Our Great Adventure: Ek Balam Day 353 06/09/2015

The Yucatan peninsular is full of Maya archaeological sites and we were keen to visit both Ek Balam and Chitchen Itza whilst we were in Valladolid. Mexicans can get into the sites for free on Sundays so we decided to go to Chitchen Itza, the more popular of the 2 sites, tomorrow. Ek Balam is only 17km north of Valladolid and easily accessible by shared taxi so after a very enjoyable breakfast we walked to near the bus terminal and shared a car with an elderly lady and younger lady. The driver clearly had ambitions to be Lewis Hamilton as we spent along the highway at 120km/hr and we were there in no time. We had originally planned to go without a guide but once inside we were offered a reduced rate and decided it was definitely a good option. A lot of vegetation still covers much of the site which added to the mystery of the place. Near the entrance is a guard house like structure which leads to an open area surrounded by temples. Nearby is a ball court and it was fascinating to hear about how the Mayan's played ball games with the loser (or maybe winner if you hear the story at Chitchen Itza), being beheaded. The most impressive structure was the Acropolis which has been well restored. The base is 160m long and supports a gallery of separate chambers. On top is a massive pyramid reaching up to 32m. On the left hand site archeologists have recently discovered the King's chamber which has been carefully restored although access is not allowed. The climb up to the top of the pyramid was exhausting in the heat but well worth the views back over the rest of the site and the surrounding jungle. Near to the site is the XCanche cenote which you can get to by a 1.5km ride in a pedicab. The cenote is more open than the ones we'd visited yesterday and was certainly a lovely spot for a refreshing swim to cool off. We were transported back to the entrance by pedicab and then waited a short while for a taxi back to town where we shared nachos at a cafe overlooking the main plaza. We headed back to the hotel to cool down and listen to the thunder although this time no rain came. In the evening we went to El Maison del Marques on the main plaza for dinner. Simon needed a change from Mexican and had steak and baked potatoes. Afterwards we went to the other side of the plaza where they had closed the road and locals were dancing in the street to a band playing. It was a wonderful scene and certainly something you wouldn't get to see if you came here on a day trip from Cancun. The temperature was quite pleasant as we enjoyed the entertainment. We treated ourselves to ice creams and sat in the park to eat them before heading back.