Cruise to Mexico

Chichen Itza Mayan Ruins Excursion
📆June 1-4, 2017
📍New Orleans, LA -> Yucatan, Mexico

Back in 2017, my mom and I took a cruise on the Carnival Triumph from New Orleans to Cozumel, Mexico. These are some pictures from the excursion we did nearby in Yucatan, Mexico (and a couple cruise ship shots as well).

First, we took a ferry from Cozumel to Playa del Carmen, and then took a bus from Playa del Carmen to our first stop in Yucatan. We probably had at least an hour and a half of travel time after disembarking from our ship, which I don't think we were expecting.

Our first stop was the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza. It was very impressive to look at and we got some pictures, but since you can't climb it or anything, it honestly wasn't that long of a stop because most tourists just take their pictures and go. We also took pictures of the surrounding scenery, and of course, the iguanas. They were everywhere!

Then we got back on the bus, which took us to a little dock in the jungle, where we took canoe trip and then a bit of a hike through the jungle to our next location. This excursion now includes tickets to Cenote Ikkil, which is a beautiful swimming hole. We got to swim in a similar swimming hole, but after looking at some pictures of Cenote Ikkil, I'm not sure that it's the same one we swam in. Either way, it was very pretty and a cool experience, although I can't seem to find any pictures that I took from that part.

Our last stop before heading on the trek back to the cruise ship was a traditional Mayan restaurant, which was unlike any restaurant you'll see in America. It was completely outdoors, and all of the food was cooked on a píib, which is essentially a hole dug in the ground with a fire lit inside. But I tell you, that food was incredible. I don't remember what all of the options were, but I had rice and black beans, chicken, pork, and hibiscus water. As I mentioned, I loved all of the food, but I wasn't a huge fan of the hibiscus water, so I really only had a couple sips of it before grabbing a regular bottled water instead. As it turns out, that was probably the best decision I could have made because other passengers who went on the excursion ended up getting violently ill from drinking that water. Bottled is best in foreign places, folks!

When we finally returned to our ship, we were exhausted, but grateful for this once in a lifetime experience.Read more