Cancun

Two weeks in the beautiful Beloved Hotel, Playa Mujeres, Cancun, Mexico
  • Arrival at Cancun airport. This place is a total disaster and can't cope with the number of planes that arrive.
  • View of mini bar in our room. On the counter full bottles of Red Wine; Gin; Vodka; Whiskey; Tequila. All for us!
  • Our massive bed behind the lounger. The window in the back/right is the shower room (massive wet room)
  • Our own private jacuzzi
  • A very well stocked mini bar fridge. A chat with the bus boy gets the items changed to stuff you actually want.
  • Probably the biggest bed we have ever slept in.
  • Very tasteful bathroom, high quality bath/shower products supplied daily. Wet room in the background
  • Bathroom products updated daily.
  • Spacious walk in wardrobe, with safe (free).
  • A view from the wet room looking back into the main area.
  • First cocktail, with pool below that has swim up bar.
  • Steve's first cocktail. Tried three of them but then switched to Whiskey.
  • View of "our" pool. Our room is down to the right at the end of the first block. Just step out to our own private balcony area and then into the pool.
  • Long shot of the Observatory : Cancun Sept 2012
  • Arch entry into the Chichen Itza site. : Cancun Sept 2012
  • Visiting Chichen Itza.
  • "La Iglesia" (The Church), one of the oldest buildings at Chichen Itza, is covered in masks of the rain god Chac. : Cancun Sept 2012
  • Part of "La Iglesia" (The Church) in the Las Monjas complex at Chichen Itza
  • Tourists at Chichen Itza "Church". Not doing a lot of praying though. : Cancun Sept 2012
  • Close up of the carvings on the Church showing the Mask of Chac. : Cancun Sept 2012
  • Only the guide thought to bring a parasol - and then he stood us in the sun to talk about the site! Sunny Kim (on the right) was the only person on the trip with us. : Cancun Sept 2012
  • Though extremely clever, the Mayans had not worked out how to hold up a roof (even a thatched one) without a lot of pillars. : Cancun Sept 2012
  • More Pillars. : Cancun Sept 2012
  • Most of the carvings, statues etc. are lost due to erosion etc. This wall shows a glimpse of how good it must have looked originally. : Cancun Sept 2012
  • The Ossario, a step pyramid with staircases on all four sides. : Cancun Sept 2012
  • They had a big thing about snakes in those days. Gods of the Maya. : Cancun Sept 2012
  • "El Caracol" (The Snail) observatory temple at Chichen Itza, one of the largest Maya cities. Chichen Itza was likely to have been one of the mythical great cities, or Tollans, referred to in later Mesoamerican literature and is one of the most visited archaeological sites in Mexico; an estimated 1.2 million tourists visit the ruins every year : Cancun Sept 2012
  • Archaeologists have identified thirteen ballcourts for playing the Mesoamerican ballgame in Chichen Itza, but the Great Ball Court about 150 metres (490 ft) to the north-west of the Castillo is by far the most impressive : Cancun Sept 2012
  • First glimpse of Kukulcan : Cancun Sept 2012
  • Dominating the North Platform of Chichen Itza is the Temple of Kukulkan (a Maya feathered serpent deity similar to the Aztec Quetzalcoatl), usually referred to as El Castillo ("the castle") : Cancun Sept 2012
  • Posing in front of the Temple of Kukulkan (El Castillo) : Cancun Sept 2012
  • Carvings on Kukulkan : Cancun Sept 2012
  • Another view of Kukulkan - you can see a stream of workers all the way up the pyramid as they work on restoring it. : Cancun Sept 2012
  • The Cenote Sagrado was a place of pilgrimage for ancient Maya people who, according to ethnohistoric sources, would conduct sacrifices during times of drought. A cenote is a natural sinkhole, exposing the fresh water below. : Cancun Sept 2012
  • Templo de los Guerreros (Temple of the Warriors) : Cancun Sept 2012
  • The "Light Show" at Uxmal. This is really not worth paying to see. Quite boring, much better to save your money and view the ruins during the day. : Cancun Sept 2012
  • "Spectacular" light show at Uxmal. Yawn. : Cancun Sept 2012
  • The only interesting bit of the light show. They illuminate the snake that is carved into the wall. : Cancun Sept 2012
  • The Beatles reform at the Lodge, Uxmal. This is part of the hotel we stayed in. Quite comfortable but not a patch on The Beloved. : Cancun Sept 2012
  • The Lodge Hotel, Uxmal : Cancun Sept 2012
  • Pyramid of the Magician - entry into the site at Uxmal an ancient Maya city. Today it is one of the most important archaeological sites of Maya culture, along with those of Chichen Itza and Tikal. It is located in the Puuc region and is considered one of the Maya cities most representative of the region's dominant architectural style.
  • Pyramid of the Magician with today's sacrifice on her way. : Cancun Sept 2012
  • Pyramid - what pyramid? There's something more interesting this way! : Cancun Sept 2012
  • Rear view of the Pyramid of the Magician, front view of Rachel. : Cancun Sept 2012
  • The Pyramid of the Magician (El Adivino) is the central structure in the Maya ruin complex of Uxmal. The Pyramid of the Magician is also referred to as the Pyramid of the Soothsayer. : Cancun Sept 2012
  • The House of the Doves at Uxmal : Cancun Sept 2012
  • Vey steep steps at the Great Pyramid at Uxmal. They don't look too bad when you are at the bottom, but when you get to the top you realise just how steep they are - and the trip back down looks scary! : Cancun Sept 2012
  • Looking up at Rachel on the steps of the Great Pyramid : Cancun Sept 2012
  • Carving in the corner of the Great Pyramid. : Cancun Sept 2012
  • View from the top of the Great Pyramid : Cancun Sept 2012
  • Standing at the top of the Great Pyramid at Uxmal
  • Cancun Sept 2012 081 : Cancun Sept 2012
  • Cancun Sept 2012 082 : Cancun Sept 2012
  • The Nunnery Quadrangle (a nickname given to it by the Spanish; it was a government palace) is the finest of Uxmal's several fine quadrangles of long buildings with elaborately carved façades on both the inside and outside faces. : Cancun Sept 2012
  • Nunnery Quadrangle at Uxmal with the Great Pyramid behind. : Cancun Sept 2012
  • Posing at the Pyrmaid of the Magician on the way out of the site. : Cancun Sept 2012
  • Really, really big olives on a tree - or maybe they were something else.
  • Visiting an old colonnial Hacienda where they used to produce tequila.
  • The original living quarters of the colonnial house.
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  • Bloody big machine!
  • Chilling and waiting for some of that tequila to arrive
  • Entrance to the Hacienda cab be seen in the background
  • One long building with adjoining rooms
  • Private chapel
  • Father Ted is no longer with us so we have Sister Rachel in the chapel today.
  • Very small piano, probably quite lovely when it worked.
  • Old safe - looks like it has come out of a wild west film.
  • Drawing room
  • In the town of Merida
  • Church buliding in the background at Merida
  • Government building in Merida - handy place to stop for a wee.
  • The pool outside our room - at this point
  • Getting to the pool from our private balcony.
  • Cheers from the Spice restaurant at the Excellence Hotel
  • Celebrating Spurs victory over QPR 2-1, with a Tequila Sunrise or two.
  • Our for a meal in the Excellence Hotel (sister to The Beloved). Superb Indian food - and very hot!
  • At the Basmati restaurant in the Excellence Hotel.
  • Bite me!
  • Not another cocktail? No - G&T this time
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  • Pool with a swim-up bar. : Cancun Sept 2012
  • On our way to the beach : Cancun Sept 2012
  • Our beach : Cancun Sept 2012
  • Our beach (again) : Cancun Sept 2012
  • We didn't actually bother with these, but they did look comfortable : Cancun Sept 2012
  • Giant lazy beds on the beach : Cancun Sept 2012
  • We didn't just laze around - went for a bike ride a couple of times. : Cancun Sept 2012
  • Top of a tower near to the hotel. Good views. : Cancun Sept 2012
  • Giant compass in the gardens of the tower : Cancun Sept 2012
  • Just admiring the view : Cancun Sept 2012
  • The view : Cancun Sept 2012
  • Another cyclist : Cancun Sept 2012
  • Contemplation : Cancun Sept 2012
  • The fountain that is at the entrance to the tower : Cancun Sept 2012
  • Parrots near the tower : Cancun Sept 2012
  • What are you looking at? : Cancun Sept 2012
  • Got a cracker mate? : Cancun Sept 2012