The three of us are staying in a hostel in Western Yucatan called the Monkey Hostel which the Lonely Planet waxed lyrical about. It´s decidedly shabby as are most of the guests, but as the real estate ads often say - `location..location..location` as it is situated on the main square in the oldest part of the city and overlooks the main cathedral.
Todays ruin was a place called Uxmal and has to rank as my favourite part of the country so far. Very few people and some excellent structures set amongst rolling hills and jungle with large [insert collective noun] of iguanas. Practically tripping over them - it felt like being in a bonsai jurassic park at times.
These particular ruins are noted for their complex details which are surprisingly well preserved. You are also permitted to climb over them which enabled me to view from the top of the largest pyramid, hundreds of square kilometres of jungle. As I wandered off on my own I could also appreciate the quietness and beauty of the setting, and sitting on top of a Mayan pyramid with thousands of birds circling and the odd inquisitive iguana creeping out from under a rock is an extremely satisfying experience.
We also drove several hundreds of kilometres to get to Campeche where we are spending the night. Tomorrow morning we head off across the other side of the peninsular to Tulum reknowned for its ruins on the edge of the ocean.
view from the hostel balcony at night
campeche centre from the monkey hostel
village hut state of campeche
uxmal
uxmal
uxmal
uxmal
uxmal
uxmal
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