M any things can motivate someone to experience a particular place. The knowledge and enthusiasm of an experienced OLLI facilitator is most influential. And when most of the trip participants have spent 8 weeks in Abe Grinberg’s class, “History of the Maya Civilization and the Yucatan Peninsula,” it has to be a bit daunting to find a guide who can meet the needs of this knowledgeable and curious group. Enter Arturo Romero Resendiz, our guide and trip leader. Arturo has lead such notables as Jose Lopez Portillo, former President of Mexico, and now, the trip participants from OLLI at the University of Denver. Our adventures began with a day trip to the Mayan pre-classical ruins of Tulum. These coastal ruins were built with low-walled structures situated well above the beaches. Dangerous reefs made the shoreline nearly impenetrable. However, Arturo pointed out to us the one small gap in the reef---nearly invisible to the human eye--- that was marked by the simultaneous alignment of daylight, or torchlight at night, through two separately placed windows as viewed from the sea. At the moment this alignment occurred, the Mayan vessel would be precisely placed to safely navigate through the tiny gap in the reef. Ek Balam, the next Mayan ruins we visited, are more remote and quiet than Tulum. Nonetheless, they are archeological wonders whose less explored status gave us the feel of being the earliest explorers to venture into their midst. In fact, Ek Balam’s pyramid structures are still accessible to intrepid visitors who care to scale their heights---and many of our OLLI group did exactly that! Our Ek Balam adventure was followed by a lovely lunch at hacienda Selva Maya and, for those adventurous enough, a swim in the adjoining cenote, the first of two cenotes we would visit. This particular cenote was exposed to sunlight with waterfalls, ferns, and rainbow mists adorning its limestone walls. Staying in the inviting old city of Valladolid, we departed from our exploration of ruins. Setting out on foot from our charming hotel, we visited Casa de los Venados (House of the Deer), a remodeled home from the 17 th century---an architectural wonder. The owner, a retired businessman from Chicago, is an enthusiastic collector of Mexican folk art who shared his stories of obtaining folk art from quaint marketplaces as well as artists’ studios. Based on comments of OLLI members, this visit was an unanticipated, absolute delight! We boarded our bus with Arturo leading us to the town of Tihosuco and the Caste War Museum. A Mayan priest greeted us with a traditional Mayan blessing. We witnessed demonstrations of cotton spinning and herbal Yucatan Peninsula Trip - An OLLI Excursion! by OLLI West member, Kim Fry