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Neal's Photo Gallery

1. East Face... ... 11. Memorial... 12. Snow Creek 13. South Lake ... 14. The Yucatan 15. Music and... 16. Joshua Tree... 17. Bear Creek ... ... 43. Mt. Whitney
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Neal's Photo Gallery
The Yucatan
Date: 01/06/2009
Size: 61 items
Views: 168
Our Room at the Flamingo Cancun Resort
Item Actions Our Room at the Flamingo Cancun Resort
Date: 12/31/2008
Views: 3
We stayed here because all of the beachfront cabanas we originally thought we would stay in were booked. The Zona Hotelera of Cancun is not our kind of place and we spent most of our time trying to escape it! 12/31/2008
View From Our Room
Item Actions View From Our Room
Date: 12/31/2008
Views: 2
Despite being stuck in resort-land we had a great ocean view from our room and could be swimming in the pleasant ocean with just a few steps out our back door. 12/31/2008
On The Beach
Item Actions On The Beach
Date: 12/31/2008
Views: 1
On the first day we explored the Cancun area and figured out the basics- how to get money, how to ride the bus, and how to get coffee (starbucks!) 12/31/2008
At Starbucks
Item Actions At Starbucks
Date: 12/31/2008
Views: 1
McDonalds, Burger King, and KFC had a strong showing, but without a doubt Starbucks was the winner when it came to prevalence of an American chain in Cancun. There were 3 of them close to our hotel. They did provide free WiFi internet access which made them our spot of choice for breakfast. 12/31/2008
Swimming in the Ocean
Item Actions Swimming in the Ocean
Date: 12/31/2008
Views: 2
The waves were terrible for any kind of surfing, but the water was nice and refreshing. 12/31/2008
Out of the Water
Item Actions Out of the Water
Date: 12/31/2008
Views: 1
I eventually gave up on body surfing and got a little time relaxing in the sun. 12/31/2008
Terri getting some sun
Item Actions Terri getting some sun
Date: 12/31/2008
Views: 3
We didn't spend much time lying around, but we did manage to get a few hours in. Terri hates it when I take pictures of her in a bikini, so don't tell her you saw this. 12/31/2008
New Years Eve
Item Actions New Years Eve
Date: 12/31/2008
Views: 3
We headed into downtown Cancun for dinner where we had Aztec style fish and garlic butter shrimp- delicious! We then headed back to the resort and celebrated the New Year with a bottle of champagne on a secluded beach. 12/31/2008
Breakfast in Playa Del Carmen
Item Actions Breakfast in Playa Del Carmen
Date: 01/01/2009
Views: 2
We started New Years Day by enjoying Mexican style egg dishes in the town of Playa Del Carmen. This town, about 45 min. south of Cancun would be our choice of where to stay if we ever come back: centrally located with a cute downtown and nice beaches. 01/01/2009
Playa Del Carmen
Item Actions Playa Del Carmen
Date: 01/01/2009
Views: 2
This is the little downtown area in Playa Del Carmen. 01/01/2009
The Playa in Playa Del Carmen
Item Actions The Playa in Playa Del Carmen
Date: 01/01/2009
Views: 1
Though crowded with resorts, the beach is quite nice here. 01/01/2009
Tame Pelicans
Item Actions Tame Pelicans
Date: 01/01/2009
Views: 1
Some rather tame pelicans let us walk right up to them and take their photos. 01/01/2009
Coba Mayan Ruins
Item Actions Coba Mayan Ruins
Date: 01/01/2009
Views: 1
From Playa Del Carmen we drove inland to the Coba Mayan Ruins. Little is known about the history of the Coba area or the uses of the various structures here. 01/01/2009
Neal on one of the Mayan Temple Ruins
Item Actions Neal on one of the Mayan Temple Ruins
Date: 01/01/2009
Views: 2
This is the first pyramid ruin you come to on the trail, in the 'Coba Group' of ruins. 01/01/2009
Terri exploring the ruins
Item Actions Terri exploring the ruins
Date: 01/01/2009
Views: 1
. 01/01/2009
An ancient ball court
Item Actions An ancient ball court
Date: 01/01/2009
Views: 1
Players competed to get a ball through the hoop! An identical wall and hoop to the right of this photo completed the playing area. 01/01/2009
Skull on the ball court
Item Actions Skull on the ball court
Date: 01/01/2009
Views: 2
It is believed that ball players were frequently sacrificed as symbolized by this stone skull at the center of the ball court- it is not known how players were selected for sacrifice- losers? winners? 01/01/2009
Nohoc Mul (Pyramid Structure I) at Coba
Item Actions Nohoc Mul (Pyramid Structure I) at Coba
Date: 01/01/2009
This is one of the tallest of the Mayan temples and one of the last that visitors are still allowed to climb on. 01/01/2009
Neal on top of Nohoch Mul
Item Actions Neal on top of Nohoch Mul
Date: 01/01/2009
Views: 1
From the top you could see dense forest stretching for miles in every direction. 01/01/2009
Terri in the structure on top of the temple mound
Item Actions Terri in the structure on top of the temple mound
Date: 01/01/2009
. 01/01/2009
The alter stone
Item Actions The alter stone
Date: 01/01/2009
Views: 1
On top of the temple is this stone, presumably used as an altar for various religious rites, probably including human sacrifice. 01/01/2009
Terri at the top of the steps
Item Actions Terri at the top of the steps
Date: 01/01/2009
Views: 3
. 01/01/2009
Neal on the steps
Item Actions Neal on the steps
Date: 01/01/2009
Views: 1
. 01/01/2009
Crocodile at the Laguna Coba
Item Actions Crocodile at the Laguna Coba
Date: 01/01/2009
That black spot in the water is actually the head of a large crocodile! 01/01/2009
Iguana in Cancun
Item Actions Iguana in Cancun
Date: 01/02/2009
Views: 1
This little guy was munching on the bushes right by the bus stop. We saw quite a few of these around. 01/02/2009
Scuba Diving Trip
Item Actions Scuba Diving Trip
Date: 01/02/2009
Views: 1
Neal did a boat dive in the coral reef national park off of Punta Cancun. 01/02/2009
Scuba Gear
Item Actions Scuba Gear
Date: 01/02/2009
The reef was severely damaged by hurricanes in 2004 and while wildlife is slowly returning it could take decades for the corals to grow back to their previous splendor. 01/02/2009
Chichen Itza
Item Actions Chichen Itza
Date: 01/03/2009
Views: 1
. 01/03/2009
Model of Chichen Itza at its prime
Item Actions Model of Chichen Itza at its prime
Date: 01/03/2009
Views: 2
This model showed what it probably looked like when the Mayans lived here. 01/03/2009
Description of Chichen Itza
Item Actions Description of Chichen Itza
Date: 01/03/2009
Views: 2
. 01/03/2009
The Temple of Kukulkan
Item Actions The Temple of Kukulkan
Date: 01/03/2009
Views: 1
This thing is awe inspiring- it dominates the landscape. Considering there are no hills or mountains anywhere around, this temple is probably the tallest thing many Mayans ever saw! 01/03/2009
Terri and the Temple of Kukulkan
Item Actions Terri and the Temple of Kukulkan
Date: 01/03/2009
Views: 1
Kukulkan is a Mayan god that is a plumed serpent. Plumed serpent heads are a common theme in the architecture. 01/03/2009
Looking up the stairs
Item Actions Looking up the stairs
Date: 01/03/2009
Views: 1
. 01/03/2009
The north side with serpent heads at the base
Item Actions The north side with serpent heads at the base
Date: 01/03/2009
Views: 1
. 01/03/2009
Close-up of serpent head
Item Actions Close-up of serpent head
Date: 01/03/2009
On the vernal and automnal equinoxes, the rising sun hits the temple just right so that the corners of the tiered structure cast a shadow on the west side of the north staircase as to make it look like the serpent is slithering out of the temple. 01/03/2009
Jaguar and Eagle eating Human Hearts
Item Actions Jaguar and Eagle eating Human Hearts
Date: 01/03/2009
Around the main temple are several decorated platforms used for different religious purposes. This one has carvings of eagles and jaguars feasting on human hearts. 01/03/2009
Tzompantli: Platform of the Skulls
Item Actions Tzompantli: Platform of the Skulls
Date: 01/03/2009
Views: 1
Neal compares his skull with those of the Mayans! 01/03/2009
More skull carvings on the Tzompantli
Item Actions More skull carvings on the Tzompantli
Date: 01/03/2009
. 01/03/2009
Description of the Great Ball Court
Item Actions Description of the Great Ball Court
Date: 01/03/2009
Views: 2
This court was much larger than the ones at Coba and the hoops were high on vertical walls instead of sloped walls. 01/03/2009
Grand Ball Court
Item Actions Grand Ball Court
Date: 01/03/2009
Views: 2
Ball playing was apparently an important part of Mayan life- building these courts must have taken a lot of effort! 01/03/2009
Chac-mool Figure
Item Actions Chac-mool Figure
Date: 01/03/2009
These figures appear throughout Mayan and Toltec civilization but so far archaeologists have not figured out what they represent. 01/03/2009
The Sacred Well of Itza
Item Actions The Sacred Well of Itza
Date: 01/03/2009
This is the Cenote Sagrado (sacred well) that Chichen Itza gets its name from. One form of sacrifice involved tossing people in here to their death. 01/03/2009
Temple of the Warriors
Item Actions Temple of the Warriors
Date: 01/03/2009
Views: 1
This temple and the columns surrounding it originally supported a roof structure made of perishable materials. 01/03/2009
More columns
Item Actions More columns
Date: 01/03/2009
Views: 2
The covered plaza extended around a large pleasant courtyard. 01/03/2009
And More Columns
Item Actions And More Columns
Date: 01/03/2009
Hi Terri! 01/03/2009
The Ossuary
Item Actions The Ossuary
Date: 01/03/2009
The Ossuary, or "bone house" with serpent heads extending from the stairways. 01/03/2009
Faces outside the Ossuary
Item Actions Faces outside the Ossuary
Date: 01/03/2009
. 01/03/2009
The Observatory
Item Actions The Observatory
Date: 01/03/2009
Views: 1
The windows on this structure were oriented such that certain starts would line up at certain times of year. 01/03/2009
OXXO
Item Actions OXXO
Date: 01/03/2009
Views: 1
There are several ways to pronounce the letter X in spanish- exactamento, Mexico, and Xcalak all use X to denote very different sounds (ks, h, and sh). So then we have OXXO, the 7-eleven of Mexico. Well, actually they also have 7-eleven there, but it's less common, so in Mexico 7-eleven is more like circle-K, and OXXO is like 7-eleven. We frequented OXXO to get things like bottled water- our first line of defense against Montezuma's Revenge. Anyways we called it the 'oh-ex-ex-oh' store because we didn't know how to pronounce the name. I thought it was 'Oho'. Turns out it is not so tricky: it is simply "ox-oh". 01/03/2009
Terri and guide at Punta Laguna
Item Actions Terri and guide at Punta Laguna
Date: 01/03/2009
Views: 1
After Chichen Itza we went to the Punta Laguna nature reserve to try to find some spider monkeys. We hired a guide (~$25) to help us find them. 01/03/2009
Spider Monkey
Item Actions Spider Monkey
Date: 01/03/2009
Views: 2
After searching for some time we thought we might not find any- the guide was very good at making a monkey call but they were not answering. But finally we came across a group of males. 01/03/2009
Spider Monkey hanging from tail
Item Actions Spider Monkey hanging from tail
Date: 01/03/2009
Views: 2
Their tails are so strong and agile they are basically a fifth arm! 01/03/2009
More Monkeys!
Item Actions More Monkeys!
Date: 01/03/2009
Views: 1
. 01/03/2009
And more monkeys!
Item Actions And more monkeys!
Date: 01/03/2009
. 01/03/2009
Baby Monkey!
Item Actions Baby Monkey!
Date: 01/03/2009
Views: 1
Later we found a group of mother and baby monkeys making their way down to the lagoon! 01/03/2009
Huge Moth!
Item Actions Huge Moth!
Date: 01/03/2009
Views: 1
. 01/03/2009
Punta Laguna and stray dog
Item Actions Punta Laguna and stray dog
Date: 01/03/2009
Views: 1
Stray dogs are everywhere in Mexico, and this was no exception. 01/03/2009
Cotton Plant
Item Actions Cotton Plant
Date: 01/03/2009
Views: 3
On the way back to the car I noticed some cotton plants growing near the parking lot! I'd never seen a cotton plant before and was very excited to pick the cotton out of the pods. Amazing! 01/03/2009
Giant Mexican Flag
Item Actions Giant Mexican Flag
Date: 01/04/2009
Views: 1
Back in Cancun we then went on a snorkeling trip back to the reef off of Punta Cancun. 01/04/2009
Neal on the boat.
Item Actions Neal on the boat.
Date: 01/04/2009
The snorkelling actually turned out to be way better than diving because we went to the shallower part of the reef where there was more life. We saw Barracudas, tons of fish, an eel, and many different types of corals. 01/04/2009
The last day!
Item Actions The last day!
Date: 01/05/2009
Views: 2
With an hour to kill before heading to the airport we stopped by the public beach for a last look. 01/05/2009