vagabum.com

Today I bummed a ride for the 1 1/2 hour journey to the Mayan ruins of Uxmal. Uxmal was a major Mayan state that was inhabited between 500 and 1200 CE (for anyone wondering what the f*#k CE is, it refers to the Common Era, which is the politically correct and non-secular version of AD). The current structures at Uxmal were all buit between 700 and 1100 CE. Uxmal was a major power center in the Norhtern Mayan world until around 1200 CE and was aligned very successfully for a time with Chichen Itza, which lies in the Eastern part of Yucatan and is about 2 1/2 hours away by modern buses.

We got to Uxmal around 8:30AM (after a fitless night of sleep with a room that stayed at 89 degrees F) and it was probably already 85 degrees F. by then and extremely humid. We were lucky to have gotten there an hour or so before the tour buses that we expected, so we rushed our separate ways in search of our own majic photos.

Greetings Vagabum Viewers (that sounds so sordid),

The word of the day is, “preemptive”. Can you say, “preemptive”, children?

preemptive

adj : designed or having the power to deter or prevent an anticipated situation or occurrence; “a preemptive business offer”.

Source: WordNet ® 2.0, © 2003 Princeton University [via dictionary.com]

So, I accepted a new job in Agoura Hills (over the hills North of Malibu, CA) on Tuesday, July 25, 2006 and then I promptly deferred my start until Aug 21 and set out on Thursday for a new 3 week trip and vacation to Yucatan, Guatemala and Belize. As I was unable to negotiate for vacation time (I will have to revert to 2 weeks of vacation per year) I figured I would take a preemptive jaunt to delay any near future travel withdrawels that may result (ok, I am actually planning for a trip to Africa circa Spring/Summer 2008, but that is not the point, here). Besides, I clearly needed a vacation from my job searches and interviews of the past 6 months…

My planned itinerary for this trip is listed below and I will update that as I go, so feel free to check back here often for updates, new travel logs and photos, or to browse the logs from previous trips. I am currently writing from Cancun, but heading out in a few hours towards the Western part of Yucatan to Merida for more Mayan pyramids and ruins (Uxmal and Mayapan).

So, come along for the new jouney and if you wish to view the other travel log posts from any of the previous Vagabum trips from the past 6 1/2 years, select a trip from the side panel, or from the header drop-down menu.

Hasta lluego, caiman (see you later, alligator),

- Vagabum Mike (aka “Indiana” Lopez)
July 28, 2006

Final Trip Itinerary

July 28, 2006 – Depart San Diego International (SAN)
July 28, 2006 – Arrive Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico (CUN)
July 29, 2006 – Travel by bus to Merida, Yacatan, Mexico
July 30, 2006 – Visit the Mayan ruins of Uxmal
July 31, 2006 – Bus to Spanish Colonial Campeche, Campeche, Mexico
Aug 01, 2006 – Bus to Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico
Aug 02, 2006 – Visit the ruins of Palenque
Aug 03, 2006 – Visit the Mayan ruins of Yaxchilan (Guat. border)
Aug 04, 2006 – Boat/Bus to Flores, Guatemala
Aug 05, 2006 – Revisit the ruins of Tikal, Guatemala
Aug 06, 2006 – Bus + Mini bus to San Ignacio, Belize
Aug 07, 2006 – Bus to Belize City, Belize
Aug 08, 2006 – Caye Caulker, Belize (epic SCUBA diving + beaches)
Aug 10, 2006 – Boat / Bus to Playa Del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico
Aug 13, 2006 – Return to Campeche, Campeche, Mexico
Aug 15, 2006 – Visit the Mayan ruins of Calakmul, Campeche, Mexico
Aug 16, 2006 – Visit the Mayan ruins of Edzna’, Campeche, Mexico
Aug 16, 2006 – Bus to Cancun
Aug 17, 2006 – Boat to Isla de Mujeres, QR, Mexico
Aug 19, 2006 – Return San Diego International (SAN)
Aug 20, 2006 – Move to Canoga Park, CA
Aug 21, 2006 – Start new job
April 01, 2008 – Awaken Vagabum persona for next trip (see my Travel Route Voting Poll for potential trip destinations).

About the Site

If you have found this post you know that Vagabum.com is my new travel website, where I have posted all my travel logs (aka web-logs or blogs) for my various major trips over the past 6 years. You may have noticed that some sections of the site (i.e. History and Gallery) are still being worked on, so please excuse the construction and note that I hope to be able to get the Gallery section up and running during this trip. While browsing vagabum.com, please feel free to rate any post (using the simple Netflix style rating system of 1-5 stars), to vote in any of the survey polls, or to comment on any or all posts. If you register you can save typing in name and email for comments (I promise to keep all personal information private and away from any 3rd party lists). Please have fun with the comments, but keep them somewhat respectful.