Chichen Itza Yucatan Mexico

A big 'must do and see' on everyone's list has to be Chichen Itza. One of the Wonders of the World. The Mayan Pyramids are shrouded in mystery and pilgrimed by thousands of visitors every year.

According to the Mayan Calender the world doesn't end, but the Mayan Calender does, in the year 2012. Which is this year. Nice. What are they going to do with all the out of date calenders, I wonder.

When booking your tour you can pay anything from $50 to $150, so shop around. We paid $50 and got a wonderfully comfortable Coach, with a fun tour guide and we also stopped at Balankanche Cave, which is amazingly beautiful and feels very spiritual. A Mayan girl showed us how to make corn tortillas from scratch and you get a glimpse of how Mayan people still live in Yucatan in harmony with nature so close yet so far from  modern life.

Lunch is also included as is the obligatory trying to get you to buy their expensive souvenirs at the shop that  is more expensive then everywhere else. But I'll let that one go, because we got to taste lots of Tequila while we were there.

Finally arrived at Chichen Itza, make sure you have a sun hat and are lotioned up high factor. There is a lot of open space and it gets very hot when the sun is out.

In and around the grounds are lots of souvenir vendors and it's fun bartering with them. The moment the tourists start to leave everything gets suddenly very very cheap. You may find yourself with bags full of strange little carvings that will weigh heavy in your suitcase, but they did only cost you a couple of dollars! Well... I did.

Mexican Chocolate and Vanilla Cookies

Here is a recipe with Ingredients I brought back from Mexico. Vanilla, Mexican Chocolate and Brown Sugar from Barbados. These easy to make cookies are delicious and keep for a long time in your cookie Jar. If you hide the cookie Jar!

Ingredients:

150g Bajan Brown Sugar

200g slightly salted Butter (at room temperature)

1 Egg

2 tsp Mexican Vanilla Extract

300g plain Flour

20g Mexican Chocolate

Cream together the Butter and Sugar with a wooden spoon. Beat in the Egg and Vanilla Extract.

Sift in the Flour. Bring the mixture together with a wooden spoon, just lightly so not to overwork the flour too much as that could make the cookies tough.

Take half of the cookie dough and spoon onto a sheet of cling film. Mold it and roll it into a sausage shape. Grate the Chocolate into the other half of the dough and mix lightly, for a marbled effect.

I nearly ate the cookie dough, it was so yummy...

Shape into a sausage in clingfilm as well.

Chill these in the fridge for about an hour to firm up.

Preheat the oven to 175C.

Line a baking sheet with geaseproof paper and lightly dust with flour.

Unravel the Dough and cut into 3 mm discs.

Space them out on the baking sheet.

You will need 2 baking sheets or do it in 2 parts.

Bake for about 15 minutes. Once the edges turn a golden brown they are ready.

Cool on a wire rack and don't eat them all at once!

A Bonus Picture from our little tripette to Chichen Itza.