Friday 30 January 2015

Oaxaca

Arrived to Oaxaca with the nightly bus.

After having a shower we set off to discover the city: ate at the market place; visited some of the churches, the catedral and the museum and drank chocholate (of course).


It just came into my mind that I did not write about food and drinks. So here it is:

The main spice is the chili. They can eat everything with chily. Even the mango. Seriously.

The second most important spice is the sugar. If something is sweet than that is usually really-really sweet. I can easily consume my weakly supar portion in a single day. I hope I will not. Or at least not too often.

I really enjoy the lots of fruite and fresh juice here. Easy to make an ice cream: just fruit and water and sugar (of course:)).

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Sumidero Canyon

Big, lazy crocodiles. They might be over them daily portion of tourists for today.:)

Numerous different birds.


A new type of iguana: a yellow and black one. Zuzmoka said that he wanted to be a iguana when he grew up.

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Zinacatán & San Juan Chamula

In these two villages of Mayas around San Cristobal people are still practicing them old customs, wearing traditional dresses making clothes, toys and other things by hand. Women are carrying them child in a huge textile as a special big package.

The church of Chamula is a Mayan church from the time before Christof Columbus and the catholicism arrived.


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Wednesday 28 January 2015

San Cristóbal de las Casas

San Cristobal is a real box of jewelries. Shiny houses, elaborately decorated churches, vivid market with colorful fruits and vegetables, handicraft market with carvings and textiles in all colors of the rainbow made by the locals, traditional costumes. Colors, colors, colors everywhere. Bright and saturated and vibrant and jolly. Jolly spiffing.:)


Ate corns, mango and tamales.

Bet is so talented in choosing hostels. The one in San Cristóbal is a rustic one with big places and special atmosphere. Ah, and did I mention that in Palenque our bungalow resided practically in the jungle. I think I will keep Bet as my travel mate.;)

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Tuesday 27 January 2015

Palenque

Real rainforest with real rain. Ruins of Palenque are remained in quite a good shape. Mystic-foggy rainforest surrounded the buildings and make the scene even more spectacular.


The waterfalls of Aqua Azul flow through huge natural dams (mésztufagát) that I have never seen before.

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Monday 26 January 2015

Chetumal & around

Fresh guanabana juice, eating at the local market, watching the tortilla manufacture in work, visiting a quite quiet archeological place (Oxtancah) with a great guide explaining the building and the trees, tiny cenote in the jungle with even tinier turtle, footprints of 'tigrillas'.


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Sunday 25 January 2015

Bacalar & around

Today I took part in a yoga session that was organised only for me. I felt to be special. It took a little time to realize that not I am the special but the people here.


After some breakfast(?) in a local restaurant with the yoga team Bet and the two Nayeli (mother and daughter) and myself went to Backalar visiting the beautiful and peaceful leagues and the deep blue and unbelievably deep cenote. And snacking all the time, that said to be typical Mexican.:)

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Saturday 24 January 2015

Arrived to Chetumal

Snorkelling in the morning, long travel (relatively), arriving to Chetumal, meeting Bet.
Khm, I mean: MEETING BET!!! :)

Friday 23 January 2015

Isla Mujeres

Pineapple pie, turtle farm, vast amount of different, colourful fishes.

No WiFi for a whole day. (Survived.;))

Started to get bored of leguanes.


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Even more photos :)

Wednesday 21 January 2015

Cobá

I have learned a lot of Mexican Spanish today as follows: The statement that the one and only ADO bus back from Cobá is 'completo' and there is no other option to return than 'solo taxi' means that 'you could buy your ticket back on the spot even 10 minutes after the official start time of the bus'.

Otherwise the place was nice, fully covered by jungle, that still amaze me. The diversity of forms and unknown trees, that happily grow on the side or even the top of the ancient buildings. The never-seen-before animals that let you fairly close. A handful of rusty and yellow birds hunting for ants just under our nose. Iguanas, that have two 'mode': sneaking (lopakodó) and turbo (csörtetô). Usually they use the sneaking mode: moving slowly and prudentially with them belly slipping on the ground. But if they are frightened or just in hurry to a date than they switch to turbo mode: elevate them belly from the ground and start to run more fast than elegantly.

It was a bit disappointing for me that it was not allowed to enter the buildings or climb the pyramids except of the highest one. But that one was a stunning experience to see the vast jungle from the top. I just imagined how gorgeous could be a sunset or sunrise from there.


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Tuesday 20 January 2015

Tulum city

Today I was a tiny bit of nervous as according to the HostelWorld all cheep hostel was overbooked for today days in advance. Indeed I had plan B (stay in Playa del Carmen instead) Tulum city seemed to be more comfortable to visit Cobá and Tulum ruins. But fortunately I got bed at the second hostel I dropped in. Happy end for today.:)

Tulum beach and ruins photos

Monday 19 January 2015

Izamal, the golden city of piramides

Today I visited Izamal. There is a tones of pyramids (at least 6) inside the city, just in the backyard of some houses. I climbed only the biggest one called Kinich Kakmo that said to be the the 5th highest among all of the Maya pyramids. It seemed to be quite abandoned: in ruined state, no sharp edges or proper stairs. Also the nature started to occupy back its property, trees are growing on the side and a proper little forest cowered the first 'floor' providing hideaway for orange and black birds and sunbathing iguanas.

Izamal is called the golden city as the majority of its houses are painted bright yellow giving cheerful atmosphere to the place.


I looked around in the convent, visited the folk art museum, strolled in the yellow streets, chatted with the friendly owner of a tiny organic shop, bought some fruits and vegetables on the market and returned Merida enough early to write this blog.:)

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Sunday 18 January 2015

Flamingoes

Flamingoes, pelicans, alligators. Nothing special.:)

Today I visited Celestún that is the most popular place to observe flamingoes beside Río Lagartos. Earlier the flamingoes staid here only winter but nowadays you can see them whole year.


The mangrove forest in the laguna is the home of several types of see birds and with a little luck you can see crocodiles as well. We had luck.:)

Beyond hiding animals the other features of the mangroves are producing vast amount of oxygen, colour the water red and present beautiful mysterious atmosphere inside. Even the crocodiles do not want to break the relaxed atmosphere pretending to be logs.

Crocodiles are the main predators of flamingoes that are making a lot of noise and thus not so elegant than in photos or TV.

Pelicans are cool guys letting us quite close. We can see some of them on the open see as well around the fishing boats.


Related link for Hungarian speakers:
http://m.zeneszoveg.hu/m_dalszoveg/1565/kalaka/a-pelikan-zeneszoveg.html

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Friday 16 January 2015

Chichén Itzá

Chichén Itzá, iguanas, jungle, hot. Swimming in the Cenote X-Kekén among andor under gorgeous stalactites, black fishes and shy bats.


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Thursday 15 January 2015

Alice in Wonderland

Today I made a lazy day to came over the jetlag that was not so awful that I had expected.

'Early' morning around 9 am I went for a walk in Cancun. I just felt as I would be in some dream: the everything was a bit of different: unusual trees on the street, unknown spices and vegetables in the shop. I cannot wait to meet Bet and ask about all of these mysterious:) stuff.

After that I was travelled to Valladolid. The Spanish lesson was included in the bus ticket (played a film in Spanish:)).

I do not know how did it happen but in Valladolid I bumped into a tiny but cozy chocolate museum, manufacture and 'chocoteria'. So I must taste it.:) The drink contained only chocolate bean and water. It was quite bitter but not unbearable. I just learned than the choco beans here are not fried just dried on the sun following the Mayan tradition and that results less bitter taste and more good ingredients remain in the chocolate.


I also visited the cenote in the middle(!) of the city. Cenote is a hole created by a ceiling of a limestone cave was fallen down. There are great number of cenotes in the Yucatán peninsula.

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Wednesday 14 January 2015

arrieved to Cancun

Arrived successfully.

Had a pet on the airplane: an ant between the glasses of the window. De verdad.


Yesterday afternoon (today according CET:)) I had an entertaining conversation with two travellers from Bogota. It was entertaining as my Spanish was slightly better than them English. You can imagine...

Photos from the airplane

Thursday 8 January 2015

"The more you experience, the better off you are."

These were the words of my ex-boss (and later best friend) when wanted to comfort me seeing my uneasiness leaving the company and thus his project. He was completely right. So I continue 'exploring'. This time I set off for Mexico.

Why exactly Mexico? I become interested in Mexico after meeting Bet (la mexicana:)) during our walk the Camino de Santiago. Her openness, cheerfulness, and spontaneity made me suddenly interested in the culture and country she is from.

So I will spend a whole month in this colorful, vivid and diverse country.
You can find my rough plan here.

With Bet in Budapest