Tuesday's Notes

Today I'm going to write about the good, the bad, and the ugly. I leave it as an exercise to the reader to determine which category describes each point below.

1. I have found no establishment--store, restaurant, or bar--that sells root beer.
2. All drinks on Mexicana Airlines, including alcohol, were complimentary.
3. We did not have enough time at Chichen Itza today. We were on a clock, and it was running fast. Three hours, the first 1:40 of which was the guided tour, which was exceptional. There was not enough time for me to see everything, much less photograph what I saw. Neither did they give us a brochure or map so we could see the "big picture". I had no idea where I was relative to everything else, and that, combined with the time constraint, caused me to miss a couple of things I would have liked to have seen. I did, however, on reader Eric W's, suggestion, go to the Sacred Cenote.
4. We did not have enough time at the cenote (freshwater sinkhole). Having to choose between taking a swim and taking pictures, I opted for a swim. There was barely enough time to change clothes, jump in once, and change back. I wish I had pictures, but I doubt they'd do justice. Freakin' phenomenal.
5. Where is all my money going? I've bought three tiny souvenirs and one cocktail. Where's all my freakin' money going? I haven't even bought t-shirts for my son and me yet.
6. There are some serious hotties here, and they're not all tourists.
7. It rained for about 5 minutes at Chichen Itza today; that probably moderated the temperatures a bit. It rained hard for a few minutes as we arrived at the cenote as well. I didn't understand why people were huddling under umbrellas--we were going swimming!
8. I wore my contacts today, so I didn't jump from the highest spot into the cenote. I had to keep my eyes closed under water so I didn't want to jump from too high. The water was cooler than I expected, but just above the uncomfortable level.
9. At Ruinas El Rey, the entry fee was 35 pesos and there was a 35 peso fee for any kind of photography. At Chichen Itza the entry fee was 48 pesos; still photography was acceptable, but videography merited an additional 35 peso fee. In neither place were tripods allowed. What the heck is that?
10. Why is it that the English guys I sat near on the bus can fly direct from Birmingham (where?) to Cancun, and there's not a single direct flight from anywhere in California to Cancun???
11. Here's a shout-out to Mr. Leebert, my 6th grade teacher, who first taught me about the Mesoamerican ruins. It is to him I owe a debt of thanks for instilling in me a desire to visit Chichen Itza almost 32 years ago.