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Date: 21 Jan 2008 19:45:00
Title: Mexico - Isla Mejures (2)
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Sunday January 20th

 

The past 11 days have melted into one colourful blur.

 

 I have been having more trouble with my back and we found a chiropractor in Cancun ( Centro Qhiropractic Cassan, Calle Venado for anyone going to Cancun who might need one.) So we made an appointment and then spent the day in Cancun.

 

I have to say I was not impressed with Cancun, it seems to be a conglomeration of big hotels and little else. I did however meet Viktor, who makes cigars. He has spent the past 10 years hand rolling the cigars, made from the finest Cuban tobacco. It was fascinating to watch.

 

 

 

Tom & Silke arrived that night from the UK to torrential rain as there was a cold front coming through. Some welcome!!!

 

 

The next day, Roger decided to dive the boat to tighten the bolts on the sacrificial anode on the prop. He had noticed it was loose when diving the boat a few days previously. So, armed with his allen keys, snorkel and mask he took to the water. Now those of you who have boats or cars, know that it is never simple as one job begets another. So it was, true to form! The head of the bolt had sheared off leaving the shaft in the hole. Now I can hear you saying, ‘so drill it out….simple’. Yes, in theory, but remember it was underwater. What had started out to be a simple job ended up with us having to pay $360 to have the boat lifted out so Roger could do the repairs!  And no, we do not think that Tom & Silke could be a bit of a Jonah.

 

T

 

 

 

 

With Beaujolais safely back at anchor, the next day we took a tour to Chichen Itza, the Maya ruin some 130 miles to the North West of Cancun ($65 US with Graylines, though I would try and book on line as I think you would get it cheaper) stopping at Maya co-operatives on the way to buy souvenirs, as is usual with tours all over the world. The crafts on sale were very high quality and not the usual tourist trash.

 

We had a pleasant lunch before going onto the ruins. Peacocks roamed around the grounds and entertained us with their courtships. Maya women entertained us with traditional dances, it was most enjoyable.

 

It turned out we had chosen the hottest day to go with the sun blazing down and no shade, it was very tiring. Our guide, Santo, was excellent. He spoke very good English and had a very wry sense on humour. He was Maya and also passionate about his history, which made his tour much more interesting.

Despite initial reservations about taking a tour and a tour guide, it was well worth the effort and gave another dimension to Mexico. The Maya history is fascinating, but I was most impressed with the design of their buildings, particularly how their construction was designed to incorporate astronomical phenomena, such as the equinox etc. The Maya calendar last only 52 years, then is replaced with a new one. Roger was rather pleased when he read that the Maya calendars began on August 13th 3114 BC. There was an amazing parallel with Roger’s life. He was 52 when he sold up and went sailing, coinciding with the beginning of his ‘new’ 52 year Mayan calendar
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