Tulum, Muyil (town), Muyil (ruins), Sian Ka'an, Playa del Carmen and Cozumel

I am sitting in a restaurant in Playa Del Carmen, listening to a pan flute version of Age of Aquarius and avoiding the amorous waiter.  He says he doesn’t mind that I am older than his mother because I look better, only 30 years old.  I love the lies here.  I was told that this restaurant has Wi-Fi but it turns out their service has been disconnected.  So now I am just going to take up a table by writing this into a Word doc until I can post. 

Back to yesterday.  I’m not totally sure where I left off but I think I mentioned that I had discovered that my car contract ended on Thursday night at 8pm but I had booked a bird tour for Friday morning in Muyil, about 30 minutes south of Tulum.  My boat and float tour on Thursday had a pick up at 8:45 am so I went in to see Luis at 7:30.  He was thrilled to see me.  Actually, he is quite nice and doesn’t even lose patience with my horrible Spanish.  I thought I was getting by until I had to have a discussion about contracts.  A bit out of my league.  Anyway, I told him I had plans for the car on Friday morning so I wasn’t bringing it back until then and I wasn’t paying any extra.  He tried to convince me that would be another day’s cost but I stared him down until he just said to bring it back by noon on Friday.

When I booked my bird tour, I could go on Thursday but I wouldn’t get the regular bird guy, Fernando.  So, thinking I would still have a car, I chose Friday so I could have Fernando, I learned my lesson with the Gabriel/Juan debacle.  But that meant I had Thursday free so I booked a canal cruise.  I was assured it was two hours of mangroves on a boat and then some time floating along the current through another canal.  Oh, and the travel agent guy said that someone who had already booked wanted the Muyil ruins tour (extra $20) so I would get that for free. 

When the van arrived, who was the guide but Fernando, the bird guide.  When I showed him my binoculars and bird book, he was so happy.  He is an ornithologist.  There were 11 other people on the tour who had to put up with me and Fernando looking at every bird in the area.  That will teach them to pay an extra $20.  A couple of new birds.  

Muyil Ruins

This little platform has four sides that exactly point North, South, East and West.

I was surprised that this mostly unvisisted site was closed for climbing but Fernando said they had to do it for the Winter Solstice in 2012.  There were so many tourists that they were worried about the structures.

The big pyramid. 

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On the back of the big pyramid, there are two carvings of cranes, symbols of fertility. 
This place is another meca for women to come and give offerings for health, children etc.

 

Then we went to the dock.  (It was where Rene had taken me to see the tiny kingfisher).    It is the dock for a fresh water lagoon.  Because of the porous limestone that is everywhere here, the two attached lagoons are not attached to the ocean.  The water comes up through the ground.  So, it is fresh and very shallow, which makes for a lovely blue colour (which of course never shows up in pictures).

The man made canal.

Fernando

The small lagoon

Entering the canal

The first, smaller, lagoon is attached to the bigger lagoon by a man made canal.  It was an underground river but the ancient Mayans dug it up (it is long) to allow canoe access to the next lagoon.  (Pan Flute Chicken Dance – I kid you not!).  I was thinking the mangrove swamps of San Blas but this canal really was nothing like that, mostly just saw grass with very infrequent bush sized mangrove trees.  And no birds.  But it was getting late by then.  There aren’t many birds around after 10 am due to the heat.   After only 30 minutes in the boat, we got to the float part.  We all piled out of the boat, got a lesson on how to wear a life vest like a huge diaper and jumped into another canal.  The life vest works like a seat.  And the current just carried us along for 40 or so minutes in super clear, very shallow water.  Lovely.  I should have worn water proof sunscreen because I burned a bit but other than that, excellent.  The water was so calm, I didn’t even get my hair wet.  No pictures, I couldn’t take my camera. 

I stole this picture from Frommer's website.  It is the canal where we floated along

more swimming with da fishes.  This was my last photo before going in the water.

According to Frommer's website, this is a Mayan Custom House. It is at the mouth of the canal.

Inside the Custom House

Back to the dock, where Fernando showed me where Grey Throated Wood Rails came out at sunrise.  I was supposed to meet him at 6 am the next morning but he suggested we meet earlier to see the sun rise over the lagoon and get a glimpse of the rails. 

Then a lunch included which was surprisingly excellent for a tour lunch.  It was served in a giant palapa near the cultural centre (calling it that is a stretch) of Muyil.  As it turned out, the van had to go to Tulum for a few minutes and then didn’t return for 3 hours. So, we were all trapped there.  I spent the time birding off the back deck.  It was starting to get late (3-5pm) so the birds started to come out.  Black Catbird and Summer Tanager.   When the van finally came for us after 5pm (the tour was supposed to end at 1pm),  Fernando told me he had been pulled from the bird tour (he speaks French and a French group had booked) so I would be going with Alberto – the guy who was going to take me on Thursday.  Well, nothing to be done, Alberto it will be.  But Alberto said 6am at the palapa, no wood-rails on his bird tour.

The next morning I got up at 4:30 so I could go to the dock on my own.   As I was driving on the highway in the pitch dark, I realized I was driving a quasi-stolen car with likely no insurance.  I slowed down a bit.  The I turned down the even darker dirt road through the jungle and I started to think of calling this post ‘my increasingly poor decisions in Muyil’ (fortunately no accidents or jaguar attacks).  I got to the parking area and the gate had been left open – good start, I thought I was going to have to scale it.  It was starting to get a bit light.  I stood on the dock and looked at the spot Fernando pointed out.  Sure as rain, three rails appeared a few minutes later and wandered around for about 5 minutes and then back into the forest.  Apparently that is the only time you can see then.  A few minutes at sunrise.  I have a very bad picture (poor light). 

 

 

Sunrise

 

The worst bird photo ever - the grey throated Wood-Rail.  I accidentally erased the second worst photo that at least showed that there was a bird in the frame.  If you look very hard at this, you can see the red legs and the brown body.

The sun didn’t quite make it over the horizon before I had to leave to meet Alberto.  Alberto is a Mayan who lives in Muyil.  I think I mentioned that Muyil is a very small traditional Mayan village with mostly stick huts.  He grew up there and knows over 300 birds by voice.  He was awesome.  Quite a few new ones.  But even he got excited at the end, we found a red-capped Manakin (picture – I could only get one – to follow), he had never seen one either.  It is always exciting when the guide gets a life list addition.   Plus toucans and trogons (neither new but still beautiful). 

Muyil Village

(I think it technically has a different name but no one calls it that)

These two weren't nearly so friendly as my favourite puppies, but I liked the black guy's ears.

 Birds

 

Purple Martins

Collared Aracari (Toucan) 

Collared Aracari (Toucan) with more Zoom - I love my new camera.

Red-capped Manakin eating a berry

Citreoline Trogon.  The blue back shows this is a male.

And his mate showing off here Citreoline breast

 

Bird tour ended at 10 or so and I headed back to Payless to drop off the car.  Luis was there.  For some reason, probably punishment, I had to give him 200 pesos extra.  I couldn’t tell if it was for the extra hours or for using my visa or for just pissing the poor guy off but I just gave him cash for it.  I hope he pockets it.  He deserves it.  Back to the Casa Rosa to pack up and to ADO for the 11:30 bus to Playa del Carmen. 

Back to having to lug my pack from hotel to hotel.  I am in the Hotel Playa del Carmen on the main drag (or what I thought was the main drag).  First order of business:  Find a book.  I finished mine and this hotel has no TV.  Aaack.  The clerk told me there aren’t any English bookstores but Walmart sells them.  It turns out my distaste for Walmart can be put aside in a book emergency.  I found Walmart.  And what always happens in Walmart, not matter what country, I wandered around and picked up stuff.  New earphones for the plane.   Some vanilla.  Some cookies – I carry these really awful cookies around so that I don’t die on my long ruin/bird excursions.  Finally I found the books.  Not a one in English.  Now what? 

As I was walking away from the store, I saw a hostel.  I asked if they had a book exchange and they did.  I had my finished novel with me so I swapped out.  A hundred years of solitude.  That should keep me busy for 6 days. 

Back to my room to dump my stuff and then a wander.  It turns out that the main tourist area is a car-free road that runs parallel to the beach.  It is commercialism as its best.  I tried to walk to the end but I think I would have hit Cancun before the stores stopped trying to convince me to enter. And they were just getting more fancy and expensive the further north I went.  I turned back and walked down to the water.  I assumed there would be a boardwalk or a malacon but nope.  So that is how I ended up on the beach for the first time, a week into my vacation on the Mexican Caribbean.   Eventually I made it back to the main drag to find some dinner, which is how I ended up in Pan Flute hell – with no Wi-Fi. 

 

Playa del Carmen

 

 

Me taking up a table in a busy restaurant - Karen's.

 

The main tourist area.

 

The beach

 

 

They are not happy with me taking up a table and I feel I have punished them enough for not paying their internet bill so I will end here.  I bought tickets to Cozumel for tomorrow so I may post from there.

Quick update, next day.  I am in Cozumel in the Hotel Mary Carmen, which has Wi-Fi, hallelujah.  This is a nice little town but of course, mostly tourist shops.  I have arranged another rental car, a VW bug, for tomorrow.  I plan to drive around the island to see the big park at the southern tip.  Then one more night here before I try to get back to Playa, to Cancun and over to Isla Mujares in one day.   I really don’t want to stay in Cancun if I can help it.   

Muyil, Tulum (ruins), Ek Balam, Rio Lagartos

     It is now Monday 3:42 pm.  But I will start back on Saturday where I last left off.  My meeting time with Rene the bird guide was 6am.   I got there but Rene had invited a couple of other people, his girlfriend and another friend who is a wildlife photographer so we took his jeep.  We reached Muyil and started our birding adventure on a dirt road.  There were lots of birds, some new, none of which I remember off the top of my head.  Nothing too exciting, I was a bit spoiled with my Coba birds, especially the owl.  When I showed Rene the picture of it, I had to describe in detail where I saw it and he asked if I would send him my picture, he had never seen one – that makes the bird even better if possible. 

Eventually, we left the dirt road (there were two half grown puppies there that we so sweet we all wanted to steal them). 



Here's the puppies, probably sisters.  My cats should consider themselves lucky these two didn't come home with me (especially the one on the right)

Then we checked some other spots before entering the Sian Ka’an Biosphere.  There was a trail with yellow danger ribbons strung across the entrance.  We just went under those.  The path was a well-made raised path of wooden planks.  We wandered along, not too many birds, when the new portion of the path ended and the old one started.  The wood planks, if there were there at all, were old and rotten and I assumed I was going to crash through at any second but all was fine.  Rene spotted a pygmy kingfisher.  It is the size of a house sparrow.  Rene took us a bit further into the park where he knew about a tiny cenote.  A cenote is a fresh water spring.  Some are big enough to dive in, there are many in the area that are used for swimming.  But this one was tiny, only about 5 feet across but we could see some little fish in it.  Then the kingfisher landed in a tree overhead.  We watched him as he watched us for 5-10 minutes.  Then he dove, shot straight down so fast we barely could see him.  I don’t even know if he got a fish.  But it was very cool.  He was so close. 

 

By then it was getting hot and windy so we headed back.  Rene said I should go to Rio Lagartos because there is good birding there and he gave me the name of a guide, Gabriel.  Emails and money exchanged, I was back to my hotel by noon.  A nap to try to right the wrong of waking up at 5am.  Then I had to figure out what to do for the rest of the day. 

I decided to try the Tulum ruins again.  I knew it would be open this time because it was after 2pm.  I arrive at the parking area to discover that I have forgotten my wallet.  The Mayan gods really don’t want me to see Tulum.  Back to my hotel to get my wallet.  But in my haste, I locked my car and hotel key in the car.  Not good.  Back to Payless to ask my guy if he has a spare key.  I suppose I should be used to the ‘oh my god, how stupid are tourists anyway’ look but it still amuses me.  Really, I’m the first person to lock her keys in her rental car?  I find that hard to believe, but apparently it is true if the exasperated reaction is any indication.  The spare key is in Cancun.  I have to talk to the boss in Cancun because my little guy is completely flummoxed by this situation.  I have two choices:  I can get the boss’s friend to open my car door for 300 pesos or I can have the spare key sent by the next day for 1500 pesos.  Umm, I’ll go with the 300 thanks.  I love Mexico.  I had assumed the friend was a mechanic, why do I ever assume anything here, it is always wrong.  The friend is the rental guy’s buddy who works next door.  He arrives with a screw driver and a coat hanger.  I kid you not.  I felt like it was 1978 – the great heist.  The two of them drive to my hotel which is just around the corner.  Then the two of them proceed to use the screwdriver to wedge open the door just enough to get the coat hanger in to pull up the lock.  It worked but I was worried the whole time that they would scratch or dent the door which I assume would be on my dime. In retrospect, what I should have been worrying about was how easy it was to break into my car that I occasionally leave my backpack in.  Plus, I don't even want to consider the cost (and probable jail time) if someone stole the actual car.  But, fortunately, I didn't think of those things and all went fine and it was done in a jiff.  But still too late to go back to Tulum. 

I ended the evening with some more wandering and a taco dinner with a beer.  The food is so much more expensive than the last time I was here, plus I hear that this area is even more expensive than the rest of Mexico.  I am spending money hand over fist, hotels and meals are more than I expected, plus my car and gas costs.  I have not bought one thing though, not a purse, not a trinket, not one knick knack or painting. 

The next day, Sunday, I packed up my stuff, threw it in my trunk and left the Casa Rosa.  I finally made it to Tulum.  It was bizarre there.  It is so groomed.  There was even a guy mowing the lawn.  All of the buildings were roped off so no climbing or exploring.  Just stick to the path and look from afar.  I got there around 9am and it was already crowded.  One new bird, a squirrel cuckoo.   While this ruin is not my favourite, too Disney for me, it must have been awe inspiring in its day, right there on the edge of a cliff overlooking the turquoise Caribbean Sea, every building a brilliant red.  There were still a few spots what you can see the red paint.  I thought the place was crowded, I found the tours annoying.  I started to think of them as the zombie hoards from the walking dead, just slowly moving forward, unthinking, en masse.  But when I left, the line to get tickets was a couple hundred deep so I think I missed the real crush.

Tulum

Tulum - it was windy. 

Templo Dios del Viento (God of Winds Temple)

Groomed

Great Palace

Pyramid El Castillo (The Castle)

Tulum was a walled city.  Here is a remnant of the wall.

You can still see some of the red paint on some of the walls.

How's that for beach front.  El Castillo on the right, God of Winds Temple in the distance on the left

After that, I decided to take Rene’s advice and head to Rio Lagantos, which my crappy Frommer’s guide tells me is on the edge of another nature reserve set up to protect the largest flocks of flamingos in Mexico.  Again, the roads were excellent and I have to commend the Mexican government on their road signage.  Excellent, I never got lost once.  On the way, there was a sign for Ek Balam, another ruin.  Since it was still early, I headed in.  There were few cars in the lot.  The path to the entrance was chock a’block with birds.  Another motmot, which are the most beautiful birds ever.  They are an iridescent blue that should not be found in nature.  No wonder the Mayans used feathers as decoration. 

Turquoise-Browed Motmot 

Here he is again, eating lunch

As I was hanging out on the path, two huge tour buses arrived.  Aacck.  One thing about tourist (zombie) hoards is that they are slow moving.  So, I rushed in, used the bathroom, looked around, and didn’t see the ticket window so headed on in.  Fairly far up the path, I come upon the ticket checker – but I don’t have a ticket.  So I go back but now the hordes are moving.  I was behind one of them.  But I managed to pass them as they all listened intently to their guide talk about some type of tree. 

I wandered around staying ahead of the crowd but still at a leisurely pace.  At this place, you can climb everything.  It was awesome.  And all of the buildings are in one area.   I climbed every building on my way to the big one.  Another huge pyramid.  This one has been extensively rebuild so the stairs aren’t quite so precarious.  There were a dozen or so people on top of it when I first saw it but as I arrived at the base, I had it all to myself.  I was still feeling the effects of the Coba climb but up I went.  I got to the top and was looking down on the jungle and the other buildings all by myself.  Indescribable, the feeling of standing where a Mayan king once stood a thousand years ago.  Then, far below, I saw the two bus tours arrive, time to go.  I’m sure I am in every one of those tourists’ pictures as I descended. 

Ek Balam

This is what it looks like as you enter - impressive. From left to right - the Entrance Arch, one of the Twins, The Oval Palace (you can kind of see the oval shape in the back) 

The back of the Twins

 

The Oval Palace (the oval is in the back). This isn't even the big one.  But I climbed it anyway.

This is the top

View from inside that little room at the top

 

 

 

The Entrance Arch

 



Structure 17 or The Twins (there are two mirroring temples on either side).



The left Twin

 The Acropolis.  El Trono (The Throne) is at the thatched roof on the left. This is the temple in which Ukit Kan Le'k Tok' is supposedly buried

The Twins from the Oval Palace (midway), the ball court in the background.

So many stairs.  But no people. 

My self portrait from the top of the Acropolis.

View of Ek Balam from the top of the Acropolis.  Spectacular.

Close up of the buildings from above. 

Sacbe - the white road.  These sacred paths are everywhere, at every ruin, linking buildings and even liking sites to one another, over hundreds of kilometers. 

 

An even better picture of a Sacbe.  It is Sac (white) be (way) because they were covered in crushed white limestone.

Where the Twin split, from the back.

Back in my car and off to Rio Lagartos.  I had to drive through one town, Tizimin, which was a bit confusing but still not too bad.  I got to Rio Lagartos just as the sun was setting.  I found a hotel and got the last room.  I love small towns.  I asked the desk clerk if he knew Gabriel.  Of course he does, and this man standing nearby is his associate.   You can find him at the Hotel Isla Contoy.  He can come to me or I can go to him.  I decided to find him.  Not too difficult as the town is quite small.  I arrived at the hotel and asked for Gabriel.  He isn’t here but we will call him, 5 minutes. 

When he arrived, it turns out that one cannot turn up unexpectedly and get Gabriel for the next day.  But after some back and forth with Juan, a man with Gabriel (everyone is an associate), it turns out Juan can take me out for a private tour for three hours at 6 am the next morning.  Perfect.  As I was walking back to my hotel, I realized that I forgot to ask if Juan knows birds.  As it turns out, I should have asked that question when I was agreeing to the deal.   The next morning, Juan was on time and we were out on his little boat charging toward the river.  I could tell he wasn’t a bird guy right away as he went too fast and stayed in the middle of the river, umm, the birds are on the edges.  It was confirmed later when he told me a parrot was an oriole.  That has to be a language issue, but still.  

Rio Largartos

Arriving at the dock at 6am

 

Sunrise over the bow of our boat.

Black Hawk

Ospry

At the end of the river, there are salt flats.  As we approached I could see the flamingos.  When I first planned to go to Rio Lagartos, I wasn’t that interested in them, as I had seen them before, but I have to confess, they are magnificent.  They were so pink they look fake.  And their legs are so long and the water so shallow, they seem to float above the water like a mirage.  Beautiful.  I got a few pictures but mostly they were too far away.  We landed on a spit and there were hundreds just wading about but I didn’t dare go to close.  I already suspected that we were in a restricted area, I didn’t want to add insult to injury by scaring the whole flock into flight (although it would have looked awesome).

Bare Throated Tiger Heron

One (the only) new bird (I think)) on the way back, a bare throated tiger heron.  Back by 9 am, time for a quick catch up nap and I was out of my hotel by noon.  Nobody takes Visa here, of course, so I had to find a bank machine.  None in Rio Lagartos which meant I had to stop in Tizimin.  I spent an hour or so in the main square.  The first bank machine didn’t work.  The next bank had three machines.  The first one rejected me.  The second one said I didn’t have enough in my account.  The third try gave me my money, although a lesser amount than I wanted.  I thought I had more in there. 

I almost went to Isla Holbox on Amy’s recommendation but I read about it and this time of year there isn’t much to do but lie around on the beach.  Instead, I headed to Chitzen Itza.  I guess I am just doing a Ruin Tour because that is where I keep ending up.  I found a hotel in Piste, which is right outside of the ruins.  It is the cheapest and crappiest so far.  No Air, no TV.  Just as well, I was getting spoiled.  They even have Wi-Fi, if I am willing to sit outside the office on the edge of the highway, which, of course, I am.  But I am writing this in my room to cut and paste into the blog.  Oh, but I did check my bank account and found that the two incomplete transactions are showing as withdrawals on my account.  Hmmm.  I am hoping they were just pre-approved before being cancelled but I sent an email to RBC just in case, amazingly I still have the receipts.  And I moved some money so I don’t run out of dough.  BTW, my car has started to screech when I start it.  I hope it lasts until I have to return it on Friday. 

Now I am back to the highway to send this and find a mini super for water and hopefully something I can buy for breakfast tomorrow.  Park opens at 8.  I want to get there on time.  ``