Author: Rosie

Each Mayan city had a specific purpose, and Tulum was no exception.  This site was a seaport, trading mainly in turquoise, jade and obsidian.  As well as being the only city built on a coast, Tulum was one of only a few protected by a wall.

we arrived at the main acropolis of Coba, it was majestic and soared steeply up into the grey sky.  You could climb this pyramid to the top and The Operator was not going to pass this opportunity up, no matter whatever the weather.  Rosie said he was mad, Rosie reminded him that three tourists had died falling from this pyramid as they descended…and you can bet they didn’t climb it in the middle of a hurricane.

Rosie and The Operator are in Valladolid, a gem of a town known as The Mayan Pearl of The East.  It  is going to be a great hub for us to explore the area from for the next 4 nights. With a population of 74,000 people it is the third largest city in the Yucatan yet still retains a provincial, unhurried feel about it. 

From this vantage point atop the pyramid of Ek Balam, The Operator also snapped Rosies favourite view. Looking down the steep stairs with Rosie at the bottom are the images of the twin palaces in the temple grounds surrounded by the jungle that had swallowed them for hundreds of years. 

We are one of the first to get our tickets and enter the grounds of Chichen Itza.  Nothing is being given away as we walk along the 200 meter leafy path way towards the site and then, we burst into open ground and Rosie’s jaw drops.