This is a statue of a Mayan goddess who grants health and long life and fertility etc.

We saw lots of iguanas.

Their cemeteries are very different from anywhere else I’ve seen. Very bright and colourful.

The bodies are all in tombs above ground - and once a year (on the day of the dead) they take the bones out, clean them, and sit with them!!!!!

Dinner was much better tonight. I showed our guide a picture of a taco and he said that’s a quesadilla 😀. So I had 2 quesadillas and cactus juice and was very happy. Sue had a enchilada covered in a chilli chocolate sauce which she also liked 😀

They used to play a crazy game with this rubber ball. The first team to put the ball through the hoop - without using their hands or feet - won. The hoop was about 20 feet off the ground!

The prize for the player who got the ball in the hoop was to be sacrificed 🥲

The pitch where the ball game was played. If you look carefully you can see the hoop high up on the wall.

Sue thinks it looks like a quidditch pitch 😂

Then we had a traditional Mayan lunch, which was lovely.

Then we went swimming in a ceynote- which is a very deep sink hole.

Before driving on to Merida, which is a lovely bustling city.

I didn’t see any but Sue saw one in the water.

The cycle was only 25 miles, but it is very hot and I struggled to get enough salt and sugar in me.

We finished at the beach.

A quick swim before fish for lunch

Then we drove to Izamal

This is her 15th birthday. They have a coming of age party a bit like a bar mitzvah.

Then we drove on. It was school pick up and as the town we were driving through had no school all the children were picked up in these overcrowded mototaxi’s. Often by their grandma.

Then we arrived in Vallodolid.

Where we visited the most amazing Mexican art museum.

Sue had a stick in case any crocs got too close 😊

Lots of great birds to see.

This is a russet spoon bill.

I had fried fish for lunch.

I’d had enough of Mexican food and tried to get a steak for dinner. But they’d run out. So I accidentally ordered marrow 😀

Vallodolid is quite a cool town with lots of squares and a few big churches.

We cycled to Coba, which is a very cool archeology site. It hasn’t all been excavated yet, and is mostly covered in jungle.

This is a Yucatan turkey!

Mayans never figured out how to create arches.

Another ball court - but this time the winners prize isn’t being sacrificed

This ball court is very different from the one in Chichen Itza. It is quite narrow and has sloped walls.

The highest Mayan pyramid (42m)

Luckily tourists are no longer allowed to climb the pyramid. The steps are very narrow and very dangerous.

This temple is round because it is for honouring \240the wind god.

We had more Mexican food for lunch at the restaurant just outside the site. I had Mayan chicken which came with rice and of course tortillas. It was slow cooked in an unusual red sauce.

Then we drove to Tulum. Couldn’t face any more Mexican food, so we didn’t go out with the group and instead just had ice cream for dinner 😊

A lighthouse

Then we drove to Playa del Carmen to finish the tour.

It has been a really great tour. (Explore - Cycling the Yucatan) One of the best holidays we’ve done. We’ll definitely go on other tours by Explore.

I found Mexican food hard to navigate and didn’t always manage to order something edible. Sue isn’t as fussy as I am and enjoyed the food more. 😀