Uxmal

Do you know what is ”packing break”? It is the point when you have done a lot and notice that you will survive one more packing hell. You still haven’t done enough, but decide still to have a break just to admire the work you have already done. I usually also prolong this break until until my drive to airport arrives. I find that break very satusfying and usually that’s the moment when you realize if you are missing something. Well, for this trip I didn’t have such and now I miss some items... 🤷🏼‍♀️

Packing (the part before packing break) is kind of my weak point. Starting packing is painful. Keeping it fluent is almost impossible. And oh I have tried to motivate myself! ”The sooner you finish this the more you have time by the pool to wait for your drive...” Even that won’t usually work, but luckily I’m excellent at the later part of packing, namely fitting all that staff into as small volume as possible. Some study logistics, I was born with that. God’s logistic gift to the world. 😜 But it didn’t comfort a bit when changing hotel twice in Merida. 😫 But that is an other story... I planned to tell you a little bit of those stones I mentioned they have in here... But this is more about everything else again and I will keep those stones on my TODO list. 😄

In Merida the temperatures finally were ”Mexican”. Or actually, not really. This is not the hottest hot season, only nice 30 degrees. But while driving to all the amazing ruins they have here in Merida you naturally hope to have air condition. I was the first one getting into the car on my very first Maya ruins tour. It was Uxmal, a guided tour at day time and light show in the evening.

Must say, the guide don't know me, didn't guess from my look or just is one of those brave/suisidal men as our acquaintance started wirh this discussion:

- Outi, it would be good if you would have more comfortable shoes.

- These are comfortable, thank you, I answered almost before he had ended his lane.

He didn't continue from there, just was laughing, aloud. 😁

Air condition was on and I was a bit worried if I have enough clothes on. (I should never make these small wishes -He listens me all too well.) And by the next stop we noticed, that the air condition didn’t work anymore. Of course our guide started immediately working on it and with the possibility to change the car. There were also some other logistical challenges on our third stop. The trip date had changed for that couple that joined us, then they hadn’t been picked up from hotel but they needed to take a taxi to some cross roads to meet us and much more. So as they sat in, they were already pretty hot and didn’t understand why we were just staying there (waiting for a car with air condition).

The situation then exploded a bit and I learned some new English expressions 😳 but those are probably not suitable for a public text. 😅 They left us threatening the poor guide with everything possible. But for the common atmosphere, it was maybe the best. They were already unhappy with everything. And while they had their hassle I managed to clarify to Him, that I didn’t mean, that I don’t want any air condition and suddenly it started to work again. 😎

As I’m coming from the country of rally drivers (and maybe even have a bit of that talent too) I was offering myself for a driver to get us to Uzmal as long as we still had that air condition working. He kindly refused my offer, so we were late in Uzmal and I had only half of the planned time to run and pose in the ruins. 🤨 I would loved to stay there sitting and breathing the Mayas’ atmosphere, like I did in Machu Picchu. But what can you do -the stars wasn’t today for me. 😃

As a summary, what did I learn? I have issues with the temperature, what ever it is. So I should just adapt that to be back ground noise, the new normal. 😃 And I love the atmosphere of these archeological sites. It was wild being able to touch those walls and walk their pyramids. The light show included three myths, but they were told only in Spanish, so didn’t understand more that Uxmal, princess and father. Sounds like a love story, where father don’t accept daughter’s chosen one. 😢 They had had translations for the stories, but story didn’t tell what had happened to those. 🤷🏼‍♀️😃 So if I could choose again, I would take the tour with two sites at day time without any light show. 😁

Took also an other tour with Mayan Travel. Logistics is not their thing -in both tours we were waiting the guides to arrive. But must say their included lunches were one of the bests I have had in such tours.