Archive for » September, 2012 «

Cancun Day 3 – Coba Maya Encounter Expedition (Part 2)

29 Sep 2012 By

In the afternoon our group arrived at the ancient city of Coba, located in the middle of the jungle. The Mayan name Coba means ‘ruffled waters’. It probably refers to the lakes in the area. Coba is located between two lakes and is close to three others. Since surface water is not common in the Yucatan peninsula, it makes sense that the Mayans built their city in an area among lakes. Coba was at one time a very large city spread over 80 square kilometers/30 square miles and was once home to around 50,000 people . Of the 6500 buildings which have been found at Coba only 10% have been excavated. The site was built during the Classic Period (600-900 A.D.), but also experienced a building boom in the Early Post Classic period dated 925 A.D – 1200 A.D. (from wikipedia). Here is Coba site map located right at the entrance.

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Cancun Day 3 – Coba Maya Encounter Expedition (Part 1)

20 Sep 2012 By

Early in the morning we were taken by the minivan to experience the Coba Maya Encounter Expedition tour. We were planning to arrive at the authentic Mayan village of Pac-Chen, a self sufficient community of approximately 125 people who still live in round thatch huts deep in the jungle. There’s no electricity or indoor plumbing, and the roads aren’t paved. The inhabitants, who primarily make their living farming pineapples, beans, and plantains, still pray to the gods for good crops.

The first half of the day included:

  • Rappelling into a cenote
  • Riding a zip-line
  • Canoeing
  • Lunch in the authentic Mayan village

After lunch the plan was to visit the ancestral city of Coba, an archaeological site hidden deep inside the jungle. It will be in the next post as Part 2 of Cancun Day 3 – Coba Encounter Expedition.

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Cirque du Soleil – Totem

14 Sep 2012 By

Cirque du Soleil arrived at the National Harbor with its newest show ‘Totem’ and we decided not to miss a chance to attend the show. We had tickets for the 4 o’clock performance and an hour earlier we were driving to the National Harbor, where the Cirque’s signature bright blue and yellow top tents had been eracted.The recognizable blue and yellow 2600 seat tent is made from almost six tons of canvas. It was a beautiful sunny and hot (over 90°F) day. The parking lot was fairly empty and everything was well organized. Here is the view of the Cirque’s tents from the parking lot.

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A Day at Harpers Ferry Adventure Center

09 Sep 2012 By

On Sunday, during the Labor Day weekend, Dave and I spent all day zip lining and river rafting at the Harpers Ferry Adventure Center, which is 1 hour and 15 minutes away from our home. Harpers Ferry is a historic town in West Virginia. It is situated at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers where the U.S. states of Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia meet (from Wikipedia). Harpers Ferry Adventure Center, formerly Butt Tubes, is located 3 miles south east of Harpers Ferry in Purcellville, Virginia and offers a variety of outdoor activities. It is a small place, but there are picnic areas with tables, charcoal grills, and a sand volleyball court for customer’s use. A souvenir store, a small food court and changing rooms are also avaulable. Here we are at the center. It was starting to rain a little.

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Cancun Day 2 – Swimming with dolphins

01 Sep 2012 By

Around 8 o’clock in the morning, Dave and I were picked up at our hotel by a minivan and we were on our way to the aquatic park Xel-Ha, which is located 110 km/68 mi south of Cancun. Xel-Ha is a natural park with an area of 86 hectares/212 acres, which is composed of a group of inlets, lagoons, cenotes and caves. This ecological park is the largest natural aquarium in the world and is an absolutely breathtaking place! We were told that according to the old Mayan legends, Mayan gods driven by their wisdom and love for ”amazing things”, created a place where the most beautiful natural attractions in the Caribbean are all gathered in one place. The ancient Mayans called this area Xel-Ha ”where the water is born”. Upon our arrival we confirmed our time for the dolphin adventure and obtained our locker keys. Here is the entrance to the dolphin area.

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