Chaccoben with Ivan

[Zeno]

Just got back from our cruise and for me the tour of Chaccoben with Ivan (Native Choice) was one of the highlights.

 

Things did not start off too well - lots of confusion at the port and in town.

When we disembarked the ship, we headed for the port exit to get a taxi into town to the Cat's Miaow where we had been instructed by David to meet them. However when we got to the exit, there was a representative of Native Choice waiting (Pablo). This was confusing and a little disconcerting but worked out fine in the end. We bought our transportation tickets $3 each and eventually when most people for the tour had arrived, Pablo shepherded us into a van. The van dropped us off right at the Cat's Miaow, where Ivan and David were waiting. More confusion as they tried to determine if everyone had arrived for the tour and tour transportation was arranged. The tour was scheduled for 9AM but we really did not get going until 10AM. A lot of this confusion was due to the size of the group. Ivan told us that it was the biggest group they had ever had.

The group was split up for transportation to the ruins (about a 50 minute drive) - some in vans, some in taxis. Our sub-group was accompanied in the van by Pablo who gave us some introductory info about the area. At the halfway point to the ruins, he switched to another van to give them the intro. When we arrived at the site, our driver Gilberto gave us all bottles of cold water (which you WILL need). We were given about 15-20 minutes or so to use the washrooms and look at what was for sale in the craft/gift area. The washrooms were clean. I am not a shopper but the craft/gift area seemed to have a lot of merchandise.

 

Ivan was our guide for the tour. He told us that David would be joining us. This never happened but we were quite satisfied with Ivan as a guide. Since our group was large, we were also accompanied by Pablo and Carolina (who was in charge of collecting strays and rendering assistance when required). Carolina was great. I am recovering from a back injury and have some leg problems. She went out of her way to find places for me to sit down and assisted me in climbing the "grand basiamento" (sp?) - I really don't think that I could have done it without her.

As a guide, Ivan provided lots of intriguing info especially about ancient Mayan religious beliefs and cosmology. This stuff can be pretty dry but he made it most interesting. We saw other groups from tour buses being rushed throught the site - in contrast our pace was very leisurely and completely unrushed.

 

The site itself was not as impressive as say Uxmal or Chichen Itza or Lamanai but it is an older ruin and not fully excavated yet. I particularly liked the "grand basiamento" (sp?) complex - great views and interesting structures on a raised area (30 steps up from the jungle floor or 15 if you take Carolina's easier route up). Even if you have physical problems, it is worth the effort to climb up here. I was so glad I did (with major assistance from Carolina). One structure had been excavated to show the various layers (almost like an onion) It really fascinated me.

Besides the ruins, the jungle itself is impressive and interesting - vines and big trees, wild orchids. The one big thing we missed out on by not having David with us was his knowledge of local plants. I would have liked to learn more.

At the end of the tour, we were transported back to the cruiseship port and some people were dropped in town.

 

Overall:

In spite of the confusion and disorganization at the beginning, I really enjoyed this tour and I would recommend it. What we missed by not having David's plant 'lore', was made up for by Ivan's serious but entertaining attempt to give us a basic knowledge of Mayan beliefs. It was nice not to feel rushed and regimented and it was great to have an attentive 'nanny' like

Carolina to make sure we all made it out in one piece. I would think that the tour is probably "better" when there is a smaller group but even with our largish group (I am guessing that there were about 30 of us), we still felt it was a very good tour.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.