SFinUS23

We have a big day ahead of us today. Temperature goes from over 30 to +11 from the tropics to snow. Sill lots of it in our yard. I Am up early to sit at the pool listening one last time to all the birds waking up. Its a fairly leisurely start as we don’t fly until after 5pm We walk over for a last lovely breakfast by the pool at the ayaland hotel, say goodbye to our new friends there (with hugs from them!) It’s a bit cloudy which is better for driving in the heat. There are few construction holdups today but about half an hour from the airport total mayhem on the roads around Cancun lets loose. Ted is cool as usual and nobody hits us even though it looks possible several times! We drop the car at a jam packed Europecar depot. There are no lines at Preferred checkin with Westjet, our local airline that flies direct from Cancun to Calgary in 5.5 hours. The 28 premium economy seats are wide and comfortable and they serve us a mot bad deal of Thai veggie curry en route, and lots of snacks ...

It’s our last full day in Mexico and we are determined to enjoy every little minute of it. Another lovely breakfast of fresh orange, tropical fruits, a basket of home made pan dulces (breakfast breads), eggs how you like it (usually Mexican with veggies and cheese and sometimes ham too).    We take a trip to the nearby village eof Piste to top up the gas tank, buy some snacks for the journey home then back to spend the afternoon at the pool, with a few other quiet guests!    We finally have to repack after a. Month on the road with a car when we just threw stuff in bags and drove off. It all seems to go back in the two suitcases. But we have a couple of loose bags and beautiful handmade hots in addition now. We have acquired very little here.    At 5:30 it’s a nice walk back to Mayaland hotel for simple dinner of sopa de lemon (lime chicken soup which I love, chicken fajitas, and their home-made lime, Pina and passionfruit sorbets. 

We anticipated crowds here (it is only a one hour drive from Cancun so many many bus trips come here) so are up early. Breakfast here is basic, slowish and $42. In the past both hotels here had access to the ruins directly but since Covid that is shut off so we drive about 5 minutes, easy parking at 8:30am and virtually no lineup to get in. It seems mostly European tourists are here with a smattering of Americans. Who ever knows who are Canadians but there ar probably some here as they come to Cancun in droves now.   Driving in, the touts are already out to sell you goods and be your guide. Don’t stop til you park. When you enter the grounds it is rathe like arriving at the Great Wall in China. Lines and lines of merchants selling trinkets and trash. Nobody is push when you politely either say no or just start to ignore them. There are a few beggars and elderly ladies who have painstakingly embroidered white handkerchiefs to sell in the ruins. Every road around the ruins is crowde...

I’m up early to listen to the birds do their waking routines but still no toucan eating the datas from the huge palms. The German group has left so we have breakfast on the pool patio almost alone, and after a brief swim, pack and are off by noon.     It’s a slow trip through the Mayan villages across the peninsula and avoiding the major road works on the toll road. Fairs and circuses are getting ready for the Semana Santa holidays in some of the larger towns.  We stop at Santa Anna for ice cream and buy beer and ice, only to find on arrival at the hacienda they fine you US$50 for any time they find brought-in food or drinks in your room! They are serious about catering to their guests but only on their own terms. Reasonable enough I guess.   The elegant old hacienda is set in gorgeous tropical grounds with pools and fountains and we have the largest room in a 2-room unit. Not quite the opulence of Hacienda Uxmal but with a beautiful pool surrounded by palms and tr...

The Mexicans celebrate Semana Santa (Holy Week) big time but there is no sign of it anywhere here. We did see some of the members in a Catholic Church last week weaving palms like crosses preparing for services this day. Our room maid tells us her village will be celebrating. We are now having breakfast at the nearby Mayaland hotel, where we stayed 46 years ago. There is a magnificent view through the archway entrance of the “caracal” observatory building at the Chichen ruins, which glints in the sun in the morning and with sunset behind it at night. Magical!   Breakfasts are really good overlooking the pool and tropical gardens, and made to order with really friendly staff to chat to and improve our Spanish, and their English.    Today we set out on the Rita Puuc, a drive of about 3 hours to visit some of the lesser-known ruins. There are 1000 year old temples on lands inhabited for 7000 years. There are few others at the sites. At Labna, you can climb all you want, bu...

We have an astronomical phenom right now with Venus kissing the Moon. They are close together. The night skies here in the jungle are amazing. I wish I knew more about them. I note Gemini is the centre of the universe - didn’t I know that already? (I am a Gemini…)   We sit on the rocker on our terrace listening to the frogs settle down for the night (or amorous frogs getting cranked up), watching the bats whizzing past eating insects, little tree frogs, geckos and a huge butterfly on our ceilings. There’s an observatory close by but we settle for our balcony views.   One drawback, due to lack of customers probably, is they serve breakfast on the patio by the pool but for candlelight dinner you walk about 5 minutes down the road to a small sister hotel with a lovely outdoor palapa (grass roofed) open pesto by the 3 swimming pools and fountain. A pleasant place to have dinner.    I ordered shrimp pasta which was a mass of spaghetti, 6 frozen, overcooked prawns, and ...

Your first sight is of an enormous grand staircase from the lower parking lot by the palm studded fountain and elegant gardens. Parked nearby is the antique land rovers and modern porches. The historic hotel is full of museum pieces and old photographs throughout. Notable guests have been QEII, Jackie O, Indira Ghandi, Prince Rainier and Princess Grace, and notable Mexican politicians and famous citizens. It’s. Been a world heritage site since 1989. Vestiges of Mayan buildings remain throughout the grounds. It is almost opposite the entrance to the Uxmal ruins.   Inside you go up another grant staircase to the 2nd floor where all rooms overlook the gorgeous gardens and pool. Birds, birds, birds everywhere welcome you and at night call of tree frogs and insect is almost deafening.    Older staff at this family-owned grand hotel quietly cater to the guests, women in traditional white cotton embroidered huipils (dresses) and men in white suits. Most don’t speak English. A ...

Breakfast on the pool patio is lovely, with fresh juices, tropical fruit places, eggs as you like them, fresh bread and pastries (not tortillas!) and of course always black beans.   Off early it’s now $90 to visit the gorgeous ruins but we are in awe at the beauty of the site still. It would be $120 to see the 45 minute light show later, which we duck.) Its is not too crowded with large groups as they arrive by bus after 10 or 11am. It’s a world heritage site now so preservation is apparent everywhere.    After 2 hours I grab a Pina/coc cold drink and we come home to strip off the soaking clothes and drive north to Muna, to get gas and check out the local restaurants. Some have bus tours outside (skip that) but we find a lovely local place in a garden with pool where local families and groups are happily finishing lunch. They eat their main meals midday here and it is always very quiet in the evenings. Pretty much no English is spoken but they make excellent guacamole a...

It’s sunny and 36 again but we are off driving north to Uxmal, one of the major Mayan ruins in the Yucatán Peninsula. It is now overrun with visitors and you can’t climb on any of the temple ruins as we did 46 years ago. We follow narrow country lanes through ancient Mayan villages amid rich agricultural land. It’s a slash and burn agriculture here in places still and they are burning. We soon reach the gorgeous 16th century hacienda which will be home for 3 days. We are upgraded to the Jackie Kennedy suite, full of many photos of her visit here in 1968. Our bathroom is outdoor - but glassed in so you can enjoy the tropical forest, the starry night sky - with a huge jacuzzi bathtub which I won’t use. Our terrace overlooks a beautiful pool, lily pond and huge palm trees full of chattering birds. Bath products are all made from the local honey in dainty packages with fabric woven lids! Quite exquisite.   WE are greeted with cool watermelon juice and in our room later a tropical frui...

WE decide a day of shopping around is in order. And visit the deserted Bazaar des Artesianas, where young artists ply their trades to few tourists. Covid has destroyed much of their livelihood here but I pick up a few small gifts there. The Mayans have been making chocolate for millennia so it’s a last visit to the chocolate store on the plaza for gifts for home. Ted has finally given into buying a small bottle of Tequila Anejo (old) to see him through til it’s time to go home.   At 4pm  we drive down the male con to another waterside restaurant but it’s rather disappointing but for a short while with deafening live music, like many other places on the water here. Lots of boccadillos (nibbles) have quantity but not quality, there’s a strange hot drink of tomato juice, fish stock and chili (pass!), The seafood soup here is overcooked and the shrimp in garlic overcooked too. So sad in this haven of good fish and seafood. A last stroll along the malecon after sundown and return ...

We take off on a road trip of about an hour though a vast agricultural area for corn, sugar, pineapple, Chaya (like spinach.) We pass huge construction sites where the Mexican government is building a railroad right across the Yucatán Peninsula to link all the major cities, a huge investment. There are fewer than 20 visitors here so we enjoy a welcome from the yellow tropical birds. You can actually climb these ruins but we are past the stage of summiting huge temples with iffy steps, but other younger visitors do. Painstaking reconstruction work is going on in the stifling heat and we can see huge rain god masks being recovered from the jungle deterioration.   At 1pm it is off through the sugarcane fields, huge trucks on the road manoevering through small Mayan villages where people still live in adobe huts with woven palm roofs. WE make a quick visit to the virgin beach coast with blue sky and sea views into Champoton for an ice cream then drive the coast road bak to Campeche. ...

First we drive to the Mayan Architectural Museum on the Bastion at Le Soledad. Many beautiful stones/pillars have been preserved here, along with an outstanding collection of gold jewelry with precious stones (emeralds) and a magnificent jade death mask.   Then we visit the Museo Al Palacio in the city hall/library for an interesting collection of exhibits of the history of this important maritime port city. Some retail therapy follows in town, we finally find the famous Mexican ice cream Michoacana store. Later we have dinner at one of the more upscale restaurants La Pagua with margaritas, beer, lots of nice nibbles, sauces, fresh breads and chips, then seafood soup and pompano stuffed with sweet peppers, and coconut cake with meringue. It’s a nice walk back as there are no light shows downtown tonight. 

We walk along the malecon (seafront) to the small botanical garden tucked into a 15th century fort wall, a bastion here. Then drive to Fort San.Juan just a few minutes away, for the marvellous museum of Mayan History, Architecture and Culture.      Later we end up on the seafront north of town to a nice local restaurant on the water, then only tourists there. A whole fresh fish fried with loads of garlic goes down well after an array of tapas: tuna tartare, squid ceviche, aioli dip/ The seafood soup is wonderful with big prawns, fish, calamari and octopus all just off raw as we like it in a great fish broth.