Glenn's South American Oddssy

After a short drive across to Chichen Itza I arrived early to avoid the
midday rush form the busses from Cancun , this worked well
and I returned in the afternoon for a second look as thing were
slowing down and stayed for the sound and light show














It is quite different site form the ones in Guatemala and Honduras
but the one constitant is they rebuild every 52 years or just add
a new layer

After a one day drive across Belize I arrive in Mexico , funny to say
but I am happy and feel safer here than I have been for some time ,
expecting to be searched by the Mexica customs it was a pleasent
supprise to just pass with no real check , my first stop is Tulum
and a dive in a Cenote ( warm freash water in a cave like setting)














the Mayan seen these as a way to the under wourld and a sourse of water
but they are lime stone caves that have been created thousands of years ago














the dive shop said that it was not a cave dive (only in Mexico) but the warm
fresh water provides some what a change form salt water and a chance to
experance an enviroement I would not normaly dive in

Happy to leave Panama after a difficult shipping and Police stop (3 hours)
I cut short my stay in Panama and head to Costa Rica and a beach camp
for the , thinking I would be alone for the night I was surprised by some
others that come for a fire on the beach only to have there happy hour stopped
by the park officers whom tell them it was not allowed , this was funny to me
as I was BBQing at the time with gas ? so after they had left and two hour break
had passed the fire sprang to life again and stayed burning for some time till
the morning . I then headed off for the Vulcan Arenal hopping for a clear
day/night to see the lava flow this was not to be , rain and cloud put a stop
to this , Central America was not showing its best side , so with little
to stop me it was off to Guatemala and Tekal here the rain eased some
and camping at the entrance to the ruins was possible and once again
BBQ and yes the guards came to see why there was smoke and I had to
explain it was gas BBQ not a fire ?
In the morning tired for a sunrise view form a top of one of the temple
but once again the cloud cover got me ,
lucky the rest of my day was rain free and could enjoy the site














Most of the Temples have some restoration as the building technique
,materials and rain forest (with fast growing trees ) did not produce
a situation to which this material would last like in other situations
though it is very impressive what did last and the fact that it was all done
with out the aid of steel tools and all the rock was transported on the
backs of people 30 kg at a time ,all of this is very stunning when you add
in the Mayan canner says that you must make new every 52 years ?




















So for the people who started to look these sites this must have been a
real problem to understand , as you get one building that is covered by the
next and if its just a pile of rocks what are you looking at
a new one ( they just add a new layer each time )