Warning: These are my first attempts at video, so please bear with the occasional bobbles and shakes.
These videos were taken in Xcaret, an eco-park outside Cancun, Mexico. This beautiful place is dedicated to preserving and sharing Mexican history and culture through archaeological finds, lush gardens, and performances portraying Mayan dances and traditions.
My favorite event of the day was when five men in brilliantly colored traditional garb came bowing and dancing into the dusty arena.
Aren’t their headdresses fabulous?! As their dance came to an end, they took turns clambering up a towering pole with no ropes, harnesses or nets to keep them from plummeting to the ground.
If that wasn’t enough, one chap stood on top of the pole as it began to spin, playing an instrument as his companions did this:
Needless to say, I was agog. I am scared spitless of heights, and can imagine few more terrifying prospects than leaping headfirst from a lofty perch held only by a rope lashed around my waist. Yipes!
They went on to amaze us even further by their intricate dance steps and this little number:
Heavens!
Those fellows deserved every clap, whoop and holler they got. It was a jolly treat from my hosts at Royal Holiday and I loved every minute of it. If you’d like to see more video from my trip to Cancun and Xcaret, click here to subscribe to my YouTube channel.
So what scares you? Heights? Small spaces? Sharks?
One of the best things about exploring the eco-park Xcaret near Cancun, Mexico is the lack of boundaries between you and what you’re experiencing.
You will not find roped off areas or keep out signs. No one will shout at you for venturing off the beaten path. For the most part I loved this, but I admit I was a little startled to be walking along a stream only to look down and see a shark and a stingray swimming along only inches from my bare feet with nothing between us but air and a bit of water. Yipes!
I loved being able to not only look at these Mayan dwellings, altars and who knows what, but also touch them, ascend the steps, and duck my head to enter the tiny doorways.
In reading about the Mayans, I find them an interesting contrast of gentle nomadic hunter-gatherers and vicious warriors who stole their neighbors for human sacrifices. In spite of their brutality, their skills are undeniable and impressive. They created lavish temples and palaces without metal tools, developed astronomy, calendrical systems and hieroglyphic writing, and excelled as farmers, potters and weavers.
I was intrigued to learn that they cleared routes through dense jungles and festering swamps to build extensive trade networks with distant peoples. As prolific writers, they were distinctive in that they were the only ones in America capable of expressing all types of thought. They also chronicled detailed histories of their culture and lifestyle. Unfortunately all but three of their books were destroyed when Fray Diego de Landa, second bishop of the Yucat n, ordered a mass destruction of Mayan literature in 1562. I do wonder what stories those destroyed pages held.
What group of people in history are you most intrigued by?
After our gorgeous boat ride through Xcaret, an eco-archaeological park in the Mayan Riviera, we spent many happy hours wandering at our leisure.
Julio, our host from Royal Holiday, was a jolly and adventurous sort who joined us in donning life jackets, goggles and snorkels to float down an amazing underground river. I’ve never experienced anything quite like it. I confess I’m claustrophobic by nature and was a bit nervous about this venture, but I had the time of my life! The caverns are huge and I didn’t feel confined or scared. Occasional openings from above sent shafts of sunlight streaming down into the water, turning the river a glowing turquoise that sparkled magically. The river meandered through caves and tunnels, emerging into open air now and then along banks lined with tropical plants before opening into a broad expanse filled with brightly colored fish. It was marvelous!!
After we showered and got dressed, the sun dried us in no time and we were ready to continue our explorations.
Our next stop was an aquarium filled with all sorts of amazing moray eels, bright blue fish, and starfish and sea urchins we could actually touch. My favorites were the jelly-fish. Their diaphanous bodies and feathery tentacles are so delicate, undulating gently through the water.
I love aquariums. The unearthly light and wondrous creatures never fail to delight me and make me feel like I’ve been transported to another world.
Do you like aquariums? What are your favorite sea creatures to watch?
When I traveled to Cancun this past September, I had no idea what to expect. Driving to my hotel from the airport I stared at the miles of shopping malls, ritzy resorts, and glossy billboards and confess I was a bit disappointed. I know all those things can be fun, but I was hoping for a bit of “real” Mexico, something that didn’t feel like I was still in America.
Much to my delight, our hosts from Royal Holiday took my fellow bloggers and I to such a place a mere 60 minutes from Cancun: Xcaret.
The 12-acre site in the Mayan Riviera was originally intended to be the home of architect Miguel Quintana Pali. But as he began clearing the land he discovered natural sinkholes known as cenotes and beautiful underground rivers. Pali then decided to create a park where everyone could enjoy the natural wonders and learn about the history and culture of Mexico.
Xcaret was opened in December 1990 as an eco-archeological park and is a place of exquisite beauty and stunning history. I couldn’t stop smiling all day as I ambled past tropical flowers, clambered over Mayan ruins, and gasped in wonder at the brilliant performances of Mayan dancers and historical re-enactors.
Our first adventure was taking a boat ride down this gorgeous turquoise river. It led us between towering cliffs, by cascading waterfalls, and lingered by the river-side homes of black wild boar and graceful deer.
We bobbed along through dark caves and stared up at the thick canopy of trees blotting out the sky, listening to the chatter of hundreds of birds and the patter of warm rain trickling down through the leaves.
I loved it. 🙂
When our boat tour was over we made a pit stop at the most stunning bathroom I’ve ever seen.
It was so magnificent you wanted to keep guzzling water just to have an excuse to see it again. What especially delighted me were the hand washing facilities. How marvelously Swiss Family Robinson are those seashell faucets?!
In Part Two I’ll tell you more about this wonderful place, and hopefully figure out how to share some video I took of some crazy brave Mayan performers. 🙂
Do prefer “bright lights, big city” or do you like getting out into nature? Or maybe a bit of both?
Mornin!! Brrr, I don’t think I’ve ever experienced cold this intense during my sojourn in Washington State. In Canada, yes. Russia, sure. But here? No way!
So this morning as icy winds shriek outside my windows, I’m taking a vicarious jaunt south of the border to bask in the tropical beauties of Xcaret, a gorgeous eco-park about an hour from Cancun. I can’t wait to tell you more about this fabulous place, but for now I hope you will enjoy these stunning colors. To view Part I, click here.
