Kabah is supposed to be a short distance away from Uxmal. In fact, there is an ancient Mayan "highway" that runs through the bush between the two cities. All you need is a good pair of walking shoes, lots of water, something to snack on during your trek (Remember, don't litter. Leave nothing behind but footprints), and a plan with regard to how to find your way back to civilization once at Kabah. It does take at least a couple hours to hike all the way. We couldn't do that as we had purchased a tour, plus T's leg wouldn't want us to do it anyways. The trip in the van was short, but due to the dense brush and trees everywhere we didn't see the ruins until we were pulling into the small drive to the entrance. The area for parking is very small and I guess since the archeological site is so small it receives few visitors, anyways. Our little group actually arrived here in two vehicles. As Guillermo was primarily responsible for the three Australians, they arrived in his car. We all marched together onto the grounds and waited under some trees bordering the site while Gabriel and Guillermo took care of us at the small ticket booth right at the entrance. I must say that as small as the site is, I was just as impressed by the majesty of the size of the buildings themselves as those I had seen at Uxmal. Part of it was the mere fact that it was "framed" by jungle bordering the entire area. There was a wide mowed lawn extending from the entrance to the buildings furthest back from the highway. To the right of us was another building a short walk away across the lawn. Everything was green, peaceful, and devoid of tourists! Except for our little group of nine, of course. When the guides returned, we were told we would continue the same arrangement that we had at Uxmal. Us English-speaking folk would be assigned to Guillermo, while Gabriel escorted the peeps from Spain. No problemo. We began this tour by walking towards the building to our right. Turns out that it's on a hill...that's right...more stairs. These by far were the most difficult to climb. Steep, steep steps and many of 'em. Poor T had me on one side and the British dude on the other. When we got to the top of the hill we beheld the awesome Codz Poop on top of another small rise accessible by a few more stairs. The face of this building is covered with masks of the rain god from top to bottom, left to right. Even the doorways into the structure are stylized versions of masks...either you are walking into a mouth on someone's tongue or in towards another mask within staring out at you. The roofcomb is also remarkably intact, lending a grander appearance to the size of the thing. Very very cool. Pics pics and more pics here. I spotted only one mask that was completely intact...the rain god's nose drops, then curls up like an elephant's trunk back to the face almost making a complete circle. T was giving me "the look" as I returned to her. Our little group had started walking around to the left of the structure, but she couldn't follow without an escort due to the stones underfoot. I gave her my arm and we tagged behind everyone, following them around to the other side of the Codz Poop. Here everyone paused as Guillermo pointed out an entrance to the building that was framed on the left and right sides by two large stones covered with Mayan inscriptions and figures. He stated that when the site was still largely unexcavated archeologists discovered these. To prevent them from being stolen by looters or whisked off to some museum, they were buried and hidden until it was time to unearth them to to complete the reconstructed edifice. We turned away from this building and walked down a short flight of stairs. By this time, it seems we could always expect an escort...either one of the Australians or the Brit would come up on T's other side to help out. At the bottom, we skirted around a few trees bearing what appeared to be large limes the size of oranges. We were trying to figure out what they were just as Gabriel's little group strolled up. He identified them as "sour oranges" which are traditionally used in Yucatecan cuisine in different kinds of salsas. Everybody wound up in a large plaza or courtyard bounded on three sides by buildings in various states of ruin or repair, and on one side by long stairs that we would take on our way across the lawn back to the entrance. Guillermo stopped here to describe everything, and I must have started tuning him out as I don't remember much detail here. I do recall there were perhaps three choltuns hidden beneath the plaza, identified by some circular holes in the ground. T and I didn't wander closer to explore the buildings as we were pooped. Two of the older Australian gents also decided to refrain from further exploration and sat on the fringe underneath a tree near the stairs. T and I decided to get a head start back to the entrance and started for the stairs. As we approached the Australians I expressed my resignation and fatigue by saying, "Well, you see one pyramid, you've seen 'em all." Not meaning that we weren't impressed by Kabah, but that we were just so darn tired from the walking and the stairs. Word of advice for all would-be explorers of the Ruta Puuc: get in shape before committing to these tours. They do not require skills such as mountain-climbing or spelunking, but the long long walks in the sun and the number of stairs needed to ascend/descend do make you a little tired. Make sure to bring plenty of water with you...at least two bottles for a couple. Just also be conscientious and leave no litter behind. I know I've already mentioned this like twice before in these TR's so far, but they are absolute cardinal rules. There are trash cans at the entrances to the sites and I did see a couple more within the larger city of Uxmal. Everyone silently walked the long lawn back towards the parking lot. Gabriel got our attention just before got to the trees shading the parking area and invited us to take a look at the Kabah museum... *snort* Yeah, right. The museum is open air, but shaded from the sun and rain. Basically appears to be a long covered patio with a small exhibit of items recovered from the site. This is your opportunity to get your picture next to a sculpture of a Mayan warrior or stellae, or whatever. Originally, on the way in T had noticed a small gift shop immediately adjacent to the ticket office and had wanted to check it out. Especially for what appeared to be handmade Mayan dolls displayed hanging in the doorway. Well, we were basically being herded to the cars, so we didn't get the time to take a look. Turns out, we never found these kinds of dolls anywhere else during our holiday :-( There was also a man making wood carvings sitting at a table underneath a tree. We hadn't really noticed him on the way in, and now it was too late to stop and consider what exactly he was carving. Another thing to remember for vistors to Kabah. Gabriel had explained to us that this archeological site was discovered quite by accident. A highway was originally planned to be built through here. When the Codz Poop and other structures for Kabah were found, it was determined that the road was running right through the center of the city. It was still built, and now Kabah is split in two. You might recall that I said Uxmal's signature building that everyone identifies with the city is the Pyramid of the Magician. Well, for Kabah, my thought is that the single feature that I spotted over and over again on the 'net that was the signature for the city was the "Portal Arch." This is a single inverted "V" standing along at the end of the Mayan road from Uxmal marking the entrance to the ancient city. Unfortunately, this was on the other side of the highway and...was not included with this tour. :-( Needless to say, I feel that while we saw most of the restored areas of these two cities, we still wound up missing quite a bit. Not that we necessarily would have tried if we had the time and were allowed...we were so exhausted already! In the parking lot, we parted ways with Guillermo and the Australians. They apparently had purchased a different version of this tour and would not be joining us for lunch back at Uxmal. We thanked the older gentleman who had lent T his arm on many of the stairways we had climbed. Back in the van and a short time later we had returned to Uxmal. From the parking lot back at Uxmal, Gabriel led us into a restaurant in the corner of the patio at the entrance. It was lunch time and many tables were already taken, but it appeared one had been reserved for the six of us in a back room against the wall. Menus were provided and Gabriel went on to explain that we each of us could order a soup, entree, and a desert. Drinks were not included, however...which happened to be the first thing the waiter asked of us. Gabriel mentioned the beer list and I encouraged the male Brit to give one a try as I intended to. I ordered a Leon while he chose a Montejo. T got a Coca Cola Light. We then ordered our meals. For soup, T had the sopa de lima. I ordered the sopa de chaya...another local dish. This soup apparently has been around since before the Spanish arrived on the Yucatan, and is known for some form of medicinal properties. Well, here, read this online article about "chaya": http://thematrix.sureste.com/cityview/merida2/articulos/chaya.htm Had to try it, as it was on my list of cuisine items to sample. It didn't exactly strike me as particularly yummy, but by the time I got to the bottom of the bowl I kind of got to like it. Then we ordered entrees. Again I forget what T ordered, but I definitely ordered the poc chuc, which is sliced pork with a marinade of those sour oranges and other sauces. Delish. Am definitely making a grand effort to "stay local" when it comes to the cuisine. I forgot what desert was all about. However, we had a great conversation with our fellow tourists. The couple from Britain were on holiday to discover the more touristy parts of the Mayan world including Palenque, but had stayed in their hotel the entire day before due to some major indigestion. According to them the Hotel Caribe, which was next door to our own Gran Hotel de Merida had a swimming pool! I didn't know that, but did recall some of the older hotels in downtown Merida did have that amenity. The male Brit and I poured each other a sampler of the beer we had chosen, and I must say that I do prefer the Leon over Montejo. The couple from Aragon I did try to strike up a conversation with; however, I was easily confused by the different pronunciation with the "c" and "s". When I asked how many days long their vacation was, the man had to repeat himself twice with the last time his lips formed a perfect "O" with his tongue filling the center as he pronounced "doce". Perhaps needless to say, we didn't have as quite a long conversation with the Spaniards. Gratefully, a group of tourists at another table also appeared to be from Spain and came over to chat with 'em right after their own meal. Before that I felt badly that it was just the Brit couple and ourselves that were having a cultural moment together. When we were all finished we sat there for a while. Gabriel did not come to our table...in fact we had no idea where he was as he never ate with us. At some point the Brits and we decided to close the bill and head out to the shops. The beer was cheap, but still over $1.00 each. T's soda cost about the same as my suds. Venturing out into the circle of buildings, I took a quick glance around to see if we missed anything when we were here for the Uxmal part of the tour and saw a small museum of just maybe a room or two adjacent to the left of the restaurant on your way out. T and I explored and there were a couple neat things in there, but it wasn't a large exposition. Just some items unearthed around the site that could fit into the room. Now we decided to check out for the last time the Mayan ladies' wares outside the buildings. "Amiga, amiga!" ...oh, boy... T knew I had a taste for T-shirts with unique native designs. Only perhaps because I wear two of 'em all the time at home that I purchased at Taos Pueblo in New Mexico...very cool ones, I may add. She pointed out one with an interesting Mayan glyphs or writing and the word "Uxmal" written down the side, and immediately the stall owner started piling different ones in front of T. Green, blue, black, red, white...large, small...different patterns altogether...the woman would not stop to let T and I have a conversation. Yes I in general like these kinds of shirts, but...not THESE. It was apparent to me that these shirts were def. mass-produced elsewhere and probably available in most locations in the area. Not much unique about them in my estimation, and I wanted either authentic or "different". Nevertheless, I purchased a T from this lady and then she started working on the wife to get a Mayan dress. I wandered away from the stalls to what I thought was a safe distance so that I could examine what else was being sold. Didn't have much time to do even that, 'cause Gabriel walked up and asked if we were ready...our van was already loaded with the other peeps and set to leave. The drive back was def. more quiet than on the way to. Of course, we were tired, and we were just seeing the same stuff along the road that we saw in the a.m., except in reverse order. I forgot to mention that when Gabriel was driving us to Uxmal in the a.m., he slowed down here and there to point out the typical Mayan huts the local inhabitants prefered to lodge in. Many of these were in the small towns we passed though. He said that the huts were mainly where the family sleeps, and everyone had a hammock rather than beds. Generally, the part of the hut facing a public area such as the street is daubed with...I forgot...clay or some such material between the many wooden supports (trimmed tree branches?) to preserve some privacy, and the sides were left uncaulked so that a breeze could blow through as virtually the only form of A/C. The more modern structures next to these mainly served as the kitchen areas. When we returned to Merida, the Brits and ourselves were the first to be let out. I have to note that while Gabriel gave his farewell spiel before the van stopped not once did he hint for, request, or even mention a possibility for a tip. There wasn't a tip jar, either. When he helped us out of the van, he wasn't excessively friendly to the point of begging for anything. High marks to him from T and I for his professionalism and for managing to avoid what I had come to expect from tour guides in the Yucatan before. As I shook his hand I gave him a couple of bucks in appreciation for his help. He quickly pocketed it with a brief word of thanks before the Brits emerged from the van, so they didn't get a glimpse of what I did. I like this guy...if this is an example of Meri de Merida's ethic, then I have no problem about arranging tours with them in the future. We said farewell to our guide, and then to the Brits and headed back across the small plaza to the Gran Hotel de Merida and our room to rest our tired tired feet...
:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: Thanks, Michael, for another excellent chapter! I am definitely going to try chaya! Do you have any pictures to share?
After reading his report I would accept nothing less!!! Michael's reports are so great...makes me feel like I was right there with him.
You bunch of kidders!!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: Although, I def. would not mind seeing everything again...so much to see and so little time to pack it all in! :wink: There are pics, janie, but am deliberately holding off on scanning 'em to post until the middle of the TR due to a significant issue that arose at that time. *tease, tease*
*Pics added* Explained the issue in my latest update. The only pics I have of my experience at Kabah were off of one of my trusty panoramic cameras. I wanna go back and do it all over again, but with film!
