Bewitched by Mexico

It arrived on 15/03/08. Off to Mexico. I'm excited, it's an important trip, a country full of history, of famous relics and one in particular recognised among the modern 7 wonders of the world! We set off from Malpensa with Volare. I booked the trip on the internet with Karisma. After 12 hours of flight + a stopover in Havana we arrive in Cancun where they await us for the transfer to the Barcelo Maya Beach resort, which is 25 km south of Playa. When we arrive at the resort we are left speechless, they had said it was beautiful but not that it was this wonderful! The Barcelo is made up of 5 resorts within one another, all connected to each other. As soon as they put the legendary wristband on our wrist for the All Inclusive we realise that our holiday has really begun! (How many mojitos sipped on the bar stools in the water at the pool bar).

The beach is beautiful, long and wide and the Caribbean sea, guys, what a spectacle! It's my first Caribbean! The resort's impact on the environment is practically nil, the beach bars have straw roofs and blend in with the palms. On the beach there aren't the rows of umbrellas found at other resorts, only the palms for shade and the sun loungers. The rooms are very large with a bed for 3. They are very well equipped and looked after down to the smallest details. The main restaurant is a buffet, then there are 2 restaurants, Mexican and Spanish, and various beach restaurants for lunch. Many pools, 2 swim-up bars, whirlpools, all non-motorised activities included... in short, we had a fabulous time. But we didn't spend all our time inside the resort! The first evening we went to see Playa. We took the collective taxi, which picks up anyone on the road until it's completely full.

The town is nice, very touristy, concentrated on a single street, full of bars and shops. The 2nd day we went to Tulum, again with the collective taxi. We visited the ruins, truly very beautiful. The special thing about Tulum is its position on the sea. The Castillo is right on the edge of the Caribbean. The best viewpoint is on the side of the Castillo; from here you get the most famous view of Tulum, the profile of the pyramid with the stunning beach below and the wonderful colours of the Caribbean! A spectacle of incomparable beauty. A staircase leads down to the beach. A swim in the crystal-clear, wavy waters of this corner of paradise is a must! We climb back up and continue our visit of the ruins. In my opinion Tulum doesn't belong to the State but to the countless iguanas that inhabit it. So many! And so beautiful! They were the first iguanas I had ever seen...

strange animals, they look prehistoric, completely harmless. Having taken the thousand obligatory photos of the iguanas, we decided to go to the famous Playa Paraiso beach. We reached it on foot, from the exit of the ruins it's about 1 km. A beautiful white beach with a sea of enchanting colours! We had lunch at the restaurant (El Paraiso) on the beach with an excellent dish of prawns. An afternoon of relaxation and walks admiring the wonder of this beach. The next morning we went to visit a Cenote. In Mexico the rivers flow below the ground, the earth above in certain places collapses bringing the water to the surface and these freshwater wells called cenotes form. The water is turquoise and extremely clear. We visited the Kantun-Chi park, which we reached in 15 minutes on foot from the exit of our resort.

Inside there are several cenotes, which you can find without a guide, following a path through the forest. The first swim in a cenote is never forgotten... the strange sensation you feel bathing in these cool and transparent waters... the particular smell the water gives off and the mysterious environment that surrounds it! A lovely experience. Then comes the most awaited day, the visit to Chichen Itza. It's 20/03/08. We chose this date to be able to admire not only the site but also the phenomenon that can be seen here in Chichen during the equinox. In the pyramid called Kukulcan or El Castillo, between 20 and 21 March or between 21 and 22 September, the morning or evening sun reproduces a light on the pyramid's staircase resembling a serpent.

Unfortunately we weren't lucky because the sky that day decided to cover itself with clouds and not let a single ray of sun through, so the phenomenon remained only in our imagination. Never mind, deep down what I really cared about was seeing the pyramid, one of the 7 wonders of the world. The first thing you see entering from the visitor centre is her standing majestically at her 25 m of height, she is wonderful. The pyramid represents the Mayan calendar. Brilliant when you think about how it was built. The sum of the steps of the 4 staircases plus the platform at the top makes 365, like the days of the year. Each of its 9 levels was divided in two by the staircase, creating 18 divided terraces, symbol of the 18 months of 20 days of the Mayan year. Let's also think about the orientation they gave it so that the equinox phenomenon would occur. No wonder it's one of the 7 wonders...

but apart from this it's just beautiful on the outside. The pyramid, like the other buildings, is closed to the public, a great shame. Inside the site there is also the ball court for the pelota game, the largest in Mexico. The Maya gave great importance to this game and whoever won it was sacrificed to the gods. Then there's the observatory called Caracol, very beautiful. The windows of the dome are aligned with the position of certain stars on specific dates. There is also a cenote with a diameter of 60 m and a depth of 35. In this cenote human remains have been found and it is presumed that people were thrown in as sacrifices to the gods, especially the sickly. Inside the site there are lots of artisans selling their wares at very good prices (the lowest) and they have wonderful things. On the road back to Playa there is a colonial-style town called Valladolid, quite famous.

Personally I didn't like it much. The trip was organised with the tour operator because Chichen is 3.5 hours by car from Playa and we didn't feel like renting a car (€65 with lunch and an Italian-speaking guide at the site). Then we went to see the Sian Ka'An biosphere reserve, the third largest in Mexico (the other 2 are in Baja California). You reach the fishing village of Punta Allen (2 hours) where we are guests of a family for lunch. From the little beach we climb onto motor boats and visit the reserve where dolphins, turtles and starfish live. You enter the mangrove forest, habitat of the frigate birds, truly an incredible environment, among these alleys so narrow that they let the mangroves close into an arch and form a tunnel through which our boats pass... Unforgettable.

Then we reached the natural pools where we swam in the transparent waters and once again the Caribbean sea was the star of the holiday. Then we went snorkelling near the reef. On our return the family had prepared a stupendous paella for us! The beach at Punta Allen is of a shocking beauty, wild and postcard-perfect. Perhaps the most beautiful I have seen in these days. Mexican families, taking advantage of Easter, leave the cities to spend the 3 days of the holiday at the sea. They camp with their tents, the whole family, adults, children and dogs. Everyone playing on the beach with such carefree joy! I would have stayed for hours watching them. Mexico gave me so many emotions, what won't I forget? The colours, the pyramid of Chichen and Punta Allen.