dimanche 4 décembre 2011

Mexico/Yucatan

The first visit in Mexico was actually the Sian Ka'an biosphere reserve. It is situated around a shallow lagoon. The boat ride in the lagoon was nice, but the best was floating on the life-jacket down a little stream thanks to a gentle current for around 2 kilometers. Thankfully, the crocodiles stay in the lagoon and do not venture in the stream. The guide reminded me that in these tropical latitudes, the tide is almost non-existent. So the salty water does not push much upstream. Bad luck for the crocodiles.
The Atlantic Ocean, or Caribbean sea, was also nice and warm, certainly around 25 degrees Celcius. But, since I am not an American tourist, I did not spend all my time by the beach. It was indeed interesting to observe that the further you go away from the sea (Cancun and Playa del Carmen), the less American tourists you encounter. The "cultural" tourists are mostly from Continental Europe.
A good surprise was the state of the roads. Hardly a pothole, good signs, normal speed limits (maximum 110 km/h), calm drivers, no policemen, and an almost deserted toll road. The only hindrance were the many many speed bumps. They obviously had an impact.
Churches are more numerous than Maya temples. There are usually located on the main square, this one in Valladolid. The town itself has many one/two floors typically Spanish buildings, beautifully restored and colored. There is definitely a colonial feel to the town.
This one is actually a convent (of San Antonio de Padua), and can be seen from all corners of the little town of Izamal. It was built on the remains of a Maya pyramid, whose top was chopped off by the Spanish chopped in 1552.
This last one is in Merida - it is white and a bit austere, like the one in Valladolid. During the Mexican revolution, the cathedral was entirely looted. It towers over the main square (unfortunately in renovation at the moment).
On another side of the main square, the palace of the state's government. Inside, there are many large paintings depicting the main events of the Mexican history. Unfortunately, these paintings have a very strong socialist/revolutionary/nationalistic undertone. In Valladolid (see below), it is the local government building which sits on the main square. It is ornamented with the Mexican coat of arms of the eagle devouring a snake. Besides beauties above ground, there are more than 10000 caves filled with water in the Yucatan peninsula. This one was easily accessible in Valladolid.In conclusion, I must say it was nice to travel in a country where all the scales are "normal" - meters, km/h, degrees Celcius, kilograms. Welcome to Mexico !

Aucun commentaire: