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Dobbs Away II

Dobbs Away II

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      1Cenote swim
      1Main pyramidColumns near nunneryLess restored pyramidCarvings everywhereTemple carvingWarriorThe dead

      Piste

      18 december 2018, Mexico ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

      We’d rented a car so we could overnight near Chichen-Itza and arrive at opening time as the crowds coming in from Cancun and cruise ships are overwhelming by mid-morning.
      On our way to Piste we visited Yokdzonot Cenote - basically a beautiful sinkhole in the jungle where people go to swim. We really enjoyed this experience – the water was pleasant, there were cute tiny fish, not too many mosquitos and even fewer visitors.
      The Mayan ruins of Chichen-Itza, dating from the 600’s, are exactly what you might imagine and are truly iconic in scale and detail. The pyramids are similar to Tikal in Guatemala, but the two sites are very distinct and impressive. What struck us most about Chichen-Itza were the very well preserved carvings visible on many of the structures. It was also easy to imagine what it had looked like when it was a functioning city. We were so happy we had arrived before opening time. When we first pulled up to the site we were complaining to each other that there were 20 or so cars in front of us waiting to get into the parking lot. By the time we left, the large parking lot was completely full, the tour bus parking area was completely full and visitors had to park a 20 minute walk away to get to the gates in the increasing heat and humidity.      Meer informatie

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      Saintly tributes
      One of Merida's many churchesMassive church doorCrumbling mansionMuseum highlighting life in the good timesWhat a courtyard!Town festival1Nativity scene in main squareMerida's restored gloryCute barbershop

      Merida

      11 december 2018, Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

      Took a comfortable bus from Tulum to Merida.
      Merida is a large, colonial city that’s home to around 900,000 people. It was once very wealthy and the center for agave twine that was exported around the world in the early 1900’s. The massive scale of the many crumbling (and some restored) mansions lining the main boulevard, hint at the former affluence. In the center of the city, many buildings have been restored to charming homes, cafes, and shops and it felt a safe and pleasant place to walk around. The people were friendly and the food was good, though we’re really looking forward to Mexico City for a more vibrant food scene.Meer informatie

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      Mayan carving
      Tulum's beautiful beachesMayan ruins in spectacular settingMayan buildingsAnother beach overlookMore scenic coastlineOur Airbnb (tiny) poolDelicious tacos to shareCoatis on the loose

      Tulum

      6 december 2018, Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

      The ferry crossing from Cozumel to Playa del Carmen was very rough because of heavy winds that were strong enough to shut down the harbor for small boats. Luckily, we didn’t get seasick during the short trip. Once on the mainland, we took a public bus to Tulum, just a few hours down the coast.
      Tulum wasn’t what we expected and it’s one of the few places we wouldn’t go back to if we had it to do over again. While the beaches and Mayan ruins are beautiful, the main town isn’t and we were shocked to see huge, expensive resorts built near shantytowns that housed migrant workers. Exploitation like this is something you never get used to seeing and it’s infuriating that all the tourist money being brought in isn’t filtering down to those who need it most. Also, the city has grown way too fast and lacks any infrastructure - we read that only ~30% of residential properties are connected to sewage systems – most ends up in the ocean. You can smell it in some parts of the city. Greed is gross.
      I’m sure if we’d stayed on the beach in a high-end resort and not ventured into the town, we might not have noticed the other side of this place. We should have heeded JV’s advice and given Tulum a miss.      Meer informatie

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      Our dive boat
      Post-dive

      Cozumel

      2 december 2018, Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

      What a culture shock! We love Cozumel and this was our 5th time visiting here to dive, but it’s been an adjustment.
      After getting into the water and seeing all the beautiful fish, coral and lots of turtles, our longing for Japan receded a bit.
      We’ve been lucky to dive many places around the world and Cozumel continues to be somewhere we will re-visit (hopefully with Marisa and Casey). It’s simply incredible under water (not so much above water – it’s truly about the diving here) because of the abundance and variety of critters and the beautiful seascapes of huge coral formations, caves and plunging drop-offs into the deep blue below.      Meer informatie

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      1Mt. Fuji from the plane

      Chicago

      1 december 2018, Verenigde Staten ⋅ 🌧 5 °C

      We had a very tight connection from Japan to Mexico, and as expected, missed our flight. While we contemplated going downtown for the day, the cold, slushy weather and extreme tiredness led us to choose trying to rest in an airport hotel instead.Meer informatie

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      Dotonburi
      Happy ThanksgivingAward-winning pizza chefChristmas monsterSake tastingAward-winning ramen chefCharming Dotonburi bar

      Osaka

      21 november 2018, Japan ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

      A quick train ride carried us to Osaka, Japan’s 2nd largest city.
      We checked into our apartment then met our friend, Marisa, who visited us from NY.
      It’s always fun to share experiences with friends during our travels, especially because it was Marisa’s first time to Asia. We were impressed as she bravely took off solo for a quick trip to Tokyo and a few days in Kyoto. The rest of the time we hung out together in Osaka - eating, shopping and enjoying our final days in Japan.
      Visiting Japan has been one of the highlights of our trip. Japan has played a large part in our history - this is where we met and fell in love, so Japan will always be special for us. We have loved seeing places - new and old, enjoyed meeting and talking with the locals, reveled in the incredible hospitality, food, and beauty which are uniquely Japanese.      Meer informatie

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      1Dressed up for children's day
      Father's prideKasuga shrineEven Buddha is cuteSanzen-en gardenOhara colorsKofuki-ji pagodaTodaji temple- home to HUGE Buddha and crowdsTemple lanternNara castle gate

      Nara

      14 november 2018, Japan ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

      Nara was the country’s capital before Kyoto and Tokyo and has some very good UNESCO sites. The most impressive was the giant Buddha housed in the world’s largest wooden structure, the Todai-ji temple. While we’d been here before, we’d forgotten just how enormous it is. We also visited the Kofuku-ji temple and pagoda and the bright orange Kasuga shrine, famous for its lanterns. While we saw lots of deer, we opted not to pet them. They seemed a bit aggressive and mangy to our eyes.
      On one of our days, we took a daytrip to Ohara, a small town outside of Kyoto. We made the trip just so we could eat lunch at a restaurant run by a farmer and his wife. Delicious, simply-prepared vegetables were excellent. The town was also wonderful and had an excellent temple and garden, Sanzen-In, that would have been worth the trip alone.      Meer informatie

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      Nanzen-ji
      3Tenryu-jiTenryu-ji colorsGinko treesoba at Giro-GiroFushimi Inari gatesLittle foxes at Fushimi Inari shrineJodo-jiMonk chantingStatue in temple garden

      Kyoto - more photos

      10 november 2018, Japan ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
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      Can not duck cuteness
      1Mt. Fuji from ShinkansenMt. Fuji likeness at silver pavillionCycling philosopher's pathJohn contemplating pickle purchase at Nishiki marketShimogamo JinjaShimogamoHitched for life - shrine within Shimogamo complexBackstreets Kyoto2Fushimi Inari shrine

      Kyoto

      2 november 2018, Japan ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

      The Shinkansen (bullet train) is such a fun way to travel. We picked up some excellent ekiben (station bento boxes) and some wine to enjoy on our trip and got lucky with clear weather so had good views of Mt. Fuji on our way to Kyoto.
      The fall leaves changed into full color during our time here, attracting hordes of Japanese and foreign tourists. The colors were beautiful, but the crowds were a bit overwhelming. However, we were able to find some time away from the crowds to enjoy some lesser-visited sites.
      Despite the busy time, we had a great visit - including some of our best meals (thanks to Rowena for recommending the best tempura ever!)
      Riding bikes, walking and taking occasional trains/buses enabled us to cover a lot of ground. Some highlights of our time here included visiting Arashiyama’s beautiful Zen garden (it was Japan’s first Zen temple), Fushimi Inari shrine with its 10,000 tori (gates) with cute fox mascots everywhere, Ginkaku-ji’s (Silver Pavilion) gardens, cycling along the Philosopher’s path and visiting many other temples and shrines to admire the changing leaves.
      An odd thing happened on one of our days out. We had bought lunch at a convenience store and were sitting on a bench eating in a park. Suddenly, a very large hawk swooped down between us and grabbed the cream puff John was starting to enjoy. It scratched John’s hands with its talons and brushed Christy’s face with its wings. A little creepy! John decided it was not a hawk, but some mystic, Japanese spirit-guide making sure he did not eat the cream puff he obviously did not need.      Meer informatie

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