The day started very early.
I had set up my alarm clock for 5am.
I just wanted to have time for coffee and didn’t want to rush.
The excursion lasted 12 hours all together. We left the ship at 7:30am, and came back 7:30pm. It was tendered port so we had to get ferry boat from Cozumel to Playa del Carmen which took 45min.
Then we traveled by bus to Chichen Itza for almost 3 hours just to see the site for 1 (one) hour. We didn’t even had time to see the whole thing properly. Rushing from one object to another we were taking pictures while walking and listening to our tour guide.
The pyramid is impressive, and the whole history that comes with it is fascinating but the whole site is overhyped. It’s was super crowded. The obnoxious tourists yelling and clapping, shouting, no chance to quietly contemplate the 1500 year old ruins. Lots of vendors on the way in and out. Looked little like a flea market.
After visiting the #1 archeological site in Mexico we went to have lunch and a show at the very nice Mayaland Hotel in Chichen Itza.
We spent more time at the restaurant having lunch than discovering the Mayan city. They welcomed us with popsicles, Margarita drink, there was a variety of hot, Mexican dishes, soups, salad bar, dessert bar, all you can drink Corona beer etc.
We got lucky with the weather. Apparently it was raining all day in Cozumel where our ship was docked. It was nice a sunny, blue skies and got really hot when visiting the Mayan ruins in Chichen Itza. It started to rain a little on the way back to the ship. The sea was very rough and I was worried I would get sick on the ferry but luckily I didn’t. We got a little excitement on the ferry back when we lost power completely and nothing was working. No lights, no A/C, and we sat there drifting in complete darkness for a while. I overheard someone saying now we going to die. I put my AirPods in my ears and started listening to my music.
I would definitely love to go back one day and spend more time to discover more, and immerse myself in the culture and history of the Mayans. I enjoyed the excursion, and I’m grateful I was able to visit.
Fun fact about Chichen Itza:
The tallest structure in Chichen Itza is the ancient pyramid, El Castillo, otherwise known as The Pyramid of Kukulkan (Feathered Serpent in Spanish).
Even though we were very tired we went to see the magician Ed Alonzo - he was great! I feel sorry for him that he had to perform for only handful of people. The show started late 10pm. and most folks were already in their staterooms after such a long day. 