The Ruins of Uzmal (Rhymes with Gooshmall)

In pig latin that would be Oosh-mall...or in Mayan, they are very close.
I got out the rumpled, torn-paged but trusted "Rough Guide to the Yucatan" yesterday when I decided I wanted to "go somewhere" today. I decided to go see some of the ruins. Terry, Kim and I had visited Chichen Itza last year during the equinox and that was unblievable, but there are so many more lessor known sites throughout the State of Yucatan. So I decided I want to visit some more. I went the few blocks over to the second-class bus station to see how travel options were going to fit in with my plans and they told me there was a second-class bus line that left at 8am on Saturday (this morning) and briefly stopped at 5 different sites in the area south of Merida. The last site, and the one of the most significance, was Uxmal.

I didn't buy a ticket (159 pesos), but I tentatively planned on going.
So, this morning I get up at 5, make coffee, pack a lunch, shower, get dressed, throw essentials in my backpack, and head to the bus station at 7. The low-budget tour bus trip had been cancelled. The alternative was to just take a bus to Uzmal and spend the day at the ruins there. The bus left at 9. I  bought a round-trip "open date" ticket of which I didn't even know existed before today and hopped on the bus. In about an hour the terrrain started getting hilly with lots of vegetation...very tropical. Shortly afterward, the bus stops on the side of the road and the driver says "Uxmal". There is no Uzmal bus station. There is no town of Uxmal. It is just a nicely-manicured paved path of about 200 meters that takes you to the entrance to the site. In true Mexican fashion I bought an entrance ticket and headed over to the ticket taker guys and they refused to let me enter. I was told I needed dos taquillas. So in true Mexican fashion I went and bought my second entrance ticket which carried a different cost and the ticket looked different. Paperwork! But, I was able to enter.
The site of Uzmal was unbelievable...and to think it had its hey day back around 900AD. It was the lack of water resources that supposedly caused the demise of the inhabitants of the Uzmal site. Although the site carries great historical and archeological significance, it doesn't get the publicity of Chichen Itza and therefore gets relatively few vistors in comparison. There were a few tour groups that I could dodge and spend several minutes admiring the different structures, taking pictures, reading, and pondering life with nobody else around.
There were iquanas everywhere and species of colorful birds I had never seen before. I had several sightings of the mot-mot bird that is recognizable by its colorful feathers and its tail that is somewhat scissored, but with big puffy feathers on each end of the scissor.

The highlight of the day was being able to actually climb some of the pyramids. On one hand you hate that they allow it, but on the other hand you can't keep from doing it. The steps are quite steep and I was glad I had done all the walking I've done. It paid off. I was really surprised the climbing is allowed at Uxmal....I really didn't think any of the sites allowed this anymore.

I spent about 3 hours within the site, then had my picnic lunch and slowly headed back towards the bus stop. I wasn't sure how long I might have to wait for a return bus, but I knew there were 5 second-class buses that came through each day so I was counting on maybe an hour or so wait. I waited almost three hours! but for whatever reason the bus was running almost an hour behind. By the time the bus arrived, there were a total of 7 of us waiting to get on. Me and three whiney, bratty, young European couples. Anyway, I was back in Merida shortly after 5...sweaty and stinky.
I'll let the following pics tell the story, but if you want to know more about the UNESCO site of Uxmal, the history in detail, and more about the individual structures, here are some links to follow -
http://yucatantoday.com/en/topics/uxmal
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uxmal