Chichen Itza

5.25.08


Does Trey look like he is ready for Chichen Itza or what?!
Chichen Itza is the region’s best-known ancient monuments. This was one of the places Larry and Marie had to see before they died, so our first day in Mexico was spent at Chichen Itza. Our biggest problem, we did not have a true map to follow and we had a very difficult time finding the highway to Chichen Itza. We were led down several roads, detours, and once we drove for 3 miles, going down the wrong way of a one-way street. Justin was such a great driver, it was the road systems that were failing us terribly. We even passed a police as we were driving down the wrong way of the one-way, and they didn’t even flash their lights or correct our wrong. Along our travels, we saw a dead monkey on the side of the road (I think a raccoon or a dog is pretty big road kill, but a monkey?) and a boy riding his bike, pulling his brother, sister AND dad behind him in a carriage type of contraption. I felt so bad for that boy, but then I thought, “Maybe that was his punishment for slugging his sister or for swearing at school. Not a bad punishment I guess.” After about 2 hours of driving around Cancun, we finally came across a large road, not necessarily a highway, but a road that looked well traveled and decided to take it. After being pulled over by a police, I quickly asked him if we were on the right road to Chichen Itza. After looking at Justin’s license, he said, “Yes, you are going in the right direction” and let us be on our way. Did we look suspicious or what?! On our way to Chichen Itza, we stopped at this sweet, quiet town named Pitse for lunch. What did I order? A hamburger. Marie made fun of me, “Your first meal in Mexico is a hamburger?” I had to gently remind her of my ongoing indigestion and I wasn’t about to devour a spicy taco and be sickly all day long. I think she understood.



Trey had some pancakes and French fries. The restaurant was very clean with a pretty fountain in the middle. Trey so kindly chucked a fork into the fountain. I took Trey to the bathroom and was pleasantly surprised to find an automatic paper towel dispenser hanging on the wall. We got to Chichen Itza and thought we could navigate through the park on our own, but decided to hire a tour guide for 1 hour, $30. We chose Geuarmo to lead us through the park. I had a hard time looking into his eyes, they looked so sun damaged. They were almost grey and blood shot. So sad, but he seemed to not be bothered. Woman and children were in awe of Trey’s blonde hair and his blue eyes. Trey was literally mauled in the bathroom with hugs and kisses by some teenage girls. So sweet. I think he was a little embarrassed. The moment we got into the park we were bombarded by market people selling their handmade items and goods. Trey was determined to get a drum, so the rest of the day I was on the look out for a drum. I knew exactly what kind of drum he wanted. A few months ago a little boy at Miss Michelle’s brought a little drum for show-and-tell. His parents had just brought it back for him from Mexico, and I knew that is what Trey wanted. Our afternoon was consumed by looking for a silly little drum. Geuarmo was a great tour guide, I am sure the family learned a lot. We saw groups of people clapping a lot, hearing their claps echo off the walls of the ruins. There was also a section along the wall of the sports field where you could carry on a conversation with someone who was standing on the opposite end of the wall. I ended up chasing Trey around, which was somewhat amusing; we saw a whole different side of the park. While Trey and I ran around, we came across some HUGE iguanas. Trey was fascinated with them and began to call them “Baby Dinosaurs.”



Geuarmo corrected us, calling them “Iggy’s.” I asked Geuarmo if they have attacked or bit anyone, and he said, “No, they are nice. People used to eat them!” It was very hot, and we were blazing through our water. After we ditched our tour guide, we bought several bottles of water, which they were selling for $2.50 and some popsicles. Trey loved his popsicles, and I was grateful I brought an extra change of clothes because by the time he was through with his Popsicle, he was in need of a new shirt. Justin and Larry took off to take pictures and Marie, Trey and I sat in the shade of a very old tree.

Here are some pictures that Larry took!


















I thought Trey would relax a bit, but he decided to build himself his OWN ruin with sticks and rocks. He used his stroller as the base and built the ruin on top of it.

One interesting thing I was actually looking for in the ruins was a “bathtub” type of artifact in the ground. The water source “canal” was still imprinted in the ground which Marie and I were amazed by. Some friends in our ward, the Harris’ had told me about this certain part of the ruins. They had taken the Chichen Itza tour with friends who had been there numerous times and they were told that the bathtub could have POSSIBLY been a baptismal font. So interesting, and yet, could be so true! 4 hours into the ruins, Trey said, “I want to go back to Idaho.” Poor guy. I tried to explain to him how far we truly were from Idaho, but I don’t think that comforted him at all. Then he asked for his blanket. It wasn’t because he was cold obviously, I think he was getting tired and a little homesick. The park was closing quickly, so Trey was very excited to see we were headed to a different place. As we were leaving the park, Justin found us after taking some pictures with something hidden behind his back. It was a drum Trey had been asking for ALL DAY! I just about cried when I saw how excited Trey got about his drum. He said, “A special drum like Trenton’s?” Trenton being the boy at Miss Michelle’s, and obviously he was told, by Trenton, that his drum was special. It was so sweet how excited he was about that drum. He held onto it until he fell fast asleep in the car on the way out of the park. We were given a promotion coupon to a buffet for $65.00 Pesos which was supposedly located at a neighboring town. As we drove out of town, once again we were pulled over by a police. He asked us where we were headed to, I showed him the promotional coupon and told him we were looking for this restaurant. I asked the officer, “Were we headed in the right direction?” He told us no, but he did tell us we needed to go to a restaurant just down the street from where we were, and their buffet was for $80.00. Did he not read our promotional coupon? We were going to a place where they could feed us for $65.00. We told him “no thank you” and took off. We assumed this police officer was hired by the restaurant down the street to get lost tourists into their establishment! Trey was still sleeping by the time we were “flagged,” literally, into a parking spot of the restaurant and so I carried him thinking he would wake up. I left the family in the dust who were mauled by vendors selling their handmade crafts. I kind of got a glimpse of what celebs must feel like when they get out of cars and paparazzi’s are right there in their faces. I was happy to have a sleeping baby in my hands to show them I was not interested. Justin ended up buying a little figurine from a little boy. The restaurant was so neat. It had a roof but it was completely open on the inside. There was a nice little grassy section next to the tables, so Larry went into our car, got Trey’s blanket, and we laid him on the blanket, in the shade, on the grass. We had some delicious fruit, and I loved their onion cream soup. I chugged a Diet Coke like it was going out of style. Marie had told me it would help with my elephantitis I was contracting in my hands and feet. It was disgusting how large my hands got. I swore off of soda during Trey’s pregnancy, and I was planning on doing it with this pregnancy, but I HAD to do something about my fatty hands. Trey slept for most of our meals, and woke up when our entertainment began. We had some authentic Mexican dancers dance with plates and glasses on their heads. So entertaining and talented.



Trey loved Marie’s drink and ate up the watermelon.

As we were leaving, we were led through a gift shop and were stopped by two of the employees. They said how beautiful Trey was, asked him how old he was, (and of course he told them about his upcoming Pirate Party!) and then they asked if I was having another baby. I told them, “Yes, another boy!” They got all smiles and seemed excited for me! Sweet ladies! As we drove home, I noticed men hunting on the side of the road. They were carrying large guns and swords. Now, the sides of the roads were full of jungle foliage, so there could have easily been wild animals lurking in the trees. What a packed day full of history. Trey did so well, I was so happy with how he traveled and how well he adjusted to the heat, the people, and the food.