Quito, Ecuador

We strolled around Quito´s Old Town today which is declared a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO (oh I love old towns and things).

The Old Town is an old but has pretty and colorful colonial buildings with balconies, and many magnificent churches and chapels.  We strolled around the busy plaza and had a great time visiting all the different churches - La Mecred, Cathedral of Quito, Santo Domingo, San Francisco, Basilica del Voto Nacional etc

Our favorite is La Compania, it has the magnificent exterior of the Cathedral in Mexico City and the incredible interior of the Santo Domingo in Oaxaca City.

However, here isn´t much to do, you can tour the whole Old Town in a day.

The strange thing about Quito is there is no one on the streets after 9pm at night.  And I mean NO ONE.  We looked out from our balcony and everyone has their windows shut, gates down.  It´s like a ghost town you see in a zombie movie!

Anyhow, I got to go, we have problems booking our Machu Picchu Inca Trail...x

Playa Del Carmen - Mexico

Ok I take back what I said about Playa Del Carmen in my previous blog. We stayed in Cozumel for 3 nights (by the way I didn't dive because I got food poisoning) and came to Playa today so it's easier to go to the airport tomorrow.

After being in Cozumel, Playa seems way better.

This is because there is a gorgeous beach right next to the busiest part of town but weirdly, is not so busy on the beach, the beach is relatively quiet. In Cozumel, you have to make an effort to go to the beach, rent a car or scooter. We sunbathed all afternoon, the girls were hot, hotter than Tulum but Tulum is stll nicer (beach-wise).

Further, the beaches in Cozumel we're really rocky so you have to be really careful but you won't have that problem in Playa.

Also, there is more happening in town in Playa whereas in Cozumel, it's just dead because most people are from cruise boats during the day.

My hubby went diving but said it was just average. The visibility was great but to call it one of the best diving sites was over-rated.

By the way, Mexicans are hilarious. They are so friendly and welcoming, at Playa, they will sell you stuff but won't harrass you, just politely say no and the will leave you alone.

Below was a funny conversation between us and a random Mexican on Fifth Avenue (if you also have my facebook, you will see it on my status):

Mexican: Do u want hotel?

Us: no thanks

Mexican: do u want cigars?

Us: no thanks

Mexican: do u want to look at my shop?

Us: no thanks

Mexican: do u want to party?

Us: no thanks

Mexican: do u want to get high? I've got weed

Us: lol WTF????

Cozumel, Mexico

I woke up, got the hump because I felt scammed into coming to Cozumel and we could have stayed in Tulum, our paradise.

But as usual, my hubby explained to me that it is what it is and we just have to make the best out of it.

So we rented a jeep thing (it's not a jeep but looks like one) and drove around the island, expect your rented car to be old, ours couldn't lock and none of the meter readings worked so we had no idea how much gas we had, how fast we were going and the only light that was on was "service engine soon".

Although it's still miles away from Tulum, the sky cleared and we found a few beautiful beaches. We found a particularly quiet one and sunbathed.

Then, we drove around the rest of the island. Just remember don't rent a bicycle or a scooter because the island is small but not that small. The heat, the road and the fact that you need to carry towels and backpack justify the renting of a car/jeep instead. Pay a little more for insurance, it's worth it.

We will go diving tomorrow and I can't wait as Cozumel is one of the best places in the world to dive.

Tulum - Mexico

To summarize Tulum in one word, I would have to say...PARADISE!

With gorgeous blue skies, soft perfect champagne sand and crystal jade water, Tulum has by far the best beaches I have ever seen! Although there are over 100 hotels along the beach, many only accommodate 3 to 5 rooms and thus, the beach is really quiet.

We stayed at the end of the beach so it was especially quiet. So quiet that I had the courage to sunbathe topless for the first time in my life!!! It felt GOOD!

We have traveled pass Playa Del Carmen and are now in Cozumel. Honestly, I think Cozumel is so over-rated. If this is paradise to those who compare it with Cancun and Playa Del Carmen, then they will die in Tulum which is the REAL paradise.

We have yet to explore Cozumel in the next few days but so far, it's a huge disappointment, it's so crowded and commercialized, it makes me resent Cancun. Thank god we are not going there!

But mind you, we prefer quiet places and we don't like parties, so if you are young and on spring break, I am sure you would enjoy Cancun and Cozumel.

Chichen Itza - Mexico

From Merida, we took a 2 hour bus ride to Chichen Itza, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

What you see in Chichen Itza is only 8 to 10% of the whole of the site. When you stand and look around, it's actually mind blowing to know how much has yet to be discovered and they find new things everyday!

The famous Mayan pyramid that you see in every photo is actually a Mayan Calendar itself. There are 91 steps on each side, there are a total of 4 sides plus the top platform equals 365, like the 365 in the calendar!

Also, the pyramid has 9 layers, there are 2 sides (left and right of the middle stairs) which equals 18, and there are 18 months of 20 days in one of the Mayan calendars!

Isn't that incredible?

The Mayan calendar started in 3114 B.C., thats 5,000 years ago! Some say they stopped at 2012 because it's the end of the world, the locals said it ends in 2012 because that's when the Spanish invaded the Mayans and they were working on year 2012 of the calendar.

Lastly, many books say the Mayans disappeared, it's not true!!! The Mayans are still there, it's just that when the Spanish took over, the Mayans adopted the new culture, regulations and ideology. The guides we had were all Mayans!

I have always been interested in the Mayans calendar, history and mysterious. This trip to Mexico is by far the best history lesson I have ever taken!

By the way, I can now put a "check" on one of the To Do Things on my Bucket List.