Our first several days in Isla Mujeres were quite relaxing, other than the various mechanical problems Michael was dealing with. The marina had a small swimming pool, which surprised us on jumping in by being filled with very salty salt water. At the pool we met another Seattle family, Michelle, Maurice, Mara and Luca, but they had gotten here via RV. Turns out they are Ballard neighbors of the Chaikas, who are actually the Millers now that they have returned to land life. All 4 kids were delighted to find other English speaking kids, and we saw a lot of Mara and Luca over the next several days.

A sailing regatta from St. Petersburg, FL to Isla Mujeres had arrived the day before we did, so there were lots of sailors in town. The regatta is a long standing event with a week's worth of activities, including a sailors vs the locals basketball game (the locals won), and a golf cart parade. We also enjoyed several nice restaurants, including a crepe restaurant.

One morning we took a trip to the local turtle preserve. Turtles nest on the beaches here. Workers at the preserve dig up the nests and move the eggs to an enclosed area. After the young hatch, they keep the turtles for a few years until their chances of survival in the wild are greatly improved. Unfortunately the turtle funding has dried up, so the preserve is in the process of closing. We heard various stories about the reasons for this. It might have been a government facility that was no longer supported, or it might have been a private facility known for keeping the turtles too long as a tourist attraction that was subsequently closed by the government. It may or may not be reopening later under local government administration. So we saw many turtles, ranging in age from 2 to 6 years, swimming in enclosed pens but no baby turtles. There were also no signs explaining anything. We got a little bit of information from the man who came to feed the turtles with what looked like it must be Purina Turtle Chow, but we don't really know what will happen to the turtles there.

From Isla Mujeres, we decided to make one last trip in Mexico to see Chichen Itza (pronounced Chi-CHEN It-ZA) and some of the Yucatan. Mike and Heather were planning a trip to Chichen Itza as well, so we set off together on the ferry to Cancun on May 23. (Michael's birthday the previous day was a relaxed day with breakfast at a nice cafe. Thanks to everyone who sent email birthday greetings.) Mike and Heather took the bus to the town of Piste while we rented a car, so we got to the hotel first and were enjoying the pool when they arrived. The lovely grounds of the hotel had an unexcavated Mayan ruin right next to the pool. We were surrounded by history.

May 24 - Chichen Itza. We went to the top of the biggest pyramid first. El Castillo, also known as the pyramid of Kukulcan, was built over an older pyramid which dates from about 800 AD. The outside pyramid is an elaborate representation of the Mayan calendar. Each of the nine levels of the pyramid is divided in two by a staircase, making 18 terraces that commemorate the 18 months (20 days each) of the year. The 4 stairways have 91 steps each; add the top platform for a total of 365, the number of days in the year. On each facade are 52 flat panels, which are reminders of the 52 years in the Calendar Round. And, as if this weren't enough, during the spring and autumn equinoxes, light and shadow form a series of triangles on the side of the north staircase mimicking the creep of a serpent. The serpent goes up in the spring and down in the fall. But we weren't here at the right time to see that.

We came down from the pyramid just in time to be in the first group to go inside the pyramid.  The tunnel inside to see the interior pyramid is only opened at limited times, and it may be closed all together in the future. The presence of so many people inside the pyramid is hastening the deterioration of the inner pyramid.  Inside, the tunnel is narrow and the steps are steep up to the top if the inner pyramid. At the top is a red jaguar throne with spots of jade.  I assume that some day in the not to distant future that throne will be moved to a museum to preserve it, but it was certainly impressive to see it in situ, along with the chac-mool figure in front of it. Chac-mool was a messenger to the gods. He was usually depicted in a reclining position holding an incense burner, as burning incense was a way to send messages to the gods.

A short walk from the main pyramid is the Sacred Cenote, a natural well 60m in diameter and 35m deep which gave the city its name, "Mouth of the Well of the Itzae."  There are many of these cenotes, limestone sinkholes/caverns filled with water, on the Yucatan Peninsula, and they were sacred places to the Maya. This one was first dredged in the early 1900's by a Harvard professor and US consul to the Yucatan. Intrigued by local stories of young virgins being sacrificed to the Mayan gods, he bought the hacienda that included Chichen Itza for $75 and then started importing dredging equipment. Gold and jade jewelry, along with many other artifacts, were brought up, as well as human bones.

Another impressive structure was the main ball court, the largest in Mexico and one of 8 ball courts here. Along the walls of the ball court are stone reliefs, including scenes of the decapitation of the losing players. Another grisly structure was the Platform of the Skulls, a platform with carvings of skulls and eagles tearing open the chests of men to eat their hearts. This platform would have held the heads of sacrificial victims. And right next door to that was the Platform of the Eagles and Jaguars, with more carvings of animals devouring human hearts. This is thought to have been a temple dedicated to the military.

But not all was blood and gore. One of the most interesting and different buildings was the circular observatory, known as El Caracol (the Snail) for its interior spiral staircase. Unfortunately visitors are not allowed in. The 4 external doors are aligned with the 4 cardinal directions, and the windows in the dome are aligned with the appearance of certain stars at specific dates. From the dome of the observatory (domes are VERY unusual in Mayan architecture) the priests decreed the times for rituals, plantings, and the harvest.

We had a long day at the ruins, but we returned after dinner that night for the light show. Some of the narration was a bit hokey, but we enjoyed seeing the ruins in the gathering dusk and during the light show.

May 25 - Our first stop of the day was the Balankanche Caves. This cave system was discovered in 1959, and contained hundreds of Mayan ceremonial offerings. After study, most of these were returned to the caves and replaced in their original spots. We were the only ones there, so we had a guide and a tour to ourselves. The first part of the cave is not too impressive, and contains few artifacts, but after winding around and going through a narrow passage, the cave widens out to an impressive chamber with a massive limestone column in the center. All around the column are ceremonial offerings. There are stalactites and stalagmites on all sides, glistening with the water dripping down.

Our next stop was the cenote Ik Kil. This cenote has been developed into a beautiful swimming spot. Our guide book advised getting there before 1 pm to beat the tour bus crowds, so we were disappointed to have a bus pull in right behind us. Never-the-less, it was breath taking. A path has been built spiraling down and around the cenote to a platform built at the edge of the water. Not many people were swimming, but we jumped in. The water was a beautiful blue with black fish swimming around. I don't know how deep it was, and there is no shallow end to a cenote. Water was dripping down the plant covered sides of the cenote, tree roots grew all the way down and into the water, and cave swallows flew all around. The tour bus crowd left as swiftly as they came, leaving us alone. What a swimming hole.

After drying and changing, we ate lunch at the restaurant there.  It was a nice buffet, clearly set up for the tour bus crowd, but again we were the only ones there. We sat on the deck for lunch, watching the birds in the beautifully landscaped garden. Our most exciting bird spotting was a turquoise-browed motmot.

After lunch we drove to the town of Valladolid and found a hotel. On our way down to the pool for an afternoon swim, we ran into Shawn and Lynn, more cruisers whom we had first met at Chinchorro Bank and who were also staying at the marina in Isla Mujeres. It is always fun to run into someone you know, especially in a foreign country.

May 26 - Our first stop today was another Mayan ruin, Ek Balam. This is a much smaller site. It is unusual in having a stone wall surrounding the main ruin site. The wall is not big enough for defensive purposes, so it is thought to have divided the common masses from the priests and royalty. Not much of Ek Balam is excavated, but several layers of the main pyramid have been. Underneath the main facade, in the next layer down, are some beautiful carved stucco winged figures. Some people have referred to these as Mayan angels. Carved stucco was much more common than the elaborate carved stone we saw at Copan, but obviously it doesn't last nearly as long. These carvings survived only because they were covered by a later set of pyramid builders.

Our second destination for the day was the town of Rio Lagartos, on the Gulf Coast. The reason? Flamingos, hundreds of flamingos. We got there in the late afternoon and found the guide recommended in our book. He was willing to go out that afternoon, so we checked into a tiny hotel and returned with our binoculars. While we were gone, another couple had arrived, also wanting to go out bird watching, so they joined our group. Our guide was very good! He clearly knew the area, and he clearly knew birds. We saw hundreds of flamingos, standing in shallow water feeding or flying over head in great pink and black flocks. I never realized how much black flamingos have on their wings. The highlights of the trip were white ibis, a crested caracara, boat billed herons, a black hawk, a roseate spoonbill, and several horseshoe crabs. Now those are primitive looking animals. We came away very impressed with our guides ability to spot birds as well as identify them.

On May 27, we drove all the way back to Cancun. There was nothing else to do in Rio Lagartos, so we were glad to have gotten our bird trip in as soon as we got there the afternoon before. There were no restaurants in town serving breakfast, so we got some yogurt, bananas and granola bars and had breakfast on the road. There were many tiny stores well stocked with snacks and sodas, but no real grocery stores in this town, so even this little bit of real food was difficult to find. When lunch time rolled around though, we did find a real restaurant. Back in Cancun by mid-afternoon, Michael dropped me and the girls off at the ferry dock. We went back to Isla Mujeres, while he went in search of a transmission cable and returned the car. He didn't get home until hours later than I expected, and it turned out he went to a movie as well.

Back at the marina, we spent the next day doing laundry, getting groceries, doing some last minute boat projects, and checking out of Mexico. On May 29, our 16th wedding anniversary, we left Mexico, in company with Orion, bound for Key West. The night before, our toilet had broken. So then we had a choice: 2 days at sea using a bucket or delay our departure for a week or more (still with no toilet) while waiting for a local marine store to order one for us. So we left as scheduled. Well, we left the dock anyway. Then we motored around in circles for half an hour at the entrance to the harbor waiting for the Cancun to Isla Mujeres swim race to pass! I won't say much about the passage except that we had the current with us the whole way. On the morning of May 30 we took down our Mexican courtesy flag, and around noon that day we heard the US Coast Guard on the radio for the first time since December 1, 2002. On May 31 at 4:30 PM EDT, we dropped anchor at Key West, FL, USA. By dinnertime, Michael had been to West Marine and back, and installed the new toilet. For months we had been saying we would be in Florida by June 1, and here we were, a day ahead of schedule.

We stayed in Key West for only a few days, but we really enjoyed ourselves there. It was great to be back in the US after so long away, and Key West is a fun and interesting town.

We left Key West on the evening of June 3, and to our surprise we heard Tioga on the radio as we were passing Miami the second night out. They were just leaving Miami also bound for Stuart, FL. We both arrived in Stuart the morning of June 5, and it was great to see them again! We had to say good-bye again the following week though, as they left June 12 to cross the Atlantic. (Ed. note: They arrived safely in the Azores on July 8.)

We stayed in Stuart just over 3 weeks. Vienna, Rhiannon and I made a side trip (via airplane) to Washington, DC, where we stayed with my aunt and uncle. The reason for going when we did was a tiny reunion of my best friends from high school. There were 4 of us Brighton High School grads, 8 kids, and 2 spouses. What fun, and what a treat to catch up with people who were such an important part of my adolescence. We laughed ourselves silly over stories of structured study hall and 6th grade detention. While in DC, we also visited our Senator, took the Capitol Tour, saw the Lincoln Memorial, and went to Mount Vernon. Poor Michel stayed very busy while we were gone with a lengthy list of boat projects.

After an overnight stop in Peck Lake to get ourselves closer to the inlet, we left the Stuart area on June 29, destination Beaufort, NC, but we didn't quite make it. Stay tuned!