With the Corona-virus situation escalating and spreading more widely around the world,
(now over 100 countries have had confirmed cases)
you need to be aware of what travel restrictions each country has put up
in order to avoid being turned down at border control for your upcoming travels.

Check this link for updates from each country
https://www.iatatravelcentre.com/world.php

I think I found my favorite little town to visit.
I wouldn't mind living here actually.
Colonia is so pretty and serene, it feels cut off from the rest of the world
even though it most certainly isn't.
When I arrived it was sunrise.
Quiet, the town was barely waking up.
Not a single soul around the streets.
Aside from us who arrived by the ferry,
it was just me and the world, it felt like.

​Colonia has a vibe that is a combination of Portugal & Fiji.
It was hot there, tropical sun despite being in mid-winter.
With distant islets on the horizon,
I absolutely LOVED it.
Flowers along the wall, 
Spanish little houses,
giant cobblestone roads,
the rocks can be so giant that they didn't bother to cut / polish them,
but for someone who HATES cobblestone streets,
i LOVED walking Colonia streets.
Because it's so uninhabited,
and because it's simply SO romantic.

For someone from NZ,
to be in a place that isn't crowded isn't overtly invaded by visitors is SO nice.
It makes the place more Private,
and the experience more Local, more Genuine.

Just an easy and peaceful ferry ride away.
I will sure come back!
​

​Kiwi.com is one of the best sites to use when searching for flights.
The prices are so much better than what you'll find on SkyScanner / sometimes your own travel agent

You can also see other locations around the world for the dates you are searching for.
Zoom in and you'll see more destinations with a price tag hovering above each city name :)

If you are going to Tokyo this year in July/August
Make sure to head south to Kyoto, Osaka, and more places
for very many amazing festivals that will be happening in the summer months. ^_^

Teotihuacan pyramids 🇲🇽 Info & Tips:

Stay past 5pm, you'll get a view with no one on it.
Don't go on a Sunday, that's when locals can go for free, it's just soooooo crowded.
Try different flavors of pulque in the township;
The site was a city once, so explore the rest of it.
If you go at sunrise, well, people think alike.
stay (for more than just a day trip) overnight if can.
There are multiple entrance gates, choose wisely
But always leave at Entrance B, for that final glance
.
.
.
This country is deeply underrated.
These pyramids are overrated
Just big piles of rubbles made of human vanity
The 1st great city of the Western Hemisphere
20sq miles big -
it takes 5+ hrs to circumnavigate it
It was found abandoned by the Teotihuacanos
who named it Teotihuacan ('the city of the Gods')
who then moved in to it and built around it.


It’s clear they’re all made of dirt & rubbles -
The pyramid of the sun is 3mil tonnes of them.
Aztecs said they were built by a giant called
Quenanatsin, who was from "the time of the 2nd sun".
No one knew why these pyramids were built,
Believed to represent the MesoAmerican cosmos
It’s 5 degrees off of true north, but follows true east
There’s a tunnel 300ft below that goes like a serpent
All the way to the center of the sun temple
As an entrance to the underworld.

******************************
How to get there --
either by bus or uber from Mexico City:
​
By bus -
1st you take the metro or bus to Autobuses del Norte;
Then you buy the return tickets
Cost: 80 pesos per person;

You can do a day trip
and leave at 5pm to head back to Mexico City
or stay in Teotihuacan for the night,
Which will allow you to enjoy the place fully,
and walk around the Teotihuacan city.
It’s not like you get to just casually stroll by the pyramids everyday.

By Uber --
Cost: 1000+pesos each way.
Plus they take you straight from Mexico city center,
Picks you up at the Teotihuacan entrance gate.
There ARE 1 or 2 Uber cars just outside Teotihuacan.
So take them before anybody else does.
Duration of travel each way:
1 hour 30 minutes

**********************
Tips:

Go at 8am and do not leave after 5.
After 5 is the only time where you get to appreciate the pyramid without anybody on it.
Not even the opening hour in the morning can give you that.

There are food outside Puerto 2.
Which is where buses drop you off and pick you up.
There are several restaurants down the road,
And you need to try a few flavors of the Pulque there,
They make the real stuff:
There’s ones made with melon, strawberries, & cucumber.

Do NOT go on a Sunday,
Unless it’s the Only day you Can go.
Sundays are when Mexicans can go in for free.
So expect serpentine queues on each level of the Sun Pyramid.
It’ll take you half an hour to get to the top
because of all the waiting.

For dog lovers,
Go to the back side of the Teotihuacan city,
There's a whole gang of them.
Take some of your left overs
& feed them a little,
They’re pretty hungry all of the time.
Also,
Usually underappreciated,
The backside is where many many other step pyramids sit,
Creating little pueblas, with red murals on them,
There are visible plumbing systems,
Many more large rectangular temple spaces.
You can get a sense of how people might have lived this way.

The world famous iconic #pyramid is in the #Yucatan.
It is way better to go there from #Valladolid
rather than from Merida.
It is much closer,
and there are plenty of good places to stay in.
Valladolid is such a nice relaxed pretty little town,
so it's worth going.
Plus, there are a lot more gorgeous #cenotes there.
Do visit.

If you want to go to the pyramid with no annoying crowd around:

• Get up at 6:30 am to get ready.
• Go to the city center ​to catch any Collectivos that are going in the direction of Chichen Itza
• They leave at 7:15 a.m.

If you see a mini van
any marked collectivo mini van
they're usually parked by a curb,
just ask to make sure.

Collectivo: around 35 pesos.
Time it takes on collectivo: 45min
Time of arrival at the gate: 7:50 a.m.
All pyramid sites open at : 8 a.m.
(which is stupid. Make it earlier!)
​
Entry Ticket cost: 45 pesos
Federal tax: 172 pesos
(a separate ticket you have to get)
Ticket for action cam / drones : 45 pesos
(so just keep yours in your bag / pocket,
don’t carry it visibly to ticketing staff.)

The site is pretty much yours to enjoy from 8a.m.
and people will start coming in more from 9:30a.m.
Crowds gather in large number from 10 a.m.

To return to Valladolid:
Ticket w Oriental (2nd class) bus
They pick up by the big tree
(at the top of the tour bus car park):
Cost of bus ticket: 30 pesos

#Uxmal #Pyramid - 

1) plan a whole Day
    so that you can do 2~3 sites on the route.
    each is different in its own way,
& each occupies a Huge area!

    Go at any hour:
    almost no one comes here anyway,
    just take your time
    and enjoy it to your utmost pleasure.
    There are a few ruins within this area.

    It is Better to drive there, 
    so you can visit more #ruins.

2) use sunscreen &
    mosquito repellent - they’re insane there.

3) bring a little picnic -
    the view at the very end is ☆☆☆☆☆
    to be able to eat your sandwich,
    drink fresh juice
    to the view of a jungle
    with a rounded pyramid in the middle
    is a lifetime luxury.

4) Don't attempt to go inside the chambers
    Bat guano stinks!

5) Don't tease the #iguanas,
     they're territorial &
​     they DO bite.

Travel Time from Merida city: <1 hr
Total time on the site：3~4 hrs
Car Rental Cost from Merida city: 500pesos = $26