25th March
Uxmal, Kabah, Celestun lagoon, Merida
After breakfast we were again in the sunshine in Uxmal. Here it is next to the "Pyramid of the Magician" - a round / oval pyramid, which has allegedly created a dwarf / wizard in one night - many buildings in the Puuk construction. (Ground floor unadorned, many figures, Snakes, birds ... from Year 1 . Masks on the walls - floor), many buildings have Chak.
are at the entrance to admire a large cistern. Uxmal has - as one of the few cities - no cenotes. We saw a "Mayan World Tree". A tree of the 3 levels of the Maya world: roots / soil - soil - symbolizes heaven. This tree has many thorns on the trunk, so it can not be suffocated by the creepers.
We were in our "nuns square" that has never seen a nun. But The English explorers, old pastor could be in enclosed buildings that have many small rooms, safe rooms only imagine nuns. The buildings are interesting: they have such doors in each prime number (.. what a stupid word created by me). You have ample ornamentation. Here, too, mostly Mayan gods are seen.
Then we went on an inhabited by many iguanas playing field. (Have can it be that science does something wrong? Were the inhabitants of the ancient Maya cities, but no iguanas, the rummwimmeln now because everywhere, so never leave the city?)
Behind the square is the "Great Pyramid", was allowed to climb the man / could if you wanted to. I did not want. I have climbed just 35 of the 120 steps, I thought the way back to the high, steep steps but could be complicated.
(why the steps are each so high -.. The Maya today was 1.50 meters high, the 1200 years ago were not even sure how they are larger than the 35 to 40 cm high levels come up?
From the Great Pyramid could be from many others, suspect still at earth and scrub hidden other buildings. The pyramid itself was only half free of debris, sand and plants. From the side so you could clearly see how the Maya ruins have looked at all sure their find. We went after that to other buildings. We also saw a table of offerings in the form of Jaguar, phallus-shaped columns, the "fertility" symbolize, we saw colorful little birds flying around ....
Uxmal was worth a visit!
We drove a few kilometers to the Kabah. This city, which lies in the environment of Uxmal (20 km), and was allied with her too, is so far unearthed only a little. Right through the former town is a broad highway. Some large pyramids, you can sense only under the rubble. They are still completely unexcavated.
In general, there are archaeological discover certainly very much in Mexico. Max told me, that in the last 10 years in only one state 60 Maya villages has found. Since it is about to decipher the writing, noticed that even very important Mayan cities have not yet been recovered. You just know that there must have been them when they have lost a war against whom and so on. Where the ruins are in the jungle, surely know the grave robbers. Also on satellite images, the ruined cities are allegedly not detectable. In Kabah gave it a great "palace" with a 90 meter long frieze, which consisted of Chak-masks. Rüsselnasige this rain god, I mentioned many times before. order to inspect these, we had to climb a very steep staircase, which was worth it. On the back of the building, there were depictions of the ruler of the city: almost anatomically correct figures. on the walls there are reliefs and Mayan hieroglyphs.
Oh yes, I should mention that all the buildings of the early Maya were very colorful, almost kitschy painted colorfully. (Basic color of the pyramids was probably red.) The Max stressed several times.
After the very short visit (it was also only a small investment), in which we could also include the "elephant ear tree" admire, we went for lunch in a Mayan village.
Here, in a built in typical Mayan design restaurant which is operated by Maya, it was typical Mayan food from an "earth oven": hole in earth, wood fire until it glows, then up pot, the whole einbuddeln until it is cooked ...) For delicious, sometimes spicy food, there was a "Kukaratscha" = cockroach = tequila with coffee and brandy? to drink.
Then we drove on to Celestun lagoon already looked at the directions we fly on our bus pelicans. In a "port" were about 50 boats that were powered by 2 large outboard motors.
each to 6 people, we got into the boats. And off went a fast ride. Fortunately we had brought jackets despite the heat. Also, if I ride because of the large wind only once failed to make the zip to me, the whole jacket very used.
made already after 5 minutes we short a break to give us water birds to see, sitting on a fallen tree, then the boats chased further for some time until we saw everywhere light pink birds in the distance: We were there: Over 4,000 flamingos were standing here on the only 30 to 50 cm deep ocean water some Delta flew in pieces, many were in search of food. We came to 30 or 40 meters closer to the flamingos.
( text from the Internet:.. " The most popular bird in the reserve is the Pink Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber ruber) The Flamingo is one of the finest and most spectacular birds Its survival depends on an extremely fragile ecosystem (highly saline lagoons) from. In the northern hemisphere is the north and west coast of the peninsula Yucataán the only place where there are flamingo populations on the mainland.
Flamingos live in flocks of several thousand birds huddled together in knee-deep muddy water or salt levels. They feed on microorganisms, which are filtered through a complex mechanism in their large beaks. )
After about half an hour of observation, we drove on, passing bays where there were many birds, swimming, flying (many pelicans). The Banks were all mangroves. Suddenly we turned into a hidden water between the mangrove trees. A river cruise "through the Jungle"! ... were a long way on both sides of the boat some huge, bizarre roots that went down to the water. In the trees, birds, insects nests .... (Max showed us "Zwergeisvögel" - which were so small that I could not see them)
Then it went to a dock, where we visited a place where fresh water comes from the floor and as a Bach / river runs into the lagoon. Here in the water, there were many "four-eyed fish" - Fish that can see simultaneously under-and over water, somewhere there was a very rare "tiger heron"
Many locals were bathing in spring water. We ran on a wrong track a little round through the jungle. Then it was our boat that is stuck in shallow water had to be cleared, and we could go back.
The tour went to Merida. This is an old city, which now has almost one million inhabitants and built by the Spaniards in part from the remains of an ancient Maya city (ie: the Mayaüberbleibsel were completely destroyed. From the stones you then palaces and churches built.
As we passed the main square, it was so loud, as if 20 people would make noise with whistles. This loud pipes is caused by birds who gather after dark in the many trees on the market. (I've checked: the birds are called Quiscalus mexicanus - Dohlengrackel- They are slightly larger than blackbirds, have longer tails, the males are bright blue black .. and they make a big noise.)
for further hotel. The Los Aluxes is probably a 5-star hotel. But it is in the middle of downtown, fairly built and we had a view into the rear building. - Actually, that is our worst hotel on the trip, even if it had the most stars. Again, we were welcomed with a drink.
Then we went into town for dinner. Sabine and I picked out a small domestic economy, where we ate very well and drank our first "Tequila Sunrise". Tequila itself, "Landesgesöff" which is made from agave, preferably with a red worm should taste in the bottle is drunk with salt and lemon, I tried only once. I have not tasted it and I understand the cult of salt and citrus fruit not quite ..
Also on this day - as so often - we went to bed relatively early.
Then we drove on to 