On Sunday morning, Tim and Marisa met us at our apartment, packed and ready to hit the road. After we loaded our bike, the four of us said good-bye to Playa del Carmen and headed towards the Belizean border. The plan was to visit the Mayan ruins at Chacchoben on our way, stop in Chetumal for the night, and then cross the border into Belize on Monday morning.
Roadside break on the way to Chetumal
We realize that we have visited quite a few ruin sites already and run the risk of becoming desensitized to these magnificent structures and the history that goes along with it; however, Chacchoben was a particularly special one for us. For all the Gummies out there, the cover of PeerGum’s album MMXII (2012) features the main temple pyramid at Chacchoben so we knew we had to see it before leaving Mexico. Also, for those who are unaware, PeerGum happens to be our favorite biker and the musician behind our YouTube videos 🙂
The ruins are around a 2.5-hour ride from Playa del Carmen and located close to a village from which it derives its name. The Mayan settlement at the site is estimated to date back to around 200 BC and the structures are said to date from 700 AD. The ruins were discovered and reported to the Mexican government in 1972 by American archaeologist, Dr. Peter Harrison. He stumbled upon this discovery while flying a helicopter over Mexico and he noticed numerous hills in flat lands. These hills turned out to have temples beneath them that were covered naturally over the span of 2,000 years.
The entry fee to visit the Chacchoben ruins was 60 MXN (~4 CAD) per person and it turned out to be an enjoyable way to spend the afternoon. The ruins are in surprisingly good shape in comparison to the prior ones we have visited. This is highly likely due to the fact that it doesn’t see the heavy visitor traffic that the other more popular sites see. It has also only been open to the public since 2002.
We continued along our way to Chetumal after visiting the ruins and arrived at our destination while it was still light outside. After showers and much-needed siestas, the four of us went to get some dinner at a local restaurant where Tim surprised me with a little chocolate cake as it was my birthday the following day (though it was already the 8th in Fiji where I was born). Anyone who knows me knows my love for all things chocolate rivals that of an Oompa Loompa’s so I was in heaven. Thank you, Tim!
Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, chocolate drizzle, and whipped cream… all for me 🙂
