tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75455304762354470892024-03-14T08:52:38.244-07:00One Week in MexicoWelcome to my 2014 Mayan Journey...Brendan Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01949931004017533038noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545530476235447089.post-12727595579116656142014-08-23T15:44:00.000-07:002014-08-24T17:59:47.954-07:00Welcome to My August 2014 Mayan Yucatan Journey!Hi Everyone!<br />
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Thanks for joining me on what should prove to be a very exciting physical and spiritual journey from Brooklyn, NY to Cancun, Mexico for 7 days of fun and sun and Mayan Civilization jungle explorations!<br />
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Since childhood, I have felt a strong fascination for ancient civilizations, in particular those located in overgrown forest and jungle settings. I had planned a trip to visit Mayan ruins last fall, but had to cancel just 3 days before my intended departure due to my father's emergency bypass surgery. Ironically, I wound up using the exact same window of vacation time to travel to Baltimore to support my mother and, of course, my father during <i>a very different kind of journey</i> -- one which ultimately, I am happy to say, proved successful and which has led to a full recovery on the part of my dad.<br />
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Luckily, because of the "medical emergency" nature of my trip cancellation, Delta Airlines was very generous in issuing a full credit travel voucher without any change fees or rebooking penalties, to be used for any trip of my choice, return travel to NYC to be accomplished before the end of August 2014.<br />
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Skip forward 10 months and here I am -- poised to depart tomorrow morning for 5 full days in Cancun (plus 1 travel day on either side), with anticipated day trips to 3 or 4 Mayan jungle sites as well as various explorations in and around the city of Cancun, including surrounding beaches and resort areas. Maybe I'll even come back with a tan...I wonder if that is too much to hope for?<br />
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I plan to practice my conversational Spanish a lot on this trip, which you will all see and hear in various videos that I will shoot and upload to this blog. I will also be taking lots of pictures and writing about all of the exciting experiences I will have there -- in as close to "real-time" as possible, pending wi-fi and internet access in my room where I will be staying as well as possibly in and around town (if I can find wi-fi hotspots at hotels, etc. to type blog entries on my phone).<br />
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Thanks in advance for joining me on this very exciting literal and spiritual journey into the heart of the Mayan world!<br />
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<i><b><span style="font-size: large;">PLEASE NOTE:</span> In order to have this blog appear on your screen in chronological order, as opposed to Blogger's standard reverse chronological order with the most recent posting first, I needed to creatively adjust the posting date for each entry. Please do not pay attention to the dates in the table of contents at the right of the screen, as these are wrong and merely serve to readjust the blog so that it now functions as a chronological narrative of my trip. This way, you can read about my journey as it took place, in the same order that I experienced these events. </b></i><br />
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<i><b>Because of this creative adjustment, when you eventually scroll to the bottom of each page in this blog, please click "older posts," which will then take you instead to a newer post -- the next one to follow the one you have just read.</b></i><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Thanks for reading!</i></b></span>Brendan Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01949931004017533038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545530476235447089.post-49940833167711072532014-08-22T16:08:00.000-07:002014-08-24T16:29:33.264-07:00Reiteration of Facebook posting letting everyone know about this blog<span class="userContent">Hi Everyone! <br /> <br /> Please join me starting this evening at my new Mayan Adventure Blog, "One Week in Mexico" (<a href="http://www.oneweekinmexico.com/" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.oneweekinmexico.com/</a>), where I will be chronicling my exciting 7 day trip from Brooklyn, NY into the heart of the Mayan Yuc<span class="text_exposed_show">atan. <br /> <br />
Everything will be unscripted, and I literally have no idea what to
expect, because I haven't really planned anything for this trip in
advance. It just sort of crept up on me and, well, here it is!<br /> <br /> I
plan to update my trip blog as often as possible while there, pending
internet access at my AirBnB host's home as well as wi-fi hotspots in
and around Cancun and surrounding areas. I will be uploading lots of
photos via my new Instagram account, which some of you are already
following (thank you very much!), and I intend to speak A LOT of really
bad Spanish in an effort to increase my conversational level in that
language. <br /> <br /> I have already posted my first two entries as well
as a third containing two short videos about what I hope to accomplish
on this trip. Subsequent videos posted in the next day or two will
explain my philosophy on language learning and travel -- as well as, in
particular, the resources that I have used over the past few years to
gradually teach myself basic Spanish without really having put that much
of an "official" effort into learning the language so far. <br /> <br />
Native speakers of Spanish will notice that my grammar will really suck,
but that I will be able to get by and have a great time as well as participate in
some solid, basic conversations with locals while there.<br /> <br /> Thanks in advance to everyone for following "One Week in Mexico." See you all in the jungle!</span></span>Brendan Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01949931004017533038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545530476235447089.post-1027501566793315882014-08-21T16:48:00.000-07:002014-08-24T16:29:51.340-07:002 short videos explaining my goals for my trip<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Viewers will notice that my voice goes UP at the end of most of the PHRASES and SENTENCES at the BEGINNING of video number ONE. That sure is BIZARRE, and I really had no IDEA that I was DOING that, but thank God I STOPPED half way through the VIDEO. </div>
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Note to self -- <b><i>Don't do that anymore!</i></b></div>
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Brendan Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01949931004017533038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545530476235447089.post-45538123984238301882014-08-20T09:33:00.000-07:002014-08-24T16:48:43.602-07:00Morning of August 14: And we're off...JFK to Atlanta, waiting to board flight...At JFK Airport this morning waiting for my flight to board: McDonalds sausage McMuffin, hashbrown, and black coffee in hand; plus 2 small complimentary bottles of water given to me by a nice Delta counter lady; plus a $2 apple -- the healthiest snack I could find at the airport.<br />
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Brendan Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01949931004017533038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545530476235447089.post-86334773210221307902014-08-19T10:53:00.000-07:002014-08-24T16:49:19.740-07:00SIDENOTE: The first of 13 videos shot last fall detailing my Spanish language study methods and resourcesHi Gang,<br />
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I am pasting here the first of 13 separate videos, each approximately 10 minutes long, which I shot last fall prior to the cancellation of my original Cancun/Mayan Ruins trip, previously mentioned in the opening entry to this blog.<br />
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Each video will detail a different category of educational and pop culture resources that I have personally used to learn basic Spanish -- reviewing specific books, DVDs, and other sources in detail to give my readers ideas as to which items they might want to use in their own language learning odysseys, should they choose to study written and conversational Spanish, and should they wish to teach themselves in a dynamic, creative way that will be both fun and inspiring. I will be posting 2 of these videos each day of my trip, in order to finish posting all of them by my last day in Mexico.<br />
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The first video that I will post today is about "Learn Through Pictures" type books, very popular in the US and Europe from the 1940s through the 1960s and perhaps into the 70s. There are even some holdovers still available at major bookstores today -- and of course, all books and DVDs that I will review in this series of videos are easily and cheaply available on Amazon.com. Where do you think I procured most of them in the first place...?<br />
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<br />Brendan Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01949931004017533038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545530476235447089.post-46931756801438719212014-08-18T20:59:00.000-07:002014-08-24T16:49:43.515-07:00Evening of August 14: Arrival into Cancun and my adventure getting to Walter's homeHi Everyone,<br />
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This is the first of four postings I am typing tonight. In this one, I will tell you about my arrival into Cancun and the adventure I had getting from the airport to my AirBnB host's home in the city center of Cancun (not to be confused with the resort / beach / hotel / tourist area)...<br />
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So my flight from Atlanta to Cancun followed a 4 hour layover at Atlanta airport, during which time I journalled, spoke to my mom on the phone, charged my US cellphone and laptop, read some of a teach yourself Spanish-type book, and ate several snacks in lieu of a full meal.<br />
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While eating my second Arby's classic roastbeef sandwich, I was surprised to see and hear this fellow playing alto sax to tracks right in the middle of my terminal's food court area at the Atlanta Airport:<br />
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Soon enough, it was time to board, and once on the plane, my flight was relatively uneventful but for the fact that the movie, <i>Spiderman 2</i>, which I really wanted to see (crazy that I did not see it in the theater in NYC when it came out earlier this summer), was not coming through anyone's headphone jacks on the entire flight, so a decision was made to pipe the sound through the overhead speakers, with very little success due to the extremely low volume level. This plus it took the flight crew so long to troubleshoot the issue that only 1/2 of the movie was able to be shown on my 2.5 hour or longer flight to Cancun. Oh well -- can't have everything, I suppose...<br />
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Though I read the literature that accompanied the Telcel Mexican sim card that I had purchased last fall for my previously cancelled trip, and which I was assured by the US salesman would still work this August, apparently everyone involved was mistaken, and the damned thing wound up being a complete waste of time and an utter piece of crap. No matter what I did -- no matter which of my 2 GSM phones I tried, I could not get a signal in Cancun airport, and thus I could not activate the card to tell my nervous parents that I had arrived safely, nor could I call my AirBnB host Walter to let him know that I had landed and was making my way towards his home.<br />
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So, instead of being excited to see Cancun Airport, taking pictures and shooting video like I normally would have done once I emerged from a relatively smooth passport control and customs procedure, instead I was preoccupied with why the hell my stupid sim card was not working, and I completely forgot to document my arrival or the boarding of my bus from the airport to Cancun city center.<br />
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My ADO bus was cushy and air conditioned and plush and super comfortable and everything you would think a luxury coach should be, and it was pretty cheap for the almost 40 minute ride -- don't remember exactly how much, but I have the receipt around here somewhere if anyone is interested. I even got to watch part of <i>The Silver Lining Playbook</i> in Spanish during my smooth ride to the Cancun city center ADO bus terminal.<br />
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Here is a short video of the ADO bus terminal in Cancun's city center, as I made my way from my bus through the station and out onto the street. I also stopped to use the pay-toilet, which I did not include in this video...:<br />
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Once I got off the bus, I immediately headed across the street to the Telcel cell phone store that I saw upon exiting the bus station. Using only Spanish, I was able to choose, purchase, and activate a sim card that now works beautifully. Well, truth be told, during the activation part, which took place on my actual cellphone with a Telcel rep after having been placed on hold for 15 minutes (hope that call didn't count towards my minutes!!!), I finally asked to speak to an English-speaking rep, because I was talking myself in a circle and I really wanted to be done with the process so I could make my way to my room where I am now staying.<br />
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Following purchase of the sim card, I walked next door to an OXXO convenience store -- a chain here much like 7-Eleven (which they also have) and I added 100 pesos value to the card (a little less than $10 US dollars). I also made this purchase entirely in Spanish, asking various questions to the cashier as I chose my recharge amount.<br />
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Here are 2 audio clips -- <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2Db-Nh-yHPRVzZWei1DWEYxSFk/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>one</b></span></a> of me initially purchasing the sim card and <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2Db-Nh-yHPRbTlDeUNLeTc0NG8/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>the other</b></span></a> of me recharging it next door. Unfortunately, my recorder was in my pocket and there was a lot of background noise, so the recordings are mainly being posted here for my own posterity. I actually had an amazing Spanish-only conversation earlier this evening while purchasing my bus tickets for tomorrow, which I will get to in my next posting, but alas, I did not have my recorder on me today to record the dang thing! Oh well...<br />
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Finally, I was all set with the cell phone. After various trial and error efforts with and without country and city codes, I finally got through to my host Walter and was ready to hop in a cab to his home. Total wasted time lining up a new sim card for my phone: at least 1.5 hours.<br />
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The taxi ride was smooth and the driver was very friendly, asking me where I was from and other pleasantries, which I negotiated entirely in Spanish -- and not even that broken, either! I was encouraged with my growing confidence in this language...Luckily, my cellphone was working, because the driver got lost and we had to call Walter for revised directions.<br />
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Once I arrived at Walter's, I paid the driver, got out and shook Walter's hand, and was led to my spacious and comfortable room. Here is a video of the place where I am staying, shot today, maybe 18 hours after arriving in Cancun:<br />
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After a pleasant and brief conversation with Walter, I asked him for walking directions to a cheap but tasty local restaurant, because I was really hungry by this point and ready for a yummy dinner. Walter had a photocopy of a map ready for me (presumably he has these for his various AirBnB guests throughout the year), and in no time, I was on my way, at dusk, in an attempt to follow his walking directions while at the same time never having been here before and having absolutely no idea where I was going!<br />
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I thought that I had gotten lost, but my instincts were actually quite excellent. If I had only walked 1/2 block more, I would have found the exact place Walter recommended, a taco place I would up eating at on 8/15 (see my next entry for that date). Instead, I had a really great double-decker hamburger with fried onions and mushrooms on a delightfully toasted bun at a place called Bronto Burger. Here are a photo and a video of my experience, as well as a daylight shot taken the next day when I walked by it a second time on my way to breakfast:<br />
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Upon returning from Bronto Burger, I unpacked my suitcase, took a shower, and fell promptly asleep for the next 8 hours. Unfortunately, I accidentally turned off the fan in my room when I turned off the light to sleep, and I woke up this morning drenched in a puddle of my own sweat. Cancun in August is the most humid, sweatingest place I have ever visited, AND I HAVE NO AIR CONDITIONER WHILE HERE, FOLKS. Oh, the things we take for granted sometimes. Maybe I'll be lucky and lose 10 pounds from all of the sweating. That is another story, though.<br />
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Thanks for reading, and onto the next posting.<br />
<br />Brendan Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01949931004017533038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545530476235447089.post-70564337787464594412014-08-16T21:03:00.000-07:002014-08-24T16:44:22.415-07:00Digression 1: More Spanish Language Learning Resources Part 1Here I will take a brief digression to upload yet another video I shot last fall prior to my original, cancelled trip which has now been replaced by my current Yucatan journey. This video is the first of 2 parts on Spanish Language "Teach Yourself" - type books readily available used and new on Amazon, as well as for me at wonderful used bookstores, such as New York City's The Strand in Union Square:<br />
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Thanks for watching. I will post Part 2 of this video after my next blog entry, which will be about what I did today, on my first full day in Cancun...Brendan Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01949931004017533038noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545530476235447089.post-71762672804188125912014-08-15T22:26:00.000-07:002014-08-24T16:32:00.433-07:00Digression 2: More "Teach Yourself" - Style "Learn Spanish" Books, Part 2And, as promised, here is Part 2 of this particular video. Yay! Thanks for watching!<br />
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<br />Brendan Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01949931004017533038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545530476235447089.post-22503862872845684762014-08-14T22:20:00.000-07:002014-08-24T16:32:36.836-07:00August 15: First full day in Cancun, Mexico -- A day of exploring my neighborhood, booking Mayan Ruins Tours, and more exploring...Hi Guys and Gals,<br />
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Welcome to my entry on my first full day in Cancun. This entry will be told mostly through pictures and videos, because it is late and I have been sweating all day and I feel really gross and desperately want to take a shower and go to bed soon -- I have a busy day tomorrow visiting the first of 4 major Mayan ruins sites, and I can't wait!<br />
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BUT FIRST, let me tell you all about what I did today...<br />
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After getting what should have been a very nice 7-8 hours of sleep, 2-3 hours more than I usually allow myself to get in NYC, I woke up in a pool of sweat, not having realized the night before that when I turned off the light to my room, I also turned off the noisy but somewhat effective ceiling fan! Live and learn. As some of you might know, a hot night's sleep is not necessarily a <i>good</i> night's sleep...<br />
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I woke up around 8 something am, possibly earlier, and troubleshooted my internet connection here in my room, answered a bunch of emails, checking the structure of this blog, and in general collected my thoughts for what I wanted to accomplish today. I knew that I wanted to do some walking pretty early on, to find the taco place that Walter had suggested the evening before, because apparently this place had an excellent fixed price all-you-can-eat breakfast from whenever till almost noon. I knew that I wanted to walk further to explore my immediate neighborhood and to see what other amenities are around where I am staying. I knew that I wanted to book all of my Mayan ruins tours. I thought I wanted to go to the beach as well, and that is the only thing that did not happen today.<br />
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First I spoke to Walter and found out that the taco place, Tacos Rigo, was literally 1/2 block away, around a curve in the road, from Bronto Burger. Wonderful coincidence and affirmation of my map-reading abilities in spite of me feeling very lost last night while I was walking to my dinner spot. Walter and I discussed my various Mayan sightseeing plans and he offered some wonderful advice, more of which he later offered around 2 pm when I returned to my room.<br />
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Then I walked to Tacos Rigo. Here are some pics and a video to share the experience with you. I ordered the approximately $6 USD breakfast buffet, and luckily there were plenty of things in spite of my annoying food allergies to milk and eggs! There was a lovely shredded pork and hominy soup; there was chicken in a spicy tomato sauce; there were refried black beans; there were fresh grilled tortillas; there was fresh papaya and watermelon; there were a few other tasty lovelies; and there was an endless supply of really good black coffee, to which I added a tiny bit of sugar and non-dairy creamer, which just happened to be on my table. This time, I remembered to photograph my food like a good Asian tourist, and, well, here is a good feel for the restaurant for my readers:<br />
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Those of you who may have followed my 2013 Hong Kong blog through all of its 300-plus screens of text, photos and video, know that I have a particular fascination with bathrooms in foreign countries. Here is a short video tour of the men's room at Tacos Rigo:<br />
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Following Tacos Rigo, I continued walking along the same road for another 30 minutes or so, stopping at the occasional OXXO convenience store to recharge with a lovely drink (surprisingly, there is a really great selection of diet sodas and iced teas here -- who'd have thought?!)...<br />
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Some other interesting things I saw on my walk:<br />
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Payphones in my area seem to be very cutely decorated. That's fun. Then I stumbled upon a surprisingly huge store selling nothing but cheap party balloons. No one in their right mind would EVER think of using real estate in that way in New York! Of course, I saw many other things, but I was consistently impressed with how difficult to read the street signs are FOR DRIVERS DRIVING BY THEM. Almost every sign in my area is as faded and hard to read as this last photo -- <i>and these are the signs for the drivers to see so they can know where to turn!!!</i><br />
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Following all of this harmless fun, I retraced my steps and returned to my room to spend the next 1-2 hours researching online and booking 3 of the 4 Mayan tours that I wanted to take on my trip: Chichen Itza (most famous Mayan ruins of all), plus a visit to a local cenote (more on that once I visit one and can show you pics and videos as part of my explanation);and Coba and Tulum, two important but smaller Mayan sites, combined as a longer double-tour all in one day. I got a special pro-rated package deal for booking all 3 tours (2 back to back days) with the same tour company, which is actually based out of Florida, USA. My intention had been to book these 3 tours before I departed from New York, but because of typical last-minute Brendan packing fiascos (see the first posting in this blog), that didn't happen. Luckily, with a bit of creativity and thanks to the copy and print place within walking distance of where I am staying, I was able to make it all happen in just 2 hours this afternoon.<br />
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Unfortunately, though, the same company is no longer offering their group day tour to the 4th Mayan site that I really want to visit, Ek Balam, the newest of the major Mayan Yucatan sites, having only just begun to be excavated in the 1990s. I will be visiting Ek Balam tomorrow, on my own, by creatively combining a-plus hour ADO luxury bus ride (technically "public transportation" here in Cancun, though it is a private company) with some taxi rides from a town called Valladolid to the site and back, plus hopefully a diversion or two in and around Valladolid tomorrow.<br />
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Because of this absence of a guided Ek Balam tour, and the fact that the ADO website would not take my credit card despite the travel notification place on it by me at Chase bank for use in Mexico on this trip, the latter part of my day -- early evening into mid evening until around 9 pm, involved me walking a couple of miles from my room to the vicinity of the ADO city center bus terminal; exploring a bit in some stores and on some side streets; returning to the ADO terminal to purchase my tix, and then slowly making my way back to my room, along the way eating waYYYYYY too much meat.<br />
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Meat. Meat and more meat. Meat of all kinds. Those who know me in New York know that I mainly eat vegetables, fruits and salads, for like 75-80% or more of my diet, and I have been eating this way for at least 2 years. Eating this much meat...wow...I can't wait to see what gifts it bestows at a later date and time...<br />
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Anyway, here are some pics and video from the end of my day on my walk to and from the bus station:<br />
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This is a small park of reclaimed jungle land literally 5-10 minutes' walk from my room. I enjoyed a half hour here earlier today. It is called "Ombligo Verge" -- Green Navel (Belly Button). Beautiful place, and I saw quite a few medium-sized iguanas scampering about, which was pretty cool...<br />
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Here is a video of a really cool side street in downtown city center Cancun, complete with graffitti and"ghetto fabulous" vibe:<br />
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Here is the busy intersection of Avenida Chichen Itza and Avenida Uxmal, which I found interesting as I was walking towards the ADO bus station:<br />
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Here is the amazing Fish place called Bajo del Mar where I had an early dinner # 1 tonight:<br />
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Here is a video of a charming side street I found my accident in a shopping district near the bus station:<br />
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While walking either to or back from that side street market area, I also happened upon this pretty awesome mansion, across the street and not too far from the bus terminal:<br />
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As I said in my previous blog entry, I really wish I had taken my Tascam recorder with me today, because my Spanish was SO "on" while I was buying my bus ticket that I couldn't even believe it was coming out of my mouth. Keep in mind that I have never "formally" studied Spanish in school or college or anything to that effect. My experience speaking and reading Spanish is purely limited to me teaching myself via the resources that I am gradually introducing you all to in some of the videos contained in this blog, combined with way too few moments spent speaking bedroom Spanish with my last "almost girlfriend" -- you know who you are.<br />
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Anyway, I wish I had recorded my bus ticket buying conversation tonight, because it contained the best Spanish I have ever spoken. Hopefully this was a sign that my Spanish is "arriving." Hopefully I will be ready with recorder in hand (or at least in backpack) the next time such a perfect opportunity arises for me to really speak the parts of this language that I know, the travel vocabulary that I have learned from my various self-study resources...<br />
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Oh, but wait -- I forget myself! Earlier in the day, I also had a really great conversation, entirely in Spanish, with a lady at a local pharmacy, where I needed to stop to pick up a cream for myself. Remember how I said that this is the most humid place I have ever experienced? Well, along with humid and hot sometimes comes pants legs rubbing together and creating friction and a rash in the nether areas -- an unfortunate fact of being an active guy who sweats a lot and doesn't have the luxury of taking a shower every 2 hours or lounging in A/C for days at a time.<br />
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Did I mention that I have no A/C here? Just checking to see if you are paying attention...<br />
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Anywho, yes, I have a little something going on down there and, at the risk of this being TMI, what it facilitated for me was a truly excellent medical conversation, entirely in Spanish with a few slight charades here and there, and I was able to come away with what will hopefully prove to be a very effective remedy. <i>Thank you, basic broken Spanish skills!</i><br />
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Here is a picture of the pharmacy, for posterity's sake:<br />
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Anyway, back to the quest at hand, for bus tickets to see Ek Balam tomorrow...<br />
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From the ADO bus terminal, it started to get dark, and then it actually got dark, and I made my way back to my room, stopping just 1 block away for dinner #2 at Viking Dog, a very dimly lit hotdog and burger joint apparently run by a group of fraternity brother-like friends, who most likely take turns at the grill and serving customers. I was the only customer there when I arrived, but the burger I ordered was excellent: medium on a toasted bun with house recipe pinto bean chile and then topped with the following fixings: pineapple chunks (surprisingly, this really "made" the experience for me); real, fresh bacon bits; fire roasted and blackened jalapenos (I love these); and perhaps one other thing that I can't remember. The burger rivaled NYC's Jackson Hole for sheer messiness quotient during the eating process, but man, it was good. I was full, but in a good way:<br />
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Very thirsty from dinner # 2, I walked to the OXXO closest to my room, purchased some cold drinks, and made my way back here to type these ridiculous blog entries for my readers.<br />
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Thanks for reading. Tomorrow is going to be really amazing -- make sure to read my next entry about Ek Balam and Valladolid!Brendan Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01949931004017533038noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545530476235447089.post-297538215137602102014-08-12T22:42:00.000-07:002014-08-24T16:33:30.438-07:00Side Note 1 for today: Another video on Spanish educational resources...Here are my thoughts on some of the best Spanish educational DVDs I have been using during my language learning adventures:<br />
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<br />Brendan Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01949931004017533038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545530476235447089.post-13697936410987564572014-08-11T22:43:00.000-07:002014-08-24T16:34:06.696-07:00Side Note 2 for today: Using Spanish Languages movies and DVDs to improve your comprehension of the languageThanks for watching!<br />
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<br />Brendan Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01949931004017533038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545530476235447089.post-53439800449906396682014-08-10T22:39:00.000-07:002014-08-24T16:47:51.604-07:00August 16: Second Full Day in Mexico (third day here) -- Day trip to Valladolid and Ek Balam!Up 7 am today. Good night sleep, but restless due to the heat and humidity and absence of A/C. At least I remembered to leave the fan on last night!<br />
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Showered, packed and out by 7:30. Walked from the apartment where I am staying up Avenida Chichen Itza and then turned right onto Avenida Uxmal -- just like yesterday evening -- as I again made my way to the ADO bus terminal for my 8:45 am departure for the small central Yucatan town of Valladolid. From Valldolid, I would take a taxi to and from the Ek Balam Mayan ruins site, thought I had no idea what that might involve in advance. Today I was winging it -- the entire day. And I am happy to say that the say went exceedingly well in the end!!!<br />
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On the way to the bus terminal this morning, I found a copy/print shop and printed out my confirmations for tomorrow's Chichen Itza and cenote tour and the next day's Tulum and Coba tours. I also grabbed several snacks and beverages, all of which added up to one really filling breakfast.<br />
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My bus to Valladolid left fairly promptly and arrived 15 minutes late to its destination. Valladolid is a charming, relatively quiet and yet still bustling town, and here are some pics and videos to show you the vibe of the place:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSbHAtNrHsWoC3iqFhpDOGsa9hTM4tb1ZqIPqn9d-9nWa_lQfo0E0BxbgFZipz5IFPDKNuQqf0QEk8xeFOqNg2-WTNo4vN_znQrg4VO9Zmoo4TglF33D9g0EotRP2SYCsWa1Dm4l35t4c9/s1600/1+on+the+bus+to+valladolid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSbHAtNrHsWoC3iqFhpDOGsa9hTM4tb1ZqIPqn9d-9nWa_lQfo0E0BxbgFZipz5IFPDKNuQqf0QEk8xeFOqNg2-WTNo4vN_znQrg4VO9Zmoo4TglF33D9g0EotRP2SYCsWa1Dm4l35t4c9/s1600/1+on+the+bus+to+valladolid.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the bus to Valladolid</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVATuTNpOgnvY_FFJ_WGTAuQusllPYAEjE2cDXD_S6QYMbZMmhybk4rBDfcLU-NgY8iwhJL58jTCj1yn66cv54GthHWGpTMbkGbH4Ak4SsnnMjMv3Wwb1Ea6lZITI_nL3mDksJhSD9ugg5/s1600/2+small+bus+station+valladolid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVATuTNpOgnvY_FFJ_WGTAuQusllPYAEjE2cDXD_S6QYMbZMmhybk4rBDfcLU-NgY8iwhJL58jTCj1yn66cv54GthHWGpTMbkGbH4Ak4SsnnMjMv3Wwb1Ea6lZITI_nL3mDksJhSD9ugg5/s1600/2+small+bus+station+valladolid.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Relatively small ADO Bus Station in Valladolid</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDoxUS0BluGymogMZePCDHj_xjVxl51pbO3wEv_iP8Z1Tcy0m_ZmN7-xGRTWgguVUF4dj5B-mvaJTegp3nKQA2RWKHXcdNPVBN7YGQFwDiXIToVa2M9Mp6XuEgTv7WRajSfeC_zmsOiiIy/s1600/4+taco+place+valladolid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDoxUS0BluGymogMZePCDHj_xjVxl51pbO3wEv_iP8Z1Tcy0m_ZmN7-xGRTWgguVUF4dj5B-mvaJTegp3nKQA2RWKHXcdNPVBN7YGQFwDiXIToVa2M9Mp6XuEgTv7WRajSfeC_zmsOiiIy/s1600/4+taco+place+valladolid.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taco place where I had lunch in Valladolid</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqzPP6nopts8NVmJ-hTN4AoF7P2suxdD1APBpbSzLn4PC1hb-SG8VQSW0ZFQvLadx8NzhQ_U-tErS_Cvulr7KcAiDHViRrjjbSyr3jsFcWhAfO6233ke99n57YB5zUyjVTyk-2kw894iCq/s1600/3+two+of+three+tacos+for+lunch+valladolid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqzPP6nopts8NVmJ-hTN4AoF7P2suxdD1APBpbSzLn4PC1hb-SG8VQSW0ZFQvLadx8NzhQ_U-tErS_Cvulr7KcAiDHViRrjjbSyr3jsFcWhAfO6233ke99n57YB5zUyjVTyk-2kw894iCq/s1600/3+two+of+three+tacos+for+lunch+valladolid.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2 of 3 tacos in Valladolid</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghNp5bCQcLnNRjttlRrtq9wMSAn02sQrI5tXXk7IABVIAa2eSgwKCjlshoaJfXluj38qlpliaq7003I-F99wdAb92SvOdEsxT7F9cVOToNOejM9gQzE-wlBRW4aK166DNVqkCEJoPrfYEF/s1600/7+bilingual+spanish+and+mayan+at+local+valladolid+store.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghNp5bCQcLnNRjttlRrtq9wMSAn02sQrI5tXXk7IABVIAa2eSgwKCjlshoaJfXluj38qlpliaq7003I-F99wdAb92SvOdEsxT7F9cVOToNOejM9gQzE-wlBRW4aK166DNVqkCEJoPrfYEF/s1600/7+bilingual+spanish+and+mayan+at+local+valladolid+store.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bilingual Spanish and Mayan on cash register in stationery store in Valladolid</td></tr>
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I arrived in Valladolid hungry, again, so I decided to walk around for 30-40 minutes before taking a taxi to the ruins of Ek Balam. First, I needed to find a bank. I asked the nice Mayan lady from whom I purchased 3 corn empanadas stuffed with pinto beans, where the nearest bank was located. Within minutes, I was inside a nicely appointed HSBC exchanging my 500 pesos note for a multitude of 20s and 50s. Even though 500 pesos is just over $50 USD, you would think it was a $500 bill from the way that everyone here seems to have an issue accepting it or making change. Even big convenience stores that you know must be raking in the cash each day based on how busy they obviously are...<br />
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Immediately after the HSBC, I discovered the first of 4 amazing juice and water popsickles that I ate today, perfect in the heat and overpowering humidity of the jungle as well as, of course, Valladolid. Man, it was hot today!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_sTEZNXlyf_baljyCbxo3Jq1BOpvSZ5On0R3S80cE2bK84xCDdC2qK62IXddK9Bt_Jooio5fQE2zZPwpqorTQrJQ8h5GF-VB_rnx2nUjDw7L8tJpBdthQOzFsbJW3lrkG8HZm60LZ3VL3/s1600/5+popsickle+place+valladolid.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_sTEZNXlyf_baljyCbxo3Jq1BOpvSZ5On0R3S80cE2bK84xCDdC2qK62IXddK9Bt_Jooio5fQE2zZPwpqorTQrJQ8h5GF-VB_rnx2nUjDw7L8tJpBdthQOzFsbJW3lrkG8HZm60LZ3VL3/s1600/5+popsickle+place+valladolid.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Best popsickle ever, Valladolid</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVgD2v6fI9vIf5NCluQJPUOFWeI3wXRKro1j3pyZ742QhyphenhyphenL7OK4ty6zNNfnkCbhKZHuad6DHQTUD7beV3PZOy9I-UXdPndxe0reFim1axnlSr1QhvMwa891Kt8wfBD7j2XQwxKs7I4YdoY/s1600/6+popsickle+%23+1+mango+valladolid.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVgD2v6fI9vIf5NCluQJPUOFWeI3wXRKro1j3pyZ742QhyphenhyphenL7OK4ty6zNNfnkCbhKZHuad6DHQTUD7beV3PZOy9I-UXdPndxe0reFim1axnlSr1QhvMwa891Kt8wfBD7j2XQwxKs7I4YdoY/s1600/6+popsickle+%23+1+mango+valladolid.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was the popsickle. Actually, the 2 pineapple ones at Ek Balam Welcome Center were the best I've ever had...</td></tr>
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Following this, I made my way through the streets, asking directions in Spanish when needed and having no issues whatsoever at this point on day 3 communicating with everyone here entirely in Spanish. I am also happy to say that at this point, though very basic and with a multitude of verb tense mistakes, I am no longer speaking "broken" Spanish for the most part, but rather simply speaking a "basic" (and very functional) version of the language. In other words, I am in no danger of presenting a philosophical argument to a large crowd and then debating with people following my speech, but at a much lesser level, I am now fully functional in the language for all of my daily needs. This both surprises and encourages me. One more language that I can now take seriously, picturing myself on the road to eventually fluency! Yay!<br />
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Anywho, found a taxi for 50 pesos to Ek Balam. Had to share with 4 gruff, local Mayan workers of some sort, on their way to the ruins for their jobs. You know, I was ripped off. Apparently I was supposed to pay 44 pesos, but instead was swindled into paying 50. I am really going to miss that 60 cents, let me tell you...<br />
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Ek Balam was amazing, and rather than writing anymore about it right now, I am going to let my pictures and videos explain how magical that place is:<br />
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Here are my thoughts on first entering the city from the jungle path I had followed from the welcome center:<br />
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Here are several other short videos that I shot, all self-explanatory, of the buildings and grounds approaching the main temple, which was the real reason I had come to visit this particular site today:<br />
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Here are my thoughts and experience climbing the huge pyramid / temple complex, first to the actual temple, now famous for its stucco work depicting several very important Mayan gods: <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pyramid / Temple stairs at Ek Balam: Visitors can climb all they want!!!</td></tr>
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Here are my thoughts, as expressed in a video shot at the very top of the pyramid complex, looking out over the jungle and following a short conversation I had with a Cancun local named Angel about how the tall Mayan pyramids would have been perfect for communicating with UFOs (OVNIs in Spanish):<br />
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I also couldn't resist, simply because I could, despite its sacreligious implications: I saw that my Mexico cellphone had a perfect signal in the middle of the jungle on top of a huge Mayan pyramid, so I called my parents to say hi and to let them know where I was at that exact moment in time. I think they got a kick out of the fact that I was calling them from the top of an ancient Mayan temple. I know that I did.<br />
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I want to write more here about my impressions of the way sound travelled up and down the stairs of the pyramid, as if the acoustics had been designed that way to allow priests and perhaps the city's kind to speak to the entire city from the top of the temple in a normal, only slightly raised voice and yet have the entire city hear him or them. This deserves much contemplation and study, and I wonder if any legitimate archaeological research has been done on this topic...?<br />
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From here, I descended the temple complex, stopping again at the stucco frieze of the various gods previously mentioned, in order to journal and catch some shade for a few minutes (under the palm leaf roofed canopy protecting it from the elements and sun). Then back down the the bottom to do some exploring of the as yet unexcavated "raw" ruins surrounding the main pyramid at Ek Balam.<br />
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Here are some videos I shot explaining the vibe and appearance of the unrestored buildings and pyramids at Ek Balam:<br />
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From here, I walked around the main temple pyramid once -- one complete circle, most of it on a shaded jungle path all by my lonesome (in fact, for whatever reason, Saturday and all, hardly anyone was at either the ruins site or the cenote at Ek Balam, which I will get to in a moment...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the few stone tablets at Ek Balam where you can still make out the glyphs</td></tr>
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Back to the welcome center for my third popsicle of the day. Whereas the second had been pineapple, pulp and all, this third one was a sour tamarind treat. So refreshing in the 90+ degree 10000% humidity weather that we had here today. Which they pretty much have everyday this time of year...<br />
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After enjoying my frozen tamarind treat, I decided to pay the additional $3 USD and walk 20 minutes to check out Ek Balam's own cenote.<br />
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What is a "cenote?"<br />
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Please watch the following several short videos and find out for yourself. Pretty amazing places, cenotes!<br />
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After a half hour of swimming (or really, treading water) at the cenote, I made my way back to the welcome center for my 4th and final (pineapple) popsickle of the day. Man, it was good -- and necessary after that last walk in that heat!<br />
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Because of carpooling logistics, I needed to wait about a half hour for there to be 4 people to share a cab (me and 3 others). In my case, a very nice Mayan local and 2 very slutty Chilean chicks, I believe. At least, I think their accent was Chilean. Not sure, though.<br />
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Got back to Valladolid with maybe 40 minutes to spare before boarding my bus back to Cancun. Walked around the city center and saw several sites, including a really nice park from 1900 and a very important and famous Colonial Era Spanish church from the mid 1500s: the Iglesia y Convento de San Bernardino de Siena
(San Bernardino Church and Convent). As a gesture to subdue and "civilize" the local Mayan "savages," the Spanish conquistadors who settled this area built the church with stones from the demolished Mayan temple that used stand across the street, where the park now stands. Ain't progress grand, folks?<br />
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Made my way back to the bus station, stopping to purchase 3 small chicken tacos and 2 large chicken tamales from a lady on the corner across the street from the station. Also picked up a bag of fresh mango at the same time from another street vendor. Prepared for my journey back to Cancun, I waited in the bus station and eventually my coach arrived, 15 minutes late.<br />
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A smooth trip punctuated by a dubbed version of one of the Thor movies and a long nap, I arrived back in Cancun around 9 pm this evening. Tired, I nevertheless walked "home" from the bus station, stubbornly refusing to allow myself to splurge on a $2.50 USD taxi ride. What was I thinking?!<br />
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Back here, I showered, uploaded all of my pics and videos from my phone to my laptop and Youtube, and then showered and typed this entry. I need to go to bed now, as I need to wake up in 5 hours to get ready and then catch a taxi to my rendezvous point for my all expenses paid day tour of Chichen Itza, the most famous Mayan ruined city of them all, tomorrow. I hope to add all picture and video links to today's entry tomorrow, after which today's entry will suddenly make much more sense. I am just tired right now and need to go to bed.<br />
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Thanks for reading, and look for more excitement tomorrow from Chichen Itza and another cenote.Brendan Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01949931004017533038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545530476235447089.post-33536459949644107002014-07-16T20:37:00.000-07:002014-08-24T16:50:15.559-07:00Today's Spanish Language Learning Digression 1: Learning Through Kids' Books<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hi Gang,</div>
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Here are my thoughts on using Spanish language children's books to take your Spanish from beginning to functional. Like the other "digression" videos, this was also shot last fall in anticipation of my cancelled / rescheduled trip, which I am now experiencing however many months later.</div>
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<br />Brendan Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01949931004017533038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545530476235447089.post-51111847232118926292014-07-15T20:38:00.000-07:002014-08-24T16:46:53.618-07:00Today's Spanish Language Learning Digression 2: Comic BooksSome of my thoughts on using Spanish language comic books in my own journey to functionality in this language:<br />
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<br />Brendan Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01949931004017533038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545530476235447089.post-28455370701001691012014-07-10T09:17:00.000-07:002014-08-24T16:41:32.508-07:00August 17: Day Tour of Cenote and Chichen Itza with multiple tour guidesI got so busy the past 2 days that I am actually writing this entry 2 days after it occurred. However, all of the pics and videos are uploaded and ready to go, so I hope to have this as well as the following posting up this morning, in the next few hours.<br />
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So today I did a packaged tour, very reasonably priced, via Go Mexico!, and I would highly recommend these tours to anyone. There was a bit of "pressured selling" going on throughout the day, which I will mention as it occurred, but because I stayed the course and did not succumb to the pressure of purchasing unnecessary tourist souvenirs, for me the experience was amazing and I can only give it a top rating!<br />
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So, up at 5:30 am, showered and got ready. Saw this little lizard guy scampering about my room as I was getting dressed:<br />
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Out and walked 3-4 blocks and crossed the 2-lane highway called Avenida Kabah / Rodrigo Gomez to the OXXO at the gas station near me. Loaded up on tamales, beverages, and cashed a larger bill to have money for a taxi and throughout the day.<br />
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It took a little while for me to catch a taxi, and I was getting a bit nervous because I had allowed plenty of time to get from my place where I am staying to a section of Cancun City called Plaza de las Americas, to the "Fiesta Inn by the fountain" where I was instructed to meet my tour group.<br />
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The only negative experience I had with the tour was actually understanding their rendezvous instructions and logistics regarding my pickup spot. When I got to the hotel, no one was there in reception and the entire shopping area where it was located was completely deserted at that hour of the morning, except for the gym in the adjoining building. To make things more complicated, there was no fountain of any kind in sight. Come to find out, this bare space of gravel by the sidewalks and taxi stand used to be a working fountain some years ago, and this was what they were talking about:<br />
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I called the tour company on my Mexican sim card / cellphone and prayed that someone would answer. Though I gave the lady my confirmation number and she found me in her system, for some reason she thought I was on a fishing tour and proceeded to give me VERY wrong instructions, completely different from my receipt from the other day. Finally I was able to get through to her that I was not going on a fishing trip and was instead waiting for a bus to Chichen Itza. Within minutes of me getting off the phone with her, after confirming that I was indeed waiting in the correct spot, people finally started to show up. A van with the Go Mexico! logo arrived and took me and a few other folks to a very cheesy tourist mall in the middle of the Cancun Hotel District, right across the street from the Convention Center.<br />
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After 2 coffees and 40 minutes of wandering the store looking at cheap plastic objects, my bus arrived and I boarded.<br />
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Because I was the only English speaker on the entire coach bus on this particular day, it was agreed that the tour guide would present everything entirely in Spanish. This worked out fine, and I am not exaggerating to say that I understood between 85 and 95% of the tour in Spanish for the rest of the day. This also inspired me to ask all of my questions in Spanish and to have mini-conversations in Spanish for the rest of the tour, including all interactions with locals and merchants at the sites. <i>Go me.</i><br />
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As you will read in this entry, the tour company missed no opportunity to parlay the tour experience with partner vendors to create a constant potential shopping experience in the cheesiest, almost "Chinese tour bus" kind of way. Those of my readers who have taken any kind of packaged tour in China for Westerners will know exactly what I am talking about. The constant bombardment with potential purchasing opportunities and the more than subtle pressure for everyone on the bus to buy things throughout the day was a bit much, but once I realized what was going on, I was able to politely refuse and even joke about needing to save my money each time someone asked me to buy something today.<br />
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The first such sales pitch came disguised as a very informative 30-40 minute presentation by our tour guide on the bus about Mayan mathematics and numerology, followed by a fairly detailed explanation of the Mayan calendar, how it works, and how it differs from the Gregorian notion of the passing of time. This was one of the most fascinating aspects of today's tour, actually -- this presentation on the bus by the tour guide.<br />
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It was only later, upon arrival at the cenote, that most of us on the bus realized that the whole purpose of that presentation was the encourage us to purchase hand crafted and personally calculated Mayan fortune-telling calendars, which might predict the best dates to get married, etc. Also encouraged were sales of beautiful (and costly) hand crafted sterling silver pendants with your name spelled phonetically in the limited Mayan character "alphabet" written down in the 1500s by Mayan scribes working under the immensely destructive priest Diego Landa, who single handedly was responsible for the destruction of thousands of years of Mayan culture when he ordered the burning of every single Mayan book then in existence with the exception of 3 that he kept as souvenirs and a fourth that was found some years ago in a store somewhere in rural Yucatan (don't remember the exact details but I read about it last fall during my initial research for this trip). <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first of many "hard sells" on today's trip -- annoyance or excellent partner business model?</td></tr>
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Anyway, this said, our first stop was a cenote, much like the one from yesterday in spirit, only this one was not a collapsed roof / hole in the ground cenote, but rather a full-on cavern with stalactites and stalagmites. Also, this particular cenote had been "built out" with cement stairs descending to cement platforms and a faux beach of sorts where teh well over 100 people sharing the space with me were able to leave their towels and belongings and wade out for maybe 10 or 15 feet before the bottom dropped out.<br />
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I could tell that this cenote was much shallower than yesterday's, and because there were so many people there, including obvious staff, presumably qualified to rescue struggling swimmers, I felt completely comfortable swimming out into the middle by this amazing shaft of light that shined through a 4 foot hole in the ceiling. What a wonderful way to spend a morning.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting to go in to the cenote...</td></tr>
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Back on the bus, I was pleased to listen to more Mayan history and archaeology from the tour guide, presented entirely in Spanish, and I really did understand almost all of it, more than 90% of it in real time, including several cute jokes that other native speakers laughed at. THIS is the way to go when learning a language if you are already at an advanced beginner or low intermediate level: do things, participate in social events that occur entirely in your target language and forget for a moment that this is not your first language. Just soak it up, let the spoken language of many people wash over you like a calming shower, or tranquil waves at a beach and simply allow your brain "to compute," as my friend Cecilie Gamst Berg in Hong Kong teaches her Youtube students about Cantonese Chinese. If you relax and allow the language to wash over you, once you know some basic vocabulary and sentence structures, things will start to make sense and gel in spite of any reservations the language learner might have. <br />
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If any of my readers are interested in my sidenotes on language learning, please contact me and I will be happy to reply to your comments!<br />
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From the cenote, our bus took the group to a very nice, spacious, clean buffet restaurant, where I was finally able to eat some vegetables other than starches. This was a huge breakthrough for me and my food allergies, which have been suffering a bit since I arrived in Mexico. There really isn't any kind of concept of "healthy" or "low carb" or "low sugar" or "vitamins and minerals" in any of the food here, from snacks on up to meals. I am finding that I really have to seek out alternate food possibilities here, and so far I have not been very successful. My skin has been suffering from the unnecessary sugar and starch in my diet, and I am really looking forward to an elimination diet of fruits and vegetables in a few days once I return to New York. Also, the amount of meat that I have consumed since arriving here, to the exclusion of fruits and vegetables, is astounding!<br />
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Before lunch, though, the tour guide spent over 1/2 hour telling us about the wonders of obsidian, volcanic glass that the Mayans considered a sacred material, which they traded honey and other goods to acquire from the volcanic highlands of Guatemala, and from which they made weapons and statues, jewelry, etc. Our tour guide explained that the type of obsidian used by Yucatan peninsula Mayans glows yellow in sunlight, and it was from first seeing statues of obsidian in the distance that the first Spanish settlers in this region of Mexico reported back to Spain that the Mayan cities were cities of gold. Actually, they were cities of limestone with black obsidian statues and adornments that glowed gold in the sunlight from a distance!<br />
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Well, this would have been a wonderful presentation in and of itself if it weren't actually a veiled sales pitch for the thousands of obsidian objects available in the giftshop of the restaurant. Should I buy a beautiful but completely unnecessary obsidian letter opener, or a mock sacrificial knife? I think I will stick with the agenda at hand and eat lunch...<br />
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Beverages were not included in my buffet lunch. That's where they get you. My Diet coke cost me $3.50 USD. Diet Coke in Mexico tastes different than in the US. I think they use Splenda in everything "diet" here...<br />
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The coolest thing about the restaurant where we stopped for lunch was the following: Our tour guide on the bus explained to us that there are Mayan ruins and relics EVERYWHERE throughout the Yucatan -- literally everywhere. Back in the day (1000 years ago or so), the Yucatan was basically a huge metropolitan area with interspersed rural communities of lower class and workers interspersed between the middle class and upper class cities. Because of this, everytime a hotel was built in Cancun, something Mayan was revealed and destroyed. Everytime a local Mayan-descent resident of the area formerly occupied by Mayans in Quintana Roo or Yucatan or Guatemala, or wherever, digs a garden or builds a house or digs a hole for any reason at all really, something "Mayan" is found.<br />
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Of course, most working class Mayan-descent residents of Yucatan, etc. don't want the Mexican government coming in a confiscating their property or land in the name of archaeology and national heritage, so most of the Mayan finds go unreported. Some people, though, do clean off their finds and place them in their gardens. Case in point: the restaurant where we ate lunch today. Check out these amazing Mayan relics found during the construction of the restaurant and now displayed by the parking lot and entrance to the souvenir shop:<br />
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On the bus to Chichen Itza after lunch came Hard Sell #2: Our tour guide, along with another Mayan fellow who had boarded the bus and was now traveling with the group to Chichen Itza, did an amazing 30 minute presentation on the traditional Mayan liqueur made from corn, honey, anise and several other ingredients. We were all given a little taste, and I have to say that it was amazing! Really wonderful tasting stuff -- a bit like Scottish Drambuie, if any of my readers have ever tasted that little bit of heaven.<br />
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The presentation was informative and really interesting. I was mesmerized. And then...Here was a bottle of Mayan liqueur that just happened to have a horrible photo of me on the front and I could purchase it for only $20 USD.Apparently someone had taken our pictures when entering the cenote. I had assumed it was for security purposes, much as occurs in some buildings in NYC with the security guards.<br />
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Very clever sales pitch. Fortunate, the photo of me was horrible and I really wanted to conserve my funds for the rest of the tour. I politely declined. I wonder how many suckers on the bus couldn't say know...Truth be told, though, it did taste pretty amazing, the liqueur. Alas, the photo I took of the bottle did not come out good, but here it is anyway, mainly for my own posterity as opposed to that of my readers:<br />
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If you are wondering what driving through the Yucatan is like, it is not all dense jungle. Some of it has been "civilized" and has a similar vibe, albeit in a distinctly Mexican style, to any rural highway in the United States:<br />
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At Chichen Itza, we received 50 minutes of guided tour, weirdly focused on human sacrifices and the techniques used to perform that ritual, and somewhat short on more practical knowledge of, say, THE BUILDINGS I was seeing. Nevertheless, the tour was informative, as was my hour of free time to walk around the ruins before boarding the bus.<br />
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First, our tour guide explained to us a unique acoustic phenomenon whereby handclaps and other sounds reflecting of the temple and stairs of the great pyramid at Chichen Itza create an illusion of a bird chirp, of a very sacred bird to the Mayans. Here is a video of that:<br />
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Here is a great pic of the Great Pyramid Temple at Chichen Itza, from an alternate angle:<br />
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Following this, we walked a bit, saw a structure where the heads of human sacrifice victims were stacked and displayed on poles:<br />
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Then we made our way to the giant ballcourt, where our guide explained the ritual that the Mayans performed there. Some might think of it as a game, but in what game that we know of today is the winning scorer executed in a public ceremony?<br />
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I encourage my readers to explore the world of the Mayans and to learn a bit about their fascinating culture which, due to time constraints as I type this, is beyond the scope of this current blog entry. I am happy to elaborate once I return to the US, should any of my readers leave a comment.<br />
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Highlights of the rest of my time at Chichen Itza included a visit to the sacred cenote, famous in books and magazines for the human sacrifices that the Mayans performed there:<br />
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Along the way, and indeed all over the Chichen Itza site, many local Mayan crafstmen were selling all kinds of handmade (and made in China) souvenirs:<br />
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From the Sacred Cenote, I made my way to the Temple of 1000 Columns:<br />
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Following this, I meandered through the rest of the "campus" for another half hour or so before needing to meet the rest of my tour group and depart. I would have liked to explore the gift shop, which I did not leave time to do on this particular occasion.<br />
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My impressions of the Great Pyramid at Chichen Itza</div>
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My visit to The Observatory, a Toltec addition to the city </div>
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following the collapse of the Mayan civilization</div>
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Back on the bus, most people slept for the ride back to Cancun, which was punctuated by a brief rest stop at the border between the states of Yucatan, where today's sites were located, and Quintana Roo, where Cancun is located. I read, watched videos on my Zune, and reminisced about the amazing day at a cenote and Chichen Itza.<br />
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I was able to convince the tour guides and bus driver to drop me off at the ADO Bus Terminal in Cancun City as opposed to the Fiesta Inn. I purchased some beverages, recharged my sim card, and caught a taxi back to my place, where I uploaded the videos from this blog entry to Youtube and promptly fell asleep.Brendan Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01949931004017533038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545530476235447089.post-77902832607295313042014-07-09T09:22:00.000-07:002014-08-24T16:41:04.915-07:00Today's Side Note 1: Learn Spanish from Carry Out Menus and Brochures<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Brendan Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01949931004017533038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545530476235447089.post-27836978878276083162014-07-08T09:24:00.000-07:002014-08-24T16:50:42.875-07:00Today's Side Note 2: Using bilingual children's books to improve your conversational SpanishSome of my thoughts on this excellent (and cheap) educational resource for advanced beginners and low intermediate students of Spanish:<br />
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<br />Brendan Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01949931004017533038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545530476235447089.post-52031698426190456662014-07-07T11:38:00.000-07:002014-08-24T16:40:17.839-07:00August 18: Tulum and Coba TourHi Everyone,<br />
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Thanks for joining me so far on my exciting Mayan adventure in Mexico's Yucatan and Quintana Roo states. Today will be a very detailed and exciting entry, as I visit the seaside Mayan middle and upper class city of Tulum and then the dense jungle of Coba, located further inland and surrounded by several natural lakes -- a very unusual geographic feature in the jungles of the Yucatan.<br />
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I woke up again at 5:30 am, again hot and wishing I'd had more sleep. It is very hard to get a completely rested sleep in this kind of heat and humidity without air conditioning. Have to keep that in mind the next time I visit Mexico, particularly if I visit again at this time of year.<br />
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Left my room at 6:05 am and headed to the nearest OXXO for more tamales (orange corn with shredded chicken inside -- I will definitely miss them when I return to NYC, and will have to find local sources in my neighborhood in Brooklyn. Tamales make excellent, food allergy-friendly breakfast food -- gluten free and pretty nutritious compared to a bagel or other typical NYC breakfast options. Also purchased the first of many, many liters of water that I would consume today. Literally -- I think I consumed 5 or 6 liters of water throughout the day in Tulum, Coba and afterwards, rehydrating my body according to my level of thirst.<br />
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Caught a taxi, a bit quicker this time, to Plaza de las Americas, to the Fiesta Inn, where I waited for my 7 am pickup -- this time very confident that I was in the right place. What a difference a little sense of confidence can make to a traveler when he doesn't really know what lies ahead on a given day!<br />
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Again at the cheesy tourist mall in the Hotel District, this time I ordered a large cafe Americano sin leche and 3 tasty beef and onion tacos in soft corn tortillas (the way that all "proper" tacos are served here in Mexico, of course -- none of that crispy corn tortilla shit, as I found quickly found out the other day). Also purchased a snall bag of fake coconut cookies which were tasty but too carby and would make my skin break out later today. Dumb food decision. Stupid Brendan, stupid Brendan...<br />
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The bus departed at 8:15 for Tulum, and either luckily or quite sadly, no one sat next to me on the bus. I think there were only 2 or 3 empty seats on the whole bus, and the seat next to me was one of them. <i><b>Note to self</b>, because this happens to me often on Greyhound buses and other public transportation in NYC (and I know that I don't smell bad or anything to that effect, and I also know that I am a halfway decent guy): Find out what vibe I give off that makes people not want to sit next to me on public transportation. Sometimes it is a good thing, and sometimes it simply makes me feel a tad bit lonely...</i><br />
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I shot some video of the drive from Cancun's hotel district to Tulum, to give my readers an idea of what the roads and countryside are like here:<br />
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Tulum was amazing. Rather than write about it, I am going to let the photos and videos that I shot speak for themselves.<br />
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Here are 2 short videos of our bus tour guide explaining in Spanish and English about the history of Tulum:<br />
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Here are my first impressions of Tulum, first at the bus stop / entrance to the park, and then upon emerging through one of the walled gates into the restored portion of this middle and upper class city on the coast:<br />
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And here are photos and video from the guided tour portion of my visit, as well as from my hour of free time to walk around the site:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYX7jNHHHNOuQYy3DFKeocby1UZEJz28XgajvzISsj3Bx7USoAWjz61q0I-omBu1QgrSnR8V2fKIPTmMpjCwFN217_ID2pLgDrmU7d0meelcrLWZ0MXh5r71POBkpga_hUWMJsBmTjVwsS/s1600/8+iguana+at+tulum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYX7jNHHHNOuQYy3DFKeocby1UZEJz28XgajvzISsj3Bx7USoAWjz61q0I-omBu1QgrSnR8V2fKIPTmMpjCwFN217_ID2pLgDrmU7d0meelcrLWZ0MXh5r71POBkpga_hUWMJsBmTjVwsS/s1600/8+iguana+at+tulum.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There were many iguanas at Tulum, perfectly suited to blend in with the rocks of the buildings and the grey, sandy soil.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This particular building was built on top of a cenote -- even on a cliff as it was, overlooking the sea!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpNmXx8NCD4KzVPc_fg4iUMOweDrM-auFy7-GV_gIe3XOFAJqutKJ1J56aaiAhNklszGpiQaq9oISlPXPb3fye6rcwfQjlKkITIf72ymdhZrnwTlY28fYVIBoXjMzkoUfe4umcgi6MV4F9/s1600/13+tulum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpNmXx8NCD4KzVPc_fg4iUMOweDrM-auFy7-GV_gIe3XOFAJqutKJ1J56aaiAhNklszGpiQaq9oISlPXPb3fye6rcwfQjlKkITIf72ymdhZrnwTlY28fYVIBoXjMzkoUfe4umcgi6MV4F9/s1600/13+tulum.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This building is actually overlooking the sea. On the other side of the building is a 60 or 70 foot drop to the beach below.</td></tr>
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From Tulum, we divided into several vans. Part of the group continuing on to a water park in the area for snorkeling, swimming with the dolphins, that kind of amazing stuff that I think I will do the next time that I visit Cancun (oh yes -- I am DEFINITELY coming back here, hopefully with a significant other to share the beauty and excitement of this place...). Part of the group proceeded to another cenote. And a third portion of the initial coach bus group was off to Coba. That was my subgroup. Yay!<br />
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On the way, we stopped at a restaurant serving traditional (modern) Mayan cuisine. I had no idea during the meal that we were literally 1/4 mile from the ruins of Coba, which was a very pleasant surprise, as I was super excited to see Coba -- a very different type of Mayan city whose ruins are still to this day literally in the middle of very dense jungle -- as opposed to yesterday's visit to Chichen Itza, for example, where all of the jungle vegetation has been cleared away to provide a huge open space to take in the enormity of the ruins, or Tulum, which is also a wide open space, having been cleared and also being right on the seashore.<br />
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Here are some impressions from the restaurant. During the mean, I had a wonderful conversation with Cindy and Jesse, a couple from LA, both of whom are spiritual counselors (Cindy is certified; Jesse is earning his certification in the same program). What lovely people, and we continued to have a nice conversation at the ruins of Coba after the meal.<br />
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This time, instead of a $3.50 USD Diet Coke, I splurged for a $3 USD
limonada, literally lemon juice and water over ice -- no sugar in mine,
thank you very much. Man, that was refreshing in this heat and humidity! <br />
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Here is a view of one of the lakes of Coba, right behind the restaurant where our group had lunch:<br />
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At Coba, like at Tulum earlier today, we received 1 hour of guided tour and then 1 hour of free time to walk around the area and explore the buildings and monuments. Coba is MUCH more spread out than Tulum, much larger and much older. Also much more confusing, without any kind of markers to tell tourists which way to go to see what, in any language. Spanish, English -- the difference is negligible for me now; I understand almost 100% of all rapidfire spoken Spanish coming at me at this point in my trip, unless someone is talking about a deeper concept, such as something philosophical, religious, political, or pertaining to love or relationships. Regular "non-fiction," and in particular at this point, archaeological words -- no problem with almost total comprehension now. What I do have a problem with is no map, no signs, and no other tourists or site guides to ask questions to...<br />
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When this oversight happens, one gets lost.<br />
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I got lost.<br />
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But, hey -- -- I am getting a bit ahead of myself.<br />
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Here are my videos and photos of Coba, along with a portion of the tour guide's shpiel and some explanation from me where necessary as to what you are looking at:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The larger of 2 ball courts at Coba, literally 1/10 the size of the one at Chichen Itza!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj44TCgh84sNgQQTnHww-tl4PiZelcVD8aQQU5RcyLPdV5FktaTIiQ8Ra_uy0uN2maELGCSL9aI3qGys5MwYhqMEi4K_vyHV_jfvoB3AJDtzMbIJCPcSlp9Iq6AmHvpiCpD4X70TTEMCE7I/s1600/21+new+friends+cindy+and+jesse+at+coba.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj44TCgh84sNgQQTnHww-tl4PiZelcVD8aQQU5RcyLPdV5FktaTIiQ8Ra_uy0uN2maELGCSL9aI3qGys5MwYhqMEi4K_vyHV_jfvoB3AJDtzMbIJCPcSlp9Iq6AmHvpiCpD4X70TTEMCE7I/s1600/21+new+friends+cindy+and+jesse+at+coba.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jesse and Cindy, my new travel friends from LA, whom I met at lunch today.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Note the way that the trees are growing out of these ruins. This is one of the main struggles that archaeologists always experience in clearing and restoring these sites for public view...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT9WqiPgZtXJYffYm7UKNiI_wh2USwiQRjARfRHmxbKvvIzVLjl6WNce7lc4pIho5nJfKn_tprY7gyfYzzM_xhqb6HBgfhyphenhyphenzsAnUpvBve1rMHrjPd_-lX9_3zWUvWX0d-4aWWP5sVr81ob/s1600/23+smaller+of+2+pyramids+coba.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT9WqiPgZtXJYffYm7UKNiI_wh2USwiQRjARfRHmxbKvvIzVLjl6WNce7lc4pIho5nJfKn_tprY7gyfYzzM_xhqb6HBgfhyphenhyphenzsAnUpvBve1rMHrjPd_-lX9_3zWUvWX0d-4aWWP5sVr81ob/s1600/23+smaller+of+2+pyramids+coba.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The shorter of the 2 tall pyramids at Coba, this one was constructed keeping in mind the concept of "women," or female energy. The other, taller one that you will see in a moment, has more steps and was constructed according to the Mayan concept of "men," or male energy.</td></tr>
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As I say, alas, I got lost at one point. In a way, this worked out in my favor...Our tour guide had attempted to dissuade all of us from taking a certain path that led off to some stellae in a more densely "jungle-fied" portion of the park, and though I thought I was on the right path to go climb the tall 127-step pyramid at Coba, the most famous building there, instead I accidentally visited the stellae.<br />
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Again, just because I could, I took advantage of the absurdity of this moment -- having perfect cellphone reception in the middle of the Yucatan jungle -- to call my parents and tell them where I was. Sometimes the blending of nature and man can be jarring, but also kind of wonderful...</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a STELLA. Originally, it had a combination of glyphs and a drawing of a god or king.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Not one to be daunted or discouraged, though, I asked directions from one of the pedicab drivers waiting near the stellae area what was the quickest way to "the tallest temple." Thanks to a brilliant shortcut over a rocky path and through more jungle, I emerged in time to see the tall pyramid, but unfortunately not to climb to its top -- which had been one of my goals of visiting Coba.<br />
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Sniff!<br />
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Can you hear me crying?<br />
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In all seriousness, it was fine, if a bit disappointing; I had gotten to climb the temple at Ek Balam, and unless I am mistaken , the one at Ek Balam seemed either taller or at least around the same height.<br />
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Here is a video of me lamenting not having time to climb this pyramid at Coba:<br />
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Unfortunately, I shot one more selfie video at this location and my phone died, corrupting the video, which I then had to delete upon returning to my room last night and charging my phone. Also unfortunate was that I did not get to video my bumpy and super fast pedicab ride back to the entrance to the Coba archaeological site to meet my van -- which would have been amazing, had I been able to shoot that.<br />
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Again, we cannot have everything in life.<br />
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Sniff.<br />
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Upon returning to the entrance to the park, I paid the $7 USD for my pedicab ride and made my way to the exit, using the restroom and meeting my co-travelers from my Go Mexico! van. There was enough time to purchase and consume another liter of cold bottled water, as well as yet another pineapple pulp/juice/water popsickle for $2 USD -- maybe the best thing I had ever eaten in my life, given how overheated and dehydrated and just TIRED that I was at this point in the afternoon.<br />
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I want to remember the beauty of the experience of eating that pineapple popsickle in front of the entrance to the Mayan city of Coba for the rest of my life.<br />
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From Coba, the van drove us all back to Cancun. It was still daylight and I paid attention, really paid attention on the ride back, whereas everyone else in the van (besides the driver and tour guide) slept. I was able to see and get a feel for the layout of the entire Mayan Riviera from south to north as we drove past many enormous resorts, then through Playa del Carmen, and then into Cancun's hotel district. I am so glad that I got to see that, that I really paid attention, and I am making a note to myself now in this entry to look on Youtube for some kind of video tour(s) of all of these same resorts, so I can remember them vividly going forward, and so I can consider possibly visiting one or more and staying there some point in the future, perhaps with the family I hope to have one day.<br />
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Once the van dropped everyone back at their hotels in the resort section of Cancun, I was able to convince the driver and tour guide again to let me off at the ADO Bus Terminal in downtown Cancun. Drinks and snacks purchased at OXXO, I caught a taxi back to my place where I am staying, uploaded all of my pics and videos from today's tours, and crashed -- legs, body, mind and soul tired from my 13 hour Mayan adventure.Brendan Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01949931004017533038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545530476235447089.post-46078560215351028452014-07-06T11:44:00.000-07:002014-08-24T16:39:56.693-07:00Today's side note 1: Using phrase books and other similar resources to improve your Spanish<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Brendan Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01949931004017533038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545530476235447089.post-27467141238190292132014-07-05T11:48:00.000-07:002014-08-24T16:39:43.279-07:00Side note 2: Using Target Language Textbooks to Learn the Target Language...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Here are some of my thoughts on using textbooks written in Spanish for elementary school and middle school-aged children in order to learn and improve one's Spanish grammar, <i>and also in order to provide a general overview of the language as understood by a native speaker</i> -- as opposed to how it might be taught at an English-speaking high school or college in the US:</div>
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<br />Brendan Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01949931004017533038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545530476235447089.post-45484729317136684432014-07-04T16:51:00.000-07:002014-09-04T18:17:01.733-07:00August 19: Last Full Day in Cancun: Museo Maya, San Miguelito, and La Playa (Finally, Sort Of...)Hey Guys and Gals,<br />
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So my last full day in Cancun. Wow -- time really goes by fast, huh?<br />
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Well, today, I allowed myself to "sleep in" until 7 am, at which point, I got up and finished uploading photos and videos to my Chichen Itza / Cenote posting and then published that one. Following this, I went and grabbed some breakfast at neighborhood favorite Tacos Rigo.<br />
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I stayed at Tacos Rigo for about 2 hours, maybe a bit longer, and speed-wrote 15 solid pages in my journal. In fact, I actually finished that particular journal book, which provided a nice sense of accomplishment while I drank cup after cup of free refill black coffee with a tiny bit of sugar and non-dairy creamer to make it interesting.<br />
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It is nice that here in Cancun City, there is the same concern for restaurant hygiene that we have in the US -- at least in theory:<br />
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From here, I went off in search of an ATM, as my cash reserves had dwindled and I wanted to not feel pressured for funds on my last 2 days in Cancun. Due to a misreading of the ATM fee (it was unclear whether the fee was in American dollars or Mexican pesos), I decided to challenge myself to make due with $16 USD and a credit card for the remainder of my time.<br />
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Even at 10 am, the sun was really beating down on me, so I headed back to my room and typed, then uploaded pics and videos for my Tulum / Coba posting starting around 10:30 or 11 am. This took a couple of hours due to me needing first to type the posting and then to upload all of the pics and videos (which I'd had the foresight to upload to Youtube the night before -- yay for advance planning!)...<br />
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Here is a video and a pic of my neighborhood from my perspective on the morning of my last full day in Cancun:<br />
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Here is a scan of the map that Walter gave me the first evening that I arrived, which I've used to navigate the downtown area of Cancun City the entire time I've been here. <br />
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Around 1 or 1:30 pm, I had a nice conversation with my AirBnB host Walter, who works from home as an independent hotel industry consultant. Following this, I braved the R2 (bus for local residents) from Avenida Kabah /Rodrigo Gomez (the main drag near my room) to the Hotel Zone in the resort area of Cancun. I was going to El Museo Maya, bitches!<br />
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As one progresses in a vehicle from Cancun City towards and then through the Hotel Zone, the buildings noticeably begin to change, to grow in size and in scope, eventually becoming the size of football stadiums, many of which include their own music and entertainment venues where major US acts go to perform. In fact, Jon Bon Jovi and his new group are performing at one of the hotels sometime in the next month -- very cool stuff!<br />
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Here are a bunch of very short 30 second videos in chronological order that they were shot from my seat on the R2 bus, showing the evolution of the Hotel Zone from the region closest to downtown Cancun (where I was staying) on up through the major resort hotels, each literally the size of Madison Square Garden:<br />
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At this point, a blind singer got onto the bus and started busking, along with his young teenage daughter, who was collecting money in a clear plastic cup:<br />
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My Spanish was really getting good -- or at least very functional and comfortable at this point in time, so I was joking with the driver a bit as I asked him to please let me know when to get off for El Museo Maya -- Cancun's own Mayan history and archaeology museum. As luck would have it, the bus stopped right across the street from the Museum:<br />
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Upon entering and paying the $5.90 USD entrance fee, I was asked to check my bag in a secure locker (for free, no less), and I was given a key to carry with me for the rest of my time there, so I could be confident that the contents of my backpack would be safe, and so that the museum staff would be equally as confident that I would not steal anything from the outdoor portion of the museum, which I will get to in a moment.<br />
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Here is a pic of the welcome area for the museum, through the turnstile after I paid for my ticket:<br />
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And here, <i>dear readers</i>, is a near complete walking tour in videos and pics of San Miguelito, "Little San Miguel," the Museum's own complete, if tiny, late Mayan settlement -- which included quite a few houses; a very large municipal building with columns and other architectural similarities to the other cities I had visited on this trip; and a really well-preserved, if tiny, pyramid of 6 levels (if I counted right), which means that the settlement was vacated before the end of the last 52-year temple-building cycle, one level short of the standard 7-level pyramid, according to my Coba tour guide from the day before (see yesterday's blog entry for more on this).<br />
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[Literally] A walking tour of San Miguelito:<br />
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Here are the remains of a fresco on the stucco wall inside the foundation of this house. It is very hard to make out in the photo, and indeed in person, but it is, nevertheless, very faintly there -- cool for having been buried in the jungle for 600-700 years!<br />
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Note how thick the plaster is in certain spots on the walls of these buildings. For the most part, the plaster has all but disappeared from the buildings at other sites such as Chichen Itza, where you will remember that the insides and outsides of major buildings only show their stone construction -- with occasional bits of plaster remaining here and there...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD90EUGWowcUx0LLsvWUWu1wQLobrDdDKtYCVbfhqRcCmpI6KlsH44esRK1s8X1Nk-eZkYVegn927MgHknfvv2W3IJunwf_ZBRYfNuBMBiRZvgIi2TTYLr7z729B0ypjA-fOTIue5B5_s-/s1600/6+thickness+of+mayan+plaster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD90EUGWowcUx0LLsvWUWu1wQLobrDdDKtYCVbfhqRcCmpI6KlsH44esRK1s8X1Nk-eZkYVegn927MgHknfvv2W3IJunwf_ZBRYfNuBMBiRZvgIi2TTYLr7z729B0ypjA-fOTIue5B5_s-/s1600/6+thickness+of+mayan+plaster.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD90EUGWowcUx0LLsvWUWu1wQLobrDdDKtYCVbfhqRcCmpI6KlsH44esRK1s8X1Nk-eZkYVegn927MgHknfvv2W3IJunwf_ZBRYfNuBMBiRZvgIi2TTYLr7z729B0ypjA-fOTIue5B5_s-/s1600/6+thickness+of+mayan+plaster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
Halfway through the tour, I discovered these 2 archaeological test pits dug into the ground on the side of the path near the municipal building mentioned above.<br />
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Near the first pit was an emormous mound of soil that had been cleared aside, which it turns out, contained the remains of a midden. Now I can understand why they had me check my bag; within minutes of me looking at the ground, my trained eye spotted Mayan pottery fragments; a piece of a specific kind of mollusk shell, which I later found out in the museum that the Mayans used as a form of currency while trading with other villages and cities; and a fragment of bone that had obviously been carved with some sort of Mayan design or another -- all just sitting on top of the ground next to this pile of soil, waiting for archaeologists to continue their work as time might allow.<br />
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More than time spent at the other sites, the 5 minutes I spent inspecting this midden and looking closely at the ground in front of it and to the side of the gravel pathway that I walked on while shooting these videos allowed me a glimpse into the real, everyday lives of the Maya circa 1300 or 1400 AD, right before the Spanish arrival, and it was just as if I had wandered into one of their bathrooms and was able to inspect their toothbrush and to see what brand of toothpaste and shampoo they were using. I felt very lucky for this brief, but intimate glimpse into everyday Mayan life as it existed between 600 and 700 years ago.<br />
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Really VERY cool stuff.<br />
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After returning along the loop of San Miguelito's shaded path, past the ruins for a second time and past some really cool mangrove trees...<br />
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...I climbed a series of very avant garde ramps from ground level to several stories above, where I entered the museum portion of the Museum.<br />
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Here is a slide show that I have prepared of the Mayan history and archaeology / art portion of my museum visit. It shows up pretty small on your screen (especially on a smartphone), BUT you can click on any photo that is sliding past you on the mini screen and a new window will open to the Picasa album that contains all of the full-sized photos I took from the Mayan history and archaeology museum exhibit. You can then manually scroll left or right from beginning to end and take as long as you like to view any one photo. (Of particular interest might be the collection of little "tooth people" near the end of the album. Right out of a 1970s US "Mr. Yuckmouth" public service announcement TV commercial!):<br />
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After visiting 2 rooms of Mayan and Yucatan Peninsula archaeological finds, I proceeded to a special exhibit pertaining to some of the Yucatan's earliest inhabitants, including Ice Age skeletons dating back 12,000 or more years. The exhibit was called "El Hombre Temprano en Mexico," and though I was not allowed to take pics, here are 2 official publicity photos from the Museum's official Facebook page:<br />
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If you visit the page at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Museo-Maya-de-Cancun/405638132838520">https://www.facebook.com/pages/Museo-Maya-de-Cancun/405638132838520</a> and scroll down to their August 9 entry, you will find their welcome message to tourists (in Spanish) advertising this new and very special exhibit.<br />
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Highlights of the exhibit were actual Ice Age human skeletons, including a near complete man from 12,000 years ago who stood 5'7" tall and whose bones appeared to be much more robust than my own, including extraordinarily wide shoulders and large hands and feet! We tend to think of people from hundreds of years ago, let alone thousands of years ago, as shorter and smaller than the people of today. Not so with these individuals who occupied the Yucatan Peninsula during the last Ice Age! Really cool stuff, and a bit of a revelation for me regarding how I pictured these folks from so long ago. I believe that most, if not all, of the skulls and skeletons in this special exhibit were discovered during various construction projects in and around Quintana Roo, Yucatan, and other states making up the entirety of the Yucatan Peninsula.<br />
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From the museum, I made my way to the nearest the bus stop heading back towards Cancun City, which happened to be 1/2 of a block away. Super convenient stuff, getting around by bus in the Hotel Zone. And the R2 only costs about 90 cents flat rate each trip, regardless of whether you go 1/4 mile or the maximum number of stops!<br />
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I made small talk with the driver, asking about various public beaches that I might get off and explore. Alas, by this time, it was already 6 pm on my last full day in Cancun, so I had officially missed my chance to get sun on the beach during my Cancun vacation. I must be the only human being EVER to have come to Cancun on vacation and never soaked up sun and waves on the beaches of Cancun!!!<br />
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I had intended to visit a beach called Playa Delfines, close to El Museo, but the guard at the museum from whom I asked directions had no idea where that particular beach was (in spite of it being like 4 blocks away, come to find out], so she sent me in the wrong direction. Once I was on a bus and realized my error, and given the limited amount of time I had left in Cancun to actually go to a beach and enjoy myself for a few moments, I decided instead to get off at Playa Chac Mool, close to the "hook" of the Cancun Hotel Zone.<br />
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Here are some pics and video of Playa Chac Mool:<br />
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From Playa Chac Mool, after enjoying a mere 20 minutes or less in the very warm ocean, I dried off and walked further down the road to a restaurant district including the famous Coco Bongo club and associated free public beach.<br />
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Here is a video of this area of the Hotel Zone, as well as of Coco Bongo public beach:<br />
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I was really hungry at this point, but as I mentioned in my last blog entry, I was having no luck with ATMs in either Cancun City or Cancun Hotel Zone, so I made do with my remaining $14 USD and purchased a $1.40 USD hot dog. It was horrible, but I was hungry, and the spicy tomato-based relish as well as the jalapenos that I loaded onto my dog made it at least palatable.<br />
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From here, I caught an R2 bus back to Cancun City -- and in fact, to within 4 blocks of my room where I was staying!<br />
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On the way back, I passed something that I had seen 2 previous times, on an island in the middle of the road that connects downtown Cancun to the Hotel Zone:<br />
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It is really hard to make out, but underneath the trees in this spot is a complete outdoor "all weather" version of a machine-weight lifting facility, with the same stations you would see at any gym in the US -- and which, in fact, I see at my own gym in Park Slope, Brooklyn everyday. I just thought this was SO cool, and it appeared to be completely free for the use of any locals or tourists who might happen upon it and recognize it for its exercise potential!<br />
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Upon arriving back at my room, I dropped off my stuff and knocked on my host Walter's door, to check in with him one last time before leaving the following morning.<br />
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Here is a picture of me with Walter, taken as a selfie on my Android phone right outside the door to my room on his patio walkway:<br />
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And here, as an update to my blog, is the photo that Walter took at the same time on his phone:<br />
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From here, I walked to Tacos Rigo for one last meal, knowing that I could use my credit card to pay for my $10 USD dinner in lieu of using up my remaining cash. While eating at Tacos Rigo, I had a great, long phone conversation with my good friend Twyla about a guy she started dating. It was really nice to catch up with her from so far away -- made me feel a bit more grounded and connected to home while away.<br />
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After Tacos Rigo, I headed back to my room to organize my "stuff" accumulated during my trip and to take my still damp clothes from the clothesline in Walter's garden, where I had hung them the day before after a cursory rinse of everything while I took my shower the day before -- thus ensuring that I would not be packing mildewed clothes in my checked luggage for my flights home. Alas, my plan was not completely successful; my clothes no longer reeked of sweat and jungle air but were, nevertheless, still very damp when I finally packed my suitcase the morning of 8/20 before leaving Walter's home and walking to the bus station.<br />
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I am getting ahead of myself, slightly.<br />
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I spent most of the rest of the evening today having a very important conversation with a very important person from New York. It was not an easy conversation, but it was necessary for my personal growth.<br />
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After hanging up from my friend, I breathed deeply, stretched a bit, and went to sleep.<br />
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<br />Brendan Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01949931004017533038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545530476235447089.post-68619585235030846092014-07-03T17:19:00.000-07:002014-08-24T16:38:30.288-07:00Language Learning Side Note 1: Audio Visual Resources and SoftwareMy thoughts about using A/V resources and software to learn Spanish:<br />
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<br />Brendan Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01949931004017533038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545530476235447089.post-26220443738754019582014-07-02T17:22:00.000-07:002014-08-24T16:37:51.847-07:00Language Learning Sidenote 2: MY NUMBER ONE RESOURCE FOR LEARNING SPANISH!!!!!!And, last but definitely NOT least, <span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>MY NUMBER ONE RESOURCE for learning Spanish</b></u></span> -- hands down, nothing else compares or even comes close to this one resource from 1992 and its accompanying materials -- all available either for free online (<a href="http://www.annenberg.org/">http://www.learner.org/series/destinos/</a>) or at a very small cost (books, workbooks, and audio cassettes or CDs) from Amazon and other used books websites:<br />
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<br />Brendan Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01949931004017533038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545530476235447089.post-66364413539007272452014-07-01T07:49:00.000-07:002014-08-24T16:51:42.157-07:00And finally, August 20: Say goodbye to Cancun, babies -- and hello to weather-mitigated flight delays and a ridiculous subway ride home from JFK Airport...Hi Gang,<br />
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And with this entry, I officially end this particular blog...until my next one-week trip to Mexico -- hopefully sometime in the next couple of years, since I really enjoyed practicing my Spanish and visiting so many archaeological sites -- again, a dream of mine since I was a little boy.<br />
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So, on this last day (or portion thereof) in Cancun, I work up at 5:30 am and packed all of the items that I had laid out the night before. Though not nearly to the extent of my 2013 Hong Kong and China trip (for those of you who might have read my 300-plus screen blog at www.speakmanylanguages.com), I did indeed wind up overpacking for my Mexican Yucatan trip, and in hindsight could have made do with only 2/3 of the items and clothes that I brought with me. Still, somehow, it was easier to fit everything into my suitcase going home, rendering it at a much lower profile than when I packed it in the first place in NYC prior to my departure for Mexico on the 14th.<br />
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After a quick shower and a once-over of my room, I locked up and deposited the keys in Walter's mailbox on the wall outside of the entry gate that you all saw in my previous video of my Cancun accommodations. From here, backpack on and wheeling my small but stuffed carryon behind me at 8:10 am, I negotiated the walk from my room to the ADO downtown Cancun bus station one last time. It was a bittersweet experience. On the one hand, my week in Mexico has been truly amazing and with only one super tiny "regret," if I can even call it that: that, because of time constraints, I did not have time to climb the tall pyramid temple atI en Coba 2 days ago. And this was not really a "regret" in the grand scheme of regrets (or of my life) -- merely a minor disappointment, since I had gotten to climb the temple at Ek Balam on the 16th and film a panorama from that top of that building.<br />
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I really savored my walk through the various neighborhoods and regions of the city center (see map in yesterday's posting for a pen trace of my walk from Walter's home near the intersection of Avenidas Kabah/Rodrigo Gomez and Chichen Itza, turning right on Avenida Uxmal to the ADO downtown terminal). Upon my arrival at the shopping center across the street from the bus station, I purchased some Yucatan-style tamales for breakfast ($1.25 USD each and huge and with shredded chicken and spices inside and one of my favorite foods that I will miss from this trip, that I will now need to seek out in NYC). I also purchased my last diet apple soda of the trip (my one "vice" this trip has been to sample as many wonderful Splenda and stevia-sweetened diet sodas as possible in such excellent flavors as apple, cranberry, orange, and aloe, all made with real juices).<br />
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Sitting in the bus station, I killed 30 minutes by making a mess of myself, eating my two tamales with my fingers instead of a fork like a civilized person -- and I drank my apple soda. I also drank the OXXO brand cafe Americana coffee, black with a bit of non-dairy creamer "borrowed" from Tacos Rigo the day before. The coffee was good -- Mexican coffee is mellow and really quite lovely compared to some of the other varietals of the beverage. Finally, my bus boarded.<br />
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My voice does that thing again in this video that I don't LIKE, where it goes UP at the end of every PHRASE for at least the first MINUTE or so. Shit. Need to STOP that...<br />
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I arrived at the airport with plenty of time to check in, check my baggage, make my way through security and passport control, and make my way to the food court area.<br />
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Since I didn't post any pics or videos of the airport upon my arrival, due to my frustrations at the time with my non-working cellphone SIM card, I am posting a few impressions now, so my readers will get a feel for Cancun International Airport:<br />
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With over an hour to kill, I purchased a super tasty $9 USD BLT sandwich with a decent amount of really tasty bacon and a good portion of romaine lettuce plus a few slivers of red onion thrown in for shits and giggles. I declined to purchase a $5 USD small bottle of water in favor of a $5.50 USD Starbucks medium cafe Americana, black, to which I added the second packet of Coffeemate that I had "borrowed" yesterday from Tacos Rigo. I love when I think ahead...<br />
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A wonderful coincidence, or synchronicity, occurred while waiting in line to board my plane. I was in zone 3 of 3 to board, and the couple standing next to me was obviously American. We started talking. It turns out that they live in Brooklyn, right down the street from me in my neighborhood of Park Slope. Further, the coincidence or synchronicity exploded in its wonderfulness when it became apparent that the three of us were actually sitting in the same row, right next to each other, on our flight from Cancun to Atlanta. We were also, by default, sharing the same flight from Atlanta to NYC after our mutual layover!<br />
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How cool is that?!?!<br />
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Here is a picture of my new friends Marcello and Kristen, with whom I got to hang out during the entire flight from Cancun to Atlanta, as well as during our protracted layover of several hours due to bad weather and a hold on all departures for a small window of time in Atlanta:<br />
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The conversation was incredible, and I feel blessed to have made 2 new friends from my own neighborhood in Brooklyn!<br />
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Upon arrival in Atlanta, delays were all around, so the three of us took the opportunity to continue our conversation over various foodstuffs in Terminal A's food court. I chose Chick-fil-A, my one fast food vice in the US, which I am literally compelled to eat as if in a drug-induced waking sleep whenever I see one. 8 chicken nuggets and a medium waffle fries later, I felt kind of gross (I rarely eat fried foods anymore), but oddly fulfilled at a soul-deep level. Amazing what a Christian chicken joint can do for one's psyche...<br />
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Somehow I was bumped to zone 1 when boarding our flight from Atlanta to NYC, probably because I was sitting in the back of the plane, 2 seats away from a very loud jet engine. All around me on this flight were various members of either a local Atlanta college baseball team, on their way to NYC to play one of New York's college teams at City Field.<br />
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Alas, Kristin and Marcello were sitting 10 rows in front of me on this flight, and they did not have any checked bags, so I did not get to speak to them for the rest of the evening. I was later invited to share a cab with them back to Park Slope, but my phone died while I was texting to find out where they were standing. As readers will see in a moment, this was tragic, because by the time I got to the taxi queue, taking a taxi home was no longer an option for me last night. I will explain momentarily...<br />
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So, anywho, my flight from Atlanta was uneventful and I was able to label a bunch of photos for yesterday's blog entry during the flight on my laptop. I also listened to some Dream Theater on my Zune and realized how much I need to sing again at this point in my life, in order to heal a very deep wound in my soul that I myself put there 6 or 7 years ago.<br />
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After collecting my carryon bag, which I had declared both on the way to Mexico and now on the way back, so that I could take my own large tube of sunscreen among other things, I had high hopes of catching a taxi home. However, when I got to the taxi stand at terminal A, there were literally over 100 people waiting in the longest line that I have ever seen anywhere EVER for a taxi. I think it would have taken me over an hour or more of waiting in line to even get to the point when I would have been close to the front of the queue, so I made the completely well-intentioned but equally stupid decision to take the Airtrain to the NYC subway to my usual 25th Street R stop in South Park Slope, Brooklyn.<br />
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What a mistake! I would up taking the Airtrain to the J, to the A, to the F, to the D (which was running local at this point on a Wednesday evening/Thursday morning). I left the airport around 11 pm and did not get to my Brooklyn apartment until 1:30 am. Holy shit, was that grueling. Especially since I was miserably tired by this point, and a bit food allergy-ized from some food I had eaten earlier in the day -- including, most likely, a bit of egg in the batter of the Chick-fil-A chicken nuggets that I'd had for dinner earlier on this evening.<br />
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Well, I finally did get home, and after feeding my 3 cats, I washed my face, brushed my teeth, and crashed -- allowing myself the luxury of "sleeping in" until 7:30 am the following morning. Sometimes it is nice to pamper oneself...<br />
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And so, to all of my readers of this brief, but hopefully informative blog about my Mayan explorations in Mexico's Yucatan region...THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ THIS BLOG, AND TO CHECK OUT MY PHOTOS AND VIDEOS. I hope that this has been informative for you all, and I welcome any comments or insights...either about my vacation itself, or about my suggestions for learning Spanish -- and, by extension, for learning any language using fun, creative resources widely available on the internet, at used bookstores such as New York City's The Strand in Union Square, and on such popular used books web portals as Amazon.com, etc.<br />
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Again, thank you all, very much, for joining me on this special journey. Very best wishes to All!Brendan Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01949931004017533038noreply@blogger.com3