Stepping Away…

Thank you for stopping by my blog. Monday Musings is currently on hiatus while I tend to other projects. I’ve left links below to some of my more popular topics in case you’d like to browse. I promise most of them include gorgeous photos.

Or you can pop over to my bookshelf or excerpts if you want more information on my books.

I’ll see you all in a few months. Happy reading!

Link to:  My experience with torn and detached retinas

Link to:  Cruising around historic Cuba

Sunday Funday Adventures – Exploring the Okanagan

Link to:  Beautiful beaches and hiking trails on Vancouver Island

Link to:  Monkeys and more at Sandos Caracol and Riviera Maya

Link to:  Fun in Palm Desert and San Diego, California

Steamboats on the Old Man River, trolley cars and beignets…Adventures in New Orleans

Icebergs and rowhouses…Exploring Nova Scotia and Newfoundland

Favourite Furry Pets – And a few not so furry ones, too

 

The Xcalacoco Love Story

This is the tale of forbidden love between a brave conquistador, Bernard, and a beautiful Mayan princess, Lol Ha. The full story is on Sandos Caracols website and I recommend you use this link to read it before you continue on with my photos. Love Story

Even if a person didn’t know the story, the artistry of the dancing, the elaborate Mayan costumes and the profession polish of the performances are worth watching. I only wish I’d been able to capture better quality shots. Unfortunately, my little camera doesn’t perform well with action or in darkness, so the pictures are what they are. Hopefully, they can still convey, at least partially, the excellence of these ceremonies.

The Arrival

The story begins on the beach with the villagers of Xcalacoco awaiting the arrival of the Mayan rowers from Cozumel. It’s a time to celebrate with music and dance, for the travelers will return with food and supplies.

When the rowers appear with a nearly drowned stranger, the villagers realize this man is different from them. They’ve never seen anyone with such white skin and unusual clothing, and they become frightened and suspicious.

 

The village leader, the Chaman, decides to offer the man as a sacrifice to the goddess Itxel.

Feeling a strong connection to the foreigner, the Chaman’s princess daughter, Lol Ha, begs mercy for his life.

Out of love for his daughter, the Chaman agrees to spare him. As Lol Ha nurses the conquistador back to health, they begin to fall in love.

The Ceremony by the Sacred Cenote

From that time on, the princess and the conquistador meet in secret every night at the cenote, forging a love so strong it could not be broken.

One night, the Chaman sees them together and he orders them captured. His rage is so great, he calls on the gods to put them both to death in an offering to Chaac, the Mayan god of rain. The princess is thrown into the cenote to drown, while the injured conquistador manages to escape to the jungle.

The messengers to the gods are angry that the Chaman would kill his only daughter and they confront him, condemning him to a lifetime of suffering.

Unbeknownst to the Chaman, the conquistador and the princess are reunited when Bernard returns to the cenote to discover Lol Ha has survived.

The Fire of Life

As time passes, reason returns to the Chaman’s mind, and he grows repentant for having killed his daughter. Grief-stricken, he asks the villagers to help him recreate the Fire of Life ceremony so his soul can find peace.

As part of the ritual, they burn their own skin in sacrifice to resurrect the Lord of Darkness.

The Chaman calls, again and again, for the soul of his daughter.

Off in the distance, two people, holding hands, walk slowly toward the sacred circle. The princess and her conquistador appear from the darkness, and because the Chaman is happy to have his daughter back, he accepts Bernard into his family. And there is much celebrating.

To read about our Sandos Caracol trip from the beginning, click here.

Saying Goodbye Was So Hard To Do

All good things must come to an end and so too did our vacation at Sandos Caracol. On our last day of vacation, we usually wander around, take pictures and relax until it’s time to head for the airport. We’d already taken (too) many pictures of the resort, so our main objective that last Wednesday was to have as many monkey encounters as possible. We were so lucky to have several.

There’s obviously a monkey protocol and this little one patiently waited its turn for a banana.

We also went on our last eco tour, the corn tribute, with Noemi. After ten days at the resort and spending at least a part of most days with Noemi, we’d grown quite attached and it was hard to say goodbye. Not only did she give me a touching farewell note, she also made us banana frond bracelets and a bookmark (I use it every day). Such a sweet gesture!

This is Noemi and another resort employee, Alex. I would’ve loved to pack the darling girl in my suitcase and take her home with me. But for someone who has never experienced snow before, she likely would’ve rushed right back to her little piece of paradise.

After the eco tour, we checked out of our room and went off in search of more monkeys. Some of our best encounters of the entire trip happened that afternoon.

At one point, I was watching the monkeys eating bananas in the trees, when one came right down to me. He grabbed a piece of a banana he’d spotted on the ground in front of me and took off with it. I laughed, telling him I thought he was coming to see me. He glanced back over his shoulder and told me off but good, like why in the world would he want anything to do with me when I have no treats to offer him? So comical, and Hubby caught it all on video too, so I can watch it whenever I need a laugh.

This is one of the baby monkeys, old enough to be off its mama’s back, but still tiny. While Mom foraged for bananas, it enjoyed some berries.

Here’s Mom coming down to snag a banana from our fruit offering.

I’ll leave off with some of my many photos from around the resort.

Fauna first.

The macaws on the way to their daytime perches.

Hubby loves the friendly grackles.

Peacock in all his glory.

What an expression on this Chachalaca.

Snowy Egret

Iguanas everywhere

Mayan dog

Mossy turtle

Delicate white-tail deer

Burros play-fighting as brothers do.  It’s all fun and games until the younger one gets kicked in the face.

My very favourite, of course, are the coatis and especially the spider monkeys.

Now for some glorious flora.

The grounds are a perfect blend of natural beauty and impeccable grooming.

The trees have such character.

Cacti hung from this tree in front of our building.

Statues and stonework are tucked away all over the place.

Lots of interesting paths to stroll, day or night.

Unique cenotes and Mayan ruins/temples.

Jesus in his Mayan garb

More Mayan costumes

Fun kids’ stuff

Sandos Caracol entrance

Los Lirios Restaurant & Elite Club pool

Salvia Vegetarian Restaurant

El Templo Japanese Restaurant

La Toscana Italian Restaurant

Beachfront La Riviera Restaurant

Brazillian Rodizio Restaurant & Adult pool

La Laguna International Buffet

Las Mascaras Mexican Buffet

El Nido snack bar

Info Centre & Sports Bar

Theatre

Spa & Gym

Lobby

L’Elefant Lobby Bar

The main pool is long and narrow with larger pools at each end.

La Tortuga pool

Last, but certainly not least, the beach.

I’ll try to do justice to the incredible Xcalacoco ceremonies on my final Sandos Caracol post next week. Click here for that post. To start with the first post of the trip click here.

I Can Still Tread Water With The Best Of Them

Our second Monday at Sandos Caracol started much the same as most mornings, with a coati encounter on the way to breakfast. The burros always seemed eager for attention, but if we tried to pet them, they were all, “How dare you touch me!” Because we had no treats to offer, the fickle things wanted no part of us. Monday’s eco tour was the Earth Tribute. I planted a red mangrove seedling. The Chechen tree is the skinny tree with the light-coloured trunk and the visible black sap pictured below. The Chacah tree is the red-barked tree right beside it. Whenever you see one of these trees, the other won’t be far away. The sap of the Chechen, which runs freely down the trunk, is nasty and can cause serious, painful rashes. The antidote for this rash is found in the sap of the Chacah tree, which must be cut to release its sap. Noemi, our darling guide, shared this Mayan legend explaining the appearance of these trees and why they are found together. There once were two brothers, warrior princes, and like many brothers they occasionally squabbled and got jealous of each other. The younger brother was kind and well-loved, while the older brother was cruel and cold. Unfortunately, the two brothers fell in love with the same beautiful princess, and they fought each other to see who would win her love. A great battle ensued, with both brothers being killed. In the afterlife, they begged the gods for forgiveness, asking to return to earth. The gods granted their wish, and the older brother was reborn as the Chechen tree, which seeps black poison, burning whoever touches it. The younger brother was reborn as the Chacah tree, with a nectar that neutralizes the Chechen’s toxin. Wherever the evil Chechen tree grows, so does the pure Chacah, to protect and heal Chechen’s victims. Like the roots of the two trees, the brothers’ souls remain forever entwined together.

These stunning blue and black birds are Yucatán jays. Immature jays have yellow bills and eye rings. Mature jays (over four years) keep their yellow legs, but no longer have a yellow beak or orbital ring. After lunch, we strolled the beach. The day was much calmer and sunnier than the previous time. The skies were so clear, some buildings on Cozumel and the approaching ferry were visible. White sand and lots of seaweed. I saw pelicans for the first (and only) time. The elegant Snowy Egret We cooled off afterwards at the Tortuga pool. Hubby took a refreshing swim, while I was content with a wade and a drink. No new towel art that day, but we still had a nice family of them to enjoy. Because we’d gone on Tuesday’s eco tour the previous week, we explored the grounds by ourselves that morning. Something on the ear of this little elephant statue caught my eye. I think it was a gecko. About the size of my pinky finger, it was teeny-tiny and very adorable. Banana trees look so cool. Inside the deer enclosure. The deer with the small horns is the only male in amongst his harem of females. Turtle in the Cenote de la Cascade Snowy Egret at the Cenote de la Cascade On one of our tours, Noemi had pointed out a ‘crack’ in the ground by the Cenote de la Cascade, a possible start to a new cenote. Wanting to see it for myself, I ventured inside. Hubby chose not to join me. Besides an abundance of spider webs (I’m sure I walked through every single one), there wasn’t much to see down there. A mermaid to join our growing family! The old-fashioned TV came in handy to hold our various glasses. We really do use them all! After lunch we went for our long-anticipated swim in the Cenote Cristalino. Hubby ventured right out, eager to peer into its crystal clear depths. I sat on the steps for some time, psyching myself up to jump in. As much as I love water, I prefer being near it or on it, rather than in it. Eventually I just got over myself and took the plunge. I expected the water to be uncomfortably cool, but it was quite pleasant. Not much of a swimmer, I doggy-paddled over to hang on to Hubby. Lots of fish, all on the bottom. When Hubby got out, I asked him to take pictures of me, not knowing when or if I’d ever be in a cenote again. I envisioned something like this one of him, showing where we were. I got this. Oh well, he tried. There are currents in the cenote. A natural one from the underground river and a pumped flow to help keep the cenote healthy. Naturally, I got stuck in one. Did I mention I can’t really swim? So I paddled and I paddled and eventually made it to the steps on my own steam. Despite being tuckered out, I didn’t want to get out of that beautiful oasis. It was that glorious. Maybe the iguana lifeguard could’ve saved me. As we enjoyed drinks afterward, Hubby said, “A large snake just went under your chair.” I didn’t blink an eye because I’m used to his jokes, plus I rather like snakes. I peeked under my chair in time to see a skinny black three-foot long snake slither into the nearby shrubs. Pretty funny. Bike riding in a dress, after downing a Piña Colada in the hot sun, was great fun. I’m sure I only flashed a little bit. Some of the jungle trail is rugged(ish). Some places are wide enough to ride side-by-side. And some paths skirt the resort. Hubby’s plate of ‘salad’ at La Toscana Italian Restaurant. Unlike the few shy raccoons we’d seen so far, these cheeky buggers knew exactly what the garbage cans were for. The Xcalacoco ceremony that evening was The Arrival, the first in the series of three. We got to the beach early and found good seats on a front row lounger. Turns out, the seats weren’t so great. The rope placed around the ‘stage’ to keep spectators back just happened to be at eye level. Then, as the show started, a group of people sat on the sand in front of us. Right in front of us! And the performers, themselves, often stood on the perimeter of the ‘stage’ blocking our view. Still a great show, but not as enjoyable as the previous two because of the difficulty we had watching it. Click here for my post on our final day at the resort. Start from the trip’s beginning here.

Conquering Grupo Nohoch Mul

Because there’s so much to do on-site at Sandos Caracol, we only booked one excursion during our ten-day stay. The Mayan ruins at Tulum and Coba. It was an early start to the day and not even the burros wanted to be up yet. Just look at this sleepy guy leaning on the shed. Tulum is the oldest Mayan city located on the coast. Built in the late thirteenth century, the site had been abandoned by the end of the sixteenth century. It’s surrounded on three sides by a limestone wall, sixteen feet high and twenty-six feet thick, with thirty-nine foot cliffs guarding the sea side. Some historians believe the wall was used as protection for the city. Others contend only the upper castes, such as priests and scholars, were welcome in Tulum, so the walls were needed to keep out lower caste citizens. I wish we’d gone to Tulum before we experienced the grandeur of Chichen Itza. Not only because it’s much smaller in scope, but also Tulum’s ruins are roped off now and having to view them from a distance was a considerable letdown. I understand both the liability issues and the need to preserve the ruins, but perhaps a compromise could allow visitors to get a little closer. The Cenote house, built over the underground water source. The Gods of Winds temple and offertory. Our tour guide pointed out how this rock formation resembles an iguana, with its head in the water, the cliff as its body, and other rocks as its limbs. My photo doesn’t show how remarkable the resemblance really was. The structure on the cliff is the Temple of the Descending God. The beach below is protected for nesting sea turtles and no one is allowed on it. This structure is known by the romantic name of Palace 25. Temple of the Descending God. The Descending God motif is still visible above the doorway. I would’ve loved to have gotten a closer look at El Castillo, the largest building on the site. A walkway runs behind the castle and has spectacular sea views. The white line of waves is the barrier reef that runs along the Riviera Maya from Cancun to Guatemala. Not sure how successful this young man would be in rescuing anyone who might fall thirty-nine feet to the sea below. A view of the protected sea turtle beach from the other side, with the Gods of Winds Temple to the right. This dramatic photo of the Gods of Winds Temple that Hubby took is one of my trip favourites. Usually visitors can venture down to the beach to view the ruins from below. Access was disappointedly restricted that day because of high winds on the water. This structure is simply called Temple 54. One of the better preserved structures is the Temple of Frescos. There’s lots of interesting detail on the outside and a mural still exists inside, although we weren’t able to see it. Sculptured columns running along the length of the Great Palace’s main wall. Great Palace with Palace 25 in background. Great Palace with Temple of the Descending God in background. Cute little coati. Iguanas were everywhere. One of these small structures is the Watch Tower Temple. As we boarded the bus to leave Tutum, the skies opened. During our vacation we’d experienced occasional brisk winds and sometimes the sky briefly clouded over. But not a drop of rain fell until that day. (Coincidently, it also rained when we went to Chichen Itza, five years ago) The rain continued to fall as we arrived at the Mayan village and cenote. A Mayan Chaman did a cleansing ceremony for us. The Mayan religion has crosses similar to Christian ones, but a Mayan cross is distinguished by its traditional white Mayan dress. We explored the small hut while waiting for the rain to ease. Which it didn’t. After experiencing torrential rainfall in Cancun, Hubby and I always travel with rain ponchos. For the first time in five years, we needed them that day. Definitely not the height of fashion, but at our age comfort is foremost, and we were happy not to have to spend the rest of the day in soggy clothes. The cenote water was beautiful, even in the rain. This unusual cenote had an island in the middle. Presumably the island was formed when the ceiling of the cenote collapsed in. The rain had stopped by time we had lunch at the Ki-Hanal Restaurant just outside the Coba gates. This charming little gal tried her best to make friends with Hubby. I spotted this gorgeous Bougainvillea from the restaurant window and went down for a closer look. Too bad we can’t grow it at home. I’d eagerly anticipated our visit to Coba for months and my only disappointment was not being able to stay longer. Coba was occupied in the first century, with the population growing to about 50,000 inhabitants between 600 and 900 AD. The site was abandoned around 1550. It is approximately thirty square miles in size and largely unexcavated. It’s believed there’s up to 6000 structures, but only three small settlements can be visited. Dense jungle covers most of Coba, slowly and surely reducing the ruins to rubble. We saw many instances of this insidious encroachment. Visitors can no longer climb Grupo Coba. The first of two Juego de Pelota courts is located near Grupo Coba. These ball courts differ vastly from the large one at Chichen Itza, with the playing walls being much closer together. Despite the design difference, the results were similar – The captain of the winning team was sacrificed by having his head chopped off. There were lots of these low tunnels throughout the site. There’s three options to get to the next settlement two kilometres away. Walk, rent a bike, or hire a bike taxi. We walked, hoping to see more that way. This is an invasive African beehive. This is a Mayan beehive. I got an incredible close-up of the wee bees. (They don’t sting.) This hieroglyphic slab is called a Stela and there are many on-site, protected under thatch roofs. The second ball court, located near Grupo Nohoch Mul. Grupo Nohoch Mul is the highest Mayan pyramid in the Yucatan. It’s approximately 140 feet tall with 120 steep, narrow steps. I could barely contain my excitement at the thought of climbing it. Hubby’s a machine and he motored up far faster than I did. I leisurely enjoyed every moment, stopping to take selfies, and had no problem making it to the dizzying view on top. With my vertigo on high alert, I had concerns about the trip down. Some young show-offs literally ran up and down, while others scootched on their butts, gripping the rope. I chose something in between, taking one step at a time, focusing downward as I moved. And it was a breeze. (Check out my climbing buddy!) It might not seem like much of an accomplishment, but it certainly was an exhilarating one for me, and I’m proud to say I conquered Grupo Nohoch Mul! Coba Lagoon Dinosaur towel art back at the resort Instead of traditional Mexican dancing, that Sunday’s evening show was about Xcalacoco. Remember the leaning burro from the morning? Here’s his brother sound asleep that night. You’d think he’d climbed a pyramid that day.

Jump to my next post here. Start from the trip’s beginning here.

Sacred Ceremonies, Michael Jackson and Monkeys

Friday morning, our 5th day at Sandos Caracol, was photo safari day. First I took the time to say hello to my coati friends. After breakfast, I spotted this little critter back in the trees. I didn’t get a good shot because it was quite shy, but I’m told it’s called an agouti. The photo safari started with the macaws by the snack bar. Noemi, our lovely safari guide, explained how Sandos Caracol provides refuge for rescue or surrender birds, as well as many other animals needing a safe haven. We visited the burros next. These two are brothers, born on the same day, different years. Their parents and younger sibling live at Caracols’ sister resort, Sandos Playacar. I was happy to see the Mayan dogs back in their enclosure, after needing isolation to recover from a serious junk food-induced illness. (People – just don’t feed the animals!) In two nearby trees live an iguana couple. I could barely see their little heads peeking out of their tree houses. The macaws overnight in an enclosure across from the dogs. Peacocks are also kept there. The female peacocks wander freely during the day, returning on their own at dusk. Once the male peacock, having only recently been surrendered, gets used to his surroundings he’ll also be allowed to wander at will. We spotted these turtles in the Mayan river. The big mossy one is the female. The smaller, pesky one (unsurprisingly) is the male. The resort also has Mayan beehives. Mayan bees, which do not sting, make their hives in tree trunks. Their honey, made with sap as well as pollen, is not sweet like regular honey. It’s greenish in color and is mostly used for medicinal purposes. As already mentioned, white-tailed deer live in a dead cenote on the property. These deer are smaller than their northern cousins and they’ve been hunted to near extinction. To help propagate the species, Sandos Caracol breeds the deer, which are then released in select locations. The safari ended with a visit from the troop of spider monkeys. It’s hilarious how they can eat upside down hanging by their tails. Lots of monkey cuteness This is my only shot of the youngest baby monkey. Babies ride on their mama’s backs for about a month, so this wee tyke was probably just a few weeks old and so adorable. The sidewalks were usually lined with sunning geckos. This cheeky little fellow puffed itself out to challenge me. I had to do a double-take to make sure this was a real iguana and not another statue. More cute towel art Friday’s eco tour was the Sun Tribute and we once again had the pleasure of Noemi’s company. Here she is explaining about termite’s nests. A dead termite nest is pitted and dried out. A live termite nest is smooth and moist-looking. In an earlier post I mentioned how we’d happened across a cement hut near the Cenote Sacrado and we didn’t know its purpose. Noemi explained it’s called a Temazcal Hut (sweat lodge) and is used in a cleansing type of spiritual ceremony. Lava rocks are heated in the outdoor oven, then placed in the Temazcal hut, along with medicinal herbs. After working up a cleansing sweat in the hut, participants take a dip in the Cenote Sacrado. We ate at El Templo Japanese Restaurant that evening. The food was just okay but the presentation was quite entertaining. The Freddie Jackson Show that night was incredible. I love Michael Jackson’s music, so am probably biased, but Hubby and I really enjoyed the dancing, costumes and production as well. Not only were we greeted by the usual little coatis Saturday morning, an inquisitive raccoon also made a rare appearance. Saturday’s eco tour was the Fire Tribute. Among other things, we learned about the Sacred Ceiba (say-bah) Tree (or Xa’axche in Maya). The trunk of a juvenile Ceiba tree is spiny, but as it matures these spines disappear. The mature Ceiba tree takes on the shape of a woman’s body. The Mayans believed the Sacred Ceiba tree represents the connection between the heavens and the underworld. The branches go to heaven where the Gods are, the trunk is where people live, and the roots go down into Xibalba, the underworld, where the spirits dwell. The Ceiba tree also had many practical uses. The trunk is naturally buoyant, so was used for canoes and rafts. The fruit, called kapot, has a fibre used for pillows and mattresses, and even the seed oil was used for cooking and lamp fuel. Noemi took us to the nearby Plaza del Sol (sun plaza) to talk about that evening’s Fire of Life ceremony.

Iguanas gravitate to the stone benches circling the plaza, to sun themselves and make their homes. How many iguanas are in this picture? After lunch, we explored the beach. The wind was a tad stronger than brisk and we found the walk invigorating. I prefer to walk at the water’s edge and at times the waves almost whisked me off to Cozumel.   After his impressive weight loss, Hubby’s now healthy and looking good. This dog was having such fun fetching a coconut. Compared to the wildness of the Caribbean Sea, the Cenote Cristalino was an idyllic oasis of calm. Saturday towel art That evening, we returned to the Plaza del Sol early to secure our seats for the Fire of Life ceremony. I found it amusing to wonder what the unsuspecting guests would think if they realized they were sitting on benches that housed dozens of iguanas. The show was spectacular and Hubby and I were left in awe. I’ll go into more detail at a later date. Please come back next week to see whether I successfully conquer the mighty Grupo Nohoch Mul. Jump to that post here. Go to my first post here.

A Day in Playa del Carmen

On our third morning at Sandos Caracol, our little coati friends once again greeted us on our way to breakfast. When they realized we had no food to offer them, they quickly lost interest.

That morning’s eco tour was the water tribute, and we had the pleasure of meeting our guide, Noemi, for the first time. We were immediately drawn to her bubbly personality and cute sense of humour, but quickly realized she was bright and informative as well. She had lots of knowledge to share and she made the learning fun.

The tour started at Cenote Cristalino, located just off the lobby bar. Noemi explained how cenotes are connected to a network of underground rivers through caves. A constant flow of water is imperative to the health of a cenote, so if the caves become blocked with leaves and debris, the cenote will die. Once a cenote loses its water and dies, it will never return to life.

From there, we moved on to Cenote de la Cascade, which is the beautiful cenote by the suspension bridge. This cenote used to be two separate ones, but they’re now joined. We were sad to hear Cenote de la Cascade is slowly dying. The resort is doing what it can to find a solution before it’s too late.

Our tour took us by the whitetail deer enclosure, which also happens to be a dead cenote. In this instance, it makes the perfect, safe habitat for the deer.

Then we happened across a troop of spider monkeys. Much to the delight of the room’s occupants (and us down below), this engaging fellow was sitting right on a deck railing.

With a Tarzan leap, it landed in the nearby trees to join its friends.

A squabble broke out when a couple of males didn’t want the mama and her baby hanging out with them, so the bullies chased her off. Look carefully for the baby monkey clinging to her back.

Sad to see her mistreated, and yet she and that teeny scrap of a baby looked rather adorable scurrying away.

Our next stop was at the newly forming Cenote Select. Right now, it’s not much more than a crack in the earth, with water gathered at the bottom.

This is the lovely Noemi telling us all about the Cenote de la Tortuga.

After lunch, we took a short taxi ride into Playa del Carmen, to check out Quinta Avenida (5th Avenue). It’s a pedestrian-only cobblestoned street, lined with stores and restaurants, and runs for twenty blocks from Calla 38 (38th Street) to Avenida Juarez, where the town square, El Zocalo, is located. We walked the entire length and back in the blazing sunshine, detouring off a few times to check out the beach.

Some of the sights along the way.

Cuban cigars seemed to be the big deal, and we were offered them many, many times.

I didn’t note which street this section of beach was located on. For some reason, it wasn’t quite what I’d expected.

Beautiful white church near El Zocalo.

The haunting sound of a flute drew us to the town square. We recognized it as the music of the Danza de los Voladores (Dance of the Flyers), and sure enough, the Pole Flyers were just setting up, so we sat down to enjoy the performance.

We’ve seen this pole flying done in various places in Mexico. Five Pole Flyers climb to the top of a thirty-meter pole, then four participants attach ropes and launch themselves off the rotating platform while the fifth remains on top, playing the flute. It’s believed the ritual was originally created to ask the gods to end severe droughts.

Mayan mythology associates the creation of the world with a mythical bird deity. In this instance, the flute player illustrates the sound of birds singing, while the other four (depicting the four directions) represent the gods of the earth, air, fire and water and they spin around the pole to enact the recreation of the world.

The beach at El Zocalo Square by Avenida Juarez, near the Cozumel ferry terminal.

Our walk back down Quinta Avenida.

Going to climb on my soapbox for just a moment: While on Quinta Avenida, we saw some people with two baby jaguars and another person with a tiny Capuchin monkey (like the one on Friends). Our resort warned us not to pay for a picture because these animals are often mistreated, going for hours in the hot sun without shade or water, and then are abandoned once their usefulness is over. Instead of being playful as little kittens should be, the baby jaguars laid listlessly in their owner’s arms, obviously drugged. What a sad life. And even sadder, the mother jaguars are often killed when their cubs are taken into captivity to live this life of drugged tedium. The only way to stop this exploitation is to not support the exploiters. No matter how tempting, just don’t do it.

The beach at Calla 38

Cute towel art

Water fountain near snack bar.

We had our first raccoon sightings early that evening. This fellow was by the burros’ pen.

We spotted this shy guy on the trail to our room.

‘Our’ alamo tree was gorgeous all lit up at night.

I selected our seats early for the Ceremony by the Sacred Cenote that evening, then amused myself by watching the bats flit through the trees above my head while I waited. The ceremony was even more spectacular than anticipated, leaving Hubby and I thoroughly enthralled.

I briefly mentioned these Mayan ceremonies in a prior post about the Xcalacoco Experience here, and I’ll do a post on all three with more pictures at a later date. Jump to next post here. Start from my first post here.

Let The Monkey Business Begin

One of the Sandos Caracol Resort’s draws for me was the daily eco tours. Each day offered a different learning experience. Hubby and I took our first one, the wind tribute tour, on Tuesday, with Alex as our guide. We started on the beach, where he explained how the barrier (coral) reef, which begins near Cancun and runs along the length of the Riviera Maya continuing southward to Guatemala, is the second longest in the world and is a very important part of the area’s ecosystem.

We also learned that Cozumel, back in the Mayan times, was home to the fertility goddess, Ix Chel. She was also responsible for sending rain to nourish the crops, and the villagers would go to Cozumel (known as Cutzamil) by small boat to make offerings to the goddess to ensure they’d have enough rain to grow their food. This information tied in to “The Arrival” Xcalacoco ceremony presented that evening at the beach.

We then went to one of the nurseries, where Alex showed us various plants and trees the resort grows for many different purposes. When Alex showed us a young Ceiba tree (pronounced say-bah), he told us the legend of X’tabay (ish-tah-BYE). I heard three versions of the popular X’tabay legend while out there. Please forgive me, Alex, if I don’t get your version exactly right.

X’tabay was a beautiful young Mayan woman who fell deeply in love with a young man. When her boyfriend failed to show up one evening for their date, she went looking for him and found him drunk and in the arms of another woman. X’tabay became so angry and hurt by his betrayal that she went to the local Chaman (shaman) to seek revenge. He told her the only way she’d be revenged was to kill the young man and tear out his heart. So that’s what she did, but the act drove her to madness and when she died (or killed herself?) she came back as a spirit, who continued to seek revenge on wayward males.

Unsuspecting men, who wander into the jungle after consuming too much alcohol, might meet X’tabay under a Ceiba tree, where she would seduce and then kill him, leaving his heartless body in the jungle. Some men escape from their encounter with X’tabay, and they all describe X’tabay as a very beautiful woman who can float on air, dressed in a flowing white dress, and combs her long dark hair with claw-like fingers.

The warning in this cautionary tale is for young men not to drink too much and misbehave or the X’tabay will get them.

From the nursery, we went to see the Macaws. Sandos Caracol has six resident macaws, most, I believe, are surrender birds or rescues.

We saw these two earlier, back by the snack bar.

These two are located near the nursery.

This odd couple is also at the nursery. Apparently the little blue female is in love with the much younger, and very cranky Darwin. Before being housed by Sandos, she’ d been used for taking photos with tourists and because of the resulting stress, she plucks her chest feathers out. Rather sad to see, and a good reminder that these animals are being exploited, so if we don’t support the people doing the exploiting by paying to have our pictures taken with these poor creatures, the practice will be forced to stop.

The temperamental Darwin

From the macaws, we stopped by to see the Mayan dogs. These two boys are hairless, and I thought their skin would be soft, but it felt rather rubbery. Normally, they’re housed in a large pen near the burros, but guests thoughtlessly insist on feeding them junk food and the dogs ended getting so sick, one almost died, so they were being kept in a smaller, hidden, pen until they were well again.

Alamo trees by the Tortuga Lagoon

Tortuga Lagoon

A glimpse of the Caribbean Sea.

Christmas tree in La Toscana Italian Restaurant

Daily towel art

Feeding the animals is another activity offered

Our first of many encounters with a small group of Coatis (pronounced Qua-tea). These little guys look like a cross between a raccoon and an ant-eater. They’re totally adorable and have learned the fine art of begging. Cute to see, but not a good idea. Not only do they fill up on unhealthy food, they stop eating the termites and other bugs, which upsets the ecosystem.

The resort offers bikes for the guests to use and there’s a great two km path to ride on. The bike I chose was a bit big for me, the tire pressure was too low, and because of an injured left arm, I could only steer with my right one. This made for a tricky combination and I didn’t enjoy the experience as much as I wanted to.

We had our first a la carte dinner that evening at Los Lirios, the steak and seafood restaurant. Unfortunately, Hubby got stricken during the meal and couldn’t finish. We spent the rest of the evening in our room with him quite ill. It wasn’t the flu, and he hadn’t had too much to drink, so have no clue what didn’t agree with him. I was disappointed to miss the first Mayan ceremony and would’ve tried to venture down to the beach alone to watch it, except we knew we’d get a second chance the following Tuesday.

The next morning, Hubby was much improved, but too shaky to go on the photo safari or that day’s eco tour, so we kept things pretty low-key.

We spotted more coatis on our way to breakfast.

We took a very brief stroll along the beach, in a southerly direction, our first foray near the water. This is the location of the Xcalacoco ceremony we’d missed the previous evening.

On the way back, we happened across some hilarious pool activity.

Our towel art that day

Another unique no-cost activity at the resort is the Mayan River boat ride. It’s billed as romantic, and guests are offered sparkling wine and chocolate-dipped strawberries. Because of Hubby’s dodgy stomach, we turned down the wine and spent the journey alternating between ohhing and awwing over the gorgeous setting and quizzing our young guide, Jesus (Hey-zeus). Not only could he speak flawless English, he had plenty of stories about the Mayan culture and the local environment.

Jesus, in elaborate Mayan costume.

We spotted a turtle

A raccoon

A heron

Crystal clear water and incredible vegetation.

Our afternoon stroll took us by the Cenote de la Tortuga.

I heard sometimes the spider monkeys hung out near the suspension bridge over the Cenote de la Cascade, so that’s where we headed next.

And success! We found monkeys! They stayed in the canopy, so we only got brief glimpses and inferior photos, but I was beyond excited.

I could go home happy now, having seen what I’d gone there to see. Naturally, I hoped for many more encounters in the coming days. And my hopes came true, many times over. More monkey business to come! Jump to next post here. Start from the beginning here.

We Found a Mayan Jungle in Our Backyard

After the long travel day, we decided to keep our first day at the Sandos Caracol resort low-key. Just sniff around the large site and get our bearings.

There’s a covered bridge leading to La Laguna International Buffet and we quite enjoyed spying turtles in the Tortuga Lagoon. The water is an interesting milky green/blue colour, due to the mineral content, and is actually very healthy and well maintained.

I absolutely adored the buffet’s pancake syrups made with condensed milk. My favs were the vanilla and the caramel. I’ll confess right here and right now to having two pancakes, one with each flavour, along with fresh fruit, chocolate milk and a cup of coffee—every single morning for ten days straight. Hey, I was on vacation and it was so yummy. (I don’t wonder why I came home three pounds heavier, although the daily Piña Coladas may have played a part as well.)

We spotted this little guy on our morning walk. Iguanas have the ability to grow back their tails if they lose them, although, as you can see, they don’t look quite the same afterwards.

Our room’s cute towel art.

We’ve stayed at lots of Mexican resorts over the years. Some had gorgeous ocean views and some had interesting pool views. None has ever had the view we had at this resort.

From the front window.

From the balcony.

Good thing we weren’t there for the view. We didn’t exactly have a balcony to relax on either. It was almost comically small, but we didn’t have the time or inclination to sit out there anyway.

The trail to our room.

This gorgeous big thing is called an Alamo tree and we passed it several times a day on ‘our’ trail.

Just so you don’t get the mistaken idea there was nothing but jungle, we also saw plenty of this.

And this.

After lunch, we set out on a safari to find monkeys. Sadly, we weren’t successful, but we did see lots of interesting sights along the way.

The mangrove trail.

Swimming in the Mayan River is one of the free activities available at the resort. This young man is Alex, a hard-working resort employee.

The main entrance into the Xcalacoco jungle.

The Sandos uses natural resources as much as possible, including constructing their railings with fallen trees.

In the picture above, a small yellow and black rectangular box can be seen on the left. This is bug repellent and it’s there for a good reason. From reading reviews, I knew of the potential for bugs (and the inevitable bites) beforehand, so we came prepared with Off, which I used liberally. I still got bit quite a lot. Even Hubby, who’s usually immune, had several bites. Here’s the strange part, although the bites looked swollen and red, but they didn’t bother us at all. They didn’t hurt and they didn’t itch. They just looked ugly. I spoke with some other guests who said the same thing about their bites. Totally bizarre.

As we wandered along the trail, we happened across this beautiful little cenote, which I learned later is called Cenote Sacrado.

We followed the stone steps up to a small circular hut. A woman in Mayan garb was warming rocks in an outdoor oven and it smelled heavenly. Because we didn’t know her purpose and didn’t want to intrude on a private ceremony, we didn’t take any pictures and just carried on. I’ll explain about this hut in a future post.

This is a Chachalaca. It’s a good-sized bird, and its name comes from its loud and frequent call.

The trail ended at the Plaza del Sol (Sun Plaza). This is the site of the Fire of Life ceremony.

Bananas!

The Plaza del Sol is also home to many iguanas, which love to sun themselves on the stone benches circling the plaza.

Fattest iguana ever.

From the plaza, we searched out some of the small Mayan ruins.

This is the Sacred Kapok Tree, also known as the Ceiba (pronounced say-bah). I have stories to share about it another time.

A small Mayan temple near the Ceiba tree.

The limestone path, itself, is extraordinary. Coral and shells can be found embedded in the rock.

There’s also interesting imitation Mayan stonework and statues sprinkled throughout the area.

A pigeon might just be a pigeon, but I liked the brown and cream colours on these two chubby guys who hung out at the snack bar.

It was almost jarring to be reminded, even though the temps were in the upper 20s Celsius, we weren’t even two weeks past Christmas. This tree, one of many, was set up in the Las Mascaras Mexican Buffet.

And just outside that buffet was a tequila station where Hubby enjoyed experimenting with the many different flavours. He thought the strawberry tequila was ‘damn good’.

We enjoyed a lovely full moon that evening.

A Mariachi band entertained in the theatre before the main show.

One of several things that impressed me about this resort was the quality of their evening shows. I’ve already touched on the three Xcalacoco ceremonies, which are beyond excellent, but all their shows were first class. This Monday night was Superheroes. Aimed at the much younger crowd, it still managed to impress the adults with its pyrotechnics and professional polish. (My apologies for the poor quality photos)

Not surprising, Spiderman was an excellent acrobat.

But who knew the superheroes were such good dancers?

After the show, we wandered to the front of the resort, drawn by the lights.

And so our first day, full of new sights and experiences, came to a close. Jump to next week’s post here. Start from the beginning here.

The Xcalacoco Experience

Before I go into detail about our vacation adventures in the Playa del Carmen area of Mexico, I want to give a little background on the place we stayed, the Sandos Caracol Eco Experience Resort (http://www.sandos.com/hotel-sandos-caracol-in-playa-del-carmen.htm). The possibility of seeing monkeys first brought this resort to my attention, but all the other activities offered at no cost were what really sold me on it.

A person could go to this resort and enjoy the pool, the beach, the bars, and have a great time without ever experiencing anything else the resort has to offer, but they’d be missing out on so much. The resort itself—the rooms, restaurants, pools—are what you’d expect from an all-inclusive, nice enough, but I’ve stayed at fancier. Hubby and I aren’t really interested in fancy, though.

It’s the grounds and activities that drew me in. I’m not talking pretty flowers and fun stuff to do at the pool (although there’s that too). I’m talking mangroves.

Cenotes (Five in total, one you can swim in)

Mayan ruins

Jungle

Mayan River boat ride

And we can’t forget the spider monkeys!

Not only monkeys, but coatis (pronounced quatea)

Raccoons

Squirrels

Iguanas (everywhere!)

Geckos

Cats

Dogs

Deer

Burros

Turtles

Birds (all kinds)

Fish, snakes…You get the idea. There’s also many organized activities such as photo safaris and daily eco and bike tours. And a great kid’s club and waterpark. I found it discouraging that so few visitors took advantage of these free activities. Then again, fewer participants meant more individual attention for those of us who were truly interested.

First and foremost, Sandos Caracol is all about the Xcalacoco (pronounced Ishkalakoko) Experience. Xcalacoco is the place where thousands of years ago, the Mayan sailors arrived year after year, in order to share their news transmitted by the goddess Ixchel of Cutzamil (now Cozumel).

As well as their commitment to conservation and respect of the land (and being environmentally responsible), Sandos Caracol is dedicated to preserving and sharing the Mayan Culture through its ceremonies and legends.

We were privileged to watch three of their evening performances where, with incredible attention to detail, everything is authentic, from the Mayan costumes, the music, right down to the incense burned. In this series of ceremonies, we learned the legend of the love story between the conquistador and the Chaman’s princess daughter.

The first ceremony, The Arrival, begins on the beach with Mayan rowers rescuing a castaway on their return trip from Cozumel. When they realize this nearly drowned stranger is different from them, with white skin and unusual clothing, they become frightened and suspicious. The Chaman decides to make him an offering to the goddess Itxel.

Feeling a strong connection to the foreigner, the Chaman’s daughter, a Mayan princess, begs mercy for his life.

Out of love for his daughter, the Chaman agrees to spare him, not knowing the princess and the conquistador are falling in love.

The second ceremony, The Ceremony by the Sacred Cenote, is held at the main cenote. The princess and the conquistador, forbiddingly in love, have been meeting in secret every night at the cenote.

One night, the Chaman sees them together and his rage is so great, he condemns them both to death. (Chaman is on the boat, the conquistador and princess are being held by the villagers)

The princess is thrown into the cenote to drown, while the conquistador manages to escape to the jungle. Unbeknownst to the Chaman, the conquistador and the princess are reunited when he returns to the cenote to discover she’s survived.

The third ceremony, The Fire of Life, is set at the Sun plaza. The Chaman is repentant for having killed his daughter and he asks the villagers to help him recreate the Fire of Life ceremony so his soul can find peace.

Towards the end of the amazing ceremony, the princess and her conquistador appear at the plaza and the Chaman, so happy to have his daughter back, accepts the foreigner into his family.

With the darkness and all the movement, my photos could not do justice to these incredible ceremonies, and I apologize for their poor quality. But, believe me when I say the shows were breathtakingly beautiful and the costume details were exquisite. I’ll share a few more of my best ceremony shots in the coming weeks, along with many more of our activities. I hope you’ll come back to enjoy them. Click here for next post. Start from the beginning here.