The scents of moisture, decay and age filled my nostrils, the damp, cool air inside the dark building contrasted against the warmth of the sun I’d felt on my skin just seconds before. The sound of water trickling close by was nearly deafening… and seeing… really seeing the details of everything around me was almost dizzying! It was a perfect moment and I stood frozen for what seemed like an eternity taking it all in and letting the mix of feelings wash over me.

If only this sculpture could talk. It may be my imagination but she seems so serene and knowing.

Seconds after those feelings melted away the kid in me screamed “OMG! I’m really here, right now seeing this… me, in Herculaneum! This is so freaking amazing!”. The sudden rush of child like wonder and excitement made me almost laugh out loud.

Sometimes life gives you a perfect moment. On this day I was lucky enough to experience a series of them. What an amazing feeling!

I’ve decided to try to go back in time a bit and fill in a bit of the gaps for the months that I was silent while travelling. I’m not going to do these in any particular order and honestly I may skip quite a bit since I’m still backpacking and doing new things. So follow me back to June 2010 when I traveled to one of my favourite cities in the world… New Orleans!

I’ll admit I love a good vampire story and reading Anne Rice’s books a few years ago gave me an even stronger desire to visit New Orleans than I’d even had before. The scent of magnolia blossoms swirling on the breeze, the sound of music drifting in the air at all times of the day and night, southern charm… yup, this is a place I knew I had to visit and when I was leaving Mexico it was the perfect time! After all, it was pretty much on my way.

I could go on about the beauty and charm of the French Quarter (I fell in love with it completely!) or the history of this amazing city but I’m sure you’ve heard that all before. Picking the highlight of my time there would also be too difficult, but if I had to choose one thing that I feel makes this city special it’s the people. They were so incredibly friendly and I finally understood the concept of southern charm. This is a city where people say hello and smile while passing on the sidewalk, chat while waiting in line, you name it.. the people in Nola are social and when they found out I wasn’t American many were even more interested in hearing about why I’d traveled to their area. (Apparently my Canadian accent passes as American unless I say the dreaded word ‘about’… that’s the giveaway every time.)

One thing I would recommend if you travel to New Orleans is to take a swamp tour… yes, it’s touristy… yes, it’s a guided tour, but it really is the best way to get up close and personal to the alligators in the swamp (without being eaten) and you’ll learn a bit of the history. It really was one of the highlights of my time in Nola.

Some of you may know that I’m terrified of water, it’s my biggest fear but one I’ve slowly been trying to conquer during my trip. I was quite worried that the knee-shaking terror would make it impossible for me to climb aboard the boat, but I was so thrilled to be seeing real, live alligators that I pushed through and almost forgot my fear a few times!

The boat captain was wonderful, he brought marshmallows to feed the alligators so that they would come right up to the boat. Yeah, I thought the same thing when I heard.. alligators like marshmallows? They went crazy for them! He even hand fed a few so that we could see how far out of the water they can jump and how fast they swim. Lots of fun! I even learned the difference between a bayou and a swamp. (In case you’re wondering, a bayou is like a highway through the swamp, an open water area that a boat can pass through, swamps are thicker and muddier.)

The best moment of the day was when I got to hold a baby alligator. This little 6 week old gator’s name was Elvis and he loved being pet on top of his head and getting a little hug. I swear he grinned for the photo! :)

New Orleans, Louisanna

Beautiful Buildings in New Orleans’ French Quarter

The houses in the French Quarter are painted rich, vibrant colours and the iron work of the balconies looks almost like lace it’s so detailed. What can I say, it’s as charming and beautiful as everyone says!

Jazz Musicians Immortalized

New Orleans is the birth place of jazz and it’s still going strong, both immortalized with bronze statues of famous Nola musicians as well as flowing out into the streets from houses and bars.

Statue in New Orleans

I was so excited to get this photo that I forgot to look to see who it is, if you know please tell me so I feel a bit less silly. :)

Jackson Square

Jackson Square is one of the many famous places in the French Quarter of New Orleans and is a perfect place to sit and relax while snacking on one of the many local treats.

Mardi Gras Beads

Even though I travelled there in June there were still Mardi Gras beads tangled in the trees along Charles St. It was quite pretty really with the colours glistening in the sunlight.

Marie Laveau’s Tomb

Here’s a photo of the tomb of the famous Voodoo Queen, Marie Laveau. Her (possible) resting place in the St. Louis Cemetery #1 still has people visiting requesting favours by either leaving 3 items or making 3 marks in her mausoleum wall.

Alligator Close Up Photo

We really did get to get up close and personal with some of these alligators, in this photo you can really see the how intense their eyes are. This one felt like he was staring me down!

Alligators in the Bayou’s of New Orleans

They came right up to the boat to eat food from the captain’s hand. At one point he even kissed on of the gators on the nose!

Gator with a Marshmallow Hat

Yes, this alligator really does have a marshmallow on his head! :) The swamp tour guide tosses marshmallows out into the bayou because the gators love them and will swarm around. Somehow this guy got one right on the top of his head, were it stayed until the guide successfully knocked it off by getting him to jump for more food.

Elvis the Baby Gator and Me

I love animals of all kinds, so getting to hold a baby alligator was one of the high points of the day! Look closely at the little gator in my hands, I swear he’s grinning. :)

New Orleans found a place on my ‘could be a home someday’ list. Have you found places in your travels that felt so right that you could picture living there as an expat for a while?

The night before I was going to leave Brasov, the owner of the guesthouse I’m staying at pointed up at the mountain at paragliders floating high in the sky. After hearing my ridiculously girly squeal of glee at even seeing them he mentioned that he knows someone here that takes people up. So of course I had to try it!

The next morning a slightly nervous but excited me popped out of bed (trust me, this may be the first time ever I popped out of bed, usually I’m not a morning person at all, barely human until caffeine is in my system to be honest!).

I felt a bit like a kid at Christmas, barely able to contain myself knowing that I was going to finally get the chance to try paragliding. You see, ever since I was a little kid I had a fascination with airplanes and flying. I’d imagine I was a brave pilot doing aerobatics in an old biplane, or a bird soaring free on the wind high above everything.. total freedom, enjoying the moment and flying just for the sheer pleasure of it. I love being in the air!

I could barely contain my excitement when I met up with George the pilot / instructor and we headed to the hill to begin the adventure. When we got there we found out that the cable cars weren’t running yet. So he got another idea, going up in a moto-glider! I’m really not sure if that’s the proper term, but it’s like an airplane for 2 that’s all open, kind of like a glider but with an engine and amazingly fun to fly in!

As freezing cold as it was I refused to admit that my limbs were feeling a tad numb for worry that he’d think I’d want to land. I was half shivering from cold and half from the sheer amazement I was feeling, it was like electricity running up my spine letting me know I was truly alive! The view was so breathtaking I was willing to ignore the cold and wished that we could stay in the air forever.

Eventually of course we did come back to the ground and I got to experience part two of the best day ever! Paragliding off the Carpathian mountains… twice!

While I was up there I kept closing my eyes to remind myself that what I was feeling at that moment had to be remembered forever, then popping them open quickly so that I didn’t miss a second of what I was seeing. It really did seem to me that this is the closest a person can get to understanding the freedom a bird really may feel. The day was so beautiful that there were quite a few other people out with the same idea, seeing so many other colourful canopies in the sky only added to the beauty of it.

Spiralling with the air current I felt both extremely small and somehow a part of everything, I really can’t describe how it effected me. It felt like I had a slight shift in my personal definition of the word ‘freedom’ and for the first time in a very long time I realized just how lucky I am to be living the life I am right now. Having the chance to experience so many of the things I’d always thought were out of my reach, travelling to places that before were completely unknown to me, talking to new people and hearing how they see the world and their place in it and knowing that a few of them will remain in my heart forever. Yeah, this is part of where my mind was wandering while flying, the other part of my mind was screaming “OMG!!!! This is AWESOME!!!!”, yes, the kid in me that wanted so desperately to fly is still here. :)

After paragliding we went for a ride on his motorcycle to take in the view near the top of one of mountains. There are no words to describe how beautiful this area is. The grass looked like soft velvet, rocky peaks of extremely high mountains in the distance peeking through the clouds, perfect little houses and a feeling of complete and utter contentedness.

So far this is definitely in the running for The. Best. Day. Ever!

Amazing Day Flying in Brasov, Romania!

Me Pretending to be a Pilot

Yup, I was pretending that I was going to be the one actually flying. Even with this special outfit it was freezing in the air but sooooo worth every second!

Gliding Over Clouds

This photo was taken from the moto-glider as we were passing above the clouds.

Brasov Sign

Some of the cities and towns in this area of Romania have tall white letters high up in the mountains with their names, Yup, a bit like the Hollywood sign.

Ariel View of the Black Church

Here’s an aerial photo of the black and white churches in the historical section of Brasov, Romania.

Freedom in the Air

This photograph of a paraglider flying high in the sky is one of my favourite photos of the day, the lens flare from a fingerprint on the lens makes it a bit nicer in a way.

Looking up!

Another of my favourites, looking up at another person flying past us.

Paragliders above Brasov

Ok, this is the last photo showing other paragliders, I swear it :)

But if you’re interested, this photo is now available as a printable calendar for 2011. :)

Carpathian Mountains

What an I say, with the rolling mountains blanketed with deep green trees and the clear, crisp air, this region of Romania has upped the bar for beauty in my mind.

If you’re travelling in this area in Romania, staying in Brasov and taking a day-trip by bus to the nearby town of Bran is well worth it. Bran is most famous for Bran Castle otherwise known as Castle Dracula… yup, Vlad Ţepeş aka Vlad the Impaler and the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula set up residence here for a while. The best description for the castle I’ve heard was from a fellow traveller in the area “Such a big legend for such a small castle!” but it’s well worth a visit.

I admit that I was expecting something a bit more spooky and run down or something. Imagining it in my mind there was always the sound of nearby wolves howling, wind rustling dry leaves in the trees and thunder storms overhead. What I found was something very different! The castle had been renovated between 1920 -1930 to make it a modern summer home for the royal family so feels quite warm and friendly… not what I expected but I enjoyed the visit and learned quite a bit about a piece of Romania’s history.

After the unexpectedly modern and airy décor of the castle, coming back outside was a bit of a culture shock. There was tons of fun vampire trinkets and souvenirs that I wish I could have given a home to. (I used to have a large collection of ‘tacky vampire stuff’ so after a quick mental switch I was very much in my element as I wandered from stall to stall wishing I had some way to carry the mounds of vampire goodies I wanted to buy.) Mixed in with the kitsch was also some beautiful local crafts, jewellery and other goodies. My advice, if you can’t buy anything because you’re travelling or on a budget, leave your money at the hostel and take only a bit for the entry fee and perhaps a snack. I was far too tempted to shop and almost caved a few times. Although I’m proud to say I only bought 1 item, a beaded bracelet… hey, if it’s not in my backpack it doesn’t count as extra weight. ;)

A Few Photos of Bran Castle in Romania

“Dracula’s Castle”

Sorry for the terrible photo of Bran Castle, I tried but between my little camera, the backlighting and my limited photography abilities… this is the best shot out of the series. Luckily there’s lots of great photo’s of Bran castle online if you want a better look.

Entering Bran Castle

This really is a beautiful castle! Here’s a shot I took of the stairs as I recovered from the climb up the stone covered path to the top of the hill.

Inside Bran Castle

Comfortable, warm and friendly, not what I’d expected but it was a happy surprise! Hmm, ok, yes.. this could definitely be my dream summer home. :)

Hidden Staircase

This is the only spooky thing I saw in the castle, the hidden staircase leading up to the upper floors was very narrow, dark and atmospheric.

Knight in Full Suit of Armour

Aha! I found my knight in shining armour :p

View From the Castle Top

Worth it even if only for the view of the southern Carpathian Mountains, beautiful isn’t it!

Landscape Near the Castle

The area surrounding the castle is beautifully lush and green, a nice spot to relax and think about this areas history.

Bratislava, Slovakia’s state capital and largest city is where I finally felt like I was heading back into territory more unfamiliar to me than my travels of the past few months. This made it feel like the perfect time to take another step outside my comfort zone towards overcoming my terror of water. So what did I do? Well I booked a room in a botel (yup, a hotel in a boat on the Danube river) instead of heading to a local hostel.

To be honest I hadn’t put much thought into it when I booked the room, perhaps simply because had I thought about it in the slightest I’d have chickened out. I must admit that at first the nights were a bit terrifying. Strange dreams filled my head and sounds I swear I’d only ever heard in horror films involving boats sinking or ghost ships filled the night air. (You know the sounds… metal slowly creaking against metal as the sound unmistakably echoes deep under the water lowering in tone as the sound waves plummet farther into the murky depths to be lost forever… water splashing against the sides whispering quiet threats but beckoning me to come closer… *shudders… then snaps out of it* Ahem, where was I? Oh yes…)

I’m glad however that I didn’t decide to stay on nice, solid, non-swaying land since the botel turned out to be right near the old section so walking to everything and exploring the town at my own speed was a snap… as was spending as little time as possible on the boat.

Before I arrived I knew nothing about the county or it’s long and often turbulent history. While there however I lucked into finding a free walking tour of the city! If you’ve never gone on one of these and there’s one available, my advice is try it out! The guide works for tips so they generally try very hard to make it an interesting, fun and educational walk around.

There’s been a permanent settlement here since around 5000 BC (!) so getting everything into a 3.5 hour tour would have been exhausting and totally impossible, but he did very well to cover a lot of interesting bits about Bratislava. I won’t go into the history because, like I said, it’s far too long, but if you’re interested, Wikipedia’s entry about Bratislava, Slovakia will give you a good start.

One of the many things that stuck with me was the local superstition and folklore. According to local legends most things are good luck in Slovakia, for example, getting hit with a bird dropping.. great luck… but it’s very bad luck to speak while passing through Michael’s Gate. Inside the gates however are restaurants and shops (and many people happily chatting it up!). Up for the challenge I decided to order a meal, eat and pay the bill, all without saying a word and left with my luck intact. Superstitious? Me? OK, perhaps a bit… I was sleeping on a boat after all, so let’s just say I wasn’t ready to take any extra risks by testing out local superstitions. ;)

Some Photos of Bratislava

Bratislava Castle

As night fell the castle was lit up and looked even more like a fairy tale than during the day! This is the view from my room on the Botel looking at the castle high up on the hill, beautiful!

Michalska Brana (Michael’s Gate)

This is where I’m told it becomes bad luck to speak until you’ve passed through (fully) to the other side.

Toronto: 6981km away

Inside the gate leaving the old town is a circle showing the distance to large cities around the world, here’s how far I’ve gone.

Napolean’s Cannonball

See that little black circle on the left of the window? That’s a cannonball Napoleon shot at the town hall in 1809. On the corner of the tower is the statue of Madonna of 1676.

St. Elizabeth’s Church – The Blue Little Church

One of the most unique (that I’ve seen) examples of regional Art Nouveau architecture, this church was built from 1907-1913.

Artistic Details on the Little Blue Church

Here’s a close up photo of the artwork above the door.

Look familiar?

This church has a lot of details that are quite interesting including this eye in a pyramid!

Russian Invasion

What’s this doing in here? Well it’s a very famous photo taken by Ladislav Bielik in 1968 showing the Soviets invading Bratislava. This photo has long been miscredited as having been taken in Prague…

Current Scene in Bratislava

Here’s a photo I took showing the same location as the previous photo… definitely Bratislava, not Prague!

I completely lucked out with the timing of my visit to Bratislava, Slovakia. When I arrived earlier that week the town was quiet and I had the chance to wander around and explore with fewer tourists than I’d expected and had no idea that I’d arrived to see one of Slovakia’s biggest festivals during the weekend, the yearly Coronation Festivities in the historic section of town!

For the last 8 years, during the first weekend in September, Bratislava reenacts the crowning of an Austro-Hungarian King or Queen. There were 11 kings and 8 queens crowned in Bratislava between 1563 and 1830 and each year a different one is honored.

This event starts on the Saturday before with a fair and actors in period costume entertaining people in the Old Town. There’s a bunch of food, arts & crafts, as well as rides and games for kids and even some adults… attempting to walk on the stilts was a lot of peoples favorite (and it really is as hard as it looks!).

This year they commemorated the 1647 coronation of 13 year old King Ferdinand IV (played by a Slovakian child actor whose name I unfortunately didn’t catch) accompanied by his mother, Anna Maria Queen of Hungary (played by dancer Ivana Surovcová) and his father, Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand III (played by actor Filip Tůma).

The coronation parade started at the Bratislava Castle and the ceremony took place in Hviezdoslavovo Square in front of the National Theatre where after the long procession and ceremony, the Archbishop of Esztergom placed St. Stephen’s Crown on the head of the young prince declaring him future king. The festivities go well into the evening long after the impressive fireworks display above the Old Town Square.

If you’re interested in seeing the commemoration, I’d suggest getting a good spot early, it was packed by the time I arrived so I had so wiggle through a bit for a decent view. It was definetly interesting to see, the costumes were absolutely beautiful and getting a peek into a part this cities past was a wonderful surprise.

Interesting notes:

If you’re wondering as I was why the prince was getting coronated while his father was still alive, I found out that it was common for the 17th-century Habsburgs for the King to pass on the Hungarian crown to his heir in preparation for his succession. Sadly though Ferdinand IV never did become the next Holy Roman Emperor as he died 3 years before his father.

Another interesting thing to note is that this year the coronation was not quite historically accurate since Anna Maria actually died in 1646, a year before her son’s coronation. The city decided to take artistic liberty since the couple playing King Ferdinand IV’s parents are very popular here and felt it would make a better show. I have to admit, it was interesting seeing an outfit as ornate as the one the Queen was wearing even if it wasn’t quite true to history.

Deep inside the Yucatán peninsula is one of the best known Mayan Ruins, Chichén Itzá. It was declared a World Heritage by UNESCO in 1988 and is a goal in many people’s bucket lists.

I don’t really know what to write about the Mayans ruins of Chichén Itzá that hasn’t written in more detail that I can provide so I’ll just share a few of the things that stood out most for me when I travelled this area.

The Pyramid at Chichén Itzá

While travellers are no longer allowed to climb this massive monument it’s still an amazing sight to see. The pyramid is named the Temple of Kukulcan (Kukulcan is the feathered serpent god known as Quetzalcoatl to the Aztecs), and is also nicknamed El Castillo (The Castle). It is believed to be built between 300 and 450 CE and astounds astrologers and architects to this day with it’s precision.

This pyramid has 7 tiers, a staircase with 91 steps one each side making a total of 364 steps, with the chamber platform that equals 365, one for each day of the year. If that wasn’t impressive enough on the Spring and Autumn equinoxes the shadows of the snakes on each side staircases appear to slither down the Pyramid and for the Summer and Winter equinoxes precisely half the pyramid is totally in shadow!

The thing that really made this pyramid (and many Mayan pyramids) special to me is it’s sound! Yup, you read that right, if you clap your hands at it’s base it echoes back an almost mechanical chirping sound that is very similar to the nearly extinct Quetzl bird that is sacred to the Mayans. Even more amazing is that in Chichén Itzá that same clap also seems to echo back the sound of a rattle snake off the Temple of the Warriors a split second after the bird sound. It takes a bit to find the right spot to clap to get the effect of both sounds, but it’s worth it to hear that at least once in a lifetime. It feels as if perhaps the spirit of Kukulcan (Quetzalcoatl), is there still listening and answering the people who visit. Definitely an amazing experience to perhaps hear what a God sounds like!

The Great Ball Court

This was a brutal game even without the sacrifices that often happened after the game was finished! The Great Ball Court of Chichén Itzá is 166 metres (545 feet) long and 68.5 metres (225 feet) wide.

Archaeologists aren’t 100% positive about the size of the balls used by the ancient Mayans but some believe they may have been around 20 cm (8 inches) in around (about the size of a volleyball) and weighed between 3 and 4 kg (6½-9 lbs) and couldn’t be hit with hands or feet. The goal was to get the ball though the hoop that’s 7 meters (23 feet) high and really didn’t look much bigger than the ball was supposed to be.

This seemingly impossible game was sometimes played with full teams, at other times it was a game with only 2 players. It also was sometimes played to the death and often the winning team was sacrificed. (The Mayans believed this to be a big honour that allowed them instant access to heaven, so many believe it was the winners that were killed. Others say that it was the losers.) On the walls surrounding the court are many detailed carvings showing the sacrifices.

As with many Mayan sites the acoustics in this area are amazing, whispers from one of the raised temple areas at each end can be clearly heard at the other… yes, 166 metres away!

Some Photos I Took When I Travelled This Area

Temple of Kukulcan

One of the most famous pyramids in the world. With patience and a quick finger it’s still possible to get a good photo without tourists in it. :)

This photo is now available as a printable calender for 2011.

Mayan Ball Court

The Mayan ball courts were huge!

Ball Court Goal Hoop

It’s hard to see the scale of the ball hoops, but they were a lot smaller than I’d thought. It looks much harder than the basketball we play today and the players had to get the ball though that hoop without using their hands!

Sacrificial Details on the Wall in Relief

This photo shows a very detailed scene of one of the sacrifices being made.

Jaguar in Chichen Itza

This is pretty amazing, the original paint is still visible in some spots!

Cenote Segrado

This photo shows the murky green water that fills this sink hole that was used for (you guessed it) sacrifices.

Group of a Thousand Columns

Originally this would have had a roof on it, even without that though seeing so many perfectly placed columns is pretty spectacular.

Another Cenote

Not too far away from the ruins of Chichen Itza is another cenote. This beautiful water filled sinkhole is used as a spot to swim in. If you look closely you can see a rainbow in the waterfall.

This photo is now available as a printable calender for 2011.

Inside the Cenote

I can’t swim (although I am working on overcoming my fear of water) so I did go into the Cenote to explore a bit from the ledge. Here’s a photo looking up to ground level.

Interesting Sites with More Info:

World Mysteries – Chichén Itzá Shows pictures of the ruins before restoration and tells more about it’s history.

Acoustical Society of America – The Mayan Pyramid of Kukulkan at Chichen Itza Has more info about the echoes in the area including an mp3 of both the quetzal chirps and the echo of a clap.

Set deep in the extremely hot and humid tropical rainforest of Chiapas, Mexico lies one of the most famous Mesoamerican ruins called Palenque (or Bàak’ in modern Maya). This amazing place was a thriving city in the seventh century CE (and perhaps even far earlier!) and abandoned long before the Spanish rediscovered it in the 16th century.

While many of the massive buildings, temples and monuments still remain hidden in the dense jungle waiting to be restored and have their stories told, the sections that have been excavated and reconstructed are among the most impressive of the Mesoamerican ruins I’d seen so far. It may not be the largest in the area, but it is one of the most famous Mayan ruins in the area for it’s unique architecture and amazing amount of murals and bas relief carvings that have survived.

If you visit the ruins, the best place to stay is in one of the places right near the ruins themselves, the nearby modern town of Palenque is also a convenient (but not terribly inspiring) town that does offer many rooms and restaurants for tourists. When visiting the ruins be sure to wear shoes that aren’t slippery (trust me, you’ll want to climb!) and take lots of water. Wearing strong sunscreen and bug repellent is a good idea as well. The sun gets very hot by late morning and almost unbearable in the height of the day so you may want to try to get there very early to avoid the heat and throngs of other tourists.

The museum just outside the gates is also well worth a look and the entry fee was included in the ticket price to enter the ruins. There’s some amazingly well preserved artifacts in there including some beautiful ancient Mayan jewelry, jade death masks, obsidian knives and stucco murals. The plaques describing the items are written in both Spanish and English and do give quite a lot of information.

I was getting over a fairly bad case of food poisoning while I was visiting Palenque (that I oddly got at a ‘nice’ vegetarian restaurant aimed at tourists.. back to market food for me!), and the temperatures went over 40° Celsius with super high humidity so sadly I didn’t have the energy to explore as much as I would have liked but here’s some photos I snapped while I was there.

Photos From Palenque, Mexico

Cute Little Lizard!

I woke up to find this little guy sleeping on my toothbrush, my squeal and rush to grab the camera woke him (or her) but I got this shot as it scurried up the wall.

Bas Relief in the Palace

One of the many surviving stucco images in the Palace courtyard. The guide told me that this was an image of a prisoner based on the body language.

Artwork From Palenque’s Palace

This was miraculously found intact and placed back on the wall of the palace.

Looking Over the Ruins of Palenque

There’s a few spots in Palenque where visitors are allowed to climb the ruins, if you travel there, trust me, the view from the top is gorgeous! Here’s a semi-arial photo showing the landscape and some of the structures in Palenque.

View of Palenque From Above

And another photo from the same spot as the last one.

Temple of the Cross

Here’s one of my favourite photos from my time exploring Palenque!

Nature Taking Over Palenque

Outside the restored section of Palenque I found this tree growing out of more ruins, seeing nature taking back the earth always fascinates me.

Stucco Tablet

One of the amazingly intact stucco tablets found among the ruins from the 8th century CE, it shows U Pakal K’inich during a ceremony while in his teens. This tablet can be found in the museum near the entrance to the ruins, it’s well worth visiting to see the many pieces being carefully preserved as well as finding details about the areas history.

“Yum Cash”

Hmm, this summed up how touristy the area is. ;) I saw this on the wall of one of the nearby restaurants.

Don’t get why I was so thrilled? Look at the pattern of the chipped and peeling paint on the wall of the powder blue building and follow it up all the way into the sky, the clouds seemed to be forming part of the pattern perfectly!

I could go all poetic and talk about the fleeting nature of a perfect cloud and compare it with the impermanence of what humankind has built or how the universe and everything in it is interconnected… but instead I’ll just say what I thought the moment I noticed it “OMG, right here, right now is a perfect moment!”

Don’t you love it when out of nowhere something suddenly reminds you that there’s beauty everywhere, and that you’re lucky enough to be alive right now to experience it… you just need to look around and be willing to notice.