Travel

After my first day at sea and enjoying just about every pampering luxury the Seven Seas Voyager had to offer, I was ready to explore Mexico's Yucatan. The ship anchored at Progreso, a beautiful port surrounded by seaside buildings with facades painted in quaint pastel colors. There are sandy beaches along the coast pounded by gentle waves, ideal for swimming, boat races, fishing and sailing. The state of Yucatan is also known for tropical forests, natural fresh water springs and mysterious underground caverns. Many of these caverns were used for ceremonial rites by the powerful Maya who ruled the area before the Spaniards' conquistadors overtook the region. The Voyager passengers were offered many Shore Excursion Options during our seven-night cruise of the Western Caribbean, including guided tours to the famous ruins of Dzibilchaltun, an ancient city shrouded in mystery and hidden secrets long before the Christian era. The most important structure there is the Temple of the Seven Dolls. It is regarded as a tribute to the astronomical skills of the Mayans. On previous trips to Mexico, I made certain to explore the Chichen Itza Mayan ruins, one of the most important archeological sites on the American continent and the home of a great Mayan center. Here, you will see the pyramid of Kulkulcan actually the largest and best preserved Mayan ball court, the mystical cenote (where human sacrifices were performed), and the temple of the warriors. There is also an observatory where the Mayan priests accurately calculated celestial events over a million-year span.If I had not decided that it was Merida that I wanted to visit in a horse and carriage, I would have returned to the Uxmal Mayan Ruins in a city considered to be one of the most beautiful in the Mayan world and rightfully famous for its magnificent carved facades, terraces, gracious plazas and imposing pyramids. They represent the classic epoch between 200 and 900 A.D. You will be mesmerized by the Pyramid of the Magician, the Nun's Quadrangle, the Palace of the Governor and the house of the Turtles.I remembered climbing the 114 steps of the Magician's Pyramid for a breathtaking view of the city with its elaborate carvings of birds, animals and complex geometric patterns. Archeologists claim that the Governor's Palace is the most beautiful pre-Colombian building on the American continent and should definitely be on your list of things to see.Whenever I admired the white stone buildings in other Mexican cities, I was told that I should see the city of Merida, known for its magnificent white limestone buildings. The city was founded in 1542 by the Spanish conquistador Francisco de Montejo, who after razing the Mayan city of Tho, salvaged the debris and quarried the local pyramids for the white stone. He used the stone to construct a city fashioned after the "Romanesque style" of the city of Merida in Spain. I was delighted to find that the Seven Seas Voyager offered a Horse and Carriage sightseeing tour of the area. Merida is just 21 miles south of Progreso. After about an hour's drive in an air-conditioned van with 40 other passengers, we arrived in Merida, the "Ciudad Blanca" ( the white city) to be greeted by our horse and carriage drivers. I was seated in a carriage for four with the wife of a retired biology professor from the University of Wisconsin, a lovely young couple from El Paso, TX. The horses were festively adorned with ribbons and bells and particularly noticeable to me was that they wore diapers or britches to make certain that they did not despoil the immaculately clean city with their manure. The city buildings seemed to glisten. Not only were they constructed from white limestone blocks, but they were beautifully maintained with generous coatings of white paint. I could sense the great pride that the residents took of their spotless city. I also noticed that the people were well dressed, with the men wearing the traditional embroidery on their shirts and white trousers. The intact colonial architecture of the city, with its parks, sweeping plazas and cobbled streets, added to its charm for me and the other Voyage passengers.Unfortunately, the original Spanish settlers plundered the old Mayan temples mercilessly and used the ancient carved stones to build their new city. Today, such behavior would be considered cultural genocide, but the Spaniards felt their cause was worthy in that it saved the Mayans from a pagan lifestyle.The pirates Jean Laffite and Henry Morgan made the coastal sea caves their base of operation to loot the passing Spanish galleons in the 17th and 18th centuries. It is no wonder that Merida received the UNESCO World Cultural Capital designation in 2000 and the people have not stopped celebrating since in the zocalo (main square). We all agreed that this was a wonderful experience and looked forward to Cozamel, our next destination. But now we were intent on getting back on The Seven Seas Voyager for a sumptuous lunch and a swim on the pool deck. Our credentials were carefully checked. Our hands were sanitized with anti-bacterial cloths before we were allowed to board the ship to continue our elegant sail.Copyright © by Marcia AbramsonE-mail: mascribe@aol.com