Chichén Itzá
Just a quick recap. Apparently Chean & I refused to agree upon the ridiculous deposit for the rental car, so we changed our game plan and opted for Chichén Itzá first-class bus tour instead (read H.E.R.E to know more about our unpleasant & dreadful car rental experience).
** Chichén Itzá First-Class Bus Tour **
-- Around US$ 115 per person.
-- Duration: 12 Hours.
-- Entrance tickets for Chichén Itzá & Cenote Ikil.
-- All-inclusive, with drinks & snacks on the bus.
-- Fully guided day trip to Chichén Itzá with Certified INAH Guide.
-- Buffet lunch included.
-- Complimentary hotel pickup and drop-off from Cancun hotels.
Chichén Itzá is roughly 3.5 hours drive (each way) from Cancun and the tour last about 12 hours. The first-class bus comes with a lavatory, although I didn't use it at all but it's such a relief knowing that I can run to the bathroom anytime if "emergency". But the bus driver did make a rest stop for restroom break, hoho, that's why Preggie Bev was able to survive the long journey.
Get yourself ready! The Mayan adventure is about to begin~~
#1 Got up at six in the morning... Ordered room service and stuffed ourselves.
#2 7a.m sharp, right at the lobby waiting for the bus. I looked extremely hideous in the morning, edema hit me brutally on day 4.
#3 One of our bilingual tour guides explaining and walking us through the brief history of Mayan civilization; he's super friendly and humorous!
My BB enjoyed her first history class very much, I got uncountable kungfu kicks along the way, pretty intense ones, like I can feel that she's swimming the breaststroke in me =.=lll
#4 Our tour guide showed us The Mayan Calendar. You can custom made one for US$20 as a souvenir to keep.
#5 Another real cool souvenir to get is the obsidian stone, priced from US$ 25 to 100 and above, depends on the sizes & craftsmanship. Look, it becomes gold color in the sun ;)
** The Mayan Calendar & obsidian stone are both belong to our tour guide; he's just passing them around, we didn't own them. But I bought myself two obsidian stones at a souvenir shop ;)
#6 Stopped by the small town and a souvenir shop.
#7
#8 It's another form of Mayan Calendar, again. I know :p
#9
#10
#11
#12
#13
#14 A clearer shot of the custom made Mayan Calendar. Well, I hope you read Mayan :p
#15 Arrived Chichén Itzá safely around noon! The guided tour is just a minute away!!! Super duper hot weather I tell you @.@
#16
#17 The entrance tickets.
#18 Meet Josue (pronounce as Ho-Sui), our English speaking tour guide.
#19 One of the temples that's under restoration.
#20
#21
#22
#23
#24 Chichén Itzá, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, also one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Can't believe I my own eyes... Amazingly impressive!
#25 BB & I, and the Ancient Mayan Pyramid.
#26
#27
#28 Standing at the sport stadium, where the ancient Mayans' ritual game took place; the captain of the winning team will be then sacrificed after each game.
#29 Josue, the hardest working tour guide showed us how the game was played in the ancient times.
#30
#31
#32 Columns in the Temple of a Thousand Warriors.
#33
#34
No joke, it's super crowded and it's really really really hot!!! I surrendered after being exposed to the sun for 2 hours, felt like dying even with an umbrella and a fedora. We took a break and had lunch at the hotel before progressing to the next stop--Cenote Ikil (Blue Cenote).
#35 The sacred sinkhole from the top, guess what, the water level is around 90 feet deep @.@
#36
#37
#38 Of course I didn't go all the way down to the cenote surface, slippery walkways and open water are not for preggie Bev.
#39 But I had lots of fun still, watching people swimming & refreshing themselves in the cold water~~
#40 Yay, preggie Bev survived the trip!
That's my first tour ever since I was 12, as I mentioned earlier, we were initially worried about the long-hour & hectic schedule but it turned out real relax & easy. I think I'd love to do it again in the future. Super thrilling, entertaining and informative, guess we won't be able to explore this much if we go by ourselves. Highly recommended~~
p/s: Booked our tour through a BestDay representative at our hotel. There are tons of tour packages offered by different agencies in different price ranges. I think they are all good, but it's more secure to book your tour via a reliable & trusted company, just try to avoid those random offers/deals you find on the street. Good Luck!
p/p/s: There are simply too many facts & details to be included in this tiny space, try Wikipedia & Google & National Geography (or go watch the movie Apocalypto) instead if you want to quench your thirst for knowledge~~
Ch’abej Chik (goodbye in the K'iche language of the Mayan),
Bev
** Chichén Itzá First-Class Bus Tour **
-- Around US$ 115 per person.
-- Duration: 12 Hours.
-- Entrance tickets for Chichén Itzá & Cenote Ikil.
-- All-inclusive, with drinks & snacks on the bus.
-- Fully guided day trip to Chichén Itzá with Certified INAH Guide.
-- Buffet lunch included.
-- Complimentary hotel pickup and drop-off from Cancun hotels.
Chichén Itzá is roughly 3.5 hours drive (each way) from Cancun and the tour last about 12 hours. The first-class bus comes with a lavatory, although I didn't use it at all but it's such a relief knowing that I can run to the bathroom anytime if "emergency". But the bus driver did make a rest stop for restroom break, hoho, that's why Preggie Bev was able to survive the long journey.
Get yourself ready! The Mayan adventure is about to begin~~
#1 Got up at six in the morning... Ordered room service and stuffed ourselves.
#2 7a.m sharp, right at the lobby waiting for the bus. I looked extremely hideous in the morning, edema hit me brutally on day 4.
#3 One of our bilingual tour guides explaining and walking us through the brief history of Mayan civilization; he's super friendly and humorous!
My BB enjoyed her first history class very much, I got uncountable kungfu kicks along the way, pretty intense ones, like I can feel that she's swimming the breaststroke in me =.=lll
#4 Our tour guide showed us The Mayan Calendar. You can custom made one for US$20 as a souvenir to keep.
#5 Another real cool souvenir to get is the obsidian stone, priced from US$ 25 to 100 and above, depends on the sizes & craftsmanship. Look, it becomes gold color in the sun ;)
** The Mayan Calendar & obsidian stone are both belong to our tour guide; he's just passing them around, we didn't own them. But I bought myself two obsidian stones at a souvenir shop ;)
#6 Stopped by the small town and a souvenir shop.
#7
#8 It's another form of Mayan Calendar, again. I know :p
#9
#10
#11
#12
#13
#14 A clearer shot of the custom made Mayan Calendar. Well, I hope you read Mayan :p
#15 Arrived Chichén Itzá safely around noon! The guided tour is just a minute away!!! Super duper hot weather I tell you @.@
#16
#17 The entrance tickets.
#18 Meet Josue (pronounce as Ho-Sui), our English speaking tour guide.
#19 One of the temples that's under restoration.
#20
#21
#22
#23
#24 Chichén Itzá, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, also one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Can't believe I my own eyes... Amazingly impressive!
#25 BB & I, and the Ancient Mayan Pyramid.
#26
#27
#28 Standing at the sport stadium, where the ancient Mayans' ritual game took place; the captain of the winning team will be then sacrificed after each game.
#29 Josue, the hardest working tour guide showed us how the game was played in the ancient times.
#30
#31
#32 Columns in the Temple of a Thousand Warriors.
#33
#34
No joke, it's super crowded and it's really really really hot!!! I surrendered after being exposed to the sun for 2 hours, felt like dying even with an umbrella and a fedora. We took a break and had lunch at the hotel before progressing to the next stop--Cenote Ikil (Blue Cenote).
#35 The sacred sinkhole from the top, guess what, the water level is around 90 feet deep @.@
#36
#37
#38 Of course I didn't go all the way down to the cenote surface, slippery walkways and open water are not for preggie Bev.
#39 But I had lots of fun still, watching people swimming & refreshing themselves in the cold water~~
#40 Yay, preggie Bev survived the trip!
That's my first tour ever since I was 12, as I mentioned earlier, we were initially worried about the long-hour & hectic schedule but it turned out real relax & easy. I think I'd love to do it again in the future. Super thrilling, entertaining and informative, guess we won't be able to explore this much if we go by ourselves. Highly recommended~~
p/s: Booked our tour through a BestDay representative at our hotel. There are tons of tour packages offered by different agencies in different price ranges. I think they are all good, but it's more secure to book your tour via a reliable & trusted company, just try to avoid those random offers/deals you find on the street. Good Luck!
p/p/s: There are simply too many facts & details to be included in this tiny space, try Wikipedia & Google & National Geography (or go watch the movie Apocalypto) instead if you want to quench your thirst for knowledge~~
Ch’abej Chik (goodbye in the K'iche language of the Mayan),
Bev