Friday, April 23, 2010

Cherry blossom in New Jersey


Originally uploaded by LuceroDulce (120/365)

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Carved stone ring at Great Ball Court (Chichen Itza)


Originally uploaded by LuceroDulce (119/365)

An up-close look at the carved stone ring 20 feet off the ground at Great Ball Court wall. Players had to use hips to kick the ball through the ring.

Thousand Columns (Chichen Itza)


Originally uploaded by LuceroDulce (118/365)

Temple of the Warriors (Chichen Itza)


Originally uploaded by LuceroDulce (117/365)

The Temple of the Warriors complex consists of a large stepped pyramid fronted and flanked by rows of carved columns depicting warriors.

around Chichen Itza on the way to the cenote


Originally uploaded by LuceroDulce (116/365)

The whole area is surrounded by the local traders. Chichen Itza is one big magnet for the locals to sell their stuff to tourists. But don't be discouraged by the overwhelming quantity and prices, walk around, choose what you like and bargain, start with 50% of the original price unless you think the price is right.

Tzompantli or skull rack (Chichen Itza)


Originally uploaded by LuceroDulce (115/365)

Tzompantli (wall of skulls) is a square platform that displays carved human heads of the  sacrificed enemy or game losers.

Temple of Kukulkan (Chichen Itza)


Originally uploaded by LuceroDulce (114/365)

Temple of Kukulkan (the Maya name for Quetzalcoatl), often referred to as "El Castillo" ("the castle" in spanish).
Built by the pre-Columbian Maya sometime between the 9th and 12th centuries AD, El Castillo served as a temple to the god Kukulkan, the Yucatec Maya Feathered Serpent deity closely related to the deity figure Quetzalcoatl  known to the Aztecs  and other central Mexican cultures of the Postclassic period.

from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chichen_Itza

You can also see the Temple of the Warriors on the left side far away behind the crowd of people. The sun is really strong here, so I strongly advice everybody to bring extra water and something to cover your head, or you could just take your clothes off and make a hat.

Flowers


Originally uploaded by LuceroDulce (113/365)

Not sure about the name of these flowers but they were growing on the bushes and pretty tall trees in the surrounded area by cenote Ik Kil.

Cenote


Originally uploaded by LuceroDulce (112/365)

Cenote Ik Kil is located near by Chichen Itza. This fresh water cenote (or sinkhole) is about 50 meters deep, so you can't touch or see the bottom.



Monday, April 19, 2010

Fossils on the beach in Mexico


Originally uploaded by LuceroDulce (111/365)

Pier on the beach in Mexico


Originally uploaded by LuceroDulce (110/365)

Bent horizon over Caribbean Sea


Originally uploaded by LuceroDulce (109/365)

Mexico Beach (3)


Originally uploaded by LuceroDulce (108/365)

Mexico Beach (2)


Originally uploaded by LuceroDulce (107/365)

Beautiful day, beautiful water, beautiful beach, beautiful women ...

This is my postcard moment #2, somewhere on the beach between Iberostar resorts in Riviera Maya.

Mexico Beach (1)


Originally uploaded by LuceroDulce (106/365)

Riviera Maya - Iberostar Playa Paraiso beach, my postcard shot #1.

Naughty coati is taking a nap


Originally uploaded by LuceroDulce (105/365)

He is a looker, isn't he? Pretending he is taking a nap, naughty naughty ...

See my previous picture regarding coati or mexican tejon or hog-nosed coon info.

Coatis roaming at the resort in search of food


Originally uploaded by LuceroDulce (104/365)

Coatis or as they call them in Mexico tejóns (or also named hog-nosed coons) are very common to find in Central and South Americas. They are basically pretty much racoons and act like them too. They were running around the resort where we were staying (Iberostar) with no fear of approaching people and taking bites out of the food on a plate! I liked the expression of one of the stuff members there, he called them "rats on the steroids", they really seemed to be that.


Trivia Question: Can you count how many coatis are on the picture?

< SEE THE ANSWER IN THE COMMENTS >

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Water lily


Originally uploaded by LuceroDulce (103/365)

Water lilies were part of the dining decor at the resort (Iberostar) in Mexico which obviously attracted other visitors - bees.

Peacock's tail


Originally uploaded by LuceroDulce (102/365)

This is the peacock's tail from the previous picture. Time to get jealous, I wish I had those feathers ...

Peacock


Originally uploaded by LuceroDulce (101/365)

We had peacocks running wild on the territory of our resort in Mexico. The name of the resort is Iberostar Playa Paraiso ( or it also goes by Iberostar Paraiso Beach).

Reef snorkeling at Puerto Morelos in Mexico (3)


Originally uploaded by LuceroDulce (99/365)

The school of these fishes surrounded us and they were not shy at all! I'm not sure of their names but they seemed to be pretty friendly.

Reef snorkeling at Puerto Morelos in Mexico (2)


Originally uploaded by LuceroDulce (98/365)

Brain coral is just right below!

Reef snorkeling at Puerto Morelos in Mexico (1)


Originally uploaded by LuceroDulce (97/365)


Puerto Morelos, Mexico is located 500m away from Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. It has a unique ecosystem and belongs to Reef National Park.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Playa del Carmen, Mexico


Originally uploaded by LuceroDulce (100/365)

Playa del Carmen, Mexico is (probably) 90% tourists with lots of shops and bars.

Mexican ball swallower


Originally uploaded by LuceroDulce (96/365)

Mexican games can be very perverted, this one suggests "to throw balls into a man's mouth"!

Monday, April 12, 2010

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Roosevelt Park Lake in Edison, NJ


Originally uploaded by LuceroDulce (94/365)

These canadian geese are the most common inhabitants of Roosevelt Park Lake that is right next to Menlo Park Mall in Edison, NJ.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Friday, April 2, 2010

Trinity Church in Manhattan


Originally uploaded by LuceroDulce (86/365)

Good Friday just outside of Trinity Church in New York City.

Leopard Lady


Originally uploaded by LuceroDulce (85/365)

My other friend emailed me this picture of some girl on a bus. Someone has a leopard/tiger obsession ...

New bumper style


Originally uploaded by LuceroDulce (84/365)

My friend sent this picture to me which he snapped while driving through (...?)
Wooden bumper style is the new invention by rednecks in New Jersey taking a hit from the recession. Anybody wants to start a business selling wooden bumpers?