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День 52
пятница, 27 декабря 2024 г., 20:32
☁️ 24 °C
Высота: 15 м
Мексика Tulum 20.210063, -87.45573820°12’36” N 87°27’21” W
Arriving in Tulum, 27th Dec. '24.
27 декабря 2024 г., Мексика ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C
Up and out and there for the bus in plenty of time. The coach was a lot more comfortable than some, and I had a good seat at the front so I could see the hazards before they arrived.
I arrived in Tulum around midday, leaving me with ample time to get my bearings and find my digs - hold on, not so fast.
I've come to realise that asking the locals for directions is a hiding to nothing. Time and time again, nobody seems to know any street names, or where anything is on a map. People throughout Central America must just memorise where they live and be done with it. I must have asked a dozen local people where the Avenida was, and I got vague looks, mystified and embarrassed half-smiles, and several contradictory suggestions. Eventually, I found the place and I'd walked past it twice - doh!
Tulum is a lot bigger than most places I've visited recently. Everything seems to be a long way from everywhere else. I dropped into a dive centre to ask about a possible scuba trip: $230 US ! (So I won't be booking that in a hurry.)
The town looks to be okay, quite arty/trendy in parts, but I think I'll need a hired bicycle to really get around.
Prices are mostly high, but the food's improved though :)
The Christmas buzz hasn't left yet, so I reckon New Years celebrations might be a bit lively.Читать далее
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Who’s your new friend? [Lyn]
28.12.2024ОтветитьПереводить
ПутешественникThey were fine until I started explaining the subtle nuances England, the U.K., Britain, and coming from Yorkshire. I think I lost them at 'milk first or second' - ignorant bloody foreigners.
28.12.2024ОтветитьПереводить
Now now - nice photos [Mario Minichiello]
28.12.2024ОтветитьПереводить
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South America 2024 Путешественник
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День 53
суббота, 28 декабря 2024 г., 17:46
☁️ 26 °C
Высота: 6 м
Мексика La Boya 19.9203, -87.478219°55’13” N 87°28’42” W
Tulum, 28th Dec. '24.
28 декабря 2024 г., Мексика ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C
This town/city has only one contemporary reason to exist: it's a tourist destination and totally geared up to extract cash (preferably US dollars) from callow visitors.
Unfortunately, the main road through the city merely leads in and out. The beach and the main Mayan site (Las Ruinas) is the thick end of an hour's walk from the main road and my digs.
Luckily, a 'collectivo' (shared public bus) goes pretty close to Las Ruinas, so I found one going that way.
Okay, here it starts:
Although I thought I'd left good and early, the queues were still horrendous snakes of bodies in the morning heat. What I thought was the entrance charge to the whole site; Mayan ruins, park, beach (c. £14 ), only got me into the main archaeological park. There was another charge for actually getting close to the Mayan ruins.
This kind of thing has happened over and over again on this trip - especially it seems in Mexico. The shops rarely put prices on anything, the actual price is withheld until the sales person has begun the depressing conversation - "Where are you from? What's your hat, shoe, collar size?"
Once inside the park, it's actually very good, if far too 'plastic' and dressed up when what can be seen is obviously just a few years old.
The beach is gorgeous and I have to visit again.
The first shot posted below is where I'm staying. The pool is a bit small but the 'Mexican Day of The Dead' vibe is here in the bar below, and all over town.
I decidedЧитать далее
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South America 2024 Путешественник
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День 54
воскресенье, 29 декабря 2024 г., 20:58
☁️ 25 °C
Высота: 6 м
Мексика La Boya 19.9203, -87.478219°55’13” N 87°28’42” W
Trip to Coba, 29th Dec. '24.
29 декабря 2024 г., Мексика ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C
It's time to get out of Tulum for a day.
A nearby town called Coba reputedly has some excellent Mayan ruins.
I got a 'collectivo' bus from just up the road from my digs, later than I wanted at 11:00am, but hey-ho it'll have to do. The journey was only 50 minutes / an hour on pretty good roads - even though the ride comfort was a bit on the 'full body massage' side.
When we got to Coba, it didn't seem like we had arrived anywhere at all, but I followed some others to the inevitable ticket booth and entrance to the ruins.
What is wrong with these people? Are they trying to get back at 'us' for liking those B-movie cowboy films as a child. Y'know; where the Mexicans were always swarthy, crooked and generally untrustworthy.
After buying a ticket and getting through the the entrance, lo and behold there's another ticket to be got to actually get into the park with the Mayan ruins. Asking an 'official' why this was, he garbled something about the first one is the government's charge to enter the area, and the second to visit the ruins. (Sounds like I was fobbed off, not for the first time).
'Well, I'm here anyway I suppose.'
As it turned out, it was a fairly good experience, relatively easy to get around in a few hours. Going through my mind was the thought that the Mayan civilisation - at its height from about 250AD to 950AD - isn't as ancient as some others on British shores. Maybe we should be a little more proud of what we have in Britain?Читать далее
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ПутешественникMayan Ruins? Reminds me of your flat in Hebden Bridge!😂
30.12.2024ОтветитьПереводить
ПутешественникOooh, the cheek!
31.12.2024ОтветитьПереводить
Stone Henge 25.40 to visit and just a few old stones, sounds like good value in Mexico. Yorkshire folk tight as…… And a Happy New Year 🥳 [Lyn]
31.12.2024ОтветитьПереводить
ПутешественникYou know me too well... Disaster today: my dead trendy Gap flip-flops flopped today and one thong fell off :( Had to buy a cheap replacement pair - £2 - but I didn't try haggling, so that's alright
31.12.2024ОтветитьПереводить
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South America 2024 Путешественник
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День 56–57
31 декабря 2024 г., 17:45 - 1 января 2025 г.
1 ночь
⛅ 27 °C
Высота: 6 м
Мексика La Boya 19.9203, -87.478219°55’13” N 87°28’42” W
New Years Eve, Tulum, Mexico.
31 дек.–1 янв. 2025, Мексика ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
Well... here we are. We made it through another year - just about.
After a lazy day yesterday (and no daily post), spent resting my feet and catching up on sleep, food and drink, I thought I'd make an effort and visit what's referred to as Tulum's public beach. It's so awkward to get to, it needs either a taxi ride, a bike hire, or a walk to get there . Inevitably, it seems, the part of the coast around the public section of beach is hemmed in by hotels with their 'ooh look at me with my posh lounger and designer swimwear' clientele.
I walked to one of the places where there's a gap between hotels and got onto the beach that way.
I can't deny it. The beach was fabulous. Probably the best beach experience of this trip. It was gorgeous. The sand was golden powder, the sea was really clean apart from a little bit of seaweed, and it was hot, hot, hot. Scorchio. When the occasional wispy cloud drifted across the sun, it was a blessing.
The walk from shore to sea was gradual and it was a good hundred yards to where I could swim (you know how tall I am).
Hours later I walked north up Los Paraiso beach and climbed the steps to Tulum Ruins again. The courtesy electric shuttle got me to the main ruins entrance and the 'colectivo' bus back into town.
I had a small disaster earlier in the day - one of the thongs on my nice leather flip-flops from Gap broke. "maldito y maldito" as the Mexicans might say.
Sadly, I had to shell out the princely sum of 49 pesos (c. £2:00 ) for a cheap replacement pair. Well, I'll need something light to stroll up to the square where I reckon the New Year will be let in.
Happy New Year everyone!Читать далее
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South America 2024 Путешественник
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День 57–58
1 января 2025 г., 17:36 - 2 января 2025 г.
1 ночь
☁️ 26 °C
Высота: 6 м
Мексика La Boya 19.9203, -87.478219°55’13” N 87°28’42” W
Night of New Year & New Year's Day 2024I
1–2 янв., Мексика ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C
It's traditional on the night of New Year's Eve to get hold of some alcoholic beverage and hang out with the (other) children staying up late to usher in the new year. So I did - the local beer is disgusting, but I always suffer for my art.
The photos are partly from yesterday night, and today's visit to one of the nearby 'cenotes' - the sink holes that form across the Yukutan and fill up with ground water.
Yes, I did join in with others shouting 'happy new year' at the turn of the year, no the fireworks were poor (but someone tried), and yes I went for a swim in the cenote. Very odd, gin-clear, cold and good fun.Читать далее
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South America 2024 Путешественник
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День 59
пятница, 3 января 2025 г., 19:47
🌙 21 °C
Высота: 16 м
Мексика Valladolid 20.690655, -88.18337720°41’26” N 88°11’0” W
1 1 4
Valladolid, 3rd January 2025
3 января, Мексика ⋅ 🌙 21 °C
With a few hours travelling on a pretty okay bus from Tulum, I arrived in Valladolid. Already, it looks pretty okay itself: grids of called that don't always make perfect sense to me, but eventually I found the place that will be my final bed for the night for the next 4 nights.
Ooo - er, this is looking promising. I've posted some shots of the place: small swimming pool, more 'homage to Freida Kahlo' prints on the walls, really good atmosphere. This could be the best place I've stayed all this trip.
After a failed attempt to buy some better flip flops - why won't they label anything with the correct prices? I managed to find some food and had a wander around (getting only slightly lost) the immediate neighbourhood.
It's really very nice.
Now I need to find the best way to visit Chichen Iza: the Mayan archaeological site par excellence.Читать далее
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Путешественник Small pool, but I managed to swim in it.
04.01.2025ОтветитьПереводить
Путешественник More Freida.
04.01.2025ОтветитьПереводить
Путешественник Where I'm staying for four nights.
04.01.2025ОтветитьПереводить
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South America 2024 Путешественник
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День 60
суббота, 4 января 2025 г., 11:07
☁️ 25 °C
Высота: 23 м
Мексика La Pura Reata 20.8444, -86.9620°50’40” N 86°57’36” W
Valladolid, 4th Jan. '25 - Part 1.
4 января, Мексика ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C
Well, well, I was such a busy bee yesterday that I'll have to split the photos into two parts: the daytime rambles and the evening light show thingy.
Valladolid is turning into a really pleasant Spanish colonial town to spend a few days in. There's colour in the streets and interesting things around a lot of corners. See what you think in parts 1 and 2.Читать далее
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South America 2024 Путешественник
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День 60
суббота, 4 января 2025 г., 11:17
☁️ 25 °C
Высота: 23 м
Мексика La Pura Reata 20.8444, -86.9620°50’40” N 86°57’36” W
Night, 4th Jan' 25. Part 2.
4 января, Мексика ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C
As promised; Part 2 of yesterday's shenanigans. The 'son et lumiere' show on the cathedral facade - in both Spanish & English !
I can't remember the exact order: History of the region etc. Sorry, but the file size of the video I shot is too large to be uploaded.
Hope it makes a bit of sense.Читать далее
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South America 2024 Путешественник
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День 62
понедельник, 6 января 2025 г., 17:46
⛅ 24 °C
Высота: 58 м
Мексика Miguel Hidalgo 19.8116, -90.543219°48’42” N 90°32’36” W
Visit to Chicken Itza, 6th Jan. '25.
6 января, Мексика ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
When you're in this part of the world, it's just about a given that you'll visit the Mayan site of Chichen Itza. The main pyramid gets onto lots of tea towels and greetings cards.
Up with the larks (probably before them - 6am) for the 7am collective bus. It's an easy journey of only around 50 minutes, and we arrived before it opens at 8am, so our bus full got fairly near the front of the inevitable queue. Two lines for two ticket booths for another unknown reason (job creation scheme?).
Maybe it's my hazy memory playing tricks, but the site felt slightly less spread out than the one at Tikal last month.
It's certainly impressive.
Most of the crowds and the souvenir sellers hadn't arrived, so getting about was pretty-much hassle-free. Even with a photo of the map to guide me, it's a very confusing layout of buildings, paths and two cenotes. Apparently the Mayans build the complex to fit around 4 cenotes at roughly the 4 points of the compass.
I got 'round what was open to the public in four hours - not too tiring as nobody is allowed to climb up the steps or enter any buildings.
Back to Valladolid in time for lunch.
I'd already intended to visit the only cenote in Valladolid town (Cenote Zaci) as it's so easy top walk to. It was fairly photogenic and the shots give a pretty good impression of what these cenotes look like.
As I write this, I'm keeping an eye on the time. I've got a big night ahead of me: going to join a Mayan cooking class.
Hope it's not '1000 ways to cook corn' so I can keep it down.Читать далее
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You’d never have managed all those steps, you old bugger! [Colin Wilson]
08.01.2025ОтветитьПереводить
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South America 2024 Путешественник
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День 68
воскресенье, 12 января 2025 г., 15:33
☁️ 3 °C
Высота: 28 м
Англия East Molesey 51.3975, -0.350751°23’51” N 0°21’3” W
Madrid stopover, 9th Jan. 2025
12 января, Англия ⋅ ☁️ 3 °C
Travelling, waiting, and more travel.
There's not much to say about the last couple of days, but at least I get to spend an evening in Madrid.
But blimey, it's cold. Dry but cold. Welcome back to Europe in January.
The highlight was a visit to Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía.
There was some excellent work on show in the temporary exhibitions: really interesting paintings/drawings by (the poet) Federico García Lorca, doodles by Frans Kafka, Yves Klein, two Picassos, and some great original photographic prints by luminaries that are rarely exhibited.
This visit and getting some food spent the time fairly well.
The bus to / from the airport to the city centre was only 5 Euros each way and well worth it.
Next stop Manchester. Oh well, it had to come to an end some time and somewhere.Читать далее
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10 января 2025 г.