There are 7 ancient wonders of the world, defined by the old Greek. But since these fellows were limited to the Mediterranean Sea and didn’t know any of the other fabulous historic buildings in the rest of the world, the voters from our time defined 7 new wonders. For those of you who are interested this is the full list of all seven:
- Great Wall of China
- Colosseum in Rome
- Petra in Jordan
- Machu Pichu in Peru
- Christ the Redeemer in Rio
- Taj Mahal in India
- Chichen Itza in Mexico
Today we went to see one of them, ‘Chichen Itza‘. The city was built back in the pre-classic period by the Mayas and lasted until the Spanish conquistadores came to America and destroyed most of its wealth and inhabitants. It still looks impressive though. When you enter the archeological site you can see the big temple of Kukulcan. All around this centre piece other buildings can be found such as a ball game court yard (yep, they were real fans of this game), temples dedicated to Quetzalquatl – the feathered serpent, god of life and death – or Chaac – the one with the funny nose, god of the rain – an astronomical observatory, a nunnery, a marketplace, a temple covered with skulls, a palace surrounded by many columns, two cenotes (large sinkholes) and a lot of tourist stands with authentic artisan craft works.
There are also these guys standing outside. Pretty impressive! I think one is dressed as a hunter, another as a priest and another one as a warrior.
When we wanted to go and visit our next stop of the day, Coba, we couldn’t enter anymore as the site was closing. In search for a nearby place to camp, we headed towards Tulum. There we found the perfect spot near the Caribbean Sea on the beach. It’s been a while since we saw such clear water and white sand. It truly feels like heaven on earth.
Let’s hope the night will be cool and calm. We will set our alarm clock tonight (for the first time since we started this journey) to see the sunrise and be the first ones to arrive in Tulum.
And when you smile the world is brighter
You touch my hand and I’m a king
Your kiss to me is worth a fortune
Your love for me is everything
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVzueXIXy3I
Keep Calm and Drive South 
Het gras is zo mooi groen, de lucht zo blauw, het zand zo wit, tropical paradise ! De fotograaf doet serieus z’n werk. Geniet ervan 🙂
Het water is ook heel nat… zoals we vandaag mochten merken aan de grens met Belize. Een tropische regenbui moeten we er bij nemen rond deze tijd van het jaar!