Mexican Rodeo and Show at Tierra Bonita

http://www.tierrabonita.com.mx/

This was the other part of our shore excursion in Progreso. Dzibilchaltun doesn't take all day, and so you can combine it with swimming in a cenote or this. I don't remember the cenote option, but it may just have been that we were planning on (and did) the underground river swim at Xcaret, so wanted to try something different.

I feel confident recommending Tierra Bonita, whether it is part of a shore excursion or not. There were four things that were going on there, all of which were good.

We went there for lunch, and the buffet was good. That is one point in its favor.

It was just lunch though; there was also a show. In fact, there were two shows.

One was the dancing. This is a fairly common part of various shows, where they will show you traditional dances and costumes from the different regions. There were some similar dances with the night show at Xcaret, but this was a smaller setting and you could see more. (Do not be fooled by the primitive camera I was using.) It has been a while now, but I believe we saw dances representative of Jalisco, Veracruz, and maybe Tabasco.

The dancing occurred on the veranda of the main building, but the rodeo happened in a small stadium. There was a procession and demonstrations of riding and roping.

I enjoyed it. My friend had been to "real" Mexican rodeos and said that they were a lot wilder, but it seems reasonable to me that an exhibition is going to be calmer than a competition, and that it's fine that way. It's certainly easier on the humans and animals. Bringing in the danger of a competition would certainly result in not only more regular wear and tear but probably also the occasional catastrophic injury, and that's not really great for the vacationers. I had never seen any real roping before, and it was interesting.

This was also the place where I found the best souvenirs. There were some really clever wooden toys and beautiful linens. You will find lots of people wanting to sell you souvenirs, but the best ones were here.

This is not specific to Tierra Bonita, but I had a really hard time with the bargaining, and I think I know how to do it better now. In each case I knew what I wanted to pay for the item, and I just said that right off, and they kept naming higher prices but I did not budge. At first I felt guilty, like maybe I really cheated them, but they did still accept the prices. So, I think decide what price you want to pay, and make it one that seems fair, but then name a ridiculously low price so you can work your way up to the fair price. I don't love the process, but it's a tradition.

Dzibilchaltún

When I went on the Carnival Cruise, we had two ports of call. In Playa Del Carmen the shore excursion we did was Xcaret, and since I was able to go back I have written more about that. We also stopped in Progreso.

In Playa Del Carmen we took a packet to shore, but for Progreso we were able to walk right onto land. There was a mariachi band to greet us, and lots of shopping, with both traditional souvenirs, like vanilla, but also cheap regular items that were very possibly counterfeit, like Dooney and Bourke purses.

The shore excursion package we had here was for a tour of Dzibilchaltún, and then a Mexican Rodeo (which I will write about next week).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dzibilchaltun

Having been to Chichen Itza and Tulum on our later trip, Dzibilchaltún is kind of mix. It is more coastal than Chichen Itza, but not as near as Tulum. This is probably because the land in between Dzibilchaltún is not very habitable, being either rocky or swampy.

The site is configured so that the sun lines up with the Temple of the Seven Dolls on the equinox, but it is not quite as impressive as the creeping serpent of Chichen Itza.

I suppose that makes it kind of a mid-level archaeological site, but at the same time, it was my first Mayan site. This was my first pyramid, and the first I had ever heard of cenotes, and so it holds a special place in my heart.

I don't know that it is a destination spot, but if you are there it is worth seeing.

Oahu Wrap Up

I wanted to have a post that addresses what we would do differently if we were to go again, or what we should have done differently that time. Ultimately, it is probably best for those who have never been to Oahu and are planning a trip now.

From the previous posts it should be clear that many of the issues we had were transportation and logistics issues, so one of my solutions for that is to change locations.

I believe ideally we would have started with the Polynesian Cultural Center, but stayed nearby. Our first day would have been the full day, concluding with the Ali'l Luau, but then we could have returned the next morning to see anything that we had not seen. This would give everything a more leisurely fell.

Fitting in with that more relaxed vibe, after finishing up there we could then drive to Waimeia Falls Park and explore there.

The day would end in Haleiwa at Matsumoto Shave Ice. They close at 6, but if you need more time at the park, and so you start with Shave Ice early the next day instead, I think that's okay, though it would be a lot of cold treats in a single day, because that next day is where we go to Dole Pineapple Plantation, and of course you will be having the Dole Whip there.

The plantation really only takes a few hours, unless you get lost in the maze. Then it could take longer. Regardless, as you head into Honolulu you will be passing Pearl Harbor on the way, and that means you will also be near the Swap Meet.

One thing that I would have liked to take advantage of is that at the Cultural Center they give you a real lei. It is a nice part of the Hawaiian culture, but then there is not a lot to do with the lei once you have it. At Pearl Harbor you can put leis there to honor the dead, and I would have liked to participate in that.

The Swap Meet is only open on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday, so depending on your start day there could be an issue, but the good news in that you are so close to town at this point that rearranging the schedule becomes easy. All of the far places have been covered already.

Once you are in Honolulu, you have the Iolani Palace, and Diamond Head is there, Punch Bowl is there. Hanuama Bay is just a little bit East, but still easily accessible.


I do still recommend keeping transportation in town for your trip to Hanuama Bay, because getting an early start is valuable. Yes, the sun will still get hot, but the later you start, the more likely you are to catch the worst of it. I recommend being there right at opening.



Right near Diamond Head is Shangri La, a mansion built by Doris Duke that is now a museum. That could be one day. Diamond Head is also near the Zoo and the Aquarium. They may not be must-see, but they are fine, and if you have children along, that is probably more reason to see them.

I would probably combine Punch Bowl with the Iolani Palace, Diamond Head with Shangri La, and Hanuama Bay with leisurely exploring, like maybe that day we would go to the International Marketplace. I know the area by the Duke Kahanamoku statue and Kuhio Beach Park, was nice for walking.

That gives you about six days total and you see a lot.

I don't think I would do a show again. We wanted to see Don Ho, and what we got was fine even if it was not exactly that, but I'm not going to Hawaii to see shows.

It doesn't include a lot of time for lounging on the beach, mainly because of my lack of interest, but the other aspect of that is that a lot of people will tell you that other islands are much better than Oahu, and I think those people are looking at surfing and snorkeling and beach time. They seem to focus on Maui and Kauai.

I can't speak for those islands. I do think Pearl Harbor is something special in American history, and worth seeing for that, and I know that there are plenty of good things to see in Oahu. So that's worth something.

Aloha!

Oahu Shopping

http://www.alamoanacenter.com/

http://www.abcstores.com/

I know that I did sort of cover shopping with the Swap Meet, and that sounded like we were not that into it, but that does not explain our fondness for two places.

One was the Ala Moana Shopping Center. It also had a transit center, and pretty much every bus that we needed to catch left from there. There was one bus stop near the hotel that we would take to Ala Moana, and then head out to wherever we were going for the day.

It was pretty convenient from a transportation standpoint, but it also ended up being convenient for dining. There was a large food court that we had several meals at. Yes, this may not have given us the most authentic Hawaiian experience, but we had pretty good traditional foods at both the Polynesian Cultural Center and at the Don Ho Show. While those were combined with entertainment, they were nonetheless pretty expensive, so then being able to save money and have several different options available was helpful.

We did explore the stores here a little, but we ended up doing most of our shopping at the ABC stores.

I have mentioned in my Anaheim writing having an ABC store there, which is our primary source of water and Chocodiles. I do not believe there is any connection between the Anaheim and Honolulu locations other than that someone was looking for top placement in the phone book. That might set low expectations, but we loved the ABC stores.

First of all, their placement was somewhat similar to Starbucks; they were everywhere. You leave one and walk a block and there's another. "Conveniently located" doesn't even begin to describe it.

Often you pay for convenience, but the prices never seemed that terrible. We could get daily necessities like breakfast items, snacks, waters, but they also had a good selection of souvenirs. These stores worked great for us.

There are many other shopping options. There was a Wal-Mart, which we went too, because the others were curious, and I had not yet boycotted them at that time. The prices did not seem that amazing, probably because we were not on the mainland. I did buy some packs of macadamia nuts to give to people there.

On the other side of the spectrum you have many high end stores. I remember the bus passing several times past expensive names: Coach, Tiffany, Chanel, Gucci. That is the Luxury Row referred to in this article:

http://www.themodernhonolulu.com/explore-shopping

It was relatively close to Ala Moana, but distant in a different way. If that's what you're into, it's there. It just reminds me of the economic disparity there, though, and angers me.

There's an outlet mall too. They have everything.