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All posts for the month October, 2014

The nearly deserted streets of Mérida heading directly into the main square at mid-day. With the sun directly overhead there were no shadows, no place to hide, and not a lot of activity.

The nearly deserted streets of Mérida heading directly into the main square at mid-day. With the sun directly overhead there were no shadows, no place to hide, and not a lot of activity.

Even though it seems as though we never have enough time, the whole point of traveling forever is to have time to get off the beaten trail. Lots of people go to the Yucatan to go to Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, and so on, but how many people get to Vallodalid and Mérida? So yes, after another manageable bus ride, here we are in Mérida, a city of perhaps 1 million people and capital of the state of Yucatan.

Lots of interesting buildings and colonial architecture

Lots of interesting buildings and colonial architecture

So what’s most memorable about Mérida? It’s hot. Really hot. Maybe that shouldn’t be surprising for Mexico, but I don’t remember many places that felt as intensely hot in mid-day as it was here. And while activity certainly slowed down during the day, we’d still see people doing hard manual labor in temperatures that seemed ungodly.

And the food. Over half the residents here are Mayan – a greater percentage than any other Mexican city – and their influence on food is significant. So we had great food. The architecture was fun, too, a real mix of rundown buildings, nicely maintained buildings, and a section of the city that had old and beautiful mansions.

We had some great ceviche  at a little hole-in-the-wall that served, primarily, ceviche. While we were eating there was a guy behind the counter polishing his shoes, which we thought was odd.

We had some great ceviche at a little hole-in-the-wall that served, primarily, ceviche. While we were eating there was a guy behind the counter polishing his shoes, which we thought was odd.

Otherwise, the thing I remember most is how hot it was. Wait, did I mention that already? OK, it was a surprisingly big, hot city with great Mayan food. After a few days here, we’re ready to go to the beach in Playa del Carmen!

The Plaza Grande is in the heart of the city, and on Sunday morning there was a traditional (or at least I assumed it was traditional...) religious ceremony. Or at least I assumed it was religious...

The Plaza Grande is in the heart of the city, and on Sunday morning there was a traditional (or at least I assumed it was traditional…) religious ceremony. Or at least I assumed it was religious…

OK, I know this was a religious ceremony. There's a big old cathedral on the Plaza Grande and I went in to look around on Sunday morning. What's interesting to me is that big churches all over Europe are beautiful but largely empty, even on Sundays. In Catholic Mexico, though, there were hundreds of people here for services. Hundreds.

OK, I know this was a religious ceremony. There’s a big old cathedral on the Plaza Grande and I went in to look around on Sunday morning. What’s interesting to me is that big churches all over Europe are beautiful but largely empty, even on Sundays. In Catholic Mexico, though, there were hundreds of people here for services. Hundreds.

We both love shots like this of old derelict buildings. There were some more typically attractive buildings, too, but somehow they're not as photogenic.

We both love shots like this of old derelict buildings. There were some more typically attractive buildings, too, but somehow they’re not as photogenic.

This cute little restaurant was Sunday lunch. Great courtyard, great Mayan food, beautiful wooden bar - and the Detroit Lions in the background!

This cute little restaurant was Sunday lunch. Great courtyard, great Mayan food, beautiful wooden bar – and the Detroit Lions in the background!

More good food, though this has a lot more to do with Italian than Mayan culture. Beef carpaccio with avocado ... why didn't we think of that?

More good food, though this has a lot more to do with Italian than Mayan culture. Beef carpaccio with avocado … why didn’t we think of that?

And here's my idea of heaven. Late afternoon, small pool at our hotel, little bed, my Kindle.

And here’s my idea of heaven. Late afternoon, small pool at our hotel, little bed, my Kindle.

Selfie in front of El Castillo, notably free of climbing tourists

Selfie in front of El Castillo, notably free of climbing tourists

From Valladolid we made a day trip to visit the incredible ruins of Chichen Itza. One of the great cities of the Mayan world, Chichen Itza was mostly built in the second half of the first millennium AD.

I was here once before, 20 years ago, with my sister Jeanne. And what struck me most about this visit was how vastly different the whole experience was. When Jeanne and I were here, neither of us had ever been to Mexico before. We’d bought a really cheap package to come to Cancun with friends from my office for a weekend. Itching to get out of Cancun, the two of us rented a car and headed inland toward Chichen Itza. It felt like a bold thing to do, since neither of us had ever really driven in such an exotic place before.

Once we got to Chichen Itza we were rewarded with an intense storm that left the monuments drenched and glowing in beautiful light. We were free to climb anywhere we wanted, so we of course scampered up to the top of El Castillo, the pyramid that dominates the site. Despite the chains to guide our climb, it was still a bit scary to navigate the slick wet stone steps, especially as we watched the moody skies change colors. At the top we got some great photo opportunities.

Today, these monuments are swamped with over a million tourists a year. And this UNESCO World Heritage Site is far better protected from their ravages. Nobody is allowed to climb on anything. I am sure this is overwhelmingly a good thing for these awesome monuments to human achievement, but it sure made for a lot less fun.

Jeanne recklessly following the crowd up to the top of El Castillo in the good old days

Jeanne recklessly following the crowd up to the top of El Castillo in the good old days

You can't have fun like this any more at Chichen Itza

You can’t have fun like this any more at Chichen Itza

Jeanne poses with the iconic Chac Mool. Today you can't even get to where you can see him.

Jeanne poses with the iconic Chac Mool. Today you can’t even get to where you can see him.

Some cool details in 2014

Some cool details in 2014

Here I am, drenched from the storm, looking over the complex from atop El Castillo, in 1994

Here I am, drenched from the storm, looking over the complex from atop El Castillo, in 1994

And here I am having to look UP at things in 2014

And here I am having to look UP at things in 2014

Life in Valladolid revolves around the Parque Francisco Cantón Rosado.


Life in Valladolid revolves around the Parque Francisco Cantón Rosado.

Jim found a couple other Indians in front of city hall

Jim found a couple other Indians in front of city hall

Our first real stop in Mexico was in Valladolid, about two hours inland from Cancun by bus. Valladolid is the third largest city in the state of Yucatan, one of the three states that makes up Yucatan peninsula. Established by the nephew of the Spanish conquistador Francisco de Montejo in 1543, the town was named after the Valladolid that was then the capital of Spain.

Like so many colonial Mexican towns, life revolves around a central square, and here it’s called Parque Francisco Cantón Rosado. Pretty pastel buildings surround the square and line an avenue, the Street of the Friars, leading toward the lovely 16th century Convent of Sisal.

We only found a couple restaurants we really liked in Valladolid, but they were both quite nice. No problem: For three days here, we just rotated each day which one to do for lunch and which for dinner. We ate well (and cheaply) and enjoyed a great local musician on a couple nights.

The cenote in the middle of town. Minutes later we were down there swimming with lots of fish.

The cenote in the middle of town. Minutes later we were down there swimming with lots of fish.

Valladolid boasts several cenotes, including one right smack in the middle of town, just three blocks from the central square. What, you may ask, is a cenote? According to Wikipedia, it is a “natural pit, or sinkhole resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater underneath.” In practical terms, they are really cool places to swim, often very cave-like, extremely deep, with bright green water. Of the thousands of cenotes in the world, about half are in the Yucatan peninsula.

Merry-go-round

Merry-go-round

This guy is just starting to get his kite up

This guy is just starting to get his kite up

A terrific rain storm came and went in a short time, leaving some fun flooded streets for this guy

A terrific rain storm came and went in a short time, leaving some fun flooded streets for this guy

This guy is doing what Catholics are taught to do well -- collect money

This guy is doing what Catholics are taught to do well — collect money

It's a bit challenging to avoid carbs in Mexico, but this restaurant had a local melted cheese dish that fit the bill perfectly. It was a lot like a pizza with no crust.

It’s a bit challenging to avoid carbs in Mexico, but this restaurant had a local melted cheese dish that fit the bill perfectly. It was a lot like a pizza with no crust.

Cold cream of avocado soup is awesome on a hot steamy day.

Cold cream of avocado soup is awesome on a hot steamy day.