¡Hola amigos!

¡Hola amigos! Today is actually day 5 of our trip to Mayaland, so let me get you up to speed on what we’ve been doing.

Day 1 – land in cancun, stay at a “4 Star” hotel xbalamque in downtown cancun and eat dinner at an Israeli taqueria. This hotel isn’t actually 4 star. There IS an area where you can book a massage, but it’s definitely not what Americans would consider 4 Star. Expedia or whichever travel site we used misled us. Oh well, at least dinner is good. We had pickled cactus for the very first time. I miss home already and can’t wait to fly back. The hotel staff and restaurant wait staff are very friendly, but everything is new and scary nevertheless. =(… Good thing the police station is right next door.

Day 2 – we buy a Mexican SIM card! WoohoO! Text message us! Our number is +52 998 247 3323. Then we’re off to Isla Mujeres, land of pirate booty. This island is small, the sand is pristine, and the water is warm. Kind of warm. We find a hotel named Hotel Marcianito, and it is small but clean. Somehow the warm wind and sand quell our fears of being in a foreign land. Then again maybe it’s the cerveza Sol. =p Actually, I know why I felt more at home this day. We saw island cats and plenty of them. Large, small, newborn kittens roaming the island waiting for food. They were about half my cats’ size and some were semi-friendly. Hola gatitas!

Day3 – We highly recommend the snorkeling tour around Isla Mujeres. You will see incarcerated nurse sharks, performing dolphins and a turtle sanctuary with 6 day old turtles! The tour includes lunch of grilled king mackerel and other sides ~yummy. We see barracuda, lobster, grouper, and parrotfish which leads us to dinner! D ordered the Pulpo Ajillo [Octopus in Garlic Sauce] and Teresa ordered Langosta Especial [Grilled Lobster tails] and some Tequila of course. What a perfect day of snorkeling and munching!

Day 4 – Valladolid is a small town that we thought would be more interesting than it actually was. We visited Cenote Zica, a local sinkhole in downtown Valladolid and it was kind of interesting. Apparently there are underwater rivers all throughout the Yucatan, interconnected through the 9000 sinkholes, also the local source of clean drinking water. Hotel Maria de la luz is next to a church and central plaza. The highlight of the evening was the Dia de los Muertos eve preparations [Halloween eve] which included schoolchildren building huts for the dead. They were quite elaborate and had food, fire, and palm frond roofs. We saw them build the entire thing from ground up. We visited a loncheria [street vendor] for some tortas [spicy pulled pork sandwiches in fresh local baguette] delicioso! I’m still homesick and David kindly tries to remind me we’re not going to die.


Day 5 – Off to Chichen Itza~!!! Mayan ruins where human hearts were sacrificed. We crawl out of bed at 645 to catch the 715 bus to Chichen Itza, only to find out it is sold out. Boo. At least now there’s time for breakfast. We head to the café next door and fill our bellies with Chilaquiles con Pollo [Tortilla Chips with Chicken in Sauce with Melted Cheese] and Quesadillas con Pollo! Delicioso! We arrive at Chichen Itza and decide we need to hire a guide cause we don’t really know anything about the grandiose structures in front of us. David, our guide, graciously explains Mayan history and culture to us and answers every one of our monkey-brained questions. Apparently Mayans believe that the WINNER of the ancient Mayan basketball game is sacrificed to the gods, not the losers. I guess that makes sense cause it’s an honor to be meet the gods and go to wherever you go immediately, right? There’s a sink hole at Chichen Itza also, but this one is not for swimming or drinking from. It is for jewel laden human sacrifices to the rain god that lives in it to pray for rain. Apparently there is quick sand on the bottom so even if the human sacrifices wanted to escape their tragedy, they cannot cause they dive right into the quicksand. Que pobre! We leave Chichen Itza for Merida on a bus and find Casa San Juan, a colonial era hotel with a nice innkeep. I’m physically and mentally exhausted from all this backpack carrying, dusty road walking and bus taking but everything is so beautiful and the food is good. The dichotomy of ancient Mayas vs. Spanish colonial towns melts together in Mexico. There is reverence for both the Catholic church and ancient Mayan traditions. It seems like the Yucatecan people recognize their ancient heritage and have come to terms with Spanish slavery and forced religious conversion. The Yucatecan people are proud to be Yucatecan. We wander into Restaurante Kantun and find Snail/ Shrimp/ Octopus/ Crab Ceviche and a battered and fried stuffed filet of fish. Que rico!