2009-05-19 Chitzinitza
\nSo we yesterday we traveled across the world and today we are going to travel across Mexico.\u00a0 The plan is to get up early, like 6:30 early, and spend 10 hours to tour Chitzinitza.\u00a0 Ralph and Doris (Marlo\u2019s father and step mother) have planned the excursion.\u00a0 The word is that Ralph spent some time getting just the right tour\u2026\u00a0 So we are to meet in the lobby at 7:50.\u00a0 We set the alarm and discuss and confirm that it is 7:50, not 6:50, etc\u2026\u00a0 we get up EARLY and get a bite to eat.\u00a0 We are in the lobby where we were pretty sure where we were supposed to be.\u00a0 They are nowhere around\u2026\u00a0 I ask if they are usually on-time people.\u00a0 Marlo senses something wrong.\u00a0 I now realize it is the same feeling we got doing the boat tour in Lake Titicaca.\u00a0\u00a0 Well 7:50 has come and gone.\u00a0 No one has a clue.\u00a0 Marlo and I make sure that we can call each other\u2019s cell phone and start to make a plan of how to proceed\u2026\u00a0 poof there they are\u2026\u00a0 I had worries of one more screw up on our part on this trip.\u00a0 It was not a good feeling.\u00a0 Turns out that the tour called and said that they would pick us up later\u2026hmmmm
\nWhile we are waiting I talk to some people about Riviara Secret.\u00a0\u00a0 It sounds interesting.\u00a0 The woman that performed the wedding said that it was awesome.\u00a0 The woman that was selling the tour said that she just took her daughters three days ago\u2026\u00a0 we may have to go\u2026
\nIn the van we go.\u00a0 There are six of us from the hotels taking the van to the bus\u2026\u00a0 the van to the bus you ask, how does that work.\u00a0 It works in a bit of an unsettling kind of way\u2026\u00a0 the bus was sitting on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere and our van met is.\u00a0 It felt like a hostage swap.\u00a0 It did not help that the tour director immediately started to identify Americans\u2026\u00a0 ok, he was just working the crowd as to where everyone was from\u2026\u00a0 I MAY be a little paranoid about the whole Mexico thing, maybe a little\u2026.\u00a0 The fact that I am posting this after the fact give you a hint that things did not turn out terribly or anything, but we did drive by a Mexican jail\u2026 Marlo was nice enough to rip me out of a book-reading trance and show it to me\u2026
\nSo we get on this bus.\u00a0 It is nice.\u00a0 It is air conditioned.\u00a0\u00a0 That is good!!!\u00a0 They give us some juice and a roll for breakfast.\u00a0 Our tour is to last 10 hours\u2026\u00a0 yup, that is a LONG time.\u00a0 We are going to ride the bus for 3 hours, go swimming in a sink hole for a hour, lunch for an hour, drive another hour.\u00a0 Tour Chitzinitza for 3 hours and then drive back to the hotel for 3 hours\u2026 is that 10???\u00a0 Well it was something like that.\u00a0 I have a book, so riding the bus doesn\u2019t bother me.\u00a0 Marlo got board several time and required some amusement, but overall the ride to the sink hole was comfortable.\u00a0 But the tour guide went on for HOURS about every little thing in two languages and repeated himself over and over\u2026 ouch\u2026
\nNow the sink hole was very cool.\u00a0 It is caused by the underground river wearing away the limestone to a point that the top collapses and leaves this deep cave like structure complete with a deep body of water that is still flowing.\u00a0 This particular sink hole has the added benefit of a tunnel carved in and around it to allow access to water level.\u00a0 Not only that but the continued the steps up around the edge to a height of 25-30 above water level.\u00a0 This is great for doing silly things like jumping high off the stairs into the water.\u00a0 Well of course I had to do that complete with pictures and what not.\u00a0 Jumping that high into water hurts the bottom of my feet.\u00a0 Marlo and Ralph jump from the stairs as well.\u00a0 It was fun.\u00a0 The water was temperate and clear and there was a bunch of fish swimming around.\u00a0 There was this girl at the top of the steps that kept wanting to jump, but never got up the nerve.\u00a0 I would try to help each time I went up to no avail.\u00a0 Others tried to convince her and even hold her hands\u2026\u00a0 it dot not happen.\u00a0 A bunch of people were jumping from the top.\u00a0 A few even dove.\u00a0 Well this is all well and good until someone get hurt.\u00a0 This guy, John thought that diving off the top would be fun.\u00a0 He was also on the second day of his honeymoon.\u00a0 He had plans of scuba diving tomorrow and horse back riding and zip lining.\u00a0\u00a0 Well all of that is at risk because he ripped his sholder out of joint diving off the top steps.\u00a0 Apparently when he landed the force of the water caught his arm just wrong and dislocated his shoulder.\u00a0\u00a0 It took a while for everyone on bus 31 that we had a man down.\u00a0 He managed to get over to the ladder (that was a rung short) and just hold one.\u00a0 The man was in pain.\u00a0 He could not haul himself out of the water.
\nSo now we have a full-fledged medical problem.\u00a0\u00a0 Marlo told the \u201clife guards\u201d that there was a problem\u2026\u00a0 they assisted in getting John out of the water and then stared at the situation.\u00a0 Some people were helpful, but the heroes of the day are John wife and Marlo.\u00a0 Now remember we are in the middle of Mexico somewhere and this guy may have to go to a Mexican hospital.\u00a0 Not as bad as the Mexican jail, but not a good plan either.\u00a0 So Marlo gets him to lie down on a towel and then his wife and Marlo give it everything they have to get this shoulder back to where it is supposed to me.\u00a0 Now john is not a small guy so moving shoulder joints around is not an easy task.\u00a0 I keep asking if I can help to really yank it, but Marlo says that would not be helpful.\u00a0 They give up and call an ambulance.\u00a0 Then they decide to give it another try with the wife wrapping a towel on one part of his arm and Marlo using another towel to yank a different direction.\u00a0 Now the wife is an orthopedic nurse and Marlo is a PA, so this is right up their alley\u2026\u00a0 one bug shove and a twist from John and the shoulder is back in place!!!!\u00a0 Yea Marlo!\u00a0 We get him slung up best we can and start the long walk up all of the steps to the bus.\u00a0 We are supposed to be on the bus by noon.\u00a0 We are a little late already.\u00a0 The life guards called off the ambulance, but they came anyway.\u00a0 We got the man to the top and the emt\u2019s were there.\u00a0 They gave him some meds and a proper sling.\u00a0 He continued the tour!!!
\nLunch was next.\u00a0 It was an unspectacular buffet very like the one at Mochu Pichu.\u00a0 Also no drinks were included.\u00a0 Not even water.\u00a0 I thought drinks were $12.\u00a0 Turns out they were only $2.50\u2026\u00a0 might have been pacos\u00a0 I was looking at.
\nNow, it has been 3 hours of bus, and hour of swimming (and medical attention), an hour of lunch and NOW we are off to Chitzinitza.\u00a0 It seems like we have been going all day\u2026 cuz we have!!\u00a0 We have actually been non-stop for two days\u2026\u00a0 the good news is they have free beverages on the bus.\u00a0 So here we are.\u00a0 Touring and listening.\u00a0 Our guide, the same guy from the bus, does the same annoying and repetitive style of narration\u2026.\u00a0 We learned a lot, but it was painful\u2026\u00a0 we saw the ring stadium where they would watch people play to tell the future and unfortunately the future was sort for some because after the game they got sacrificed\u2026 bummer\u2026 then we learned all about the snake and the eagle and the jaguar and how they all fit into Mayan culture\u2026\u00a0 we toured and toured\u2026 then we got to the pig guy.\u00a0 The pyramid.\u00a0 You have all see it, it is cool, BUT you can no longer climb the steps!!!\u00a0 Major bummer.\u00a0 I climb everything!!!\u00a0 Actually since four years about they have roped off all of the ruins.\u00a0 You are not allowed to walk on any of them!!!\u00a0 I was not happy about this.\u00a0\u00a0 I wanted to simply walk under the rope and prance (ok, maybe stomp would be better) right up those steps!!! What would they do, it\u2019s not a big deal\u2026 then the two words came into my brain\u2026.\u00a0 Mexican Jail.\u00a0 People have been telling me my whole life that if I went to Mexico I would end up in a Mexican jail.\u00a0 We I ruled out the big steps (although I did not see any policia) but the whole natural treasure and what not won over for the most part..\u00a0 there was a few minor rope infractions.\u00a0 I even got Doris and Ralph to climb under once\u2026\u00a0 we did not get arrested\u2026
\nEvery 5 feet there was someone trying to sell us cloth patches, mask and carvings, and obsidian knives\u2026\u00a0 I almost bought the knife\u2026\u00a0 it was hot.\u00a0 We saw a really big iguana.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It was getting late and we were getting tired.\u00a0 My peeps wanted to go to the bus as soon as it opened\u2026\u00a0 I think it was the beer and the AC that drew them in\u2026\u00a0 who am I to argue\u2026
\nThe ride back was uneventful; I finished the book that I had started at the beginning of the bus ride\u2026\u00a0 we asked if we were going to take a van back to our hotel or would the bus take us.\u00a0 The question was quite clear, but this is a foreign land so the 50-50 rule apples\u00a0 (1\/2 of what you say, they don\u2019t understand, and half of what they say, you don\u2019t understand.\u00a0 It takes 4 iterations to actually get an accurate answer).\u00a0 He told us that the bus would take us to the hotel.\u00a0 Then we stopped shortly after to meet the van that would take us to the hotel.
\nWe got back, showered cleaned up and met Ralph and Doris for dinner\u2026\u00a0 nope we had not gotten sick of each other.\u00a0 We actually had a quite pleasant time.
\nWe ate a Tapaz.\u00a0 Lots of little dishes.\u00a0 Very nice.\u00a0 And considering we are at ground 0 of the big pig fly, we had the restaurant almost to our selves.\u00a0 We had bread, potato something, empanadas (not like the Puru ones), and beef and chicken on a stick (we really liked that so we got more), then pasta, and a few other things.\u00a0 We should not have ordered more meat.\u00a0 I thought it was almost the last course\u2026 it was not.\u00a0 We were stuffed\u2026\u00a0 then there was desert\u2026\u00a0 the beer and wine glasses never emptied and we stayed there until almost 10:00.\u00a0 After that\u2026 we crashed\u2026 hard\u2026<\/p>\n
2009-05-19 Chitzinitza
\nSo we yesterday we traveled across the world and today we are going to travel across Mexico.\u00a0 The plan is to get up early, like 6:30 early, and spend 10 hours to tour Chitzinitza.\u00a0 Ralph and Doris (Marlo\u2019s father and step mother) have planned the excursion.\u00a0 The word is that Ralph spent some time getting just the right tour\u2026\u00a0 So we are to meet in the lobby at 7:50.\u00a0 We set the alarm and discuss and confirm that it is 7:50, not 6:50, etc\u2026\u00a0 we get up EARLY and get a bite to eat.\u00a0 We are in the lobby where we were pretty sure where we were supposed to be.\u00a0 They are nowhere around\u2026\u00a0 I ask if they are usually on-time people.\u00a0 Marlo senses something wrong.\u00a0 I now realize it is the same feeling we got doing the boat tour in Lake Titicaca.\u00a0\u00a0 Well 7:50 has come and gone.\u00a0 No one has a clue.\u00a0 Marlo and I make sure that we can call each other\u2019s cell phone and start to make a plan of how to proceed\u2026\u00a0 poof there they are\u2026\u00a0 I had worries of one more screw up on our part on this trip.\u00a0 It was not a good feeling.\u00a0 Turns out that the tour called and said that they would pick us up later\u2026hmmmm
\nWhile we are waiting I talk to some people about Riviara Secret.\u00a0\u00a0 It sounds interesting.\u00a0 The woman that performed the wedding said that it was awesome.\u00a0 The woman that was selling the tour said that she just took her daughters three days ago\u2026\u00a0 we may have to go\u2026
\nIn the van we go.\u00a0 There are six of us from the hotels taking the van to the bus\u2026\u00a0 the van to the bus you ask, how does that work.\u00a0 It works in a bit of an unsettling kind of way\u2026\u00a0 the bus was sitting on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere and our van met is.\u00a0 It felt like a hostage swap.\u00a0 It did not help that the tour director immediately started to identify Americans\u2026\u00a0 ok, he was just working the crowd as to where everyone was from\u2026\u00a0 I MAY be a little paranoid about the whole Mexico thing, maybe a little\u2026.\u00a0 The fact that I am posting this after the fact give you a hint that things did not turn out terribly or anything, but we did drive by a Mexican jail\u2026 Marlo was nice enough to rip me out of a book-reading trance and show it to me\u2026
\nSo we get on this bus.\u00a0 It is nice.\u00a0 It is air conditioned.\u00a0\u00a0 That is good!!!\u00a0 They give us some juice and a roll for breakfast.\u00a0 Our tour is to last 10 hours\u2026\u00a0 yup, that is a LONG time.\u00a0 We are going to ride the bus for 3 hours, go swimming in a sink hole for a hour, lunch for an hour, drive another hour.\u00a0 Tour Chitzinitza for 3 hours and then drive back to the hotel for 3 hours\u2026 is that 10???\u00a0 Well it was something like that.\u00a0 I have a book, so riding the bus doesn\u2019t bother me.\u00a0 Marlo got board several time and required some amusement, but overall the ride to the sink hole was comfortable.\u00a0 But the tour guide went on for HOURS about every little thing in two languages and repeated himself over and over\u2026 ouch\u2026
\nNow the sink hole was very cool.\u00a0 It is caused by the underground river wearing away the limestone to a point that the top collapses and leaves this deep cave like structure complete with a deep body of water that is still flowing.\u00a0 This particular sink hole has the added benefit of a tunnel carved in and around it to allow access to water level.\u00a0 Not only that but the continued the steps up around the edge to a height of 25-30 above water level.\u00a0 This is great for doing silly things like jumping high off the stairs into the water.\u00a0 Well of course I had to do that complete with pictures and what not.\u00a0 Jumping that high into water hurts the bottom of my feet.\u00a0 Marlo and Ralph jump from the stairs as well.\u00a0 It was fun.\u00a0 The water was temperate and clear and there was a bunch of fish swimming around.\u00a0 There was this girl at the top of the steps that kept wanting to jump, but never got up the nerve.\u00a0 I would try to help each time I went up to no avail.\u00a0 Others tried to convince her and even hold her hands\u2026\u00a0 it dot not happen.\u00a0 A bunch of people were jumping from the top.\u00a0 A few even dove.\u00a0 Well this is all well and good until someone get hurt.\u00a0 This guy, John thought that diving off the top would be fun.\u00a0 He was also on the second day of his honeymoon.\u00a0 He had plans of scuba diving tomorrow and horse back riding and zip lining.\u00a0\u00a0 Well all of that is at risk because he ripped his sholder out of joint diving off the top steps.\u00a0 Apparently when he landed the force of the water caught his arm just wrong and dislocated his shoulder.\u00a0\u00a0 It took a while for everyone on bus 31 that we had a man down.\u00a0 He managed to get over to the ladder (that was a rung short) and just hold one.\u00a0 The man was in pain.\u00a0 He could not haul himself out of the water.
\nSo now we have a full-fledged medical problem.\u00a0\u00a0 Marlo told the \u201clife guards\u201d that there was a problem\u2026\u00a0 they assisted in getting John out of the water and then stared at the situation.\u00a0 Some people were helpful, but the heroes of the day are John wife and Marlo.\u00a0 Now remember we are in the middle of Mexico somewhere and this guy may have to go to a Mexican hospital.\u00a0 Not as bad as the Mexican jail, but not a good plan either.\u00a0 So Marlo gets him to lie down on a towel and then his wife and Marlo give it everything they have to get this shoulder back to where it is supposed to me.\u00a0 Now john is not a small guy so moving shoulder joints around is not an easy task.\u00a0 I keep asking if I can help to really yank it, but Marlo says that would not be helpful.\u00a0 They give up and call an ambulance.\u00a0 Then they decide to give it another try with the wife wrapping a towel on one part of his arm and Marlo using another towel to yank a different direction.\u00a0 Now the wife is an orthopedic nurse and Marlo is a PA, so this is right up their alley\u2026\u00a0 one bug shove and a twist from John and the shoulder is back in place!!!!\u00a0 Yea Marlo!\u00a0 We get him slung up best we can and start the long walk up all of the steps to the bus.\u00a0 We are supposed to be on the bus by noon.\u00a0 We are a little late already.\u00a0 The life guards called off the ambulance, but they came anyway.\u00a0 We got the man to the top and the emt\u2019s were there.\u00a0 They gave him some meds and a proper sling.\u00a0 He continued the tour!!!
\nLunch was next.\u00a0 It was an unspectacular buffet very like the one at Mochu Pichu.\u00a0 Also no drinks were included.\u00a0 Not even water.\u00a0 I thought drinks were $12.\u00a0 Turns out they were only $2.50\u2026\u00a0 might have been pacos\u00a0 I was looking at.
\nNow, it has been 3 hours of bus, and hour of swimming (and medical attention), an hour of lunch and NOW we are off to Chitzinitza.\u00a0 It seems like we have been going all day\u2026 cuz we have!!\u00a0 We have actually been non-stop for two days\u2026\u00a0 the good news is they have free beverages on the bus.\u00a0 So here we are.\u00a0 Touring and listening.\u00a0 Our guide, the same guy from the bus, does the same annoying and repetitive style of narration\u2026.\u00a0 We learned a lot, but it was painful\u2026\u00a0 we saw the ring stadium where they would watch people play to tell the future and unfortunately the future was sort for some because after the game they got sacrificed\u2026 bummer\u2026 then we learned all about the snake and the eagle and the jaguar and how they all fit into Mayan culture\u2026\u00a0 we toured and toured\u2026 then we got to the pig guy.\u00a0 The pyramid.\u00a0 You have all see it, it is cool, BUT you can no longer climb the steps!!!\u00a0 Major bummer.\u00a0 I climb everything!!!\u00a0 Actually since four years about they have roped off all of the ruins.\u00a0 You are not allowed to walk on any of them!!!\u00a0 I was not happy about this.\u00a0\u00a0 I wanted to simply walk under the rope and prance (ok, maybe stomp would be better) right up those steps!!! What would they do, it\u2019s not a big deal\u2026 then the two words came into my brain\u2026.\u00a0 Mexican Jail.\u00a0 People have been telling me my whole life that if I went to Mexico I would end up in a Mexican jail.\u00a0 We I ruled out the big steps (although I did not see any policia) but the whole natural treasure and what not won over for the most part..\u00a0 there was a few minor rope infractions.\u00a0 I even got Doris and Ralph to climb under once\u2026\u00a0 we did not get arrested\u2026
\nEvery 5 feet there was someone trying to sell us cloth patches, mask and carvings, and obsidian knives\u2026\u00a0 I almost bought the knife\u2026\u00a0 it was hot.\u00a0 We saw a really big iguana.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It was getting late and we were getting tired.\u00a0 My peeps wanted to go to the bus as soon as it opened\u2026\u00a0 I think it was the beer and the AC that drew them in\u2026\u00a0 who am I to argue\u2026
\nThe ride back was uneventful; I finished the book that I had started at the beginning of the bus ride\u2026\u00a0 we asked if we were going to take a van back to our hotel or would the bus take us.\u00a0 The question was quite clear, but this is a foreign land so the 50-50 rule apples\u00a0 (1\/2 of what you say, they don\u2019t understand, and half of what they say, you don\u2019t understand.\u00a0 It takes 4 iterations to actually get an accurate answer).\u00a0 He told us that the bus would take us to the hotel.\u00a0 Then we stopped shortly after to meet the van that would take us to the hotel.
\nWe got back, showered cleaned up and met Ralph and Doris for dinner\u2026\u00a0 nope we had not gotten sick of each other.\u00a0 We actually had a quite pleasant time.
\nWe ate a Tapaz.\u00a0 Lots of little dishes.\u00a0 Very nice.\u00a0 And considering we are at ground 0 of the big pig fly, we had the restaurant almost to our selves.\u00a0 We had bread, potato something, empanadas (not like the Puru ones), and beef and chicken on a stick (we really liked that so we got more), then pasta, and a few other things.\u00a0 We should not have ordered more meat.\u00a0 I thought it was almost the last course\u2026 it was not.\u00a0 We were stuffed\u2026\u00a0 then there was desert\u2026\u00a0 the beer and wine glasses never emptied and we stayed there until almost 10:00.\u00a0 After that\u2026 we crashed\u2026 hard\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
2009-05-19 Chitzinitza So we yesterday we traveled across the world and today we are going to travel across Mexico.\u00a0 The plan is to get up early, like 6:30 early, and spend 10 hours to tour Chitzinitza.\u00a0 Ralph and Doris (Marlo\u2019s father and step mother) have planned the excursion.\u00a0 The word is that Ralph spent some […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-239","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mexico-2009"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7vq9N-3R","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatup.brantct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatup.brantct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatup.brantct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatup.brantct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatup.brantct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=239"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/whatup.brantct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":241,"href":"https:\/\/whatup.brantct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239\/revisions\/241"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatup.brantct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=239"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatup.brantct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=239"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatup.brantct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=239"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}