Okay. One star for the pyramid. One star for.... let me think about that.
We visited the Chichen Itza ruins on the night of 3-9-11 (night) for the Light & Sound Show.
We had a car and took the toll road from Cancun. The road was deserted with the $20 toll each way. We looked forward to seeing the "Light and Sound Show". The park closes at about 5:00 pm for the day crowds, and opens again at 6:30 for the light show, set to start around 7:00 p.m., depending on the darkness.
I anticipated laser lights on pyramids, with rocking instrumental music - a dramatic and awesome scene with pumping drums and melodic flutes. A little like the Hong Kong light show they do in the city at night with the big laser lights. We expected unique entertainment. What we received was a lame joke and a frustrating letdown. It was truly pathetic. Luckily, it didn't cost very much.
We used the hotel zone entrance and walked along a poorly lit dirt path. There were no signs. People asked each other: "is this the right way?"
The show staging area was also poorly lit. About 200 plastic or metal chairs were in a roped-off area facing the main pyramid, about 150 yards away. This is El Castillo, Pyramid of Kukulcan. We were lucky enough to commandeer two stray open chairs, and placed them together to the right side so we could see. Those who came after us had to either sit on the ground, or stand the whole time. The ground was dirt, dust and rocks. Just lovely! Mexican blankets would have sold, but none available.
The "light show" consisted of a few small colored lights on two small structures to the left of the main pyramid. There was a lame, single spotlight on the main pyramid. The spotlight periodically turned on and off. At times a couple of small colored lights, also. THAT WAS IT!
The "sound show" was entirely in Spanish. English headsets would have been helpful, and some people were wearing those; they must have obtained them at the main entrance. The hotel zone entrance had no indication that headsets were available. The voices were a man and a woman, speaking in tandem. Obviously a commentary on the history of the place, but in the tone of a stern lecture. In my limited Spanish, I caught about every eighth word. There was little music, but just enough to remind you that music would have improved the show. Frustrating.
After a short while, I felt dumb videotaping this non-event with my camera. People were taking flash photographs in the vain effort to gain something from the experience. I did so too, though knowing the pictures would be pathetic. Others were looking at each other, muttering under their breath. It was obvious what they were saying - Is this it? How could this "show" be so bad?
Obviously everyone hoped things would improve. But after 30 minutes or so, it was obvious there would be no improvement. It was just more of the same. I looked up at the stars for awhile for some kind of enjoyment. I thought of what music would improve the show. Maybe some Grateful Dead - Terrapin Station, parts of Space, and such. Some Pink Floyd would have worked too - Echoes, Dark Side of the Moon and such. But enough was enough - this was becoming painful. I shouldn't have to entertain myself at a show. We started to leave and offered our chairs to some grateful ground-sitters. Suddenly the "show" abruptly ended, having lasted about 45 minutes. The crowd began walking solemnly to the exits, in somewhat of a stunned silence. It was a surreal scene like a video I once saw of the crowd leaving an air show after one of the Blue Angels had crashed to his death. Again along the poorly-lit path with no signs: "did we come from this way?" It was dark, Mexico dark.
It was such a letdown because this "show" theme has such potential and the most authentic and dramatic location possible. The El Castillo pyramid is probably the best pyramid in the world. Just awesome. So many thousands come for the equinox to see the shadow slither down the pyramid like a serpent. Can't they think of something like that for the light show??? And forget giving a commentary on the history of the place - give us a "show" for God's sake. Get some music going and use some proper lighting with different colors. Lasers, dude. We want lasers. Make some kind of effort -- or just shut this ridiculous thing down if you're too lazy to do it right.
We would never have wasted our time, but we didn't know, we didn't know ......... read more