6. Uxmal

On Monday, 2-12 we rented a car for 3 days from Easy Car on Calle 60 in Merida. Just like their name says, they are easy to deal with; they speak some English and they are good natured. It is always a pleasure to do business with people who like their work. We paid about $35. U.S. dollars a day for both of us to be able to drive, although Chris ended up doing it all. Once out of the city and with the help of Google maps, it was pretty much a breeze to get to Santa Elena. A few potholes surprised us and the jungle/woods comes right up to the edge of the two lane country highway and on Wednesday when we went beyond Santa Elena to Oxkutzcab, we saw a sign that warned of panthers crossing the road! Our Boutique Hotel was the Flycatcher Inn and it really lived up to it's reputation as a retreat. The grounds were lush and well maintained with a short walking trail into the jungle in the back. No TV and weak internet signals even in the lobby but that was to be expected. Part of the 'retreat' aspect means you are a little less connected to the outside world. But not totally because there were other people at the Inn from London, Paris and Berlin, all very nice and it was fun to share our travel stories.  The spacious lobby area is filled with books, many of them in English, explaining the nearby ruins, history, plants and Mayan culture. Also, the owner, James is from Kentucky and he is very loquacious, making the rounds to visit guests during breakfast and at cocktail hour. On Monday we just relaxed around the pool and ate dinner at the restaurant across the road, The Pickled Onion. One thing about staying in Santa Elena; there are not a lot of options for eating out. The Pickled Onion, the cafe next door to it or ordering dinner ahead at the Flycatcher Inn (a delicious option with large portions; one plate would've fed the two of us!) are your best bets.  Below is a photo of our room. It had a hammock in the corner too and we used it for afternoon reading and swinging. Here are a couple of our pictures, the website has a lot more, and yes, it is as lovely as it looks!

On Tuesday we went to see the Uxmal ruins. You need two tickets to enter this UNESCO world heritage sight and the total cost is 234. pesos which is $12.65 U.S. dollars at the present time. One ticket covers the state government cost and one ticket covers federal cost. I am no archeologist or expert historian but I do enjoy visiting places from long ago; partly because I am in awe of the skill and labor it must've taken to build these palaces and pyramids in 700-1000AD and partly because I like the exercise of walking up, down, and all around. This summary of information I took from the UNESCO website: The Mayan town of Uxmal, in Yucatán, was founded c. A.D. 700 and had some 25,000 inhabitants. The layout of the buildings, which date from between 700 and 1000, reveals a knowledge of astronomy. The Pyramid of the Soothsayer, as the Spaniards called it, dominates the ceremonial centre, which has well-designed buildings decorated with a profusion of symbolic motifs and sculptures depicting Chaac, the god of rain. The ceremonial sites of Uxmal, Kabah, Labna and Sayil are considered the high points of Mayan art and architecture.
Now for some of our pictures: