TRAVEL Archives - Reflections

Stepping back in time in the Yucatan

The non-toll road has massive speed bumps!

Robert and I took the non-toll road to Izamal and it felt as if we were stepping back in time in the Yucatan. The non-toll road is slower going than the toll road and requires extra careful driving because of speed bumps on the road. These bumps, which are about 2 or 3 ft wide, several inches high, and cross from shoulder to shoulder, could do real damage to a car if approached too fast. They are not painted so they blend with the road top in most cases. They also are within towns as well as outside the towns. My guess is that as the towns grow along the highway, new bumps are placed near the city edge, while the old bumps, further within the town, remain. The towns have few cars, some motorcycles and there are people on foot or peddling tricycle carts.

The little villages are worth a look!

The non-toll road is an interesting road because of the little villages and towns it goes through. Each village has a town square and a church, both of which are usually photogenic. The churches are still in use. Often a funeral, wedding or other personal and familial event is in process.

Each town has a beautiful central church

Baños (Sanitarios) Public Bathrooms

Something I hadn’t seen before in Mexico when traveling are the signs for baños or sanitarios on some of the stores along the highway. The signs mean that the store is offering a bathroom to the public. The few that I have availed myself of were clean. The charge for using the bathroom is usually less than ten pesos, often five or eight. So it helps to have some change in pesos in your pocket. Of course there are restaurants, taco stands, and handcrafts in almost every town.

Izamal is one of our favorite towns

The yellow buildings in the main part of town, give Izamal an attractive and inviting appearance.

Named a Pueblo Magico because of its history and charm, Izamal is about an hour from Merida. Our first visit there was last fall. It’s a very peaceful place to stay, there are good restaurants and the people seem to be very welcoming. Actually it’s one of the favorite places we have visited on this three year journey in Mexico. For the time being, it is clean, quiet and not crowded, but I think it will become very popular now that the Maya train stops there. Once tourists discover its quaint charm, its good food, friendly people and the very big pyramids (big, though not really tall), it surely will grow.

This pyramid in Izamal doesn’t seem too impressive until you realize that the huge grassy field in the foreground is the flat top of the supporting pyramid.

Xcambo Archaeological Site

From Izamal we drove to visit the Xcambo ruins near the coast on the northern side of the peninsula. My understanding is that this city of the long ago past was situated and successful because of the nearby salt flats and consequent trade in salt. While the reconstructed buildings aren’t big, intricately decorated or as grand like those at Uxmal or Chichen Itza, the site was more extensive that I expected and there are several building groups to explore. There is also the shell of a church, built right on a Mayan structure, obviously an effort of the Spaniards to overcome any lingering vestiges of the religious sensibilities of the Maya inhabitants there.

this church structure is built right on top of a pyramid’s entrance area

Mosquitoes cut short my enjoyment of the site, though, as I hadn’t applied repellent before I arrived and they got me!

Sidewalks and Sacbes

The drive from Izamal took us through several small Maya towns. We noticed that the towns all had raised sidewalks. The sidewalks reminded us of the Maya sacbe ruins we have seen that once upon a time connected the ancient Maya towns to one another. We’ve seen vestiges of sacbes (sacbeob) at several sites. There is one, apparently, at Xcambo as well. In contemplating sacbes in the Yucatan, I think about the downpours of rain in this region and how this civilized people, the Maya, would have desired raised roads or sidewalks to keep their feet out of the muck.

Visiting Antigua, Guatemala

Recently I spent two and a half weeks visiting Antigua, Guatemala, the old capital of the Spanish kingdom of Guatemala. The city of Antigua,Guatemala, is a UNESCO world heritage site because of its history and beautiful architecture. I first visited there in 1963. Subsequent visits to Guatemala took me to the Mayan “capital” of Xela (Quetzaltenango), Chichicastenango, Tikal, and many other towns and sites.

Fears, generated by reports of the civil war that raged for two decades, kept me away until the 1990s, when I returned to spend a few weeks in Antigua, learning Spanish one-on-one at a language school. I returned again a couple of years later. My recent visit was after a 25 year hiatus and I was very surprised by both the changed and the not-changed that I saw. This post will address some of the changes I noticed.

Brilliant Textiles

In 1963, brilliant textiles caught my eyes and I loved them. That hasn’t changed. Guatemalans still produce brilliantly colored hand crafted textiles. Vendors still wear the beautiful traditional Mayan garments. The women, wear long skirts, intricately decorated woven belts, blouses which are called huipiles, fabric headgear, and shawls. They carry baskets, laden with their wares, often on their heads.

Colorful purses line the stairway at the mercado central in Guatemala City. — Colorful purses, belts, shawls, and table runners line the market stairs.

Everyday clothing for most people in the region is now a mix of traditional and manufactured goods. People wear what they want to wear and what is affordable. Traditional Mayan garments are extremely time consuming to weave, therefore expensive, compared to manufactured clothing, so people opt for cheaper manufactured clothing . Take a look at a Maya woman weaving in this video that Robert recorded at the museum of textiles in San Antonio Aguas Calientes. She is using a traditional backstrap loom.

The hand woven textiles are very colorful. Many women still weave, using a backstrap loom. pictured.

Colonial Ruins

The earthquake of 1976 had a big effect on Antigua. While I visited in the 1990s, I didn’t pay much attention to architecture, as I was in Spanish class all day until nightfall. But on this recent trip, I visited some of the landmarks and old churches. Since returning home, I compared my old photos from 1963 to my new ones. Some of the ruins that were easily accessible are now gated or fenced off. On my next trip, I will chase down some of the ruins and find out more about their stories. On this trip, a two week visit, I developed a fever a few days after arriving, so I lost a few days of sightseeing. Hopefully, I will return soon to catch up with my original plans.

This photo from 1963 is of the Covent of Santa Clara. You can see the brilliant sky and Volcano Agua framed in the arch.

This courtyard photo with Volcan Agua was taken in 1963.

Food

Antigua has many restaurants that feature the cuisine of far off places, German, French, Italian and so forth. Because of its status as a world heritage destination, Antigua has an international flavor. But móy goal was to find a restaurant that featured a breakfast of fried plantains, beans, fruit, eggs, tortillas, and coffee, the traditional breakfast that I remembered from the 1960s. And, yes, I found restaurants that still serve just that type of breakfast.

Prices are a lot higher now than in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1990s. The food is delicious, the fruit and vegetables succulently flavorful.

I took this photo in the mercado central of Guatemala City.

Visiting Antigua, Guatemala, gives many options for dining! I was not disappointed.

Shoes and Water Jugs

In the highland areas outside of Antigua, in 1963, none of the Maya women I saw had shoes. The women carried water in a round jug made of clay on their heads. By 1964, many of the women were still carrying water, but in plastic jugs, the same color and shape as the clay jugs. Too, shoes had been introduced. They were a type of plastic in bright colors. I think they were imported from China. Now, 60 years later, almost every person I saw wore some type of shoe. However, I didn’t stray very far from Antigua, so I can’t write about the highland villages.

In Antigua, where water comes to a public central location, water now is piped to residences. You can see the women washing in the photos at a 2012 article on Antigua here.

Cooking Fires

Women I saw in 1963 made meals over charcoal or wood fires and inhaled a lot of smoke. I didn’t really pay attention to that in 1963, but during my visit in 1970, I realized that it would be a very difficult life if I had to cook over such a smoky hearth. But many women still cook over smoky fires in Guatemala. Though other forms of stoves are available, for reasons of tradition or cost, many women have not given up their centuries old cooking techniques and tools.

Cell Phones

Cell phones are common in and around Antigua. This could have surprised me, but it didn’t. I wasn’t surprised, because of the conversation I had with a fellow American during lunch while in Antigua in 1997.

The lady I met over lunch worked for AT&T. She was in Guatemala, working on a project to bring cell phones to Guatemala. I expressed surprise. After all, many people in the USA did not have cell phones at that time. She told me that mobile or cell phone technology was a no-brainer for developing countries, as the in-ground phone infrastructure was dilapidated and inefficient. It would be costly and almost impossible to bring it into the 21st Century. So, her company planned for cell phone technology to bypass all the old infrastructure. The new towers would bring Guatemala and other third world countries into the modern era of communications. And so it is! Cell phones are everywhere. Sim cards are available at the airport and at little shops all around Antigua. I bought one immediately and put it in my dual SIM phone and had cell service, data and phone calls.

The Swami’s Message about War and Peace

What a guru taught me about war and peace

It was 1967, Haight Ashbury, San Francisco and I was in the newly opened Hare Krishna store-front temple. The temple was next-door to the Diggers, near the Panhandle. The temple’s swami and founder, Swami Bhaktivedanta, as he was known then, gave lectures and led chanting. I attended on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings. Usually less than a dozen people attended these lectures. The swami chanted prayers, led group chanting with his harmonium, and gave a lecture. His lectures were mesmerizing. Incredibly articulate, he ended his lectures by asking us if we had any questions. I was far too shy in that setting to ask any. But the others weren’t so shy. They asked questions about many topics, many about the Viet Nam war. That conflict was disrupting life for many of us. War and peace were the pressing issues of the times.

This Mantra Rock Dance January 29, 1967, was my first exposure to chanting and to the elderly swami, later to be known as Prabhupad.

The disruptor of my life was my own actions

While the real disruptor of my life at that time was my own actions, I also fretted on the ongoing war. I couldn’t fathom why the war had started and why it wasn’t ending. The government’s reasons seemed unconvincing for many of us. Coupled with our lack of belief in the need for the war was our real fear of escalation. Growing up, many of my age mates and I heard that World War 2 was the last survivable war. Many believed that future war would lead to the use of nuclear weapons and end life on earth. We wanted the guru to tell us something about politics or how to end the war. But his message about war and peace was quite different than I expected.

Conflict is part of life on earth

What he told us was that war and conflict was part of life on earth. This elderly man, the swami, told us that the only way out was to chant the holy names of God. He offered that Hare Krishna was the very best transcendental method to use. Yet, he encouraged us to chant Jesus’ or any name we normally used to connect to God. In that way, he opined, we will be transcendental to the world. He said that the world only ever offers conflict, but spiritual life gives a way to transcend the conflict. I didn’t really believe what he said back then. Yet the world is still as full of conflict as ever, despite organizations, movements, and moneys spent to establish peace. His words echo more true as the years pass by.

Transcending the Conflict

I took up the swami’s suggestion, not immediately, but over time. Within the year, 1967, I gradually incorporated meditation, hatha yoga, chanting, and prayer into my life. Reading scriptures of many faiths, along with attending classes and lectures, supported my journey. With the insights initially provided by Swami Bhaktivedanta, I perceived the common spiritual thread that connects humanity.

The gist of swami’s message is that we are able to transcend the conflict that is intrinsic to earth-life experience. We transcend, not by changing the earth, but by changing ourselves.

We Visited Playa del Carmen Several Times

We first visited Playa del Carmen in 1991 or 1992 on a stop toward the Tulum ruins and points south. Playa del Carmen at that time had sand streets, a few one story small hotels near the beach, and a sign advertising a not yet built development called Playacar. The ferry to Cozumel was the draw that brought most visitors, as Playa’s population was very small.

Map showing Playa del Carmen on the coast south of Cancun. — Playa del Carmen lies south of Cancun and north of Tulum on the Mayan Riviera of Quintana Roo, Mexico.

We were surprised by the well-developed city we found here when we returned in 2021. We stayed several weeks while we considered making our home here. But we wanted to see a little more of Mexico before deciding.

In January, 2022, we left Playa to travel more around Mexico. We stayed from days to several months in various Mexican cities.

When we returned this past spring, we leased a newer condo with a great pool and a view from the roof. After our lease expired we moved to a bigger and older condo two blocks from the beach and two blocks from 5th Avenue. I am really happy to be close to 5th Avenue, a walking street, where pedestrians rule!

5th Avenue

5th Avenue is a walking street in the tourist area of Playa del Carmen. It’s lined with restaurants, bars and shops selling clothing, handcrafts and more. I suspect that lots of the handcrafts are mass produced in China. In any case, the shops are eye catching. Live entertainment in many of the restaurants and bars as well as street performers in exotic looking costumes capture or assault the senses. I love walking streets and 5th Avenue doesn’t disappoint.

Running parallel to the beach, 5th Avenue extends for about five kilometers, with the action becoming quieter as the street extends further from the center of town. On the beach itself, there are often public events. Crystal bowl, copal, and meditation ceremonies at the new and full moon attract many visitors.

We swim when the water is calm and beautifully clear.

The Beaches

I often walk to the beach at dawn, which is a common activity for people who live here. At that hour, a quiet vibe prevails, unlike later on in the day when the beach is crowded with sunbathers, vendors, swimmers and music. Early in the morning, some take pictures as the golden orb crests above the clouded horizon, others sit to welcome the sun in meditation, while others begin their morning swim.

A Woman Sounds Her Gong at Dawn at Playa del Carmen — A Woman Sounds Her Gong at Dawn

Sandwiched between the mornings spent at the ocean and the evening visits to the beach or 5th Avenue, the rest of the day here is usually uneventful for us. We haven’t found a native market, but there are supermarkets, where we get just about everything we need, and smaller produce markets.

Getting Around

Our new neighborhood is in a pricey taxi district, so we usually walk to a different zone if we need to take a taxi to somewhere further away.

When we want to go outside of Playa, Robert rents a car. We’ve so far visited several of the archaeological sites on the Yucatan Peninsula. We have plans to visit more.

Archaeological sites are less than a day's drive from Playa del Carmen. — The Yucatan Peninsula is rich with Mayan sites. Playa del Carmen is within less than a day’s journey to most of them.

I Still Have Hobbies

Recently I decided that I wanted to sew or at least play around with sewing. I was able to find two used machines for sale that are identical to the ones that I left behind in California. I now lack nothing in the sewing department.

Cleaned up, tuned up and ready to use, the two in front are my purchases from Playa.

Buying the machines was interesting in itself, because both of the machines were located in the non-touristy area of Playa. It was kind of an adventure to go into the different neighborhoods. And it meant that I was finally learning enough Spanish that I could ask how the machine ran before I bought it.

Travel Tips for the Absent-Minded or Newbie Flyers

Here are some travel tips based on my own experience.

Purse and Fanny Pack

1. A purse is my airline approved “personal item”. I also use a fanny pack that is big enough for tissue, passport, my phone and a few small items I want securely close to my body. The fanny pack doesn’t seem to count toward the carry-on allowance.

2. My purse is roomy enough for a change of clothes and a few personal items. I like that I don’t have to dig through it to use my phone or pull out my passport, as those are in my fanny pack. Most airlines consider a purse to be a “personal item”. It can be fairly big, but it has to fit under the seat in front of you. Check your airline’s website for a detailed description of what constitutes a personal item and its maximum size.

My favorite purse is a Baggallini shoulder bag. Inside my purse I stitched cords to which I secure my wallet and other small items. My wallet, key and passport holder have loops that I stitched on them, so I can snap them onto or off of the cords. The idea wasn’t mine originally. An old travel purse was made that way, but, since my Baggallini bag had none, I decided to add them myself. Though my effort has an amateurish look, the result works as desired. After accidentally leaving my wallet on a store counter one day and then walking out of the store, I realized that all my valuables should always be tethered to the inside of my purse.

I sewed a cord into the purse for clipping on my wallet or key. — The purse has a cord for securing my wallet.

Backpack or Carry-on Suitcase

3. The backpack or carry-on luggage has everything else for a short trip.

4. Since Robert and I actually have lived out of suitcases for a large part of two years of travel, we also have checked bags. But if we go simply on a short vacation trip, the fanny pack, purse and carry-on suitcase or backpack would serve me well.

Shoes

4. I wear shoes that are easy to slip on and off, as US flights require the removal of shoes when going through security.

Laptop

5. At security, if you have a laptop in your backpack, you must remove it and place it in the tray to go through the scanner. It can’t remain in the backpack, even though the whole backpack will go through the scanner too. I take the laptop out of it protective cover before getting into the security line. But I put the protective cover back onto it before walking toward the boarding gate.

Warm Clothes

6. I wear layers of clothes. Airports and airplanes can be quite chilly. Wearing the clothes will keep you warm. If you are too hot, you can take off a layer if you want to. Wearing the layers saves space in your luggage, too.

Drinks Avoidable and Necessary

7. The planes are packed full these days. Don’t expect a roomy flight. No one seems to get up to use the bathroom on these crowded flights. If you have any urinary weakness, do not drink coffee before you board the plane!

8. Part of the necessary expenses of flying is having to dump your water bottle at security, only to have to buy bottled water inside. And it’s pricey. But you really should not let yourself get dehydrated, be sure to buy water for yourself if you are going to be sitting around in the airport lounge for a while.

Water in some countries is not considered potable. I assume that includes tap water in airports.

Gum

9. One of the travel tips that I recently learned was to have chewing gum with me on flights. When my ears started hurting upon descent, a woman next to me gave me chewing gum, saying it would help. Chewing the gum really did clear the pain away as we landed. I will always fly with a pack of gum from now on.

More Travel Tips

You surely can easily find more travel tips by searching on the web. Here is a site I found that you may like: www.worldpackers.com/articles/first-time-travelers

A Short Visit to Izamal

We decided to make a short visit to Izamal, near Merida. Izamal was the first of Mexico’s Pueblo Mágicos. The magic of Izamal is not just the beautiful yellow color of its buildings and abundance of plants. Izamal also has Mayan pyramids, historic churches, and a huge public square, complete with horse-drawn cart rides.

Izamal's buildings are a bright golden shade of yellow.

The central area’s streets are cobblestone. The cobblestones seem to be set deeper than those in some other historical town I have walked in, so they didn’t poke into my shoes.

Our horse drawn carriage ride took us by each of the four large pyramid sites in Izamal. Later that day we walked to view them. They were not all open for exploration. We climbed the largest accessible structure, though, which seemed enormous. Climbing the side to what we thought was the top gave us access to a large grassy platform, itself the base of a smaller pyramid.

The grassy platform is the top of a very large pyramid supporting this smaller pyramid structure. — Izamal’s largest pyramid KINICH KAK MOO has a plateau that supports this smaller pyramid.

Though Izamal is not as famous as other Pueblos Magicos, it is bound to become better known in a short time. Soon, it will be a stop for the new Mayan train that encircles the Yucatan.

In the evenings, we watched and listened as hundreds of birds flitted about in the public square jockeying for roosting space in the trees. https://youtube.com/shorts/Mi46-s8TYeM?si=iQIafgwk61wVoWLI

Izamal shows off its status as a Pueblo Magico with festive decorations.

I would gladly visit this charming and ancient Pueblo Magico again. If you plan to go to Izamal, you may enjoy learning more at this site A Day in Izamal: The Magic Town & Its Massive Pyramid – Sailingstone Travel.

Xel-Ha Archaeological Site

Xel-Ha archaeological site is easy to visit on the way to Tulum from Playa del Carmen. We had a lovely visit to view the ruins and the cenote. I forgot to use mosquito repellent, so I brought home some itchy souvenirs all over my body. Apart from the mosquitoes, the site is peaceful and parklike.

beautiful cenote at Xel-Ha — The view of this beautiful cenote was the reward at the end of our walk along the *sacbe*

We walked along the ancient sacbe, which is a causeway or raised road, which took us to a structure and to a beautiful cenote. I haven’t done the research, but the structure’s proximity to the sacbe caused me to guess that perhaps it served as a kind of “guard house” to screen people or goods coming toward the city on that ancient road.

This structure sits near the path of the *sacbe*

When we visited Coba archaeological site, we learned that a sacbe connected Coba to Xel-Ha in pre-Colombian times. The sacbe facilitated trade between Xel-Ha and Coba. Xel-Ha provided goods from the sea and shore such as fish and shellfish.

The number of structures that we saw indicated that this was no small village, but a place of substantial population and importance. There are also archaeological remains across the modern highway 307 at the Xel-Ha park. We didn’t see those on this visit, as it is not connected to the Xel-Ha archaeological site.

Altogether the visit to the site took an hour or two.

Arne Trettevik: The Star Shaman of South Palm Canyon – California Desert Art by Ann Japenga

https://www.californiadesertart.com/arne-trettevik-the-star-shaman-of-south-palm-canyon/

Arne Trettevik: The star Shaman of South Palm Canyon and his art is the subject of the article linked above.

Several years ago Ann Japenga interviewed me. Ann is a writer based in Palm Springs. She wanted to know about the artist who painted the paintings that I was selling. My response piqued her interest enough that she wrote the above article.

Arne, the subject of Ann Japenga’s article, introduced me to the wonders of Mayan archaeological ruins. Until I saw his slides (photos), I didn’t know much about what Mexico and Central America offered. His seven month journey in Mexico, Belize and Guatemala inspired me.

The gallery below has a small sample of his photos. Unfortunately, my scans of the original beautiful Ektachrome slides are somewhat drab.

Photos taken in 1962: Isla Mujeres, Campeche, cenote at Chichen Itza, unknown volcano, Villahermosa and the PanAmerican Highway,

This is Star Shaman Arne in 1962 — Photos taken in 1962: Isla Mujeres, Campeche, cenote at Chichen Itza, unknown volcano, Villahermosa and the PanAmerican Highway,

Shortly after I viewed Arne’s beautiful slides of his unusual (for the times) journey, he invited me to come down to Mexico to see for myself. Without hesitation, I did, and we spent several years together studying and traveling. In those days we climbed the pyramids and often we were the only visitors around.

Ultimately, there is something about being alone in these ruins that expanded our awareness of different cultures and ways of being. Travel, in general, changes the traveler. Here, in the ruins, my sense of connection to nature and spirit was enhanced.

It’s some sixty years later and I am still fascinated by this region. Most recently, I visited Xel-Ha archaeological site with Robert. I wrote a blog post about Coba with photos here. I plan to visit more of the sites. Although I earned my master of arts degree in Cultural Ecology by doing scholarly research on the region, my visits now are strictly for my own enjoyment.

Coba Archaeological Site

Coba Archaeological Site

Coba Archaeological Site was our choice for our third day trip in the rented Nissan March. This important Maya site was not new to me. When I worked on my master’s thesis in Anthropology, years ago, I read many journal articles about Coba and the findings there, particularly in regard to Coba’s food crops and its urban settlement patterns. Robert and I then visited Coba shortly after I finished my thesis in 1990. During that visit, my memories of what I learned were very fresh. Alas, my recollections were not as clear this time.

View from top of pyramid 1991 — View from top of pyramid on our 1991 visit to Coba

Nohoch Mul pyramid as it looked in 1991 from it distant pyramid neighbor — You can see how spread out the ruins are in the photo taken in 1991

At the site entrance, we hired a guide!

We hired a guide for a two hour tour and slowly walked the path from one pyramid to the other. Coba archaeological site is big and the featured pyramids are spread about. Though we walked with our guide to the furthest of the ruins that we planned to see, our guide encouraged us to hire a pedicab for the return to the site’s entrance. He told us that the fares for the rides help his ejido. So we rode in a pedicab back to the starting point at the entrance to the site. You can enjoy our view from the pedicab here!

A view of Coba's lake from the ;road leading to the site entrance — A view of Coba’s lake from the road leading to the site entrance

During the walk, Robert asked if we could see the lake from the path. The guide led us to a spot where we had a glimpse of the lake. Robert remembered viewing the lake on our visit to Coba in 1991 from the top of the pyramid.

Our guide told us that since the last big hurricane the lake has had crocodiles, which washed in with the hurricane’s waters. He told us that prior to the hurricane, the lake had no crocodiles, so the people of the ejido used it for swimming, but now it is dangerous.

Glimpse of Lake from top of pyramid 1991 — The top of the pyramid offered a glimpse of Coba’s lake 1991

During the walk, our guide showed us copal trees and how the sap is taken and processed to make into a hard resin. Copal is the incense of choice for all the ceremonies around here and was during pre-Colombian times, as well.

Mayan Bees Are Tiny!

Our guide pointed out the Mayan bees on one of the trees. I read about these bees when working on my thesis, but I had never seen one close up. The tiny stingless bees make honey that is more syrupy than the honey of European bees. They live in trees. I was fascinated to see them up close. Later, at an store at the site’s entrance, we purchased a tiny jar of it!

The surprise that I enjoyed on this visit was the opportunity to walk among the trees along the path. The heat of the August didn’t seem to penetrate the canopy of foliage. It actually felt comfortable. Out in the sunlight, away from the cover of trees, though, it was challenging to stand and look at the archaeological ruins! A couple of days before, during our drive through the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, I had been disappointed that we couldn’t really walk through the forest. Here, we did walk and it was surprisingly pleasant. In the photos above, which are scanned from slides that Robert took in 1991, you can see how dense the foliage is in this part of Quintana Roo.

The ruins of Coba are surrounded by vegetation. — The ruins of Coba are surrounded by vegetation

Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve day trip from Playa del Carmen

The Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve

Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve day trip from Playa del Carmen was our first day trip since moving to our apartment here in Playa. Though we had other places in mind as well, the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve topped our list. Up until recently, the comfy buses were great for travel between cities and withing cities, but we knew we would see more if we rented a car. The car we rented was a Nissan March, a smallish simple 4 door hatchback. Robert did all the driving.

From Playa del Carmen, we headed south to Tulum. The main beach road in Tulum, Avenida Coba, is also the highway that heads south into the biosphere reserve. Robert’s goal for our day trip was to get as far as the Boca Paila bridge.

Sian Kaan roadsign — Sian Kaan road sign

The unpaved road was a bit rough. Since the car was small, Robert drove slowly and very carefully. That way, he managed to avoid bottoming out in holes, ridges or gullies on the road’s surface. The road obviously had endured some rainstorms since the last grading, but recent days had been dry, so it was a perfect time to explore. Although it isn’t that far from Tulum, it took about two hours of driving on the unpaved road to get to the bridge. The foliage of the reserve is beautifully green, deep and dark. I would have loved to walk a bit in the forest. It appeared to me that the plants were bigger there, the fan palms had enormous fans, the pinnate palms were tall with deep green fronds.

Sian Kaan Biosphere Reserve foliage along the roadside — The fan palms seem enormous in the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve!

Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve is not exactly as I expected, but lovely nonetheless!

I expected a park where we could get out and walk among the trees along the road and access the beach. But through most of the zone, at least as far as the Boca Paila bridge, there was fencing near the road. The fencing demarcated private or off-limit property, so that we could not access the beach on the one side nor the lagoon on the other. Some of the properties had signs indicating they were lodges or guest houses of some sort. There is a rustic restaurant in the reserve a few kilometers from the entrance. We did go there. At the restaurant, though we didn’t access the beach, it appeared that we could have walked down to it. The picture below is of the beach from the dining area.

Ocean view from the dining area of a restaurant in Sian Kaan — A simple restaurant near the entrance overlooks the ocean

Since we had planned only a day trip, I hadn’t done research on staying in the Sian Ka’an biosphere reserve. We do plan to visit Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve from Playa del Carmen again, but not for a day trip. We will stay at Punta Allen, the end of the road settlement that offers various levels of lodging to visitors. Next time, to get there, we will take public transportation, a tour, or rent a much sturdier vehicle.

View toward the ocean from the Puente Boca Paila — View from the *Puente Boca Paila* (Boca Paila bridge)

The Puente Boca Paila was the turnaround point of our day trip. We stood on the bridge and took some photos. It was a very hot afternoon. Although Robert would have gladly walked to the ocean on the nearby path, it was too hot for me to attempt it and waiting in the car would have even been hotter. Next time we hope to choose a cooler day for our visit!

Traveling when Old!

Traveling when old has similarities and differences to traveling when young. Two years ago, Robert and I uprooted ourselves to travel in Mexico. But we didn’t settle in one place. We’ve traveled around. The ease of using the buses, planes, hotel and Airbnb sites made short term stays in different areas fun and affordable.

We have more luggage now!

There’s a big difference between the kind of traveling we do now and the kind that we did in the ’60s ’70 and even the ’80s. For one thing, we use suitcases now, while we preferred backpacks back then. Everything we need for our everyday lives fits in two suitcases, each, but they aren’t little suitcases. Dragging them through a bus depot or airport is embarrassing. I used to travel lightly and proudly, without encumbrances other than a small backpack.

Things that we didn’t need before when traveling include things that didn’t exist in the 60s, 70’s and 80’s, like our laptops, cell phones and their associated cables and chargers, keyboards and my 21 inch monitor.

I have a lot of vitamins, a neck massager, a “ma roller”, wraps for knees, wrists and elbows, a heating pad, ice pack and more. Even though I don’t have any aches and pains at this moment, I carry these tools. And though seldom, I have used each and every one at least once on this journey. In reality, it’s a lot easier to pull something out of my suitcase than try to find an open store in some tiny unfamiliar town at ten o’clock at night or 5 in the morning.

Mail

As a grownup and elder, I don’t have a mom or dad to take care of my mail and things back home. Thankfully, with cell phone and laptop, I take care of most of my mail (digital), order supplies that I need and pay taxes online. Infrequently, we order physical mail to be sent from our physical mail center, when we can’t get back to pick it up in person.

When we left for Mexico, I had only clothes for moderate and warm weather. After a few months in the tropical lowlands, we went to Mexico City in mid-January. The cold was impressive and we immediately went shopping for sweaters, jackets and warm pants. These items added to what I carry. I replaced my small suitcase with a larger size. Now, my several changes of clothes include items both for the cool highland climates and tropical lowlands. I only buy clothes that wash and wear easily. Though I wash some things by hand, most often we take our clothes to a nearby lavanderia. Here in Mexico, do-it-yourself coin-op laundromats exist in some cities. We prefer those.

Good health is vital when traveling!

Since my first serious encounter with tropical illness in 1965, I don’t take good health for granted.. Therefore, I have vitamins and herb supplements that I would have never dreamed of carrying in my youth. Supplements that are reputed to build the immune system are part of my daily regimen. For my mental and physical well being, I think this two year journey has been very beneficial.

We pay attention to the body’s need for exercise and fresh air, so we travel slower.

A big change between now and when we were young is that our bodies rebel when confined to a bus or airplane seat for hours. While we used to cover lots of ground by traveling long distances at night, we avoid overnight rides now. We plan our trips so that we are on a bus or plane for no more than four to six hours, preferably two or three. We then stay no less than two days at the destination. This gives us a chance to stretch out, walk, rest, and see a bit of of a new place. Even if not a preferred destination, we have found there is going to be something interesting to see or do everywhere.

Photos are easier to take and store now!

In the past, photos taken by my camera required developing into prints before I could see them. It seemed costly to take too many and I was never sure if they would turn out right. Some of the places we have visited lately are places we visited 30, 40 or even 60 years before. I wish I had more of my old pictures to use as comparison photos, but I only have a few of each place, some not in focus or with good lighting.

Of course, my cell phone takes great photos. I can take as many as I want and discard the failures! And keep them in the cloud for future viewing. It’s great to not have to lug slide projectors and slide trays around. Fortunately, I scanned all my old slides, converting them into digital jpgs in 2006. All my old slides are in the cloud now, too.

Carolyn 1966 on Cousin Inez's deck overlooking the harbor of Genoa, Italy — Carolyn 1966 on Cousin Inez’s deck overlooking the harbor of Genoa, Italy

Selfies are not very flattering!

Daily in social media I see photos of young beautiful women who pose so gracefully in front of every monument, beach or festive crowd. That is not us at this time of our lives. I wish I had more photos of a photogenic me, but, alas, the photos reveal me as I really am.

Carolyn and Robert with the observatory at Palenque in the background. — Traveling when old is just as fun and exciting as it was when we were younger, but we cover less ground than we did before!

Language Fluency

I’ve traveled in Mexico since the 1960s. In the 60s, I had just come out of high school and college where I spent four years studying Spanish. In subsequent trips, I never was at a loss for words. But when we came to Mexico in 2021, I would open my mouth, rapidly speak a few words and then a deafening silence. Somehow, in the past twenty years, I had forgotten most all the Spanish I used to know. Limited to only remembering some words and phrases and verbs only in the present tense. I would have feared for my memory, in general, but in the past twenty years, I had no problems with remembering other things that seemed important. Passing the real estate exam, substitute teaching, running a small online business, mastering the art of horoscope interpretation, and more occupied the past two decades, so it must have been just a matter of attention and practice.

Language Apps to the Rescue

Language apps are wonderful for filling in the memory gaps. Google Translate helps when I read articles or even a menu in Spanish. I downloaded the Language Transfer app and use it sometimes. It helps with understanding the structure and origins of Spanish.

I use Duolingo daily. I love how the lessons are short and easy to do at various times during the day. At first Duolingo was frustrating, because it took me through beginner’s, present tense lessons, for almost a year before “introducing” me the past tenses. But obviously, I needed the review, or the app would have moved me on faster. I’m still not fluent, but I am heading there. And in addition to learning the language, it feels like there are other learning benefits. All in all, travel has been good for my brain!

Relocation Astrology

Relocation astrology is a relatively recent branch of astrology. It isn’t one of my specialties, but I am aware of it and calculate relocation charts from time to time. Astrology software quickly calculates relocation charts, so I often look at them to see how different places might affect me. But I haven’t actually made any serious choices using them.

Since leaving California, Robert and I have been traveling through Mexico. It’s been an exciting journey for us – a journey of connection to each other and exploration of the greater world. We have not yet integrated into a community anywhere, as we’ve been moving a little too fast for that. At the same time, we haven’t had a sense of social isolation.

Relocating to Playa del Carmen

Shortly after arriving in Playa del Carmen, we signed a 6 month lease for an apartment. All of a sudden, after signing that lease, I felt very very lonely. I felt like I was in a trap. The sense of isolation surprised me. After a few days went by with no change of mood, I remembered to create a relocation chart for this area.

All of a sudden I could see it quite plainly, my Moon is in the 8th House here. Saturn is in my 1st. My friendly natal Venus in Gemini is in the 12th in this location. A big chunk of my depressive feelings lifted as I saw that it was locational and situational. It wasn’t Robert isolating me, it was a locational choice and I am free to move, albeit with a loss of money. Interestingly, moving here coincides with transit Saturn conjoining my natal Moon. So it is as if I moved to a place, unknowingly, where the energy of the Saturn conjoined Natal Moon transit would be actualized.

A lesson I’ve learned is that traveling with the concept of just visiting is totally different than committing to stay, in the same way that dating is different from marriage. Astrology speaks to all these conditions, and the next time I get ready to sign a lease I’m going to be sure to check my locational astrology chart.

We chose Playa del Carmen for a long stay.

Besides that we love the beaches, we chose Playa del Carmen for a long stay because of the warm, year-round ocean temperatures, familiar stores and services, good restaurants, and the Cancun airport, which is less than an hour away.

Full moon over water reminds us that the tides are affected by the moon’s phases.

My first visit to Playa was in 1992, when Playa had sand streets and a few one story guest houses or small hotels. At that time, Playa’s claim to fame was its ferry service to Cozumel. Since then, the city has elevated its position into a destination in its own right. When we visited in 2021, we decided it would be a good choice for a longer term stay. At the time, though, we opted to continue our journey through Mexico.

I found the comparison photo, below, on the web. The top photo shows Playa as it was in 1974 while the photo below it is from 2010. When we visited in 1992, it’s size was still similar to the 1974 view

We visited many places in Mexico between 2021 and 2023.

Between 2021 and 2023, we visited Merida, Mazatlan, San Miguel de Allende, Puerto Vallarta, Tlacapaque, Mexicali, Tijuana, La Paz, Progreso, Ajijic, Campeche, Tulum, Orizaba, Cordoba, Villahermosa, Coatzalcoalcos, Palenque, Chetumal, Bacalar, Ciudad del Carmen, Mexico City, and more. We stayed from a few days to several weeks in each locale, returning to Playa del Carmen this past June.

When we chose Playa del Carmen for a six month stay, we rented an apartment in an eclectic gated community called Tohoku. The location is about a half mile walk from the beach. There are supermarkets close by and a Walmart, a bit further away.

Our first apartment had a lovely view from the roof.

Within walking distance in every direction, there are restaurants. The mariscos restaurants have all manner of fish and seafood dishes. We like Nativo Restaurant and the natural food store nearby, where we get freshly made blender drinks and juices to go with our meal. There is a lot more we want to explore here. Playa del Carmen is big and spread out.

view to the west from our rooftop — View of Playa del Carmen, to the west, from our rooftop.

One of the reasons for the spread of Playa del Carmen is that, by law, no building can be more than five stories of living quarters with a sixth floor deck. So there are no high rises. I think this five-story rule is a good rule for a town, although it does add to the width and length of housing developments.

Something that we have enjoyed on previous visits is Playa’s proximity to the archaeological sites in the Yucatan, which will be the subject of another post.

Palenque

Palenque is a beautiful archaeological site in the state of Chiapas, Mexico, which we visited last week.

Temple of the Inscriptions is also known as Pakal's tomb. — The Temple of the Inscriptions, also known as Pakal’s tomb, is one of many pyramids in the beautiful Mayan archaeological site of Palenque.

It’s been over 30 years, but last week we visited Palenque, a beautiful Mayan archaeological site in the state of Chiapas, Mexico, for the second time. The slippery steps of the pyramids and the tree and vine covered mounds which are un-excavated structures were fun to climb years ago. The falls I’ve taken in recent years, just walking on dry sidewalks, gave me doubt that I would be agile enough to do much more than take a photo from below. Using the zigzag method that Robert showed me, I did slowly make it to the top, as you can see in the photo.

Robert and Carolyn at the top of the pyramid — Carolyn and Robert at Palenque

We hired a guide to show us the pyramids and to walk us through the forest.

Ricardo, pictured below, guided us at the site for the official two hour pyramid and selva (woods) tour. The selva tour takes the path through the forest behind the temple complex of Pacal and the Red Queen. The path weaves among structures which appear to be tall mounds, much larger than the restored pyramids. Lianas and gigantic trees whose roots penetrate the mounds conceal most of the walls and ceilings.

Ricardo was our guide at Palenque — Ricardo is an official guide at Palenque

Ricardo showed us one of Palenque’s many springs.

In the selva, he guided us to a natural spring. Our guide claimed that fifty-six springs provided life-giving water to Palenque’s inhabitants. As we stood in the forest at the spring, we could easily imagine the sacred energy that the ancient Maya perceived there.

Ricardo, our guide, showed us one of Palenque’s many springs

He also showed us the canals and explained how the Maya of Palenque made straight sided canals, lined them with a type of smooth stucco coating and roofed them with stone. In places, the roofed part is still intact and we walked on top of it.

ancient Mayan aqueduct — The Maya built straight sided aqueducts.

We were quite impressed with the size of the freshwater canal. In ancient times, it had smooth plastered sides and a stone roof covering . Can you see, in the photo below, the remains of the solid top in the distance?

This is another view of the aqueduct — Aqueduct at Palenque

After our visit to the ruins and woods, we visited the site museum. The displays showcase the artifacts found in the pyramids. The large incense burners have faces of gods or a shaman. There are also the delicately modeled reliefs which were carefully removed from the pyramids’ walls.

Wall Relief at Palenque — The site museum was interesting, as it houses many artifacts from the site.

Visiting Orizaba was the highlight of our journey!

Orizaba is a Pueblo Magico southeast of Mexico City.

Visiting Orizaba was the highlight of our journey. Orizaba is southeast of Mexico City and is a designated Pueblo Mágico in the state of Veracruz. The city boasts a tram, a river walk alongside a river-flanking zoo, a planetarium, a Palacio de Hierro (Iron Palace) designed by Eiffel, the architect who designed the Eiffel Tower, good food (which to me is seafood), friendly people, lovely vistas of hills in all sides, fresh air, lots of green plants everywhere, graceful arches and ancient walls that have weathered for hundreds of years, and a botanical garden with tropical plants and various species of orchids, many of which are native to the area.

A city park flanks one of the main road. — A city park

The city park, with beautiful trees, flanks one of the main streets

Walking to our Airbnb from the Palacio de Hierro we passed the park above. The variety and lushness of the foliage amazed me. We walked into the park, then through it, we admired the plants while children played nearby and families and couples strolled past.

The zoo in Orizaba flanks the river.

The river that runs through Orizaba is flanked by a zoo that extends along the sides of the river. The weathered arches from bygone days create animal enclosures by the clever use of chain link fencing across the face of each arch. There are jaguars, parrots, and other animals, most indigenous to the area.

the river walk reveals arches which house the city's zoo animals — The river walk reveals arches

Several solitary jaguars are housed in the various zoo enclosures, created by fencing off the ancient arches. — One of several solitary jaguars.

There is a Planetarium in Orizaba

We went to the Planetarium, but it wasn’t open when we were there and it wasn’t clear to us when the next planetarium viewing would be. But it was worth the attempt, anyway, as the planetarium dome and its surroundings are picturesque. In the same complex as the planetarium there is Disneyesque medieval castle which, when we were there, seemed to be the destination for young people, perhaps a school field trip.

The planetarium dome is picturesque against a backdrop of verdant mountains. — The planetarium dome is picturesque as is the surrounding scenery

Memories: Visits to Egypt in 1961 and 1965 inspired this blog post

Visits to Egypt

Carolyn, the Secret Astrologer, was only 15 years old in this photo of her walking along near the pyramid. — Carolyn, the Secret Astrologer, in Egypt 1961. ©Carolyn Relei 2023

Visits to Egypt in 1961 and 1965 inspired this blog post. It’s been many years since those visits. I am sure that Egypt has changed a lot in the past 55 years, just as everywhere has changed. Though I’ve spent most of my travel time in other locations, I would love to go to Egypt again. Because I love to travel, visit museums, read history and prehistory, and admire beautiful buildings, Egypt is a choice destination. Egypt has all that and much much more.

Egyptian people forged their identity long ago, long before the Arabs swept through to disseminate the religion of Islam and the Arabic language. While Arabic is the main language of Egypt, our Egyptian friends explained that they consider themselves to be “Egyptian” rather than Arab.

The Nile is the source of life in Egypt

Young goat herd boys of the desert near Luxor were happy to pose for a photo in 1961. — Young Men, Luxor 1961 ©Carolyn Relei 2023

The annual flood cycle enabled agriculture in a rainless desert. During my visits to Egypt, farmers still used the shaduf – a human-powered device that transfers water from the river to the fields. The beautiful green along the Nile contrasted greatly with the beige desert beyond. Away from the Nile River, the land was extremely dry. You can see how barren and dry the ground is in the picture of barefooted young men, taken at Luxor, 1961.

Cairo is a gigantic city

Cairo had over 4 million inhabitants in the 1960s when I was there. Because I stayed in a hotel above Midan El Tahrir (Tahrir Square), I was close to the Egyptian museum and a short walk from Nile.

You must visit the Egyptian Museum

When you go to Cairo, visit the Egyptian museum! The museum houses thousands of years of artifacts – statues, jewelry, and the fascinating small models of everyday life that were placed in the tombs to accompany the deceased and serve them in the afterlife. Although styles somewhat changed over the millennia, the elements of design remained recognizably and consistently “Egyptian”.

Hire a Guide!

We had a wonderful guide in Luxor and Thebes in 1961. I scanned this photo, and others, from slides in 2006.

To get the most out of your visit to the monuments, it’s a good idea to hire a guide. We found that the guides in Egypt take great pride in their work and are knowledgeable in explaining the monuments and the rich history of Egypt.
During our time in Luxor, my mom and I had an amazing guide who spoke seven languages and captivated us with his extensive knowledge and fascinating stories about each monument and their builders.

Cairo has an impressive university

Cairo is the home of what has been claimed to be the biggest university in all of Africa, the Al-Ahzar University and Mosque complex. Students from all parts of Africa and the Muslim world study there. We met students there from countries south of the Sahara, including South Africa.

The minarets brought back memories of the call to prayer which I heard during my visits to Egypt in 1961 and 1965©Carolyn Relei 2023

A few more memories of my visits to Egypt

During Ramadan, in the winter of 1965-66, we found the streets alive after sunset. I remember going out for food at 3am. Everything was alive with color and sound and people were everywhere. That night we ate fatira, a kind of thin pancake with a sweet sauce.
From the hotel room windows we had a view of Midan el Tahrir square (which is really a circle) right below. Buses, cars and carts passed by day and night. The sounds of the clip clop of horses, harnessed to the their flat bed carts, were common. One day, walking along the street near the square, we were offered a ride and we accepted. This was my first and only ride on the slow moving horse drawn cart. It is but one example of the kind and open generosity that we experienced there.

Looking in a different direction from El Tahrir square we could see the extent of the city. The view below is of the closely packed buildings as they were in 1965.

Cairo in 1965 was a lively and densely populated city. Looking through my photos of my visits to Egypt in 1961 and 1965 inspired this blog post — Cairo in 1965 was a lively and densely populated city. Memories brought by looking through my photos of my visits to Egypt in 1961 and 1965 inspired this blog post

Cairo minarets 1965. This picture reminds me of how the sound of prayers wafted across the city. — Cairo, Egypt, 1965 Minarets rise to the sky