Chichén Itzá/Cancún

Today I did two very different things: Went to Chichén Itzá and then to Cancún. The former are some Mayan ruins. The latter is, well, you all know what Cancún is, and what it is like. Great vacation destination but hardly epicenter of the backpacker scene. Actually Chichén Itzá was a little bit like Cancún. The entry fee is $10 dollars instead of the typical $5, even though it's not too big and you can't enter any of the ruins, which is exactly the opposite at every other site. Also, hordes of tourists are bussed in every day from Cancún. They even have a nightly "sound and light" show. So yeah, pretty touristy, but cool nonetheless. I was most impressed with the Kukulcán pyramid (shown in my pictures), which is actually the Mayan calendar in building form. The neat thing about it is that if you stand anywhere in the vicinity and clap, the building is so well designed and so aligned with the cosmos or something (they literally used it as a calendar, and on the equinoxes all sorts of neat things happen, like shadows in the shapes of snakes), the sound somehow echoes off the temple and makes a noise like a dolphin. Well, not really like a dolphin but that is what it made me think of any way; definitely doesn't sound like an echoed clap. I was really amazed, but the thing quickly lost its novelty when every tourist in the place started clapping, some of them performing whole song and dance routines in clap form on the spot. Perhaps it was good preparation for the real Cancún. Actually I only just arrived and am in the city section, where all the locals live, and have yet to check out the beaches and hotels. I leave tomorrow for the more laid-back Isla Mujeres, but really just being anywhere in the vicinity of Cancún has been enough of an experience for me.