Once I got used to it, I felt confident to float out to the middle.  The thought did cross my mind that maybe some skeletons lay at the bottom; nevertheless it was fun to be floating and to watch the others jump in.

Now, back to the Mayaland Resort.  It was so old and quaint that one could almost imagine Humphrey Bogart walking through the courtyard on his way to do a movie scene take.  Our guide Jack Marshell, said that they could have housed us in a modern resort, but the tour directors wanted us to experience this place. 

The beds were comfortable, but the air conditioning did not work well.  It leaked condensation water onto the floor, but it was better than nothing.  If we wanted we could open the large windows for a cross breeze.  And the toilets would not accept paper, so after doing one's duty, the used paper was placed into a waste basket.  This sounds gross, but really we didn't notice any undo oder.  Bugs were common guests on the floor, so I found it wise to watch my step. 

The above mural is located in the dinning hall.  It was quite beautiful, but in a way I guess it was a little Corney.  Ha ha. 


We were on the 3rd level

 The swimming pool is located just outside the dinning area.  During the night storm, it completely filled and overflowed.



Peacock resting outside our room



The above photo is of one of the mural windows that adorned the front of the resort.  These scenes represent, I believe, the discovery and excavation of Chiten Itza.