Yucatan & Mexico | Carol Chapman

Speed Bumps & Ruins in Yucatan

Such a fun article by Carolina Muscle, or “Yer Ole Uncle Nuts” about his Yucatan travel adventures. I can attest to problems with all the speed bumps from my experiences in Yucatan while filming the Yucatan Travel Movie.

The drive was long – about 5 hours from Cancun, or 3 hours from Costa Maya,
but the roads were great—

— if you disregard the hundred-some speed bumps on the highway – –

In the United States, we use radar to control speed-
…. in the southern Mexican state of Quintana Roo, they use speed bumps.

The speed limit on the Federal Highway was 100 KMH–
–but you had to slow down to about 5 when you got to the bumps.

And they weren’t the small ones either-
— these would tear the tranny right outta yer Jeep if you hit em too hard.

fun with yer ole Uncle Nuts in the Yucatan76
By carolina muscle

He also writes about visiting one of the Mayan ruins, including a description of his tourist guide, who is a retired Mexican teacher and very proud of his Mayan roots. Take a look at the article for a bunch of great photographs.

What do the Space Program and the Chixculub Crater have in common?

In the sequel to the Yucatan Travel Movie, we will visit the location where the Chixculub Crater on the Yucatan Peninsula.

We are almost certain that we know what killed the dinosaurs. Sixty-five million years ago, an object 10-15 kilometers in size impacted the Earth near the present-day town of Chixculub on the Yucatan Peninsula. . . .The Chixculub collision was more powerful than one billion Hiroshima bombs and left a crater more than 100 miles in diameter, now mostly covered by the Gulf of Mexico.

Why explore space? [Part I of II]

You may be wondering what space exploration has to do with the Chixculub Crater. As I understand J Klugler, the author of the above excerpt in the Houston Chronicle, since an asteroid once caused mass devastation on earth and the extinction of the dinosaurs, we need to have colonies in space so that should another asteroid collision wipe out most life on earth, human beings can continue on another planet.

Calakmul, Off the Tourist Path

Calakmul is the place to visit in the Yucatan if you want to see ancient Mayan ruins undisturbed by hordes of tourists. In addition, most of the structures can still be climbed as described in the following blog post:

Calakmul, lacking either buses or roped-off stairways, is proving to be the largest city of the Late Classic period (A.D. 600-925), when the Maya’s great accomplishments in architecture, astronomy, writing, painting and sculpture peaked. But only the most motivated tourists find their way to this patch of southern Campeche, two hours off the highway between the Yucatan’s two coasts.

Calakmul offers glimpse of ancient Maya history

While filming the Yucatan Travel Movie, we were strongly advised by people receiving my enewsletter that we must visit Calakmul. Unfortunately, we could not fit it into our itinerary. I hope that when we finally can get to Calakmul, it will still be as pristine and undisturbed as described in the above article.

Travel in Yucatan Safe According to U.S. State Dept.

In this excerpt from an online article posted by my favorite travel website, Smarter Travel, they suggest that travel in Yucatan and Cancun is safe:

State Department’s travel warning declares, “millions of U.S. citizens safely visit Mexico each year (including tens of thousands who cross the land border daily for study, tourism, or business and nearly one million U.S. citizens who live in Mexico).” Caution is urged, but the country is still a good option for travelers to consider. The violence is worst in the border cities, but tried-and-true tourist destinations are generally considered safe. Hartshorne says, “It’s like saying ‘There’s lots of crime in Colorado, so don’t go to Boston.’ Ciudad Juarez and Tijuana might be dangerous, but Yucatan and Cancun are safe.

Five Common Travel Myths You Should Ignore

We felt safe while filming the Yucatan Travel Movie, especially in the northern part of the Yucatan Peninsula.

Copyright (c) Carol Chapman

Yucatan to Host Mexican Space Agency

Yucatan travel will not be the same. Next time you visit the Yucatan, you may add to your many sights and adventures, a visit to the Mexican Space Agency or Agencia Espacial Mexicana – AEXA. An April 22, 2010 online article in Rianovosti said:

Mexico will create its own space center on the Yucatan Peninsula, deputy economy minister Francisco Pimentel said.

Mexico to Create Its First Space Center on Yucatan Peninsula

AEXA will be located 9 to 12 miles away from Chetumal, the capital of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. Cancun, which is also in Quintana Roo is north of Chetumal on the Riviera Maya facing the Caribbean Sea. Chetumal is also just north of the Mexican border with the country of Belize.

Although we did not visit Chetumal while filming the Yucatan Travel Movie, we have read that that most tourists do not stop there, but they would benefit from visiting Chetumal’s Museo de la Cultura Maya. Perhaps when we are next in Yucatan, we will go there.

UK Tourists Encouraged to Try Yucatan

Here’s an excerpt from an article in the Liverpool Daily Post, which is a newspaper in England.

Direct flights from the UK usually take about 9 hours to the Caribbean side of the country where you can visit resorts such as the Riviera Maya, stunning island of Cozumel and Cancun.

Viva la Mexico! Holidays in Mexico

The article also says, “Holidays to Mexico have become increasingly popular over the last few years as tourists become more adventurous with their destinations.”

I’ll say they are. Not only are tourists from the UK coming to Yucatan, but also tourists are coming there from all of Europe. While filming the Yucatan Travel Movie, we met numerous European travelers. It’s not only that they are becoming more adventurous, it is that the Euro and British Pound compare very favorably with the Mexican Peso.

Itzamna, the Bearded One

Isn’t it strange that the Maya’s creator god, Itzamna, is also called, “The Bearded One,” especially when you consider that Maya men do not have facial hair? How could the ancient Maya have ever envisioned a man with a beard? I guess it’s another one of those mysteries associated with the ancient Maya. In the Yucatan Travel Movie, I have included images of Itzamna found in ruins both with a beard and without.

Itzamna on War, Violence, and Human Sacrifice

In the Yucatan Travel Movie, a continual thread of Maya mythology runs throughout with information about, carvings in Mayan ruins, and images of Itzamna, the ancient Maya creator god. Although Itzaman is thought of as being a god of the ancient Maya, I also discovered that there continues to be a reverence for him among modern Maya. I heard one woman say that her grandparents used to honor Itzamna.

As founder of Mayan culture, Itzamna refused to have anything to do with wars, violence, or human sacrifices.

Story and Origin of Itzamna

Fascinating Itzamna

While doing research for one of the Special Features, Mayan Gods and a Goddess, accompanying the Yucatan Travel Movie, I came upon this intriguing information: that Izamna was considered a god of the sky.

Yucatan Travel Movie Editing Continues

The main Yucatan Travel Movie is done. So is the 2.5 minute Preview for the next movie in the series, which is called, Yucatan Peninsula Travel. I am happy that the Bloopers Special Feature is also done today. Yay!!! I’ve had a lot of fun with sound effects .

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