"Alan S" wrote in message
news:6vblc3hqdsee66sakdaqiq3cb2h6aebtvr@4ax.com...
> Hi All
>
> I'm a 60yo male travelling alone. I will be flying into Can
> Cun next April and flying out of Mexico City nine days
> later. My main interests, apart from simply enjoying Mexico
> and it's people, will be to see the ancient Mayan and Aztec
> sites.
>
> I seem to have three choices.
>
> 1. Spend a few days based in Valladolid or nearby and do day
> trips to Chichen Itza and similar places, then fly to Mexico
> City for a couple of days at Teotihuacan and similar; or
>
> 2. Wander independently using local buses without
> pre-booking from Can Cun to Mexico city, seeing places like
> Chichen Itza, Uxmal, Kabah, Palanque and similar on the way.
>
> 3. A mix of those two, spending three days each at
> Valladolid, Palanque and Mexico City and using luxury buses
> between them.
>
> I've never been to Mexico before but those who have are
> warning me against option 2 for security reasons.
>
> I'd appreciate any comments or advice, particularly on the
> difficulty of finding local bus timetables, routes and
> departure points and on security for a non-Spanish speaking
> single traveler.
I can't help you with the buses because I've always traveled by personal
vehicle in that region. The standard advice is to travel during the day.
With your limited time frame I'm not sure I'd be able to stick to that
advice.
Option 2 is really your best bet, that way you can pick up and move on
when you've seen what you want to see. Because of the distances involved I'd
suggest seeing Chichen Itza from nearby Piste. Then Valladolid the city and
the nearby ruins of Ek Balam. Palenque is a favorite of mine. It's a
beautiful site and the museum there is very nice. They have an extensive
collection of big ceremonial incense burners. Personally I like Chiapas, but
it does require a bit of extra care. At Teotihuacan don't limit yourself to
the stuff inside the ring road. There's an "apartment" complex outside the
ring road that has some spectacular murals. Just flag a taxi anywhere on the
ring road and tell them where you want to go. If nothing else, if you have a
map you can point to it. Always ask the price first before they take you
where you want to go. A pen and paper is handy for prices if you don't
understand any Spanish or have trouble understanding spoken Spanish. It
takes awhile to develop an "ear".
You have enough time that you could pick up some "survival Spanish".
Even just a smattering will help. Numbers are particularly important.
TB
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