Cancun
This trip to Cacun was to visit Chichen Itza, the 6 wonder of the world that I was going to visit.
See here the others I’ve visited. The 7 wonders of the modern world.
The last one will be Petra in Jordan.
The plan included Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon and dog sledding.
Chichen Itza is located on the Yucatan peninsula and nowhere is it more famous than Cancun.
Cancún, is located in the state of Quintana Roo and is one of the main places for the Mayan culture.
The city is one of Mexico’s main tourist attractions and is popular for its beaches.
There’s a lot to see, but since I didn’t have much time, I went straight to the beach.
It is possible to visit Chichen Itza from the city, but this is very busy, so I decided to go to Playa del Carmen and then take the tour to Chichen Itza, which is even better because you arrive before the tourists from Cancún and the visit is very quiet.
Cancun beaches
The city center is several kilometers from the beaches.
What tourists actually see is the so-called Hotel Zone, a strip of land between the sea and Lake Nichupte.
They are usually close to resorts and have few entrances to the public.
The main road is Boulevard Kukulcán where the hotel entrances are located and the beach is closed to guests.
There are a few entrances and I used the one next to the Hard Rock cafe.
The beaches are really the ones in magazine photos.
Life in this part is super hectic, with bars, restaurants, shopping, etc.
Here is everything that the vast majority came to know, the day well spent.
But I also like to know the more local side and I went to visit the city center.
In the center, you will find several craft markets, museums, restaurants, and places where the Mexican people really live.
Market 28, Market 23 or Khuit on Av. Tulum is an interesting place.
Of course, there are always things for tourists, but here they are more authentic.
Other places worth visiting are the city’s planetarium, Parque de las Palapas, Plaza de Toros, Malecón Américas, among others.
Playa del Carmen
Time to go to Playa del Carmen
I took the bus which takes 1:30 hours and costs around US$2.00.
Playa del Carmen is a very cozy little town, without the crowds of Cancún that you can even enjoy peace of mind, but it also has its hectic life
It is the starting point for another attraction which is Cozumel, in addition to diving and snorkeling.
This area has lush marine life.
Life happens around 5th Avenue, with shops, restaurants, etc.
After enjoying the local life, I went to my main goal of the trip, which was to visit Chichen Itza.
Chichén Itza
Chichén Itzá was the capital of the Mayan people,
In 2007 Chichen Itza was considered one of the new 7 wonders of the world, for me it is being the 6th, see here my visits to the 7 wonders of the modern world.
Chichen Itza is a Mayan ruins complex centrally located in the northern half of the Yucatan Peninsula.
The development of Chichen Itza spanned several centuries, with estimates over 1,500 years old.
There are records that the city was the center of the Maya people between 600–1200 AD
The central point is El Castillo, also known as the Pyramid of Kukulcán. It is the main temple, where twice a year the shadows reproduce the image of Kukulcán, the feathered serpent.
After one more stage is accomplished, it’s time to go home, but since it’s on the way, I’ll visit my friend Sandra in Toronto.
