Well - at last we not only have internet access but have managed to change our password as I had forgotten the old one! Very frustrating especially as it was all in Spanish which I don't read too well.
We have had a great time so far visiting Mount Alban in Oaxaca where there are ruins from the Zapotec civilisdation 200BC to 700AD before travelling to the Chiapas region where we stayed in San Cristobel. We had a wonderful boat trip down the Sumidero Canyon seeing alligators, vultures, herons and 1,000 metre cliffs plunging down to 800m deep waters...very memorable. I then had a day in the hotel with the runs and feeling somewhat wiped out while Iain went to visit some Mayan villages where they were dancing and playing music for a fiesta. The church was agood example of the integration of old and new religions with statues of the saints etc but no altar or pews and people sitting around on the pine needle strewn floor with candles everywhere (health and safety would have a ball!). Unfortunately he was not allowed to take photographs so I had to make do with some postcards! The next day we visited Palenque, one of the highlights of the tour with vast pyramids rising up out of the jungle..I managed to climb to the top and was rewarded with spectacular views as we listened to the howler monkeys making their music all around. After a night in Palenque at a good hotel we then visited Uxmal on the way to Merida - another interesting Mayan site. I thought I was getting fitter climbing up to the top with no problem until Rick, our guide, pointed out that we were now at sea level which was probably why I was finding it easier! Today 6 of us took a half day trip to visit some sink holes which doesn't sound too exciting but included a ride on a horse drawn truck along 7Km of single track rail formerly used to take the sisal from the plantations. The sink holes are natural water cisterns underground accessed by precarious wooden ladders where one can swim in clear blue warm waters under stalactites and hanging tree roots with daylight filtering through places where the roof has fallen in - amazing. These underground waters (literally thousands of sink holes) provide the whole of the Yucatan peninsula with its water as there are no rivers in the area at all. We visited three very different sites and had some great swimming. When we got back to Merida we had time to see a Dali exhibition where there were 56 paintings by Dali used to illustrate Dante's Divine Comedy...a special treat! I also sampled the Sacrificio Maya - a flaming combination of local schnapps and tequila - very good if you blow the flames out first! Anyway I'm stopping now as it's 10.30pm and time for bed as we have a long day tomorrow visiting Chichen Itza before driving to Cacun. Oh, by the way, we have heard that we won't be able to get to Machu Pichu because of the floods in the area - a great shame but it can't be helped.....love to everyone...Ann and Iain