Tulum

Tulum, an ancient Mayan ruin on the sea in Mexico holds many mysteries, yet the writing they left behind is now about 8o% deciphered. Pictured is Lisa Mendoza and she has a pendant with her name written in Mayan letters, a great souvenir of a very advanced culture.

Tulum on the Sea

Lisa and I visited the ancient walled city of Tulum, a place she really wanted to see.  We tried to understand the carvings on the stone temple: birth of a baby and then what  looked like a descending god arriving head down. There was a red hand print. Ancient graffiti. 

The Mayans left their writing--beautiful glyphs.  We noticed a guide was wearing a pendant inscribed with Mayan glyphs.  I asked him about it.  He told me it was his name Jose and that the Mayan writing system has been about 80% deciphered by scholars.

      "Are you sure it doesn't say George?" I asked.  This made him laugh.
Lisa also has a pendant with her name written in Mayan glyphs and she treasures it.

A Journey to Mexico

Lisa and I made a beautiful journey to the Mexican Riviera where the Caribbean is incredible shades of turquoise and deep blue.  We visited Tulum the ancient walled Mayan city overlooking the sea and we swam in a cenote with stalactites and underwater stalagmites in many mysterious shapes.  We learned of the beautiful Mot Mot bird that led people to fresh water with its distinctive voice.  We visited a white sand beach and watched a young pelican fishing. He was not good at it yet.

The last day we took a snorkel tour where Lisa was thrilled to see an eagle ray for the first time. She looked at it and then it turned and looked at her.  When she was a child she peered into her fish tank.  Now that she is grown, she swam in a coral reef teeming with colorful fish and fan corals waving in the currents, huge brain corals and with barracuda smiling at her.

The days in Mexico were warm and sweet as honey.  We returned to a snow storm and Michigan weather.  Sigh.