CI #67 -- Coldplay

[Editor's note: (Unfortunately) I just got back from the aforementioned wedding in Mexico, which was incredible. Warning: you'll probably see a lot of wedding-related CIs.]

See the thing is, I now have to like them more. But more than that, I have to respect them more.

I'm forcing myself to take them off my lists of joke references (other recently removed references: scurvy (overdone), Tyler Perry (who knew that guy when through some crap?), and Snuggies (no explanation needed)).

The story goes like this. While we were in Mexico, we were determined to see some old shit. After much planning and time constraining, we settled on visiting the ruins at Coba instead of Tulum or Chicen Itza. Having spent almost three hours entirely without cerveza while walking around the ruins, we had almost reached our limit of old shit.

I had enjoyed seeing the Mayan ballcourt used for the game somewhat similar to basketball (but with more human sacrifice). All in all though, it was slightly underwhelming. Then we suddenly came upon a fork in the road. Two signs that didn't mean anything to us were pointing opposite directions.

Going one way was a hoard of other white foreigners. Going the other way was no one. We'd decided were going to see one more piece of old shit, but what would it be? And I said in my infinite snarkiness, pointing to the Eurobasura headed in one direction, "What if that way is the Coldplay of ruins?"

It got a laugh. People appreciated the sentiment, and we took the path less traveled. Well, the thing about that was, sometimes the path less traveled is less traveled for a reason. Our less-traveled path led to some mildly interesting altars and carvings -- nothing spectacular.

But what did we miss? What was the other way? What was the "Coldplay of ruins"? As we later discovered thanks to Gwen, it was this:

(image via Wikipedia)

Not only would it have been the best thing to see at Coba, it was the only pyramid you could walk up (we'd been looking for one), and it's the tallest in the Yucatan -- taller than anything at Chicen Itza.

So what have I learned? The reason everyone was going that way was because that way led to an awesome ruin. And the reason Coldplay has won Grammies and sold millions of records is because tons of people like their music, which by no means is bad. Travel guides and radio hits? Both around for a reason.

And now I have to like Coldplay, which makes me hate them.