16 Apr 2021
This was such a day to remember! We only had 2 other people on the tour with us, so everything felt very personal. Our guide, Arturo, was super knowledgable and fun. It was a long drive to the temple, but the van was comfortable and the time passed quickly as he filled us in on Mayan culture and facts about the site. We picked up a friend of his who is Mayan and he taught us some Mayan words and showed us how to read a Mayan calendar. We also had the opportunity to buy a customized calendar with the date of our choice on it, which will make a perfect souvenir.
Walking around Chichen Itza was very interesting - so many cool stories and details about what we were seeing. There were lots of vendors selling things, so just be prepared to tell them no a lot! You can't climb up the temple, but there was plenty to see and we got some great pictures.
And then my boyfriend proposed in front of the temple!!
After that we drove another 30 min to the Cenote and restaurant. The path in was VERY bumpy gravel, so just be prepared for that if you get car sick at all. The restaurant was very tasty. We were really excited to swim after such a hot afternoon walking around, but we were not prepared for how COLD the water was. It was freezing. I could only get in to my knees! But it was lovely to see.
Then we went to Ek Balam and my fiance (!) climbed up the temple there. The steps are VERY steep and I'm afraid of heights, so I didn't climb very far. But the whole site was really cool to witness.
Overall, it was better than we expected! It is a long, hot, tiring day, but it's worth it to experience so much history first-hand.