We got up bright and early on Saturday morning and got on the bus to Coba which is about 3 hours in from the coast. Coba, meaning "ruffled water" was a classic Mayan site situated among a group of lakes. It is one of the largest, yet least known sites in the Yucatan and was an important center of a vast network of limestone roads that connected Coba with outlying centers such as Chichen-Itza and Tulum. This site was mainly wooded with sandy paths (the old road bases) between buildings which were spread pretty far apart. At this site, you could climb up the pyramid for a great view of trees and sky along with the lakes of Coba.

We stayed overnight in Coba too- a very small town set alongside a small lake and no, dad, you can't swim in the lake- it's filled with crocodiles! We could see them at the water's edge. I was a little nervous just arriving to a town with no hotel reservation but we found a simple little place that was right near the bus stop and was only 300 pesos per night- about $27. Not quite a posture-pedic bed though and as it ended up, we couldn't sleep that night because the roosters on the other side of the wall crowed all night. Whoever said that they start at 4 am was mistaken since we remember this from the last cruise too- you could hear the roosters in the anchorage all night long there too. I hate roosters!

The next morning we hopped on a bus to Chichen-Itza- a large, very touristy ruin about another 1 � hours inland, but supposedly well worth seeing. We checked into a hotel along the way that had 2 pools, one of which had a natural limestone bottom- kindof cool. I had never seen a pool like this before. It also had beautiful grounds and nice rooms. It looked like we'd actually get some sleep that night!

The ruins were much more open than Coba, with lots of grassy areas that made them stand out even more. You couldn't climb the temple since someone died doing it awhile back so they roped it off. During the time the Mayans lived here, the buildings were painted various colors- mainly red and blue and you could still see the colors on the stone in some spots, even after all these years. There was a cenote (natural [pool of water created by an underground river) that received lots of human sacrifices and the ball courts where the sacrificial victims were identified were well preserved. I can't say I'm very moved by the Mayans actually. I like seeing the ruins amongst the vegetation and pretty sky but the religion itself with all the gods is hard to swallow and seems well, very outdated given what science has proven.

As I was meandering along the paths, I spotted the Diabetes Prevention Program logo (a research study that I was involved with while working at MGH) on a little purse that this woman was wearing (|I'd looked high and low for one of these little purses before we left but could never find one!). I chatted with her for a moment and found out she was from the Chicago site and still very much involved in the study- so, we aren't so far away as it seems. Charlie, why couldn't we have gotten those little purses!!!!!

As part of your admission, you got to come back to the ruins after dark for a light show where they light up the temple and nearby ruins in all sorts of colors and then do a presentation on Chichen-Itza. The neatest part was being outside there at night and seeing the shadows of the buildings being lit up from the stars. There was a brilliant shooting star that passed overhead and the whole crowd sighed as it lit up the sky.

Indeed, we slept like rocks in our comfy room and the next morning we got our swimsuits on and visited a cenote that was right across the road from the hotel. It was early enough that there was only one other person there so we had the place to ourselves. The landscaping above the pool was so pretty and green and then there was an elaborate stairway leading down to the pool with several spots to stop on the way down to look at the water. The pictures do no justice to how pretty it was. The water wasn't cold like we'd thought it would be, there were fish swimming and roots that hung down from the ceiling to the water, along with waterfalls. It was really neat.

Next, we walked a couple of kilometers to a cave system- another park. The caves weren't quite as elaborate as the ones we saw in Tucson, but they were still really good and the artifacts that had been excavated from the Mayans were very interesting and lent to the feel of the caves. The Mayans used these caves to do yet more ceremonial offerings to the gods and the remnants of these offerings were found in the caves when they excavated them. We were the only 2 people on the tour so once again, we had the place to ourselves. It was very humid and stuffy in there and when the guide told me we were 100 feet underground and almost half done with the tour, I got a little anxious and started to sweat. I would never be a good spelunker or whatever the term is for cave explorers.

After the caves, the party was over and it was time to start the bus ride home. The only hi-light of this part of the trip was stopping in a town between buses and getting a great plate of enchiladas. Since we were feeling cheap, we took the 2nd class bus to Cancun so the trip was even longer what with all the stops. Also, the poverty along the way was unsettling.

Being in Mexico creates a mixture of feelings. We so much want to explore the beautiful spots but being in a third world country means it isn't all beautiful. As a tourist coming in for a couple of weeks, you're sheltered from the real Mexico for better or worse. Seeing the area between tourist attractions brings the benefits of being a US citizen to the forefront of your mind, again and again. When we got back to our beautiful boat, we were so glad for what we have.

We really enjoyed traveling inland and felt so carefree not having to worry about the boat, weather or anything else. We only had to keep track of our backpack. Supposedly Belize has some good inland excursions as well. We'll see.