Day 334 – Valladolid
Chichen Itza and Ik Kil Cenote
Today’s plan was to wake up early, eat breakfast and then catch a collectivo (shared taxi van) to Chichen Itza. Unfortunately, by the time we woke up we didn’t have time for breakfast. The collectivos leave from the same block as the ADO Bus Station on Calle (Street in English) 39. The first collectivo departs at 7am and costs 40 MXN / $2.98 AUD per person, per direction.
We got ready and walked out the door of our airbnb Casa Ixchel, at around 6:30am. As we left, the German couple from another room was just getting into their rental car to leave for Chichen Itza. They graciously offered to take us and we agreed!
Chichen Itza
The drive was a lot shorter than any of us expected. We arrived at the gate at 7:30am. The car park was not even open yet, but we were the 2nd car in line. Once the car park opened there was an 80 MXN / $5.96 AUD parking fee. It turned out the guy in front of us was actually a guide, so we were the first tourists on site.
We were craving a coffee/food as we did not have breakfast. The site is well equipped like Uxmal (Day 330), with ATMs, cafes, restaurants and souvenir shops. However they were all closed. We waited near the ticket counter until 8am. By the time the ticket counter opened, a few minutes after 8am, there was at least 30 people waiting behind us. The tickets cost a total of 481 MXN / $35.82 AUD per person, which isn’t bad for a Wonder of the World. I’m pretty sure a movie ticket back home can cost more.
Once inside the site, we were surprised by how nice it was. Some people we have met on our travels had lowered our expectations saying that it’s too touristy and that you can’t climb anything. The fact that you can’t climb anything is actually okay. It is easier to take nice photos without people.
However, at 8am there is not much of a crowd. We left just after 10:30am, and we could see bus loads of people around the site. Personally for me, there weren’t enough people to wreck the experience as the site is large, but it you are extremely anti-social I can see it being a problem.
Another benefit of starting early, is to beat the harsh sun. Also in July, you can beat the thunderstorms, that tend to occur in the afternoon.
Temple
The site itself was very nice. The main highlights for me were the massive ball court (Juego de Pelota), the Observatory (El Observatorio o Caracol) and the Pyramid (El Castillo).
Ball Court Holy cenote
When we were leaving, the ticket area and entrance were really packed with people. We had noticed a museum (museo) when we were going into the site. We decided to check it out. It’s definitely not worth writing about. The museum is just a few paintings of Mayan scenes in a small room, that is really just the lobby to the on-site office. We were out of there in less than a minute.
Chichen Itza Museum
Ik Kil Cenote
Our German friends/lift, were planning to go to a nearby cenote (fresh water swimming hole) and asked if we would like to come. We agreed despite not having swimming gear. A short drive from Chichen Itza was the Ik Kil Cenote.
Parking is free, but the entrance is 80 MXN / $5.96 AUD per person. We didn’t take a dip in the water (as this was an unexpected detour), but you can hire life jackets and lockers on the site. We had lunch from the Snack Bar, and as we waited a little too long for the food to arrive, we saw hundreds of people leaving/entering the site. Ik Kil is pretty much a resort, with hotel rooms, restaurants and the cenote.
The cenote…even after seeing a wonder of the world, was the highlight of the day! It’s inside what looks like a massive sink hole, and from the signs we think the water is 50 metres deep. The sink hole itself goes down, around 20 meters from ground level (my best guess). It was crowded, but most people were just on the edge of the water, taking photos. The water looked so inviting. Like so so so inviting. Our new friend told us the water was nice and estimated it at 23 degrees.
After chilling at around the cenote for a while, we left back to Valladolid. As we were coming back there was some light rain, but an hour after we arrived at the hotel a thunderstorm hit. Our timing was brilliant!
Later that night we had a few drinks with the German couple, and a Irish/USA couple who had just checked in today.