Mexico: Merida, Maya sites, Puuc-Route - any tips ?

Hi Ellen,

> 7-9 days in Merida should be plenty of time to do all those things.
> It will be easier if you have your own rental car, but it can be done
> by bus too. You may want to plan to go to Kabah, Sayil and Labna in
> the
> morning/afternoon and stay overnight at Uxmal. See the light and sound
> show and then do more of the Puuc Route the next day.

That sounds very good - and also close to our plans. We were thinking
of staying 2 nights at Uxmal to see Uxmal and the sites at the Puuc
Route. Have you any experience with the hotels at Uxmal? Two of them
is run by mayaland, which also has a hotel at Chichen Itza.

> One thing you didn't mention is visiting some haciendas. They are a
> special
> treat in the Yucatan. If you leave Uxmal in the morning, you can get
> to
> Hacienda Ochil or Temozon Sur for lunch. Also,....

And on our way to Uxmal we could stop over at a hacienda. Thanks a lot
for this hint - we did not take the haciendas into account till now.

> As for places to stay, you didn't say what kind of place you are
> looking for, so I can recommend a few. My first choice would be Hotel
> Mediomundo...the rooms are spacious, clean, comfortable beds. But if
> you want a TV or a phone, then try Hotel Fray Diego, which will be
> more expensive but has everything. My mother, who is a picky world
> traveler, stays there and loves it. Both are centrally located. If you
> prefer funky and fascinating, try Luz en Yucatan. Tell Madeline I sent
> you :-). Come to think of it, if you go to MedioMundo, tell Nicole I
> sent you.
>

The MedioMundo looks very nice - we could imagine saying 'Hello' to
Nicole...

> If you want to know anything else, just ask. We live here and have
> traveled around the area a lot in the past 18 months.

Last but not least we are a bit worried about the heat in summer, but
we are so keen on coming we won't change our plans.

Thank you very much! Your advises are a great help for us.

Stephan

On 28 Jul 2003 14:11:04 -0700, stephansnewsm (Stephan
Schaefer) wrote:

>Last but not least we are a bit worried about the heat in summer, but
>we are so keen on coming we won't change our plans.

The simplest advice I can give on this is *slow down*. You don't
mention where you are from, but I'm from the UK and it took four or
five days for DH and I to *slow down* when we visited the Yucatan area
a couple of years ago. Walk more slowly than you are used to and the
heat won't affect you so much. Oh, and always carry more water than
you think you will need when you are wandering around the
archeological sites. DH and I were very disappointed that we had to
cut our visit to Coba short because we were very low on water. We
should have bought a litre or so more at the kiosk at the entrance.

If the sun and heat could be a problem for you, carry an umbrella to
use as a parasol. I'm one of those white skinned Europeans who is
almost blue(!) in the winter and the umbrella came in very, very
useful for me.

Enjoy your holiday (I'm very jealous that you are visiting somewhere
I'm desperate to go back to :-))

Julie S

>
> If the sun and heat could be a problem for you, carry an umbrella to
> use as a parasol. I'm one of those white skinned Europeans who is
> almost blue(!) in the winter and the umbrella came in very, very
> useful for me.

The white skin problem applies to us as well I'd say :) So bringing
an umbrella would be useful against the heat and the afternoon rain I
guess - I'll put it on our list!

> Enjoy your holiday (I'm very jealous that you are visiting somewhere
> I'm desperate to go back to :-))

Thanks a lot! We actually visited Mexico several years ago but didn't
make it to the Yucatan. So there is always a reason to come back !

Stephan

>
> If you want to know anything else, just ask. We live here and have
> traveled around the area a lot in the past 18 months.
>
> -ellen

A few more questions ;)

- Is there a Malaria risk in Yucatan ?
- Are tripods allowed at the archaeological sites ? I heard you have
to pay for it - may be you have an idea how much it might be ?
- Is it ok to bring Travellers' cheques in Euro or should it be in US$
?

Stephan

On 31 Jul 2003 10:35:22 -0700, stephansnewsm (Stephan
Schaefer) wrote:

>
>- Is there a Malaria risk in Yucatan ?

I believe the Malaris risk is low.

>- Are tripods allowed at the archaeological sites ? I heard you have
>to pay for it - may be you have an idea how much it might be ?
>- Is it ok to bring Travellers' cheques in Euro or should it be in US$

If you have to take Travellers' cheques, take them in US$.

Julie S