People of the Mouth of the Well - They are Mayan and lived near a large well. They created a whole holy city center around the Well. It was a completely spiritual and extreme city in its existence. Only the high priest and his family and other priests as well as the high class lived there. They literally reconfigured their bodies to show they were the elite of the people and only religious practices where adhered to or practiced here. The infamous ball game where winners or losers (unknown) were decapitated, volunteer human sacrifice occurred in the well and their famous astronomy practices as well as temple worship of all their gods. Mayan people living in surrounding communities could visit this place but not live there.
It was a powefully mysterious energy to be around as a lot about this people is mysterious. For instance, tools were never found in excavations even though huge temples were built. Also, the largest temple we can see might just be the top half or even just the tip of the actual temple. There has been recent excavation (funded by Greece!) and more parts of the temple have been found! Mexico puts little funding into excavating their ruins so little by little more might be found! And who knows what's buried in the jungle...(No really! More could be found. In Sri Lanka, a whole kingdom built on top of a rock was found buried in the jungle by an Australian archaelogist back in the 1970's.) More famously, a whole calendar system was created (and was accurate) based on the stars even though they did not have telescopes (or nothing resembling an acient type of telescope was ever found). An amazing yet dire people.
The unfortunate thing about experiencing Chichen Itza is having to wade through the constant acosting of sellers or cheap items including children doing the same thing. They are literally everywhere! Including in sacred and sad places. For instance, on our trek to the Mouth of the Well where people, including mostly adult men and children, hurled themselves in the water to drown to appease the "Rain god", sellers were right at the sight barking their prices and sales pitches. It took everything in me not to go give them my two cents! "I don't want to hear your voice again while I am at this sacred and somber place! You are exploiting this place and I have no respect for you nor will I purchase your cheap things, ever!" I felt a little bit like Jesus did when he went into the temple and found sellers and money changers. A sacred place yet greedy people conintually trying to make a buck at the expense of the holy. I have no respect for such people. I can empathize with their motivation and desires but not their actions!
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Sunday, July 31, 2011
World Traveling Frustration! or "WTF!"
Always bring an extra pair of glasses, contact lenses or whatever helps you be able to see clearly in case you lose any of the aforementioned items; an extra earring/nose/belly button/etc. ring if you've just gotten your ear, nose, belly button, etc. pierced and lose your existing whatever ring; and always keep your wedding ring on or in the hotel/resort safe or another safe and secure place so you don't lose it.
Yes, I've done all of these things mostly all on the FIRST day here! Have replaced contact lenses but prescription isn't right, maintenance guy retrieved the nose ring from the P Trap in the sink's plumbing and I am still hoping my wedding ring (that I made, is Argentium silver and expensive) is found before we leave!
Yes, I've done all of these things mostly all on the FIRST day here! Have replaced contact lenses but prescription isn't right, maintenance guy retrieved the nose ring from the P Trap in the sink's plumbing and I am still hoping my wedding ring (that I made, is Argentium silver and expensive) is found before we leave!
Second day in Mexico
Blogging only because I have to follow up on my previous post about how great the Aventura SPA resort side is. I might blog every day we are here but I don't want to over do it.
I went to a yoga class this morning as the SPA side is open to all adults staying in the FAMILY side. It was in a beautiful setting of a meditation temple (looked like a small scale pagoda) with blue sky paint on the ceiling made up mostly of windows. There was also a neat garden and walking path around the temple and it was near the ocean so you could hear the waves breaking while in class. I realized through this class that if I wanted to gain more flexibility and strength in all my muscles I would need to take a class and probably change instructors every so often to keep my body "on its toes." Anywho, after the class I went to the fitness center near an open air indoor type swimming pool and hot tub area that was gorgeous. Right near there for the residents' convenience and health was a juice bar that made 8 different healthy cocktails. No shots of vitamins or wheat grass just different mixes of fruits and/or vegetables based on what you wanted to boost so-to-speak. Beauty, life, vitality, general healthiness, sleep, relaxation,etc. I chose the multi-vitamin cocktail and went to the fitness center to use their cardio and strength training machines. I need to burn off the extra calories I am consuming this week! It's a good thing the next two days involve mucho caminando (walking)!
When you book with this resort (like many others) you get "resort credits" where you can "spend" money depending on how long you stay. We received $1500 in resort credits for staying with them 8 days and 7 nights. The credits go towards items like Tours of Mayan ruins, snorkeling tours, zip line adventure tours, swimming with dolphins or in this particular resort, spa services or a "romantic lobster dinner." We chose two tours and the spa services and dinner. In the late afternoon, Jon and I went to the SPA side again for massages and later in the evening SPA side again for the "romantic lobster dinner" at El Greco (serving Mediterranean cuisine).
The dinner was quite good, sea side with 4 courses, appetizer, soup, entree and dessert. Our app was bleu cheese and candied apples with a few lettuce leaves tied off with a carrot strip. The soup was a delicious Cream of Spinach and the entree was Surf 'n Turf with lobster tail (of course) and small beef medallion and mashed potatoes with a few steamed veggies. For dessert we ate a chocolate tiramisu of sorts and drank Mayan coffee. The process to make it is exquisite and is done table side.
I went to a yoga class this morning as the SPA side is open to all adults staying in the FAMILY side. It was in a beautiful setting of a meditation temple (looked like a small scale pagoda) with blue sky paint on the ceiling made up mostly of windows. There was also a neat garden and walking path around the temple and it was near the ocean so you could hear the waves breaking while in class. I realized through this class that if I wanted to gain more flexibility and strength in all my muscles I would need to take a class and probably change instructors every so often to keep my body "on its toes." Anywho, after the class I went to the fitness center near an open air indoor type swimming pool and hot tub area that was gorgeous. Right near there for the residents' convenience and health was a juice bar that made 8 different healthy cocktails. No shots of vitamins or wheat grass just different mixes of fruits and/or vegetables based on what you wanted to boost so-to-speak. Beauty, life, vitality, general healthiness, sleep, relaxation,etc. I chose the multi-vitamin cocktail and went to the fitness center to use their cardio and strength training machines. I need to burn off the extra calories I am consuming this week! It's a good thing the next two days involve mucho caminando (walking)!
When you book with this resort (like many others) you get "resort credits" where you can "spend" money depending on how long you stay. We received $1500 in resort credits for staying with them 8 days and 7 nights. The credits go towards items like Tours of Mayan ruins, snorkeling tours, zip line adventure tours, swimming with dolphins or in this particular resort, spa services or a "romantic lobster dinner." We chose two tours and the spa services and dinner. In the late afternoon, Jon and I went to the SPA side again for massages and later in the evening SPA side again for the "romantic lobster dinner" at El Greco (serving Mediterranean cuisine).
The dinner was quite good, sea side with 4 courses, appetizer, soup, entree and dessert. Our app was bleu cheese and candied apples with a few lettuce leaves tied off with a carrot strip. The soup was a delicious Cream of Spinach and the entree was Surf 'n Turf with lobster tail (of course) and small beef medallion and mashed potatoes with a few steamed veggies. For dessert we ate a chocolate tiramisu of sorts and drank Mayan coffee. The process to make it is exquisite and is done table side.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
First day at Aventura Cove, Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Not only is this a great FAMILY resort we are next door to Aventura SPA which is for adults. This is an affordable health spa resort!! An affordable, yet quality health spa resort is hard to find. It is among the Palace Resorts family so they know how to do this and do it well! But let me back up...we are 1 full day and a half into this "aventura" and I got excited and ahead of myself. LOL!
The boys 17 and 7 are in heaven with room service (at no cost to parents as it was paid through the nose already a.k.a. an all-inclusive resort), TV, Xbox and swimming virtually any time they want any of it. Parents have a room with a mini-bar including 5 different types of alcohol, cervezas, pop, juice or water, a whirlpool tub for 2, a deck with a hammock and peace of mind because the kids are next door in their OWN room of 2 double beds and the rest of the amenities afore-mentioned. Paradise ala carte for all involved! Moving out into the resort (Family side), you have three different types of restaurant options not including two bars one being a pool bar which provides 5 different types of pizza (made to order on the spot in a home-made brick oven) and nachos (toppings including: nacho cheese, pico de gallo, gaucamole, sour cream and salsa). Yumm!
We ate at La Hacienda last night our second night in Mexico. This place is one of the three options on the FAMILY side of the resorts. I had chicken enchiladas with mole sauce, Jon had fajitas and we all had fresh fruit custard tarts for desert. The Mexican food here is amazing. I don't mind the buffets or non-traditional foods but I am preferring Mexican fare most of the time. We didn't try the guacamole but saw the dish being served and its worth noting. The server brings out huge tray full of numerous little bowls with spoons (different toppings like salsa, sour cream, etc.) a bowl of chips and makes up a plate for each person at the table. The interesting part is the "guac" he or she makes it right there on the spot gutting the avocados and everything right before the diners' eyes. Not only that but when the server makes the guac they use a shot of tequila that they light on fire and pour over the guacamole! It's a sight and we've decided to go back just to get it.
After dinner we went to the resort lobby where a Mexican Fiesta was the entertainment of the evening. There was a mechanical bull and a Mariachi band. It was entertaining to watch the band perform as their trumpeter was quite good, holding notes for a long periods of time and the MC continued to be quite entertaining through the night calling up random people from the audience to pretend to be machismo Mexican hat dancers or to do the Macharena with him. The bull was our focus as my son wanted to do it but wanted me to go first. So we scoped it out for quite awhile watching young and old alike ride the mechanical bull. The operator obviously made it tougher for dads, semi-tough for moms and quite easy for kids. I tried my hand at it. I can see why people get thrown, after awhile your legs (particularly the thigh region) get very tired after a while on the "bull" and you just want to be thrown off to make the pain stop! However, I stood my ground, rather, sat my ground and was never "thrown." My son did try it but let's just say, he's not going to make a living in the rodeo.
My husband and I topped the evening off with a chair by the ocean under the starry sky and the kind of conversation that endears you to your life partner all the more reminding you of why you said "yes" all those years ago. ;-) However, rain clouds and lightning broke that party up a good several hours into the conversation so we felt glad we got the relaxing time by the surf that we did.
The boys 17 and 7 are in heaven with room service (at no cost to parents as it was paid through the nose already a.k.a. an all-inclusive resort), TV, Xbox and swimming virtually any time they want any of it. Parents have a room with a mini-bar including 5 different types of alcohol, cervezas, pop, juice or water, a whirlpool tub for 2, a deck with a hammock and peace of mind because the kids are next door in their OWN room of 2 double beds and the rest of the amenities afore-mentioned. Paradise ala carte for all involved! Moving out into the resort (Family side), you have three different types of restaurant options not including two bars one being a pool bar which provides 5 different types of pizza (made to order on the spot in a home-made brick oven) and nachos (toppings including: nacho cheese, pico de gallo, gaucamole, sour cream and salsa). Yumm!
We ate at La Hacienda last night our second night in Mexico. This place is one of the three options on the FAMILY side of the resorts. I had chicken enchiladas with mole sauce, Jon had fajitas and we all had fresh fruit custard tarts for desert. The Mexican food here is amazing. I don't mind the buffets or non-traditional foods but I am preferring Mexican fare most of the time. We didn't try the guacamole but saw the dish being served and its worth noting. The server brings out huge tray full of numerous little bowls with spoons (different toppings like salsa, sour cream, etc.) a bowl of chips and makes up a plate for each person at the table. The interesting part is the "guac" he or she makes it right there on the spot gutting the avocados and everything right before the diners' eyes. Not only that but when the server makes the guac they use a shot of tequila that they light on fire and pour over the guacamole! It's a sight and we've decided to go back just to get it.
After dinner we went to the resort lobby where a Mexican Fiesta was the entertainment of the evening. There was a mechanical bull and a Mariachi band. It was entertaining to watch the band perform as their trumpeter was quite good, holding notes for a long periods of time and the MC continued to be quite entertaining through the night calling up random people from the audience to pretend to be machismo Mexican hat dancers or to do the Macharena with him. The bull was our focus as my son wanted to do it but wanted me to go first. So we scoped it out for quite awhile watching young and old alike ride the mechanical bull. The operator obviously made it tougher for dads, semi-tough for moms and quite easy for kids. I tried my hand at it. I can see why people get thrown, after awhile your legs (particularly the thigh region) get very tired after a while on the "bull" and you just want to be thrown off to make the pain stop! However, I stood my ground, rather, sat my ground and was never "thrown." My son did try it but let's just say, he's not going to make a living in the rodeo.
My husband and I topped the evening off with a chair by the ocean under the starry sky and the kind of conversation that endears you to your life partner all the more reminding you of why you said "yes" all those years ago. ;-) However, rain clouds and lightning broke that party up a good several hours into the conversation so we felt glad we got the relaxing time by the surf that we did.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Moral of the Story
Trips to Chicago, NYC and Memphis: I have pin pointed a few iconic people that inspire me creatively and I got to be in the presence of them or their energy in the last three weeks...
Alexander McQueen - I not only saw his recent work at the MET but went to one of his boutiques in NYC. I felt like I stepped into a cross between a high-end retail shop (where there are no cash registers) and The Shire in Lord of the Rings (where there are small bungalows built into the side of a hill and you have to stoop as a human to walk through). I saw an iconic Alexander McQueen dress cost of $15,000 as well as sale shirts/dresses for $300-$1,000. I saved up my money and wanted to buy an Alexander McQueen piece of something so I tried on sale shoes and sale shirts/dresses ending up with a pair of shoes with the famous hoof look in the arch (made famous in Platos Atlantis Spring/Summer 2010).
Art Smith - I am inspired by this artist as well. A jeweler from the 1940's - 1960's, he had a studio/gallery in Greenwich Village open to friends interested in chatting the afternoon away while he worked in his studio. He is known to be part of the Modern Arts Movement, his pieces being described often as "structural" and "architectural." His style and/or design both as a studio artist/classic entrepreneur and as a jeweler are my sentiments exactly when it comes to being an artist making it in the world, interacting with those around you and in creating jewelry. I have studied (as much as I can as there are no books dedicated to him only shows and a few articles here and there) and been inspired by him for 5 years now. The last day we were in NYC, Jon happened to open a magazine and see that there was an Art Smith neckpiece on display at the Museum of Art and Design as part of the Tiffany & Co. permanent collection. We had literally one hour before our car was to pick us up to take us to the airport but we made it happen!
Bono - A fan for 15 years listening to U2 for 20 I didn't want to regret not seeing them play live. The anticipation was staggering. Being in the moment captured in the photo below was staggering and thrilling all at the same time. I stood up the whole show and cried for half of it. Of course, their shows are always emotional with the artistic way they report on the different groups they assist and on the ONE campaign but seeing them for the first time in person didn't help either!
Saul Williams - I am pretty sure I saw him waiting for the Staten Island Ferry! I watched Slam for the first time as a college student. My creative energy was ignited. I began researching Slam poetry, trying to find local venues to watch it in person or maybe try my hand at it. No such luck and I hear that currently it is almost dead in Lincoln, but the journey was worth it!
Martin Luther King Jr. - I read one of his biographies and not just his also Nelson Mandela's Long Walk to Freedom, Native American activist Russell Means' Where White Men Fear to Tread and The Essential Writings of Mahatma Gandhi. All inspirational pioneers, dreamers and perserverers. I was stunned to happen upon (which is exactly what we did) the assassination spot of MLK with a new National Civil Rights Museum attached to it! We spent 4 grueling hours reliving through stories one of the most emotionally intense eras in our nation's history.
Alexander McQueen - I not only saw his recent work at the MET but went to one of his boutiques in NYC. I felt like I stepped into a cross between a high-end retail shop (where there are no cash registers) and The Shire in Lord of the Rings (where there are small bungalows built into the side of a hill and you have to stoop as a human to walk through). I saw an iconic Alexander McQueen dress cost of $15,000 as well as sale shirts/dresses for $300-$1,000. I saved up my money and wanted to buy an Alexander McQueen piece of something so I tried on sale shoes and sale shirts/dresses ending up with a pair of shoes with the famous hoof look in the arch (made famous in Platos Atlantis Spring/Summer 2010).
Art Smith - I am inspired by this artist as well. A jeweler from the 1940's - 1960's, he had a studio/gallery in Greenwich Village open to friends interested in chatting the afternoon away while he worked in his studio. He is known to be part of the Modern Arts Movement, his pieces being described often as "structural" and "architectural." His style and/or design both as a studio artist/classic entrepreneur and as a jeweler are my sentiments exactly when it comes to being an artist making it in the world, interacting with those around you and in creating jewelry. I have studied (as much as I can as there are no books dedicated to him only shows and a few articles here and there) and been inspired by him for 5 years now. The last day we were in NYC, Jon happened to open a magazine and see that there was an Art Smith neckpiece on display at the Museum of Art and Design as part of the Tiffany & Co. permanent collection. We had literally one hour before our car was to pick us up to take us to the airport but we made it happen!
And I am so glad we did!
Bono - A fan for 15 years listening to U2 for 20 I didn't want to regret not seeing them play live. The anticipation was staggering. Being in the moment captured in the photo below was staggering and thrilling all at the same time. I stood up the whole show and cried for half of it. Of course, their shows are always emotional with the artistic way they report on the different groups they assist and on the ONE campaign but seeing them for the first time in person didn't help either!
Saul Williams - I am pretty sure I saw him waiting for the Staten Island Ferry! I watched Slam for the first time as a college student. My creative energy was ignited. I began researching Slam poetry, trying to find local venues to watch it in person or maybe try my hand at it. No such luck and I hear that currently it is almost dead in Lincoln, but the journey was worth it!
Martin Luther King Jr. - I read one of his biographies and not just his also Nelson Mandela's Long Walk to Freedom, Native American activist Russell Means' Where White Men Fear to Tread and The Essential Writings of Mahatma Gandhi. All inspirational pioneers, dreamers and perserverers. I was stunned to happen upon (which is exactly what we did) the assassination spot of MLK with a new National Civil Rights Museum attached to it! We spent 4 grueling hours reliving through stories one of the most emotionally intense eras in our nation's history.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Memphis, TN for a ServiceMaster International Convention
7/13/11 The funny thing about some trips is the serendipidty and/or lack of control you realize you really possess. We arrived in Memphis at 8am and could not check into our hotel. Funny thing about 8am arrivals...they don't make any sense, who can check into a hotel EVER at 8am. Why would I want to get somewhere the day before I have to be there and arrive at 8am. This is the question/discussion I have in mind for my travel agent when we get back into town. Anyway, I digress....I was speaking about chance and serendipidty....when anticipating our travels to Memphis I didn't think at all about the fact that Martin Luther King Jr. was shot in Memphis (nor that we would arrive in Memphis at 8am and not be able to get into our hotel until 2pm!). Needless to say, we had time to kill so first off we went for breakfast. We chose a place with local fare and feel and went to Beignet Cafe & Blues Bar (more New Orleans then local but that was the fare and feel I was going for this morning). We hopped the local trolley and rode it for about 10 blocks or so to G.E. Patterson street. Our walk after that was only a block. When we walked in to the restaurant we were greeted with a permanent collection of Mardi Gras decor, soul music and a host wearing sunglasses inside (love!).
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Riding the local trolley (built in the 1970's)
Beignet Cafe & Blues Bar
Mardi Gras Decor greets you when you walk inside
Jon ordered biscuits and gravy and I ordered their famous beignets with a side of sausage and eggs. Biscuits were slightly hard but Jon liked this and he loved the gravy. There were semi-generous portions of sausage in it which he also likes although the sausage chunks the better in "biscuits and gravy" is his motto. The beignets were everything I expected them to be...puffy, "donuty", sugary, warm goodness that melted in your mouth.
Next we went for a walk back up Main street towards our hotel to see a few sights before trying to get into our hotel again. We settled on the National Civil Rights Museum as we saw from the trolley on the way to breakfast. It was a little store front, corner plot off of Main Street so we expected a small museum. When we walked in we were surprised to find out that this was the end of the road and we needed to turn the corner to the left and walk down one block to get to the entrance. So we began the trek, thinking to myself: this is a weird layout for a museum. As we approached the museum this is what we saw...
"Ohmagaw!" I exclaimed. It was the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King Jr. was shot on April 4 in 1968. The cars are replicas of the exact cars sitting outside the motel when he was shot. The wreath is in memorial to him and is the exact place he was standing when he was shot. Off to the right in the picture is a plaque memorializing that day forever. Here is a close up picture of that plaque.
As we entered the museum, we realized it was much bigger than we assumed at first. There were audio tours so we chose to do that. Then there was a video playing (about 30 minutes long but we didn't care) and we watched that. Cried, was inspired, was glad to have decided to watch the video and was glad we happened upon such a treasure of a museum. The entrance had an amazing scultpure made by a Swedish man from Texas! Evidently 223 entries came in representing 20 or so countries for this juried contest. This man one and here is what he made for the museum's lobby.
Movement to Overcome: Brass sculpture, notice the figures all over it, climbing up.
The museumn covers the movement from slavery to 1968. Then you walk across the street and visit the sniper's post later uncovered by an FBI investigation. The building we originially visited (that was the end of the museum tour) is the ground floor of the building next to the building the sniper set up post in. So there were three more floors of exhibits talking about the investigation into MLK's death, the conspiracy theories surrounding his death, a memorial to other's who've paid the ultimate price for peace, love and justice and a wall of photos of past recipients and honorary recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Museum's replica of the same view the sniper had on that fateful day!
Memorial to other's who have been assasinated for the cause of justice like Gandhi, other civil rights movement leaders and workers, Harvey Milk, etc.
If you want to go:
Admission is $15 (plus $2 for the audio tour).
*Admission is buy one get one if you use a Delta Sky Miles American Express credit card .
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Paola's
7/8/11 italian restaurant two doors down from our hotel. it had many servers who actually spoke Italian which added to the experience. we knew we needed to try this place even though we over-consumed Italian food on this trip if you ask me because the name of the restaurant was so close to our last name. cheesy reason but glad we did. the food was amazing! to start, we had a salad of endive, green apples, walnuts, bleu cheese and watercress and fresh handmade mozzarella. next, jon's entree was lobster raviolis in shellfish reduction and stewed tomatoes. mine was "trofie" a popular house owner created dish. it includced hand rolled linguine, pesto, pine nuts, string beans and potatoes.
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Myself and Jon posing at Paolas beautiful bar
Outside Paola's
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