Finally, some thoughts on what we found

1. Why don’t the world famous archeological sites we have visited, have any sort of basic handout to give visitors with their ticket purchase? Not one Mayan site offered a map to show us where to go or what we were looking at, or any sort of information on the buildings, when they were built or what they were used for. We had to rely on a few very poor signs which often told us very little. Without a guide book our only resource was the internet when we got back to the hotel

2. Entrance fees are incredibly reasonable, and while we appreciate that, they could easily make more money for restoration work by charging more.

3. We have been surprised to see that the Mayan Indians look very different from the native Indians we see on the west coast of Mexico. They seem stockier, with harder features

4. The Mayan language is still spoken by over 2,000,000 people

5. The Mayans still build today the same style of house that they built a thousand years ago. At least the poor ones do. It is a small race track shaped building with two straight sides and rounded ends. It is only one room with openings opposite each other on the straight walls for ventilation. One end is the kitchen and living quarters, the other is the bedroom. There is often no plumbing. They are about 15ft long and 6ft wide, built of mud or bamboo with a straw roof.

6. We have not always felt as welcomed by local Mexican people here as we do in Puerto Vallarta

7. A knowledge of Spanish is not needed in Puerto Vallarta while it is a necessity here. Very few people speak English

8. There are many more European tourists on the East Coast than on the west as it is so much easier to get to

9. Hot water always seems to take several minutes to arrive at the bathroom in every place we have stayed

10. The water is not drinkable anywhere here, while it is in Puerto Vallarta

11. Most places we have been to, have not allowed anything but human waste to be flushed down the toilet. All “used” paper products have to be put into a bin, often without a lid, and cleared away daily. I prefer the more practical method employed elsewhere!