ClickPic
To Enter

Chichén Itza Ballcourt
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Click on Cruise Ship, Introduction or Main Index

---

 
 

Back to Top

Concerning this WebSite

ClickPic  above a picture will offer a single full size or alternative version.

ClickPic above a title will access another full page of pictures.

For more information see:  Notes On The Trip!

Or
BEGIN THE ADVENTURE!
Complete Index
 
 

     In actual fact, the geniuses of this website began sometime in the mid-1940's, when, as a child, I read a book titled "Royal Road to Romance" by a real life adventurer, Richard Halburton.  One chapter told of the author's trip to the ruins of Chichen Itza. And he told of having dived into the famous Well, and surviving! The Well?  A watery pit into which the Mayan Priests ceremonially toss young virgin maidens in order to pacify their blood-thirsty Gods.  From that moment on I really wanted to see this ancient place, to climb the pyramid, walk through the famous site, take in all its stone-age wonders. Then to gaze into the Well--though hardly to dive in!

     My way of diving in, many many years later, though, was reading a lot about Mesoamerica, learning about the Toltecs, who who responsible for much of the more recient ruins at Chichen Itza [at least 1000 years old]. The spark that Richard Halburton's book lighted in my mind became, over the years, a raging fire.  I had to go there--someday.  A dream.  One of those fantasy hoped-for trips that haunt many of us--and never materalize.  Then it happened in April, 2000.

    My wife had known my interest in Mesoamerican ruins and civilizations.  We'd gone to Alaska on a cruise, then to Maui, both more a bow to her personal dreams.  Now she felt it was my turn to have a dream come true.  I was given my pick of which ruins to see.  And my choice as to how to go about it.

    Well, says I, the only real meaningful cruise is that in the Caribbean--any of them would do!  Add that to a trip to Chichen Itza and we have a double whammo!

    The only item of business left to us was to decide how to get to Chichen Itza.

    Love a cruise.  Always wanted to take the Caribbean cruise--any one of those offered up by major Cruiselines.  We went to our local travel agent, World One Travel of Thousand Oaks, who's owner, Bernard Weiser found a cruise that would make the required tour to Chichen Itza possible.  These ruins were offered at the last port stop of the cruise: Cosumal, an island just off the coast of Mexico.  We had to take a ferry to Playa del Carmen, on the coast of Mexico, Yucatan.  As it turned out, Belize City, Belize, was the port of call the previous day, and offered a tour to the Mayan ruins at Altun Ha. I jumped at the chance to see another Mayan site.

    The cruise, of course, was an event all by itself; and worth the price of admission.  But in my mind the main event was the Mayan ruins--and all else merely a wonderful added attraction.  The cruise was simply an ideal way to get there.

I've, hopefully, designed the website to be easily accessed in bits and pieces.  A recommended obtion, because of its size.  All comments, other than these, are minimal.

In the beginning....

     We started at the Los Angles Airport, staying overnight at the Renaissance Hotel, where we were able to enjoy a nice afternoon snack and morning meal as part of the deal--(the Club room in which they delivered these extra pleasures are shown on the LAX page).  Friday we were able to sleep in a bit longer, before getting the plane to Miami early the next morning.

     In Miami we were taken to a hotel to spend the night. That evening I tried to find some Cuban food to experience the real thing, but that simply didn't happen.  I did find, though, an Internet Cafe, which I made use of the next morning.  Before leaving for the ship we did actually discover a stand, almost across from the hotel,  that offered what they called a Cuban sandwich, which was as close as we got to Cuba! Then we were taken to the ship, around 1:00 PM.

     We had time to get settled in, look around (during which I took quite a few pictures of my first impressions) then we had lunch in the Terrace Room, where we'd been assigned our dinner table, and once again look around before they sailed out of Miami and headed for the Caribbean. Almost immediately we were forced to run through a life-boat drill--with life jackets strapped on and right under the life boats assigned to us.  A dull, time-wasting exercise required by law!

     The excitement drives you throughout the ship, wanting to see every nook and corner.  The most you can do is to get quick looks and try to find yourself around--and back to your cabin.  Just try to!  You get lost very quickly.  But that's part of the game, of course.  It takes you most of the trip to really get to know your way around the place.

     That night we had dinner at our assigned table and met the couple who were going to be our companions for the trip.  A nervous moment, meeting the strangers who will invade your privacy for the next 7 days. Luckily we'd survived this kind of experience before in the previous cruises we'd taken over the years (two transAlantic to Germany and back, to along the western side of Mexico, one to Alaska).  The "embarressment" and awkwardness last only a short time.  This couple turned out to be amazingly interesting.  He was a retired teacher, who had, for some 20+ years taught of all things German!  My wife being German born and all that, this made it really a grand extra experience. They had a lot to talk about--and not in German, really.  He'd been to Germany quite a few times, many with students on class teaching tours. His wife was Japanese, and a delightfully charming lady.  They helped to make our evening meals especially lovely.  Quite a nice addition to our experience.  [Plus, of all things, he was the first person I met who knew the name Richard Halburton--another was a man we had breakfast with a couple of days into the trip, who was anxiously going to take in Chichen Itza, too.]

     The next day was on the open sea, (the best part of a cruise, as far as I'm concerned!) moving down around Cuba.  What happened that day was more exploration and enjoyment of the ship.  You get up in the morning and have breakfast, (we took the morning buffet in the Four Seasons dining room, pictures of which are shown in the website) and soon are eating lunch, and after a bit of relaxation it is dinner time, then you have the big show to see at night, and a short time after that the Midnight buffet or snack.  Food food food is what a lot of this is all about, of course.  And the entertainment.  There's the piano in the Coffee Cafe (where I spent a lot of time enjoying the cocktail lounge were lovely standards were played with a jazzy touch).  The ship had other places where one could dance to what would be called modern music.  And then, of course, the small Big Band and Theater and the nightly shows.  We saw most of the Big Shows.  From comedy to "broadway" productions.  Some were, actually, quite entertaining.  Though they aren't of top flight Las Vegas level, like the liners would like you to believe, but they offer pretty darn good entertainers.  Well worth the price of admission, too--part of the package.  All one had to pay for was the drinks and gambling. Oh, yes, there was the grand Casino!  Where you could dump your money. I actually managed to win something like $17 bucks at one point and walked out. I think I  was kinda ahead of the game. I didn't play the tables or slots after that.  Actually don't like the gambling all that much--they wanna take your money!  No fair!  I wanna take their's.  It was a dead lock--so I simply kept away from that scene.  Too much to do, anyway.

     These cruises are set up to take your time and cram it with so much activity it is like riding a rolly-coaster at double time for 7 days without stop.  You have one total day to get some idea of what the ship is all about, and deciding what tours to take (another item you have to pay for).

     Yes.  You have very limited time.  And I heard that the Chichen Itza tour was very very popular with limited "tickets"!  That drove me up the wall!  I'd taken this cruise for ONE thing only (well, that's why we'd taken this one).  And to miss out on the ruins of Chichen Itza would be a tragedy beyond insanity.  I went to the ticket window very very early and stood for about an hour, first in line, taking no chances.  Its enough to say that we went on that tour, plus the one from Belize City, Belize, Yucatan, to Altun-Ha--a minor, but impressive Mayan ruins.

     The next day, our second full day, on the cruiseliner, was a port stop at St. George, in the Cayman Islands. It was Monday morning, and even I was interested in getting out and seeing what was in the offering.  As it turned out, a lotta banks in the British island.

     The next day was Roetan island, just off the coast of Honduras was offered up the next day.  Brigitte took a tour, while I kept a promise to myself to make the most of the boat.  Plus I was on the tail end of the famous 2000 flu attack, which had started a week before we left.  So I was determined to conserve my energy for what I considered the Main Event: Chichen Itza.  So, along with other things, I rested a bit, too.

     The next morning we arrived at Belize City--and the beginning of the Mayaland adventure!

     A minor comment about the weather!  It was hot!  Thick and hot!  That's what we expected to experience. And it was advised to smother your bod with sunscreen--which we'd done.  Still the thick heat was enough to drain you--and I never liked anything much more than around 80 at top!  Plus a cool breeze.  Well, not even on the water was there any real cool breeze cool enough to off set the heat.

     Right on the docs of Belize, we were taken to a boat that took us down the Belize River through the hot tropic jungles of Yacatan and finally to a lunch at a river front eating place.  This is where a bus picked us up for an hour drive to the ruins of Altun-Ha.  What a thrilling moment when I first stepped out of the bus and faced the nearby pyramid within walking distance. A breath-taking moment. This was my introduction to the Mayan world! This site was quite an impressive place.  Some walking to do, and the one "pyramid" that we went up the side of, to the top! This was an exhaustingly blunt warning as to how difficult it might be to get up the 91 steps of the real pyramid at Chichen Itza, the next day.

     And the next day was Chichen Itza! An all day tour starting in the morning.  Those going on this tour were the first off the ship and last back on, long after dinner  It was an 11 hour trip.  First some 45 minutes by ferry to the Mexican coast, and the city of Playa del Carmen.  From there we were driven to Chichen Itza in a neatly air conditioned modern bus--believe it or not!--for a 3 and one half hour trip one way.  The box lunch that they ship had given us was the only downer of the whole week; a disgusting mix of stuff hardly worth mentioning, let alone eating!  But the bus gave free beer and sodas, all you could consume, plus free water which you certainly needed to take with you.

     My long time dream was to go to the top of the pyramid, something I'd resigned myself as perhaps being impossible.  91 steps to the top.  I managed to keep with the guide through much of the first hour--and we had only 2 and a half hours there.

     Then the next day was out to sea, the ideal way to enjoy a cruise.  Then the party was over and Miami gobbled us up and ejected us back to LAX and home.
 
 

Go to:  Complete Index or Back to Top
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

---

Complete INDEX to WebSite

TO GIVE AN ALL-OVER PICTURE OF THE SHIP.

THE MAYA
Other WebSites to surf:

MYSTERIES OF THE MAYA A nice place to start.
THE EARLY  HISTORY OF BELIZE  A narrative history of the Mayan culture in Belize.
TOUR OF Chichén Itzál   Good visual image of this major site.
Altun-Ha Nice information on this ancient site.
Altun-Ha Another interesting website.

 

Other Haldolen WebPages
HALDOLEN ADVENTURES - Home PageEGOMANIAPHOTO ESSAYSPICTURES BY GITTA