Atop the Acropolis
Since I started the practice of using my birthday to celebrate life, beating back the scourge of HIV after another year, and thus travel to places I haven't been before I have found that I've done some very interesting things. Two years ago on my birthday I was standing on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty look out over New York Harbor. Last year on my birthday I was soaking in a tub of hot spring water, participating in a tradition spa treatment at Hot Springs National Park. This year, I was standing on top of a Mayan ruin!!!Today's port of call was Costa Maya in the southern part of the Yucatan Peninsula. Costa Maya is actually a fairly new port town, not much built up or commercialized yet, having only been in operation since 20011. This though was not the main attraction. The main attraction was an additional two hours south by coach near the Belize border, the Mayan ruins of Kohunlich. These ruins are still in somewhat of a natural state, and unlike Tulum, you are still able to climb up and through the ruins. All I can say is that it was a wonderful experience. . .I took over 130 pictures just in the two hours we were there at the site.
The drive down to the site was quite interesting as well. As I watched out the window I was struck with actually how beautiful this portion of Mexico was in its starkness. Kilometers upon kilometers2 of mangroves and palms, bananas and noni, hundreds upon hundreds of tropical plants two numerous to name, broken up every so often by tiny little pueblos that clung to the side of the main highway that runs the length of the Yucatan from Cancun to the capital of Quintana Roo.
Tomorrow's port of call will be Roatan, an island off the coast of (and part of) Honduras. I can say that I shall have a lifetime of memories from this trip. . .all of them good.
1The port was closed down for awhile after damage from Hurricane Dean and wasn't reopened until 2008.
2Or "Miles upon miles" in those tiny few of us that still use the Imperial system of measurement.
Atop the Acropolis
Originally uploaded by GhstLght74
The drive down to the site was quite interesting as well. As I watched out the window I was struck with actually how beautiful this portion of Mexico was in its starkness. Kilometers upon kilometers2 of mangroves and palms, bananas and noni, hundreds upon hundreds of tropical plants two numerous to name, broken up every so often by tiny little pueblos that clung to the side of the main highway that runs the length of the Yucatan from Cancun to the capital of Quintana Roo.
Tomorrow's port of call will be Roatan, an island off the coast of (and part of) Honduras. I can say that I shall have a lifetime of memories from this trip. . .all of them good.
1The port was closed down for awhile after damage from Hurricane Dean and wasn't reopened until 2008.
2Or "Miles upon miles" in those tiny few of us that still use the Imperial system of measurement.
Atop the Acropolis
Originally uploaded by GhstLght74