Mexico: Cancun, the Yucatan and the Maya ruins

With only one week of holiday available, we decided to leave for Mexico anyway, even though it is really a trip that would need at least two. We didn't want to miss out on either the scenic or the archaeological wonders, so we set off for Cancun and from there crammed a tour into the first three days, devoting the rest to the sea. I think this trip is one of the most expensive, but certainly worth it from every point of view except the climate: the temperatures are high and the humidity takes your breath away, especially during the site visits when you have to walk a lot under the sun. We arrived in Mexico a week after a hurricane had passed through: along the road that runs through Playa del Carmen, where the beach was swallowed by the sea, there is nothing but broken trees and destroyed hotels and houses.

We are told that Cancun is in better shape, so we decide on a quick change of plan and, at the end of the mini tour of the Yucatan, we will stay in Cancun instead of Playa del Carmen. We spend the first night in a decent little hotel with a disappointing dinner, and the next day the tour begins, with the first stop at Chichen Itza. Chichen Itza is the best-restored and most famous Maya site, known for the famous pyramid of Kukulkan. The pyramid is 24 metres high and dominates the scene with its grandeur; at its sides stand two other important monuments: the 'Ball Court' (one of the oldest in Mexico) and the 'Temple of the Warriors', which forms a single whole with the 'Temple of a Thousand Columns'. To the left of the Temple of a Thousand Columns you reach another part, densely built with Maya works.

Here are: the 'Ossuary', the 'Casa Colorada', 'El Caracol' (astronomical observatory) and the 'Church with the Convent'. The view from the top of the Pyramid is breathtaking. We continue our tour after a stop at a very colourful market that we find in a village along the road to Uxmal: the fruit is fragrant, it looks so good you want to try it all, especially the kinds you don't see back home. The meat section is curious, and it's funny to see very long rows of plucked animals hanging, and outside the classic sombrero seller. Uxmal is another of the best-restored archaeological sites. The visit doesn't take long and the most beautiful thing is the endless view from the top of the pyramids. We arrive in Merida, the capital of the Yucatan: a pretty little city, despite the traffic and the smog. We did the sightseeing tour like true tourists: by horse-drawn carriage... well...

sometimes it doesn't hurt, especially when you're tired of walking. Worth seeing: the square with the Cathedral, which is worth a visit both inside and out, and the town hall overlooking the square. From Merida we continue to Coba, an ancient Maya city, today an archaeological site completely immersed in a tropical jungle. It is divided into three groups of ancient Maya monuments separated by about a kilometre of path through the forest. You can do it on foot or they load you onto bicycles with child seats; given the heat and humidity, we opt for the bikes. We reach the 'Great Pyramid', beautiful, we climb its 120 steps and a breathtaking spectacle awaits us, the view sweeping 360 degrees over kilometres of endless forest. We continue to Tulum. The site is made up of monuments that emerge among the greenery, among iguanas of every size.

The highlight is the temple-fortress of the Castillo directly on the Caribbean Sea. The view is like a postcard: the temple, the cliff and the colours of the Caribbean... indescribable! Our tour is over and now three days of relaxation await us in Cancun, a new city created in the last thirty years, facing the Caribbean Sea. It is divided into two areas: Ciudad Cancun and the hotel zone; the first is the historic area where you can still find clubs and hotels at affordable prices, the second is the tourist area where there are only large hotels, and the zone of bars and entertainment. After resting on one of the very white beaches of Cancun, we head to the port, from where in less than half an hour by boat you reach the nearby Isla Mujeres, that is, the Island of Women, because at the time of the Spanish colonists there were quite a few women there; the island is about 8 km long.

The sea is fantastic, with shades ranging from turquoise to deep blue, and the transparency of the water is exceptional. The boat ride back is also beautiful, with Cancun getting closer and closer and everything looking so fake because it's so beautiful!