After stepping off the plane in Cancun, Mexico after a four-hour flight from Fargo, ND where the temperature that morning was 10 degrees below zero, I knew I made the right decision. I could smell the fresh air and feel the breeze from the ocean once I stepped outside into the Mexican sunshine. As we waited for the van that was to take us to our resort I knew this was going to be one my greatest experiences so far in life.
The ride to the resort was a short one, only 20 minutes down the main highway that leads from Cancun all the way to the southern border with Belize. Our driver, who told us to call him Kung Fu Panda for some reason, was very entertaining. He gave us a quick background on Mayan culture and let us know that our resort was …show more content…
We arranged a private van with the same gentleman who transported us to our resort the day before. This turned out to be an absolutely amazing experience as he was able to take us to the non-touristy areas around the ruins. I was not sure what to expect when we pulled into the parking lot by the entrance to the site. I have seen pyramids and artifacts in pictures, though never up close and did not have a good idea of the scale of these structures. After walking through the jungle for around half a mile, passing minor Mayan structures, we came to the main temple. Once I broke through the tree line into an open courtyard area, an amazing stone skyscraper stood in front of me. There were dozens of people in various stages of ascent or descent on the pyramid, and I knew exactly what was going to happen next. Fifteen minutes later, I was looking down on the jungle we just walked through and was taken aback as to this view from above. As far as the eye could see was the lush green canopy of the jungle of Mexico, with a handful of random stone structures peeking through the trees in the distance. The descent down was somewhat perilous as there was only a single rope running down the middle of the steep steps 120 feet to the base. Needless to say, after hiking through the jungle and climbing up a nearly 800-year-old stone pyramid, it was time for some
The ride to the resort was a short one, only 20 minutes down the main highway that leads from Cancun all the way to the southern border with Belize. Our driver, who told us to call him Kung Fu Panda for some reason, was very entertaining. He gave us a quick background on Mayan culture and let us know that our resort was …show more content…
We arranged a private van with the same gentleman who transported us to our resort the day before. This turned out to be an absolutely amazing experience as he was able to take us to the non-touristy areas around the ruins. I was not sure what to expect when we pulled into the parking lot by the entrance to the site. I have seen pyramids and artifacts in pictures, though never up close and did not have a good idea of the scale of these structures. After walking through the jungle for around half a mile, passing minor Mayan structures, we came to the main temple. Once I broke through the tree line into an open courtyard area, an amazing stone skyscraper stood in front of me. There were dozens of people in various stages of ascent or descent on the pyramid, and I knew exactly what was going to happen next. Fifteen minutes later, I was looking down on the jungle we just walked through and was taken aback as to this view from above. As far as the eye could see was the lush green canopy of the jungle of Mexico, with a handful of random stone structures peeking through the trees in the distance. The descent down was somewhat perilous as there was only a single rope running down the middle of the steep steps 120 feet to the base. Needless to say, after hiking through the jungle and climbing up a nearly 800-year-old stone pyramid, it was time for some