Uxmal

Fifteen hours of non-stop action today :) I ate breakfast with the Canadians (sorry, I should probably stop calling them that) and then we headed to meet all the students. Hélen, Marilyn, and Daniel are just about done with dealing with their students - so I attempted to heighten everyones' spirits, tough job. We drove in the bus to Uxmal - a site of Mayan ruins, and a particularly beautiful set of ruins at that. It is probably one of the most unique that I've visited, close to Palenque. The details were crazy, it was a diverse set of pyramids, and a good atmosphere. We walked around and got a tour - I like to think I'm getting better at the heat - but I do continually conclude that Americans are the only people that sweat. Seriously, no Mexicans sweat, and today I realized the Canadians barely sweat either. Cool. We wrapped up our time exploring the ruins and then drove to the Calcehtok caves about 15 minutes away. Incredible - I've never been in a cave like this, so massive. We all climbed down and were then given head lanterns, but there were two separate times when (for effect) we turned off all lights. Literally couldn't see anything - not even your hand directly in front of your eyes. And it's not one of those things where your eyes adjust... Complete blackness. It was cool, not for claustrophobics, but very neat. We saw all these people coming out completely covered in rock and dirt, so everyone got a little concerned, but we soon learned they were on the Extreme Tour - which consists of climbing in very very very small openings to explore deeper... No thanks, I saw enough on my non-extreme tour. We saw cool formations, bats, and different layers. The one thing I struggled with, was the multiple times the tour guide pointed out bears, people, Santa Claus, jaguars, horses, bears, llamas, etc that were all formed by the rocks. Yes, I agree they sort of (key words) looked like those things, but I think in reality it's not a Mayan magical moment, but instead, a fluke - and I could have made a whole zoo of animals if I tried hard enough to imagine their shapes on the cave's walls. Sorry to question things, but I got a good laugh! We emerged from the cave (climbing back out just about took the breath out of everyone) and went back to Uxmal. On the way we saw fires that were on both sides of the highway, spreading in the bushes and grasses, due to the lack of rain in the area. It was really sad - and incredible to just watch it keep burning, with no one doing anything. Rain needs to come - and they say hopefully this week! I hope so too! But back at Uxmal we got to swim in the beautiful pool that is part of the hotel right outside the ruins' entrance. So refreshing, and great after a warm day! Then we ate at the beautiful restaurant - lime soup (regional dish), fresh fish, rice, vegetables, and coconut ice cream for dessert! The view made the time there even better - sun setting over the pyramids in the distance, as we dined under a beautiful palapa! Good deal! We finished up and entered the archaeological site to attend the sound and light show that is put on in the middle of the ruins. An incredible production, telling a story of the Mayan dependency on rain, and a community waiting for its arrival - laced with great narration, music, and then spectacular lights. They illuminate entire pyramids in different ways by projecting light onto the massive structure. It was very interesting, and I was happy to be able to see it! We then made the journey home, not getting back to the house until 11:30!! I really enjoyed being with the group today, and continued to make relationships with the teachers and students. I'm going to miss them when they leave early this week! Going back to school tomorrow should be a shock to the system. In the last eight days I've only gone to class three of those days. My five day weekend was wonderful though :) And I got to see some new places, make new friends, and relax!! Time is continuing to slip by so quickly! I'll add pictures from the trip tomorrow when I have more time and am not so eager to hop in bed!