today we are visiting the tulum ruins which are right on the beach . . . not sure if the mayans of this region were surfers but they certainly had the best location. apparently this area became very important for trading as the mayan ships were not very seaworthy, so they travelled close to the coastline. this became a natural stopping point and commerce here was brisk. goods were shipped between coastal and interior dwelling tribes and tulum provided the market for all. even though these tribes depended on each other for trade they also often under attack, hence the two foot thick walls and small doorways which were easier to defend. the more we learn about the history of this area, the more similarities with european people appear with war, treachery and greed being at the forefront.
after the tour we headed to the sian ka'an biosphere . . . it is the second largest protected land or 'national park' in mexico covering 1.6 million something-or-others . . . i know it isn't inches or feet . . . and is a unesco world heritage site. we signed up for one night on the beach and a couple of tours. our place on the beach was unique in that it sat on stilts, we could see through the floorboards and it featured no electricity or running water. we zipped open a couple of tent flap type windows and let the sea air rush in. you know when life gets too stressful and you wish you were away, shipwrecked on a desert island . . . your dreams would be a lot like this place . . . fortunately the banos were not too far away and there was a restaurant so we weren't completely away from it all.
we went out on a bird watching sunset cruise with three other couples. the first part of the tour consisted of our guide, ben, giving us the low-down on the layout of the biosphere and a bit of info on the various eco-systems here. the larger lagoon, which is brakkish water . . . 80% salt water from the one opening to the sea, and 20% fresh water coming from the cenotes and underground rivers, is where we would be touring by boat today. he and our boat captain, cosmi, started pointing out and naming many types of birds as we cruised around the big lagoon. now i assume these guys are pretty well schooled on their subject. however, a local talking about cormorants, juvenile eggrets and about 6 kinds of herons and other birds could have called them multi crested puddle walkers and not one of us could have challenged him on it . . . but they did look pretty honest. seriously, they were both very knowledgeable about the area and it's eco-systems. cosmi is also a fishing guide and ben a naturalist. as sunset was approaching they shut down the engine and polled in toward 'bird island'. it is remote enough that no predators of the birds can get there and the island is a roosting spot for thousands of birds each night, and so aptly named. at first a few birds flew in, then larger flocks until there were a lot of birds and we marvelled at some of them against a background of a huge ball of orange as the sun was setting. pretty cool. we went back for a delicious dinner, of grouper and all the trimmings, at the reserve and had a chance to get to know each other better . . . this is always one of the best parts of any tour, as you get to meet people from all over.
about 7:30 we headed back to our room. after star gazing from the veranda, we lit a few candles and lay in bed listening to the roar of the surf. a wonderful end to a pretty special day . . . until i woke up about 2am. i was thirsty so i had a drink and went out on the porch to look at the stars and it was even better than what we saw before bed. there are no lights of any kind for about 15 km and the sky was full of huge, bright stars . . . they seemed so big and bright that i could almost reach up and grab them out of the sky. the night sky here is different than what we see at home in canada . . . many of the constellatiions are the same, they just appear much bigger and closer . . . perhaps it's the proximity to the equator (i'll have to ask my buddy, john). in the late 80's and early 90's we used to go to puerto escondido as nellie's sister and family have a house there. they have hammocks strung on the flat rooftop and i used to go to sleep in one, with my brother-in-law giovanni, in another. sometimes nellie joined us. anyway, we would lie in the hammocks and talk philosophy or one of many other subjects and fall asleep looking up at the stars. about 1:00 or 2:00 am the hillside breezes would make us cold and we would wake up and move inside. i have never forgotten those wonderful times and tonight was much the same . . .
after the tour we headed to the sian ka'an biosphere . . . it is the second largest protected land or 'national park' in mexico covering 1.6 million something-or-others . . . i know it isn't inches or feet . . . and is a unesco world heritage site. we signed up for one night on the beach and a couple of tours. our place on the beach was unique in that it sat on stilts, we could see through the floorboards and it featured no electricity or running water. we zipped open a couple of tent flap type windows and let the sea air rush in. you know when life gets too stressful and you wish you were away, shipwrecked on a desert island . . . your dreams would be a lot like this place . . . fortunately the banos were not too far away and there was a restaurant so we weren't completely away from it all.
we went out on a bird watching sunset cruise with three other couples. the first part of the tour consisted of our guide, ben, giving us the low-down on the layout of the biosphere and a bit of info on the various eco-systems here. the larger lagoon, which is brakkish water . . . 80% salt water from the one opening to the sea, and 20% fresh water coming from the cenotes and underground rivers, is where we would be touring by boat today. he and our boat captain, cosmi, started pointing out and naming many types of birds as we cruised around the big lagoon. now i assume these guys are pretty well schooled on their subject. however, a local talking about cormorants, juvenile eggrets and about 6 kinds of herons and other birds could have called them multi crested puddle walkers and not one of us could have challenged him on it . . . but they did look pretty honest. seriously, they were both very knowledgeable about the area and it's eco-systems. cosmi is also a fishing guide and ben a naturalist. as sunset was approaching they shut down the engine and polled in toward 'bird island'. it is remote enough that no predators of the birds can get there and the island is a roosting spot for thousands of birds each night, and so aptly named. at first a few birds flew in, then larger flocks until there were a lot of birds and we marvelled at some of them against a background of a huge ball of orange as the sun was setting. pretty cool. we went back for a delicious dinner, of grouper and all the trimmings, at the reserve and had a chance to get to know each other better . . . this is always one of the best parts of any tour, as you get to meet people from all over.
about 7:30 we headed back to our room. after star gazing from the veranda, we lit a few candles and lay in bed listening to the roar of the surf. a wonderful end to a pretty special day . . . until i woke up about 2am. i was thirsty so i had a drink and went out on the porch to look at the stars and it was even better than what we saw before bed. there are no lights of any kind for about 15 km and the sky was full of huge, bright stars . . . they seemed so big and bright that i could almost reach up and grab them out of the sky. the night sky here is different than what we see at home in canada . . . many of the constellatiions are the same, they just appear much bigger and closer . . . perhaps it's the proximity to the equator (i'll have to ask my buddy, john). in the late 80's and early 90's we used to go to puerto escondido as nellie's sister and family have a house there. they have hammocks strung on the flat rooftop and i used to go to sleep in one, with my brother-in-law giovanni, in another. sometimes nellie joined us. anyway, we would lie in the hammocks and talk philosophy or one of many other subjects and fall asleep looking up at the stars. about 1:00 or 2:00 am the hillside breezes would make us cold and we would wake up and move inside. i have never forgotten those wonderful times and tonight was much the same . . .
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