mlgb

They are both spectacular so if you decide not to work Palenque into the schedule I think you will enjoy Uxmal.

Calakmul is far south, very jungly with monkeys etc. Huge site. If you do that maybe include Bacalar Lagoon, I would have liked to stay there a night. We spent several nights near Xpuhil. (remember we were mixing birds and ruins though).

Less difficult is continuing to more of the smaller ruins such as Kabah (my favorite name Codz Poop). I think it's worth actually staying near Uxmal for a night or two, you can watch the Sound and Light show there. I mentioned that we used the less expensive hotel with a nice pool, Uxmal Resort Maya.

crellston

Thanks mlgb, that is very helpful. I have been going around in circles with this itinerary but think I am getting there. Just a few blank to fill in now. Will probably have 11-12 days in the Yucatan and am thinking of 5-7 in Merida city with a couple day trips out by rental car (need to work out which?) . Ruta Puuc seems to be a de riguer trip for most, includes Uxmal and takes around 8 hours. Maybe we could end in Uxmal, spend the night there for the sound and light show (don't think I have ever done one of those so not sure what to expect?) and move on.

I do like the sound of a "jungly" Calakmul and the place you stayed at, Chicanná Ecovillage looks good but it seems like a 5 hour drive from there to Merida. I shall check out the bus situation. Confusingly, two Calakmuls show up on google maps??

mlgb

Yes, there are multiple markers for Calakmul which is also a Biosphere reserve. If you use the aerial photo option you can see the ruins. IRRC this was a morning that we got up extra early to be ahead of all traffic in order to see the crazy ocellated turkeys along the entry road. It took us a few hours before we arrived at the major ruins. It isn't a day trip, two nights at Chicanna or maybe you can do it from Bacalar.

Official website
https://lugares.inah.gob.mx/en/zonas...-calakmul.html

Directions from Chicanna

https://maps.app.goo.gl/Z4Xkxf5riD1a7w6m9

Blog (random)
https://www.eternal-expat.com/2019/1...phere-reserve/

crellston

Excellent!! Thanks very much for that. Certainly looks very impressive. I am now leaning away from Palenque and wondering whether I could rent a car in Merida, drive to Chicanna and use it as a base for Calukmal and Bacalar Lagoon, then drop the car off in Chetumal a quick ferry over to Ambergris Caye for some diving and then back to Chetumal and a flight to Oaxaca.

I think need to check a few drive times and airline schedules. Oh for the days when we were travelling for months at a time and could just wing it......

mlgb

Bacalar Lagoon is a few hours from Xpujil. I would consider splitting the stay (you can also stay in Chetumal). Be sure to also look into how well the lagoon has recovered (there was some flooding a few years ago).

bald0ne

Crellston, I haven't been in touch with my friend. His wife recently died suddenly of an aneurysm and he's been dealing with that. Those 2 Facebook pages I linked would probably be a good resource.

crellston

Sorry to hear that baldone.

mlgb

Oh dear, baldone. Condolences to your friend.

If you can figure out Palenque perhaps do that in combination with Yaxchilan for a jungly site.

https://lugares.inah.gob.mx/en/zonas...?lugar_id=1688

Tdiddy12

Hi mlgb! We've been going to Mexico for three months each year for around the last 6 or 7 years. Last two years we've missed the rain in Los Angeles. I think of myself as a poor mans ex-pat, haven't actually pulled the trigger to move here but enjoy it like I live here for a few months each year! Hope you are well!

Tdiddy12

Crellston my friend, welcome back to Mexico. We are currently wrapping up our two weeks in Oaxaca City. Have really enjoyed it. Would highly recommend the Rufino Tamayo Museo, Museo de las Culturas at Santa Domingo, Museo de los Pintores and just walking around. There is a place called the Oaxaca Lending Library on Pino Suarez and it is a great way to learn about what's going on in town. Also a website called oaxaca events that tells about all of the music, art, talks etc going on. Although we didn't get a chance to go on one of their tours, there is a company called Envia Foundation? That does tours to small communities where they give out micro loans to mainly women who then put the money into local projects. We met a young couple from Tucson that are volunteering with that organization for a couple of months. I believe they do tours twice a week. It looks like a really interesting trip that isn't the usual, Mezcal, Mitla, Tule, Hierve al Agua tour. Have fun. We will begin Slovenia and Croatia in September and I will be putting in a separate post for help with that!

Tdiddy12

Jalatlaca

Cultural Santo Domingo

Cultural Santa Domingo



Backyard concert

crellston

Hi Tdiddy,

Many thanks for the tips , I shall certainly look into those places. The Envia Foundation sound interesting as when we were volunteering in West Africa, the organisation we were working with a women's NGO which was heavily into micro financing (sadly , being Africa everything was as corrupt as hell and the money rarely got where it was supposed to!) . I shall definitely look them up as it is a subject close to my heart and , purely selfishly, I did look at some of those tours to mescal producing village and could not believe what they were charging!

Slovenia and Croatia look fantastic though we haven't been. Have a friend who just bought a place in Bulgaria so may head out there for a visit sometime this year. If you happen to be passing through London on your way, let me know and if we are around, I will return the favour you showed us on our trip to LA, of a tour of my home town. Though to be fair I know far less about Londo than you do about LA!

bald0ne

This recent article suggests Palenque is OK to visit. But some other sites in Chiapas are off limits. And the article pretty much agrees with what my friend related.
https://apnews.com/article/mexico-ma...f5f50d14660854

crellston

Thanks for the link Baldone and tanks for coming back. I have decided that Palenque just wouldn't fit easily into our itinerary and have decided to stick around Merida and visit some Mayan sites, some beach towns and some Cenotes from there with maybe an overnight in Uxmal. After that a short return to Oaxaca on the way back to CDMX and your flight home. In years gone by I have ended up in some "conflict areas" mostly in the Middle East and Africa, sometime by design, sometimes by accident. I am getting too old to go looking for trouble!

If I may, one more question . You kindly suggested Mineral del Monte as a stop for a few days in between Guanjuato and heading south. You also mentioned Tlaxcala & Huamantla. Much as I would like to visit a place built by my Cornish ancestors (to say nothing of the pasties!) I am leaning towards Tlaxacala with maybe a couple of nights in Puebla as it seems easier to get to and probably just as interesting . Good choice?

bald0ne

Good question. Whether Tlaxcala is more interesting than mdm, mdc & hdo is I think a matter of personal interests, and of course, ease of travel to/from. The 2 areas are just very different from each other. We liked Tlaxcala, but only spent a night & 2 days there. We did not visit any of the nearby archeological sites, (which are an attraction to many), as it was at the end of a long road trip and we were a bit tired. It's a handsome city, but not as impressive architecturally as Oaxaca or guanajuato or zacatecas. Mineral del Monte and surrounds offer some attractions that are hard to find all so close to one another in Mexico, such as the Prismas Balsaticas, its nearby haciendas, and the natural beauty of parque nacional del Chico. In either area, you'll rarely see another gringo tourist. Here's the best I can offer. At this point in our Mexico time & travels, I would not hesitate to visit Mdm/mdc again, but having already been in the area a couple of times now, I wouldn't spend more than 2 nights, but only on the way to somewhere else, no longer as a destination. I don't think I'd feel moved to make another visit/stop to Tlaxcala. I mentioned Tlaxcala primarily as its role in the fusion of indigenous rites with catholicism and how that influenced the DOD celebrations as observed today. All that said, whichever way you're trending, we liked Atlixco more than Tlaxcala. Which could be visited easily enough as a day trip from Puebla. I don't know if any of that makes any sense.

crellston

Thanks Baldone. Yes it does make sense and is very helpful. Because of the travel logistics, I am leaning toward Tlaxcala /Puebla and will now have a look at Atlixco.

mlgb

Tdiddy12, I hope today wasn't your first day back...we are getting some real rain!!

mlgb

Screenshot BBC drone photo Celestun flamingo colony by A Dzib.

Watching on Hawaiian Air.