Woken early by, would you believe it, the sound of more explosions! None of us had slept well, so it was an effort to get going, & by the time we went out to get breakfast, it was brunch! We found a good, busy, "locals" restaurant just around the corner from the hotel, & ate another great meal (D's sopa azteca was especially yummy, as was the cinnamon flavoured coffee (café de ollo)). Once the meal was finished, we walked through town & tried to find the entrance to the ruins. We followed the LP's instructions to cross the footbridge over the river, & go uphill, but ended up in a residential street, where a helpful local pointed us back in the right direction. Unfortunately, the southern entrance that we were looking for was closed, so we had to ask again, & walk another mile around the perimeter to find the northern (main) entrance.

After paying the M$82 entrance fee (kids free!) we first looked around the museum - partially to go indoors & cool down after our walk in the sunshine! The highlights were the 8ft tall legs of a statue of a Toltec warrior, the intricate carving on a piece of stone jewellery, the pottery, & the reconstructed burial - bones & all! Next we walked ~1km, past cactus plants of various shapes & heights, & got chatting to the man selling M$10 maps & guides to the site. He explained why the area was favourable for settlement (3 seasons, & 3 "types" of water), & also that he continuing explosions (which by now we thought might be military manoeuvres) were the locals celebrating St Guadalupe's day! We then entered the archaeological site proper, first looking at ball court number 1 (Pelota), then climbing Pyramid B, to look at the views of the whole ancient city, & the 4 pillars & 4 carved warriors that once held up the roof of the temple atop the pyramid. The steps were narrow & steep, & initiated a discussion re: which was worst: climbing Mexican or Cambodian pyramids!

Once all safely down on the ground, & souvenir vendors avoided, we walked through the Burnt Temple, down onto the Ceremonial Square, to the second Pelota court - the largest in Central America. Just outside the court was a large platform where the skulls of captured (& decapitated) prisoners were displayed. Walking past another (partially excavated) building & pyramid, we came to the "Wall of Snakes" with its intricate carvings & frescos. Then we walked back to the site entrance, & sat to drink a cooling 2 litres of water - much needed, as the sun had been beating down on us the whole time!

We walked back into town & stopped in a small café for beer / cola / apple juice, then paid a brief visit to the 17th century cathedral, where the arched roof supports are covered in gold!

As it was a little too early for tea, & we had had a late breakfast, we went back to the hotel room for an hour, to cool down & get diaries written, then walked back to Las Mesitas, hoping to relive the previous day's gastronomic treat, only to find that it was closed. We had a quick look 'round town, but ended up back at this morning's restaurant, where we ate another delicious (& good value) meal! The fruit juices that the children ordered were enormous (!), & D's beef / bacon / chicken / pepper & cheese stir fry thingy was excellent! The kids ate well, & then sat eating plain tacos, once their plates were empty!

All full, we staggered back to the hotel, to try to catch up on some sleep!