We are sitting in the Houston Airport on our 8-hour layover on our way home, so I am taking this time to go through some of the photos I took over the last weekend.
The picture above is from Uxmal. It was a Mayan temple (Temple of the Magician) that was constructed 3000 years ago. It was an incredible sight. We rented a car after our first day in Merida so as to be able to avoid the tour buses. Also, with the rental we could go much later when most of the tours were already gone. When we arrived, we had the temple above to ourselves.
The rental car was absolute garbage. We paid $50/day for a Tsuru which felt as though it would break down at any moment. Only one headlight worked, the horn (a most necessary tool for driving in Mexico) was not functional, and there was no stereo. Even so, it was really nice to have our own car.
Before getting to Uxmal, we toured an old hacienda that was on the way. It was gargantuan. I love the architectural design, it was an inspiration for when we perhaps have our own one day. Property is extremely cheap in Yucatan.
Yesterday we went to another hacienda where we spent 4 hours touring the home, business, and grounds. We had the chance to meet an elderly man who has lived at the hacienda for nearly a century and had a fascinating history to share. Also at this hacienda was a cenote. We entered by a small stairway that went down into the earth where at the bottom there was a hole. Once through the hole, it opened up to an underground world of caverns and a small lake. We climbed down an additional set of stairs and spent an hour swimming in the luke-warm water. It was a lot of fun, despite the bats flying over our heads.
I have added more photos to the travel journal page linked above.
