The Ancient Maya View of the Cosmos

Here is a link to an intriguing essay on the Maya-Cosmo Vision, which parallels the lore of the ancient Maya tradition with modern-day quantum physics view of the universe.

Maya-Cosmo Vision: A Living Universe Consciousness

I met and interviewed one of the authors of the article, Belisa B. Gordon while filming the Yucatan Travel Movie.

Fantastic Birdwatching next to Chichen Itza

On our last Yucatan Travel Movie filming visit to Yucatan in March 2009, we visited Hacienda Chichen adjacent to the world-famous Mayan ruin at Chichen Itza. We had the good fortune to interview Belissa Baranche, who calls herself the “keeper” of Hacienda Chichen, and her husband Bruce, who is the driving force behind the greening of the spa/resort.

During the interview, we learned that Belissa is passionate about birdwatching. Therefore, I am delighted to discover that Jim Conrad, a respected naturalist who is also passionate about birding, is staying at Hacienda Chichen as a volunteer. Here is an excerpt from his post on their blog site:

On one such late-afternoon birdwalk I photographed the fast-foraging bird: Rose-throated Becard, PACHYRAMPHUS AGLAIAE, common at forest edges, in open areas and the like, from Mexico to Panama. The Rose-throated Becard male has the rosy throat, making it easy to identify.

Jim Conrad’s Naturalist Field Work at Hacienda Chichen, Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico

Follow the link above for a gorgeous photo of the rose-throated Becard male – really cute.

Tarpon Fishing in Yucatan

Although I am more interested in pondering ancient mysteries when travelling in the Yucatan, and therefore concentrate on visiting gorgeous colonial cities, intriguing ancient Mayan ruins, and places of exquisite scenic beauty, which I also have recorded in the Yucatan Travel Movie, some people go to Yucatan for fishing. All you fisherfolk, here’s an excert from an interesting blog post:

For years Barb and I had heard tales of tarpon fishing in the Yucatan, seen photos of tarpon jumping, read articles about them in fly fishing magazines and now we had a chance to find out for ourselves. We joined our friends, Jay and Paula, to spend a week fishing for these elusive game fish in southern Yucatan near Chetumal.
Tarpon: Megalops antlanticus

The Narrator is Here!

I am happy and grateful to be working today with Miriam Balsley , the narrator on the Yucatan Travel Movie. We also worked on the Preview for the next Yucatan Travel movie, From Merida to Palenque. It is a joy to work with Miriam. She is delightfully creative and insightful. Here is a link to her travel blog: http://www.MiriamTravel.Blogspot.com.

Speed Bumps in Yucatan

I love this blog post in which those pesky speed bumps on Mexican roads are mentioned:

The towns have road humps called topes, which can creep up on us if we’re not vigilant. They’re pretty big speed humps and can jar the back if we’re going too fast, or the sign is overgrown with foliage.

Campeche Yucatan Peninsula Mex, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

We encountered many of these speed bumps while filming the Yucatan Travel Movie. This is the Yucatan’s answer to “reduce speed ahead” signs. In Mexico, you have to reduce your speed or else the bottom of your car will get wrecked, in other words, the speed bumps are very effective, but also nerve wracking.

More Than Cancun Restaurant Reviews

Here’s a great site with wonderful info on travel in the Yucatan, especially the Maya Riviera and Cancun:

Mexico’s tourism business is still recovering from the swine flu scare and is now being hit again by reports of drug-fueled violence.
The good news is with the number of visitors not yet back to pre-scare levels, travelers can still find great experiences at reasonable rates.

Cancun Mexico: Mayan Riviera Dining Review

He mentions places we visit in the Yucatan Travel Movie: Cancun, Playa del Carmen, and Cozumel.

Yucatan Peninsula Travel Movie Begins

Today I did a good first draft of the preview of the sequel to the Yucatan Travel Movie. It is called, Yucatan Peninsula Travel: From Merida to Palenque and will go deeper into the Yucatan than Yucatan Travel: Day Trips from Cancun.

Incidents of Travel in Yucatan

I enjoyed this YouTube video which combines the music of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Schaherazade with intriguing sketches drawn by Frederick Catherwood used as illustrations in John L. Stephens’s Incidents of Travel in Yucatan, published in 1843. I enjoying seeing some of the ruins I had visited while filming the Yucatan Travel Movie such as the palace at Sayil. Compared to the sketch of the unexcavated ruin which appears to be semi-buried under a hill of dirt, the present-day ruin is lovely.

Incidents of Travel in Yucatan YouTube Video

Yucatan Travel Movie Audio Almost Finished

Really happy today because the audio tracks on the Yucatan Travel Movie are almost all finished and well balanced at last. I’m just waiting for Miriam Balsley, the narrator, to arrive next week to add a little bit to the narration.

Song: The Battle for the Yucatan Peninsula

A 17-year-old St. Xavier High School Senior from the Louisville Kentucky area won a $16,000 academic and “travel adventure” scholarship for a project that included a musical composition, played on violin, about the Yucatan Peninsula.

The application process included creating a project related to this year’s expedition. William wrote a musical piece called “The Battle for the Yucatan Peninsula,” or “La Batalla por Peninsula Yucatan.”

Achiever: William Thompson-Arjona | St. X student wins travel scholarship to Spain

His travel scholarship includes a trip to Spain and then to Yucatan to follow the path of the Conquistadors. In the online Courier-Journal.com newspaper article, William Thompson-Arjona describes the three attempts the Spanish made to conquer the Yucatan.

In the Yucatan Travel Movie, we go to Valladolid, a delightful colonial town that tourists seldom visit. Today it is a peaceful place but in the 1800s, it was the place where the Caste War began. In the Caste War, the Yucatecans tried to throw off the yoke of the Spanish conquerers . . . and almost succeeded.