This was Tulum, Mexico. Site of one of the last Mayan ruins before the civilization collapsed. The ruins are beautiful up on the cliffs over the great blue Caribbean ocean. The one random picture that looks like guys are being tortured upside down is actually a Mayan ceremony, and you can see a live video of it (from the exact same place I took the picture, actually) here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWOGb_WroDk

That last post took place in Chichen Itza. It was a gorgeous location for Mayan ruins. Rather large and spacious with amazing structures. I was there early enough to beat any sort of crowds as you can see in my pictures.

After Chichen Itza I headed for Playa del Carmen, a beach city on the Caribbean. Think Cancun, but smaller. My girlfriend, Elissa, had plans to visit her family in Texas around the time I was going to be out in this part of Mexico. She found tickets to Cozumel that included a layover in Houston, Texas on the way home, so this opportunity to have company on my trip transpired quite perfectly! We had so many adventures in four days it was amazing!

I wasn't able to take pictures from our two snorkeling adventures, but they included: snorkeling in underground caves that Mayans used to make sacrifices in; snorkeling in the Caribbean Ocean right in the middle of all kinds of blue and white and beautiful fish.






These two pictures (above and below) were taken at my FAVORITE food place in all of Mexico. It was away from the strip in Playa del Carmen (read: locals spot) and the food offerings were substantial and exquisite.

My main form of transportation: The bus. Contrary to what you might think, they had the most amazing coach buses in Mexico. Way nicer than most found here in the states.

CHICHEN ITZA

Ahh, Palenque. The Mayan ruins in the jungle. These are quite beautiful, as you can see. It was very hot that day, and I walked around feeling tired, sweaty, and sticky (due to the humidity). You could hear howler monkeys in the jungle while walking around the ruins. It was spooky.

One cool thing, I hopped a "No Entry" sign and followed a path to some more ruins that were not open to the public. They were not very spectacular but it was absolutely splendid to walk in the middle of the forest among ruins and be completely alone.

I spent just one night in San Cristobal de las Casas, but somehow I managed to walk nearly the entire town, visit a small village nearby that specializes in pottery making, take a four-hour nap, hang out in the center with my Canadian friends, and watch a movie. Then I left the next morning at 6am.



The pottery town is called Amatenango and the people there are basically old-school, pre-Spanish groups. They don't even speak Spanish! I mean, they do, but not at home or amongst themselves. I believe the word we are looking at here is called Indigenous.

I sat down for a bit and befriended Alberta, the girl pictured below. She is 24, and was very sweet. She said she paints about 40 of those birds a day. Oh man, if you could hear those girls talk, it is SO BEAUTIFUL! Like sighs of despair and love mixed together. Their language lilts and whispers. It is enchanting.


On my way back I caught a ride in the back of a Nissan flatbed truck. You will see a lot of these trucks being used as public transport. It cost about fifty percent of what a normal bus would cost, and the locals use them all the time.

In the city of Oaxaca there is not too much to see, and I decided to leave early, adding a city onto my schedule that I hadn't intended to see originally: Puerto Escondido (literally "Hidden Port")

It was two of my most relaxing days on my trip. I found a little cove that was away from the masses and settled down to read, swim, sun, read, nap, eat, read, swim, and so on. I read Eat, Pray, Love in three days. I had fish tacos for brunch, home-made french fries, and sodas in glass bottles, which is the best way to drink a soda (pop).

Ok, so I enjoyed Oaxaca quite much. I got to see the Guelaquetza Festival, Monte Alban, and the city was quaint, colorful, and clean. I like clean. It was a wonderful change from the hustle of Guadalajara. Here are a few pictures from my last day in Oaxaca city:

This took forever to upload, and I am SO SORRY! If you have been checking on here at all in the last week you have probably asked yourself: "Where the heck is Phil??" Well, my friend, I have been everywhere. Swimming underground, watching movies, seeing even MORE ruins, taking overnight buses, biking, meeting indigenous peoples, etc. Enjoy these photos from Monte Alban. And try to imagine clearing off the top of a small mountain to make your religious/civic center for your city. 1500 years ago.