Chicken Tika

The wonder of architecture perfected and sanctified by ancient civilisations will never cease to captivate me.

After Uxmal and Mayapan, we headed to the fabled Chichen Itza, one of the seven wonders of the world. One of the fabled great cities at the heart of the Mayan empire between 750 and 1200 AD, the complex is a testament to the scientific and architectural achievements of the Mayan civilisations. The huge stepped pyramid at the heart of the complex - the Temple of the Wind God, Kukulcan - had 365 steps, one for each day of the year, and was angled to the effect that at the equinox, you could see the shadow of a snake running down the walls - the totem of Kukulcan.

We checked into our AirBnB accommodation. In a village just outside Chichen Itza, we were hosted by Luis in his lush orchard where we were treated to Yucatan avocado, guaia, home-made lemon juice and other tropical fruits.

We'd made good time and, on the spur of the moment, decided to go for the light show that illuminates the main pyramid of Chichen Itza each night. We were incredibly lucky; a group of visitors ahead of us realised they had a couple of spare tickets which they handed to us.

The sun had set, and the site appeared mystical, even with the crowds. As stars lit up above the pyramids, we wondered if this is what the ancient Mayans saw.

Taking our seats, we watched as the history of the Maya, the rise and fall of Chichen Itza, the mythology and sacrifices were projected onto the stones. Burnt by the sun over centuries and centuries, these stones told the story of Kukulkan and the gods who now lay in ruins; gone except for people's memories and interest.

We were thoroughly mesmerised by the show, which was all too brief.

We came back the next morning (hoping and failing to beat the crowds!) and the place was transformed. Gone was the mysterious, magical aura; instead, dozens of stalls at every turn advertised trinkets and wares; hundreds of tourists crowded the place; loud voices violated last night's solemn mysticism.

Which didn't stop us from admiring the architecture anyway.

The carvings and style of the pyramid were incredible, and we were able to admire them - the thousand-fold columns, the feathered serpents, the wall of skulls - by the light of the day.

Led by our tour guide, Mr Iguana.

We were feeling very hot and sticky and it was time to move on to something I'd been looking forward to - cenotes, but the open-air type.

Our AirBnB host had recommended one of the lesser known ones - the Yodzonote cenote; a sinkhole surrounded by trees and bird nests. 45 metres deep, the water was a deep blue, slightly unnerving for me, but the beauty of the place was breathtaking: tiny colourful birds flew round the cylinder of the cenote, occasionally swooping down to dip into their nests. I barely avoided getting pooped upon.

I later found out that the cenote is maintained by a cooperative of Mayan women - another reason to favour this cenote to the more 'commercial' ones.

We'd visited the famous 'Ik Kil' cenote but spent less than 10 minutes there; it was crowded and I couldn't help but think of the South Park episode with the pee in the pool... 'nuff said. Kris jumped in the water anyway.