Mexico - pursuing pyramids with a preschooler

     The next few years were spent travelling domestically as time and money were not readily available.  Not to mention having to deal with diapers, baby foods and toddler tantrums. We amused ourselves flitting to Florida, Arizona, San Francisco and other assorted vacation spots.  It soon became apparent that our kids were indeed good little travelers, pretty much go with the flow types - game for whatever ridiculous venture their parents proposed.  So, after a particularly successful trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming during which we proudly watched our youngest assert that she was indeed five years old so she could go snowmobiling in the back country with us (to be fair she WAS turning 5 the next month and she was riding in front of me on my snowmobile.  This was, in retrospect, a truly insane idea which I paid for subsequently with inner thigh agony),  I decided that we were ready for international adventure.
     The decision where to go on our first foreign family vacation was made balancing cheapness, flight time and convenience, and potential for major relaxation.  MEXICO!!!  We booked a lovely little hotel on a tiny private beach with an outdoor restaurant on the water where the kids could feed the fish.  Perfect!  And it was perfect...we enjoyed sunning and swimming, and I even took the kids snorkling over the tiny reef off our little beach.  It was perfect for about 2 days. And then I noticed the pamphlets in the hotel lobby advertising...ADVENTURE!
     I'm sorry. You are already in Mexico. Who WOULDN'T want to see CHICHEN ITZA???  What an amazing cultural opportunity for my kids to learn a bit about Mesoamerican history?  I talked my husband into the idea without too much difficulty and the next day we were off on the hydrofoil to the mainland.
     There are 2 ways to get to Chichen Itza from Cancun - you can drive through the jungle, which takes several hours, or you can fly which takes maybe 20 minutes or so.  I figured the kids would get hot, bored and cranky driving so I chose option 2 which seemed like a good idea until we got to the airport and saw the plane.

 Yeah. It was actually made of cardboard.

Now it began to dawn on me that this might not have been the best idea.  However after a brief,  uneventful flight during which I prayed to any and all gods to spare my children as it wasn't their fault their mother was crazy enough to make them fly on Aztec Air, we walked off the tiny air strip and into HISTORY.  There it was - just like in the books...CHICHEN ITZA!!!

 

It really was an amazing sight.  What was equally amazing to my children was seeing a whole flock of poverty stricken Mexican kids begging for change outside the entrance to the site.  "Why aren't those kids in school and where are their shoes?" they wanted to know.  Always one to take advantage of a teaching moment, I began a quick lesson on the sociopolitical aspects of class difference and poverty until I noticed my babies' eyes glazing over whereupon I shouted "who is gonna be first up the big pyramid?!?!" and got them back on board.  We all excitedly entered the archeological ruins.

    Chichen Itza is not a World Heritage site for nuthin'.  It is pretty awe-inspiring, even to a pre-schooler.

   

And of course we all had to climb the pyramid.  And FYI, getting a 5 year old to the top of a major pyramid is a HELL OF A LOT EASIER than getting her down.  But we all made it and everyone was quite pleased with themselves at the end of the day. 

  

With the success of our Chichen Itza jaunt, it was a no brainer to journey to see Tulum (another Mayan ruin) as well as Xel-Ha (a natural snorlking water park).  I highly recommend the trip to Tulum although unfortunately Xel-Ha has apparently become somewhat overrun now that Cancun and the River Maya have become major tourist attractions.

  

We even were able to find some Mayan ruins on Cozumel itself.

 

      Last, but not least, we were able to find an animal mascot for Mexico.  This has become a tradition on all subsequent vacations; we always look for an animal friend that symbolizes our trip. In Mexico that honor went to the iguana.  All in all, Cozumel was a great vacation - especially as we went BEFORE the Cancun area became a famous "girls gone wild" spring break extravaganza.  (Try to avoid taking your small children to "Senor Frogs" for dinner. Take my word for this.)  And it was a good preparation for the next Aiuto Adventure...BELIZE!!!