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Back to the Yucatan jungle adventure day.
Located just 25 miles West of Tulum is Cobá and is a departure from
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well restored Chichen Itza. If you want an Indiana Jones type
site, Cobá is the place.
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Remarkable is that access to the site is relatively recent - first road and
restoration start was early 1970s and
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the main paved road and tourist entry was not until the early 1980s.
However, the early Mayans (600 AD) had
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over 40 roads built to access Cobá - built 3' to 6' high with 30' width and
finished in white mortar. Some of the
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walk today included the ancient road (called sacbeob). One sacbeob was
a very straight 60 mile long road
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through the jungle to the sea.
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Nohoch Mul Pyramid is the largest and highest (136') structure.
Climbing is allowed and the vista of the vast
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jungle is mesmerizing. The smaller Cobá Group Pyramid (65') can be
seen in the distance. A small temple
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crowns the top of the pyramid. Climbing down does take a more careful
approach and a little longer.
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Other structures excavated include (2) ball courts. Whether the court
was sport or settling disputes, it is
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unknown. It has been mentioned that no hands or feet could be used to
shoot a ball through the goal hoop
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and potentially one goal would complete the game. Possibly the loser
would be the next sacrifice and any
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fans would lose their jewelry and clothes. Makes modern day soccer
fans look mild in comparison.
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Color would have been prominent on all the buildings since they originally
were covered in stucco and painted
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red with other colored trim. Vast jungle surround the area with silk
Cotton trees, banyan trees, butterflies,
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a fare share of flying insects.
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Exploring the area is easy - either by hiking, renting a bike on site, or
tri-cycle with driver. One can only imagine
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how an German explorer felt when he first documented discovery in
1891. He would be glad to know that many
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of his homeland are still visiting and using native guides trained in German
language - interesting sight since the
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voice just doesn't match the person.
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Back to the villa and cooling swim.
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