A 6 am departure from the hotel in our private van meant that we were waiting at Chichen Itza for the gates to open at 8 am.

Chichén Itzá, an impressive Maya/Toltec site has been recently voted as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. Constructed between the 7th and 10th century AD, Chichén Itzá was a centre of pilgrimage for the Maya for over 1000 years.

Guillermo our local guide for a 2 hour tour of the site. Started off before the tourists arrived with the most famous attraction being the great Pyramid of Kukulcan. It is also known as El Castillo, a name given by the Spanish Conquistadors. This was dedicated to the feathered serpent god Kukulcan and built with such precision that a shadow serpent descends down the steps during the equinox. The four stairways have 91 steps each, add the top platform and the total is 365, the number of days in the year.

Tried to look for something to frame the various ruins. In the end it was the overhanging branches of the trees and a hawker stall selling monkeys.

Was so glad for the early start as one of the last photos show the day tripper crowds from Cancun and Playa del Carmen descending in their hordes by the bus loads into the park … and it wasn't even high season. By now most of the hawkers had set up their stalls trying to sell a trinket or two at a good rate ... 10 pesos to the US $. The bank rate was 12.4 to the dollar.

Was it worth such an early start? Most definitely. Yes, to have photos without any people in it plus the benefit of that lovely early morning light for ones photos.