Let’s talk about adventure!
One of my favorite parts of traveling is going on adventurous excursions. I must first take the time to thank Westin Aventuras at the Westin Resort and Spa for booking my excursion on site. One of the reasons I love 4 and 5 star resorts as a solo traveler. They have many services, restaurants and bars available without leaving the comfort and safety of the property.
When I arrived at the hotel I was greeted by the concierge desk. They alerted me that they had a beach bag waiting for me and would like to take me on a property tour.
I was able to film some of the experience. My wonderful concierge assistant was Diana. I let her know that I wanted to see Chichen Itza.
Chichén Itzá is one of the seven wonders of the world built by the ancient Mayans. “The Mayan ruins of Chichén Itzá evidence a dazzling ancient city that once centered the Maya empire in Central America. The stepped pyramids, temples, columned arcades, and other stone structures of Chichén Itzá were sacred to the Maya and a sophisticated urban center of their empire from A.D. 750 to 1200.” (National Geographic)
The Westin|Adventura had several tour packages available. I picked a full day tour that included a charter bus down to the Yucatan with a guided tour of the Mayan Ruins. This package also included a buffet lunch and entertainment, as well as trip to swim in a beautiful cenote.
The tour departed at 7am sharp from my hotel. I was the first person the be picked up in a very comfortable charter bus that had WIFI. The allotted bandwidth of use did not last long, but it was nice to have when available. My regular cell service sufficed most of the journey.
Our tour guide delivered a rich history of Mayan Culture and explained Mayan Math
This tour happened on December 21 which is the winter solstice and a very important day on the Mayan calendar. We were told that human sacrifices would have been made on this day. It felt so surreal coming to this iconic spot after the great conjunction. (You know, the day Black people got their super powers) but It honestly felt like something magical happened on this trip! My super-power is that my vision for the Love and Light Movement became clearer and I built my resolve to do all things in love, even if I have to go that road alone.
I made it a point to say hello to everybody Black and met some dope solo small group travelers and from around the world. Picture hack, hand your phone to strangers!! Offer to take a picture for a solo traveler in return for a dope photo of yourself. Have the picture and angle you want in mind That it… that’s the hack.
- Cost
- The cost of the tour package was $110 US
- Safety
- The staff wore masks at all times, and all tour participants were asked to wear a mask as well while on the bus
- Upon entry each guest was given a squirt of sanitizer and asked to cleanse their hands. I really liked this approach because you know each person has done their due diligence upon entry
- The buffet had an attendant who was masked and gloved. Each guest made selections from a glass partition and the food was handed to you around the glass
- Food
- I’m sure most of it was delicious, however traveling as a vegan in Mexico was no bueno. There were few vegan options in the buffet. I took a calculated risks to avoided meat and I almost certain I lost weight. I attribute my flat stomach to starvation.
- Tour duration
- In total the tour took approximately 12 hours
- 2.5 hour drive to Yucatan
- This included a pit stop to use the restroom and purchase souvenirs
- Approximate 3 hours in Mayan Ruins
- Approximately 1 hour for lunch
- Approximately 2 hours for the swim
- 2.5 hour return
- 2.5 hour drive to Yucatan
- In total the tour took approximately 12 hours
- I would definitely recommend taking a tour to Chichen-Itza if you are in Cancun. We were asked to stay masked at all times on the bus and the tour groups were kept to a maximum of 6 people. Tour participants were asked to sanitize their hands upon entry of the tour bus and were provided with several opportunities to wash and sanitize repeatedly during the duration of the tour.
- I completed the 10 day self-quarantine returning from Mexico and I have tested and confirmed via PCR test that I did not contract COVID-19 while in Mexico.
- I can now say with full confidence I felt like the sanitization practices in place for this tour were far superior to those in my day-to-day experiences in the US.