Aug 20 – Today our plan was to visit the Cenote Zaci. Swimming in a “bottomless” cenote is on the ‘must do’ list of every tourist visiting Valladolid, and we are tourists, so off we go.
Google told us the Cenote would open at 9am. Having been in the Yucatán a while, we know not to set your watch by the times promised here. We arrived around 9:30, figuring we’d beat the afternoon crowds (when it is REALLY hot). The Cenote was not open, but the man said it would open at 10. We waited with the other tourists, striking up a conversation with a nice young couple from France.
There is the Cenote – 130 feet deep and blue and just waiting to be jumped intoWe waited some more, and more of the hopeful tourists wandered away. After another while we decided to cut our losses and see what else Valladolid had to offer us today. Oh well!Jim navigated us to Casa de los Venados, a private home owned by an American collector of Mexican folk art. This is a mural in the entrance foyerThe house is huge (23 bathrooms!) and each room is just filled with colorful art pieces. We were given a guided tour by David, a local Mayan who answered all our questions and let us take our time examining the pieces.An outdoor dining area A shapeshifter Stained glass in one of the bathrooms There is a room filled with tributes to Frida Kahlo Dine with famous Mexican heroesDinnerware created for the house There was so much more, but you get the idea! A worthwhile morning!
Aug 19 – This morning we got up early to catch a collectivo to visit the ruins of the Mayan city Chichen Itza. We arrived at the collectivo stop a little after 7, knowing that the 15 passenger van wouldn’t leave until it was full. Thankfully, this collectivo had air conditioning – an unexpected bonus!
It took about 45 minutes for the drive to the ruins of the city. It was already HOT, and we were glad to have our sunbrellas and plenty of water.
Temple of Kukulcán – El Castillo is the largest structure
Chichen Itza thrived from the time period of approximately 600 – 1200 CE. Unlike other ruins we’ve visited, none of these monuments may be touched or climbed upon.
The Great Ball Court- the largest of Chichen Itza’s ball fieldsThe object of the game was to get the ball through the small stone circle on the wallA souvenir vendor showed us the size of the ball – a human skull may have been used to form the center How the game may have been played – no hands or feet on the ball, only hips and forearms The Temple of the Jaguars as it may have looked in its painted glory……and how it looks todayPlatform of VenusThe buildings are carved with lots of serpents……and lots of skullsThe Temple of a Thousand Warriors, represented by a thousand pillarsAncient tic tac toe?The Observatory – the windows line up so that the sun shines through on equinoxes Rudimentary archesThe Yucatán doesn’t have a river system, but a series of deep sinkholes that are used as sources of water. The Cenote (Sen OH tay) Sagrado provided all the water for this city.The Maya had a very complex calendar system A typical Mayan house with thatched roof So many masks – faces surrounded by the teeth of a jaguar for protectionSweaty? Oh yes – but a great day!
Aug 17 – One more good breakfast in our little kitchenette, and we are off to find the ADO bus terminal to purchase tickets to Valladolid, about 2 1/2 hours to the east. We allowed plenty of time to get some lunch, but the line for tickets was so long we ended up buying a Subway sandwich and eating it on board. The bus was big and air conditioned, and we got to see a movie about a soccer team!
A long line at the bus station – lots of people on the move
We are going to Valladolid (Buy a doe LEED) because it is the nearest town to the pyramids of Chichen Itza. Most touristas breeze through here on a bus from a Cancun resort or a Cozumel cruise ship, but we’re here to see what there is to see!
We are staying at a little hotel called Kinich Ahau, named for the Mayan sun god, and run by Anna. Our room faces the pool, and Anna will cook our breakfasts.
Google Maps showed a plethora of restaurant options within minutes of our place, so we took our hungry selves out in search of dinner. Where were the restaurants? Although Google showed menus and photos and reviews, no restaurants could we see. A mystery.
We eventually found a fast food place called Mr. Taco that filled our bellies with pork and gobs of cheese, but this was definitely not health food. Jim asked Anna if he could use her kitchen to cook up some chicken vegetable soup, so we stocked up at the grocery. Problem solved. Tomorrow we explore.
Aug 18 – We got up early to beat the heat, and decided to use our sunbrellas for the walk to the city center. We headed to Convento de San Bernadino de Siena, built in the 1500s.
The Convento A retablo over the altarA Jesus in the retablo has movable arms and kneesThe Convento courtyard This Mary reminded me of my Patty Playpal doll from the 60’sSome old frescoes have recently been uncoveredThere is a cenote behind the Convento, covered by a grillA pretty placeWe walked down a main street and were surprised to see shops open on Sunday. A purveyor of local honey stopped us and we sampled her wares – some spicy!Lots of motos Street art! The first we’ve seen on this trip Our next stop was the Templo de San Servasio.Parishioners are gathering for mass with many babies and toddlers dressed in white for baptismAt the side of the church, who should we spy but our old friend St. James! Surprisingly, the signage didn’t mention Santiago, but told a story of the Christ child secretly feeding prisoners who had no family to bring them food.And we found the answer to the restaurant mystery – walking home in the middle of the day, we saw the names of the restaurants we were looking for last night on…food carts! They are open for business, then around 4 or 5pm they pack up and go home.There are lots of kissing benches around town. This one is just outside our roomWhat better way to end the day than a leisurely swim in a shady pool? A fine day. Ahhhhh!
Aug 16 – What should we see today? I wanted to visit the Museum of Modern Art, which wasn’t open when we passed by yesterday. Today there was a big sign saying it was open, but the guard at the door said not yet. We walked around for a half hour and went back. 🤷🏼♀️ Still not open. Oh well.
We like this little pilot on a paper airplane – looks like a Minion!Christ of the Blisters, behind a locked gate
We strolled back over to the cathedral, and they were between services, so we got in! Pretty stark inside, but we were looking for a statue in the side chapel called Christ of the Blisters. Legend says the statue was carved from a tree that was hit by lightning and burned all night without charring. It was also the only object that survived the fiery destruction of the church in the town of Ichmul (though it was blackened and blistered from the heat). The statue was moved to the Mérida cathedral in 1645.
Worshipers waiting to enter the chapel of Christ of the Blisters
We moved on to the Governor’s Palace to see the famous murals. They are huge, and there are a lot of them. The descriptions are printed in Spanish, English and Mayan. I asked a guide if people still spoke Mayan and she assured me they did – 9% in Mérida, and about 25% in the Yucatán overall.
The Governor’s PalaceSome of the murals were of patriots (above) and some had many interwoven elements (below)Natives enslaved by the Spaniards (the shadowy white figures on the right)Big feetA detail of a large mural, showing a serpent and an eagleNext was the interactive Museo de Musica. I expected to see children, but it was all adults with headphones on, listening to classical and Latin musicWe stopped into an open church and encountered life size statues similar to ones we saw in Spain – a full size Jesus above the altarFull sized Last Supper figures next to the altar I thought this painting was interesting – Jesus cutting down evil perhaps?We stopped for lunch at our favorite hole in the wall restaurant, then retired for a siesta. It didn’t rain this afternoon, so we took a dip in our shady pool. Very nice! Tomorrow we move on…
Aug 14 – As we were unable to get provisions last night due to the power outage, we set out early this morning to find some breakfast. Still lots of flooding on the streets, but the sidewalks were okay. We had to navigate around some pretty deep puddles when crossing roads. Thankfully, drivers were considerate and didn’t speed up to splash us (as often happens to me when walking the dog at home!)
We found a nice little restaurant where Joél (pronounced Oh EL) conversed with us while our huevos rancheros were cooking. He said this is the wet season, and the flooding is normal as it rains every day. In September it will get cooler and the rain will stop. He asked if we lived in Mérida, as many expats live here due to safety and the many cultural offerings.
Joel brought us some excellent huevos rancheros – fried eggs on a tortilla covered with a tomato sauce, served with fryol (puréed black beans)We planned a short day of exploring, so we could acclimate to the temperature here. It is HOT! We walked 15 minutes to Centro Mérida, the main city square, which was totally torn up and being renovated.Jackhammers and cement dust everywhere Our first stop was the Catedral de San Ildefonso, built in 1541 by the Spaniards from the bricks of the Mayan temple that formerly occupied the siteCarving above the main door was cemented over due to anti-Spanish sentiment during the revolution, and has now been restored Statues of Saint Peter and Saint Paul on either side of the entrance Unlike many cathedrals we have visited, this one celebrates Mass every hour throughout the morning, then closes in the afternoon. Tourists don’t seem to be welcome, with a guard at the door to keep non-worshipers out. I snapped a photo from the doorway, which shows an extremely large crucifix above the altar. That’s all we got to see.
The day was quickly heating up, so we set out to find a grocery store and get some provisions for our stay. Jim looked at his phone and told me the name of the store, and a local came right over to tell us that the store was closed, and gave us helpful directions to another. He said that lots of things have closed in Mérida. Helpful person of the Yucatán!
The store was only a few blocks away, but I was pouring down sweat even though we stayed on the shady side of the street. Jim got eggs, cheese, bread and the makings of a spaghetti dinner. Our kitchenette has a single burner hot plate, a microwave, one pot and one pan, so Jim had to think of things he could make with limited resources.
The supermarket had a good selection, but the checkout lines were long and slow.
That was enough for one day, so we picked up some lunch and brought it home to eat in the air conditioning. A good first day!
I like statues with birds on their heads
Aug 15 – After Jim made us a yummy egg, fruit, coffee and toast breakfast, we were ready to face a new day. Back to Centro we went.
Our first stop was Casa de Montejo, a museum housed in a manor built by the Spaniards in 1540. The carvings above the door show Spanish conquistadors standing on the heads of the locals.Look at the screaming heads being crushedLovely old furniture Beautiful inlay and murals on the ceiling Upstairs there was an art display with some pretty strange photosWoman with iguanas on her headI liked the colorfully painted wood carvingsWe stopped at a famous eatery called Gorditas Doña Gorda, where we watched gorditas being shaped, cooked and filledThese are equivalent to the arepas we tasted in Colombia. Jim was very happy with his gorditaOur next destination was the Museo de Ciudad Mérida. Two statues of Saint James the Moorslayer, crushing MoorsIn this carving of the Nativity, Mary is missing her arm, and Jesus has lost his headWe stopped in at an open church, with a very native looking Jesus:Hanging near the entrance was my favorite sign for the day: respect the church!
Back toward home to pick up another Menu del Dia to eat in the air conditioning. Shortly after we got inside, the rain poured down. Unlike at home, when it rains, it does not get one degree cooler. A good day!
Aug 13, 2024 – Has the summer been hot where you are? It’s been plenty hot in Virginia. So why would two old people fly south to a place that’s even hotter? In August?
Jim was asked to speak at a conference in Mérida, and you know our motto: once you’ve paid the airfare, you may as well hang out a while and see what there is to see. So here we go!
The Yucatán is the ‘fishhook’ end of Mexico, a peninsula shared with Guatemala (where we’ve been), and Belize (where we’ve not been yet). Our first destination is Mérida, named fondly by the Spanish conquistadors after Mérida, Spain, where we’ve also been! Small world and getting smaller…
Although Jim booked our flight with only one stop in Atlanta, the airline canceled and shuffled us into an additional stop in Mexico City, Although we’d been to this airport before, it was a real challenge to get through Customs and find the gate for our connecting flight to Mérida. When we finally found the gate, passengers were already boarding. Whew!
We reached our destination in the early evening (Mexico is two hours behind eastern time), Knowing that there are no restaurants near our room, we stayed at the airport and had a lovely supper of Yucatán cuisine favorites.
Poc Chuc – thinly sliced pork marinated in orange juice, served red onions, tortillas, black beans and fresh salsaPachucos – shredded pork on corn tortillas – Jim pronounced the haberñero sauce sufficiently hot!
Fortified, we hit the ATM for some pesos (approximately 20 pesos to the US dollar), and arranged a taxi for the 20 minute drive to Hotelito Yum Kaax. We knew that it had rained earlier in the evening, but were surprised by the deep flooding on many of the roads. When we reached our address, the street was totally dark and we had to use my phone’s flashlight to manage the digital entrance code. We got into our room and had our fear confirmed- the electricity in the area was out and it was absolutely dark. And hot.
We brushed our teeth by phone-light and got into bed – what else could we do?
After about half an hour of lying absolutely still and trying not to sweat, the power came back on – hallelujah! So here we are in our air conditioned room with great wifi, and a little kitchen with a fridge containing two cans of welcome Mexican beer. Life is good!
Feb 26 – Jim cooked us a last breakfast, then we Ubered to the Cartagena airport. An hour and a half later, we were back in Bogotá. Back to long pants and sweatshirts.
We walked out to our Wingo plane
We communicated like crazy with our new host, so we knew the name of the building and what it was near. Cabbie got us right to the door!
There was a Moroccan restaurant right near our high rise, so we stuffed ourselves with lentil soup, couscous, falafel, veggies, and tabule.
A Moroccan feast. Yum!
Feb 27 – We’re in a different part of the city now, not in the historical center. There are high rises all around.
A more modern part of the city
Our plan was to walk back to the Botero museum and pick up a plate for our wall, but, best laid plans… the museum is closed on Tuesday!
A Botero sculpture seen from the taxi
Oh well, we walked around the city, saw some more llamas and lots more wall art.
Can’t have too many llamas!A busker waiting for a customer Is that Salvador Dali?Here’s a strange one
Happy to report that on our very last day in Colombia, we found the Encanto arepas of my dreams. Like sweet cornbread, grilled, stuffed with cheese and topped with butter. Julietta would be proud. A delicious end to our holiday.
Arepas to die for!
A few souvenirs, and we were done.
Wooden saintsMasks for Jim’s collection A big plate from Bogotá, and a small plate from Cartagena And a set of Botero coasters
Feb 28 – Up at 5:30 for an Uber to the airport, a 5 hour flight to Atlanta, a four hour layover, then a 90 minute flight home. Our dog Winston was happy to see us, and we are happy to be home.
Feb 23 – Even though I have no real news to report, I will now share things to do during the beach part of your vacation.
Go to the beach every morning. We walk along the shore, getting accosted every five feet by touts wanting to rent us a chair or umbrella or sell us sunglasses. Jim is a strong swimmer and wanted to swim in the surf, but before he got past his waist, the lifeguard told him, “No mas!”
Come back, Jim!Do you think the pelican sees himself as an egret?
Shop at different food markets. Jim loves to compare foods available in different areas and devise recipes that contain local flavors. Did you know that milk comes in a plastic bag here? Not refrigerated, just on the shelf. You buy eggs singly, or by the 15.
Bring home fruits that you can’t identify. Here’s a test:
Can you name these fruits?
The one on the left has skin like an orange, but looks very different inside. It is a lulo, or naranjilla, used for juice (with added sugar), but considered too sour for eating out of hand. We juiced it and found it orangey and delightful.
Lulo or naranjilla
If you thought the center fruit looked sort of like a tomato, you were correct. It is a tamarillo, or tree tomato. Cut it in half, then scoop out the dark center portion with a spoon. Jellylike, sweet and delicious.
Tamarillo
The third one had us stumped, and Google was no help based on the outside. Was it a pear? A potato? Nothing to do but cut it open. Aha! Once we saw the inside, we immediately knew by color and aroma that we had a strawberry guava! It had lots of hard little seeds, but that didn’t stop us from gobbling it down.
Strawberry guava
Go to a different restaurant for lunch every day.
Best seafood placeWhole mojarra, coconut rice and plantain
Engage with the street vendors. This is Jim’s favorite. He likes to ask the guy selling flip flops if he has a pair for him (pointing to his size 13 feet). The poor guy never does.
Sit on your balcony and watch the traffic below. This is a pleasure I did not expect. It is cool and breezy, and the motos and cars provide a mesmerizing hum. Watching the progress of the little yellow taxis, the mergings and turnings, is simultaneously relaxing and exciting.
Swim in the pool. No explanation needed.
Go back out onto the balcony after supper and appreciate the full moon.
Feb 20 – Today is a travel day. A one hour bus ride will take us from Minca to Santa Marta, then a short cab ride to the next station, where we will get on a different bus for the four hour ride back to Cartagena.
Beautiful sunrise
We had one last sunrise, one last breakfast, then moseyed down to the bus stop.
An Indígenia family at the bus stop; parents dressed in white
This time our long ride was in a 15 passenger van, instead of a big bus. That was okay, as we were the first to get on, and got to sit together.
Jim bought an arepa with egg inside, and pronounced it good
When we stayed in Cartagena last time, we were in the historical walled city of Getsemani. This time Jim rented us an apartment in a high rise about two miles further down the beach, in the area called Bocagrande.
At every new place we stay in Colombia, we have only an approximate address. Their street numbering system is a mystery. Google points to a place that is definitely not it, but we are always roughly within a half mile. We have been saved several times by cab drivers who figured out where we wanted to go without a specific address.
We thought we’d figure out the system as we went along, but no such luck. Today’s Uber driver dropped us off in front of a promising looking building, but it was not our building. Several helpful passersby sent us off in all four directions. One even had an app on his phone that purported to figure out Colombian addresses, but he couldn’t give us an answer. We texted our host and asked for a clue. Once she gave us the name of the building, we had no trouble finding it, and had, in fact, been by it several times.
By the time we were done walking back and forth, I felt like this guy!
The winds blew at what felt like gale force along the beach, and there were even waves in our pool!
The wind blew the palm trees, , and pushed the water right out of the pool
When we got to our apartment on the 17th floor, the wind was screaming all around us, but everyone else was taking it in stride, so I guess we were in no danger of blowing away.
Here is our beach View to the right…and a few hours laterView of the Bocagrande …and a few hours later
We are here for a week of swimming and relaxing. If I have any news to report, I’ll let you know!
Feb 19 – Today’s plan is to hike a mile up the mountain to see the local waterfall, Pozo Azul (blue pool). After a fine coffee, scrambled egg, fruit, and pancake breakfast provided by our hostess Aura, we set out early in an attempt to beat the heat.
Hummingbirds entertained us as we ate breakfast
No such luck. Have I mentioned that it is HOT? Even in the morning when the thermometer reads 75, the real feel is already 90.
Jim loves walking uphill
While a mile of walking is nothing for us, a mile uphill in the heat was enough for me to acquiesce to the two moto drivers who offered to take us to the top. The drivers were very solicitous, taking the corners slowly and not trying to scare the bejeezus out of me. Helmets? Who needs helmets?
They dropped us off where we paid the entrance fee for Pozo Azul. From there, it was another mile walk down to the waterfall, jostling and bumping with the tide of humanity all headed for a dip in the water.
So many people!
There was a tent where you could buy insurance before going down to the water – do people die doing this?
The falls are small and pretty The rocks are wet and slippery
After admiring the view (I never got close enough to the water to stick a toe in), we started back across the rocks. I was startled to see a man carrying an old woman on his back, her legs dangling limply in the air. Behind him were two family members carrying Granny’s wheelchair! I wondered where they would find space to set her down, and I guess we’ll never know.
The walk back was pretty solitary – I guess folks go for the whole day – and before too long we were back in Minca.
An interesting chimney Back in MincaLots of trinkets for saleWe passed a little church …with a groovy Jesus inside An artist painting angel wings on a wall
We had another lunch that couldn’t be beat, in a riverside restaurant that featured a large parrot.
Our riverside viewSeñor LoroJim opted for the local fish
Taking Our Time 