Ek Balaam

Hope I spelled it right!  From my last post, I noticed the more correct spelling should have been X'Canche, though I could swear I read X Can Che on the guy's t-shirt who 'carted' us to the cenote, 2 muddy km from Ek Balaam.   When we first drove to Ek Balaam it was nearly 5pm and the site was closed, so we poked around in the nearby pueblo of the same name. I was looking for a place called 'Genesis' which does ecological renting. We did find it, closed, after going down several paths and wrong turns, and it was closed for the season. Although their website looks great, the place did not seem to match up, and I had my doubts...maybe a bit more 'rustic' than I'd be able to tolerate.
Anyway, being in the town of Ek Balaam was like going back centuries.

  The bike was a nice touch. Seemed a bit out of place, but not as much as anything motorized. Cute how it was parked outside.

Otherwise, there weren't many differences between dwellings. 

However, I think I may have seen a satellite or two. 

Yet the inhabitants, one of whom poked a head into our window, wanting to offer his services of giving directions (which he was unable to do), and unable to understand even Spanish...seemed rather insulated. 

Our guy got what he wanted & asked for...some pesos...& isn't it ironic that he did know that word....?

The bright hammocks being made at the entrance to the town were a spot of hope and a shot of color in an otherwise drab and dreary settlement.  Still...worth going to see, and definitely in keeping with the  experience  of visiting an authentic Mayan village, whether of this era or perhaps any other....

Ek Balaam, the archaeological site, was very nearby and again, by coming early, we were among very few visitors...a good way to see and appreciate the ruins.
I have enjoyed being out at this site, twice now, and especially appreciate that it is less visited than Chichen Itza. 
To me, space and privacy in viewing is part of the appeal of these wonders and helps one visualize better the earlier Maya civilization without the interruption of modern day distractions (be they other visitors, their noise or assorted baggage...).

There are incredible carvings here, which even now maintain their detail and delicacy.
It's amazing to see how well they are preserved.










And the best part is, one can still actually make the long climb up the staircase of the pyramid.
That alone makes Ek Balaam worth visiting, and even though I am not a ruins fanatic,  I look forward to another visit here and making another climb.