🇲🇽 Chichen Itza: A Journey Through Mayan Marvels 🏛️✨

We traveled to the site from Playa del Carmen via ADO bus and arrived around noon. Since it was Saturday, we had to purchase tickets—but note that Mexican residents with FM3 visas or IDs get in free on Sundays! 🎫🆓 Adults need to buy tickets at the entrance: 1️⃣ Admission Fees: 285 MXN (discounts to 190 MXN with FM3 or Mexican ID 🪪) Children under 6 and seniors over 60 can redeem free tickets at the tent ⛺ on the right side of the entrance with valid Mexican ID or FM3. The park is massive—grab a map at the entrance! 🗺️ Key highlights: Straight ahead: Ball Court, El Castillo (Pyramid of Kukulcán), and Temple of the Warriors 🏟️🗿 Left of the pyramid: Sacred Cenote (natural sinkhole) 💧 Right of the pyramid: El Caracol (Observatory) 🔭 Plan 4+ hours to explore everything. It’s brutally sunny ☀️, so wear a hat, sunscreen, and sturdy shoes—the grounds are all gravel 👟. Bring snacks and water; vendors inside charge exorbitant prices (e.g., 65 MXN for a homemade popsicle 🍦💸). Conservation Note: 😬 Mexico’s protection of these ruins is… lackluster. Vendors sit directly on ancient stones, and most structures are “wild”—you can get up close 👀 (but resist touching!). Chichen Itza’s scale and mystery 🌀 are awe-inspiring. The ball court is baffling—how did they play with such tiny goals? 🏀⚽ The 1.5km walk from the pyramid to the cenote (3km round trip) is exhausting but worth it; imagine hauling water here daily! 💦 Our kid loved the hands-on history lesson. A must-visit for Mayan culture fans! 🌍✨ #MayanCulture #Mexico #WorldHeritage 🏛️🌴