Ruins and Archaeology

(Part 1 of 3 on central Mexico)

After taking a group tour of Mayan ruins in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Belize, I stayed six extra days in western Belize, Feb. 10-15, 2015, to visit more Mayan sites near the Guatemalan border.

If you’re planning a visit to Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula and want a break from Mayan ruins and Catholic missions, there are active adventures to be found near Chichén Itzá and in the coastal areas north of Mérida.

In mid-May 2014, my husband, Bob, and I began a ’round-the-world trip using the frequent-flyer miles we had accumulated during 10-plus years of commuting. Our second of six booked stops was Amman, Jordan.

Teotihuacán is one of the world’s greatest archaeological sites. Located 30 miles northeast of Mexico City and now reachable via toll highway 85D or free highway 132D, it once was one of the most important hubs of the Mesoamerican world. 

My brother Charles and I have driven through Guatemala twice, and he had driven there many other times. I enjoyed, very much, traveling by car, stopping at roadside markets and seeing the people who live along the Pan-American Highway. 

The Aspara Authority in Cambodia has created a “Visitor Code of Conduct” for visitors to the Angkor Wat temple complex, following a series of incidents involving tourists.

The code, which is posted in multiple languages at the entrance to the complex, prohibits visitors from touching monuments, entering restricted areas, wearing revealing clothing, and smoking. Breaking the code will be punishable as a crime.