Frozen on Kukulkan

In 1995, Art decided that a New Years trip to Cancun might be fun to do. Chicago was freezing, and warm Cancun seemed inviting and cheaper to get to than Hawaii.

The day after we got there, we took a trip to the 800 A.D.Chichen Itza on the Yucatan Peninsula.

Several years later, I was excited to see the For Better or Worse comic strip reflect my experiences perfectly! Please click on the comics so you can read it more easily.


The Pyramid of Kukulkan was awesome!

Each of the four faces has 91 steps up to the top platform. Counting the top platform as an additional step gives a total of 365 steps: 1 step for each day of the year.


Art and the kids went up first because I wanted to video tape them making the climb. Then I followed, occasionally stopping to video tape their progress. I got a bit winded from the steep climb and about a dozen steps from the top I sat down. That's when I looked down and nearly lost my breakfast.

I froze. I couldn't go up or down. Finally, Art noticed I was missing and looked over at me. "Come on up," he yelled.

"I can't," I yelled back. I wanted to just lie back and never move again. I envisioned a helicopter coming and picking me up to bring me down. I was seriously not planning to take another step.

Finally Art said, "You can do it. Stop looking down! Focus on me, look at the steps and come up."

I held my breath and breakfast and did it.


When I got to the top, I plastered myself to the temple. I was still trying to figure out how they could bring me food and water so I could survive up there. Maybe they'd have a bathroom in the temple? I was so scared I felt I needed one.


The kids sat at the edge looking down and having a great time. I saw a few other people who were plastered to the temple like I was, but not Art and not the kids. I wanted to pull them over, but I couldn't reach them without ungluing myself.


Art insisted on taking this photo so I pulled myself away for a second for this photo. This is a fake smile, by the way.


I kept telling Art I couldn't go down, but he insisted I could if I just looked at my feet. I did, and it was surprisingly easy. I almost ran down!


I could hear Jon behind me yelling, "Hurry up, Tif! Do you want mom to beat us?"


I could have kissed the ground once I reached it! Then I noticed kids who looked like first graders running up and down the pyramid selling oranges totally unfazed by the height.


We went into Cancun City a couple of days later and... you will notice I had a salad. Do not eat salads when you're outside of the hotel area! Montezuma's Revenge hit with terrible savagery. Everything I managed to hold in climbing the Pyramid of Kukulkan left me that night (ummmm...from the other end).

Despite my little difficulties in Cancun, I would recommend everyone go to Chichen Itza to see that amazing historical site. Just remember...

Don't look down! Don't eat the salad!