I do it now » ruins

WWOOFing is Fun

idiotwon — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:25:43 +0000

Woofing 2 and a half weeks in the state of Chiapas in Mexico was a great experience. For those who don’t know what WWOOF is about:
WWOOF is a world wide network – It started in the UK in 1971 and has since become an international movement that is helping people share more sustainable ways of living.
WWOOF is an exchange – In return for volunteer help, WWOOF hosts offer food, accommodation and opportunities to learn about organic lifestyles.
WWOOF organisations link people who want to volunteer on organic farms or smallholdings with people who are looking for volunteer help.

My task was to walk around the forrest with a GPS device and make a map of the ranch. Some days I took care of the sheep and guarded the place. I also taught lady of the ranch to use some graphic design programs and helped the señor of the ranch to find some new caves from the Maya ruins that surrounded the ranch.

Shortly put the WWOOFing experience was one of the best experiences in Mexico. It sure beats a stick in the eye. Oh, I also got new friends of my hosts!

Here is one of the videos when I got lost and found some interesting stuff from the forrest.

To tell you the truth the whole forrest was full of old Maya ruins and caves and all kinds of structures that we figured would got something to do with observing starts. It’s a paradise for an archeologists.

More WWOOFing videos in the near future.

Tulum Beach Life

idiotwon — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 13:29:03 +0000

The beaches of Tulum are quite stunning. Soft sand everywhere and clear ocean for snorkeling. You can rent a cabañas from the beach or stay at the hostels that are located about 2 kilometeres from the beach. Maybe 500 meteres from this place were the Mayan ruins of Tulum. Beautiful ruins right by the ocean. Finding a cheap place to stay wasn’t that easy so I ended up sleeping in a tent. Sand and my sleeping bag as a mattress and my hoodie as a pillow.

On the beach I talked to this guy who works as a ^^^^^^ and as a (side)business he sells drugs to people on the beach. Just earlier that day the police took him into custody and made an ultimatum: He either has to pay them 100 euros a month or stop dealing. He didn’t seem to be even thinking about finding a new second job.

Chichen Itza – one of the new seven wonders of the world. Quite cool place.

idiotwon — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 23:15:00 +0000

Some years back someone organized a vote so that we could have 7 new wonders of the world. Well Chichen Itza was one of the lucky winners. The price: More tourism.
These ruins are impressive and the area where all the ruins are located is huge. A lot to see and a lot of tourism and people selling you stuff. I stayed the night over at the close by village called Piste so that I could beat all the tourists by arriving there early in the morning. Wise decision since the day was really hot and by the time I left the place around midday the place was starting get filled with people.

More about the ruins of Chichen Itza from Wikipedia.

Uxmal – Maya ruins in Yucatan peninsula

idiotwon — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:22:26 +0000

These are probably my favourite ruins in the state of Yucatan. There aren’t that many tourists and it’s a really impressive place. I recommend taking some stuff to keep mosquitos away during the rainy season and lots of water. It’s a sweaty place in summer.
Read more about Uxmal from Wikipedia.