The Metro Market

Well, today was the last day of this trip unless you count the day of traveling back to the States. I try to do that especially when we have our first class upgrades, but it makes for a pretty boring blog post. So this will be it.
We left Merida this morning and flew on Aeromexico to Mexico City. We checked in at the Hilton Hotel right inside Terminal One - which is always tres convenient for next day travel. This time, though, we also picked it so that we could quickly drop off our luggage and head in to the city to visit the Museum of Anthropology. The original plan was to get a little more of a feel for the Mayans and other ancient Mexican cultures, and certainly we did. It's a great museum with amazing pieces so that now Michael is thinking we need to visit Aztec sites.
BUT, it wasn't only ancient societies and cultures that we observed today. You see, we took the metro from the airport to the museum. Now given that many of our friends would have had reservations about coming to Mexico in the first place, more of them would have hopped a cab rather than take the subway. However, the metro here costs 3 pesos. Seriously, 3 pesos. No matter where you go. That's less than 30 cents. To anywhere. How could we pass up that kind of bargain just based on the cost savings alone?
Yet, we got even more value than we bargained for. We got to study anthropology. From the young couples engaging in PDA's that were just this side of having actual sex to the vendors on the trains, it was truly enlightening. The salesmen were amazing. They were selling everything from 'chiclets' (in this case Orbit gum for 3 pesos a package or 2 for 5 pesos) to candy to otter pops to books to mix cds. The last guys must be part of a franchise because even though they were all selling different songs they all had the same cd player hooked to the similar 'backpack' speaker system and they'd play a few seconds of each song and then announce it like a radio dj.
It would drive me crazy if I had to put up with all of that on a daily basis, but we are still on vacation so it was just plain interesting. A little touch of Mexicana, so to speak.
So, signing off for now but not to worry. Our next trip is only a few weeks away: South Africa and Mozambique. Until then, Happy Trails.

Pool at Temozon (that is Michael)

How about that?

Just leaving the Hacienda and saw the photos of George and Laura Bush and others of Bill Clinton at Temozon. Don't know that we have ever stayed somewhere a President has stayed. (Let's be serious. Pretty sure we've never before stayed anywhere a President would stay. )
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Hanging at the Hacienda

You’ve probably been wondering what’s become of us. For those of you who might be worried that we’ve been kidnapped or that Tracy was stalking us and that we’ve fallen prey, we are fine. After all those days of getting up and moving on to the next Mayan ruins, we did plan in a day at lovely Hacienda Temozon less that 30 miles out of Merida. So yesterday all we did was have a late breakfast, drive out to Temozon and relax. It is VERY quiet here – like every place we’ve been but more so since we are out in the middle of nowhere. Only saw three other couples since we arrived. When it was a working ranch – back in the day – it covered about 6,600 hectares. Now it’s less than 40. But still pretty isolated.

After lunch (I actually took a chance on my first salad in too many days), we hung by the pool and even IN the pool for the afternoon. Dinner on the veranda overlooking the pool and then a restful night’s sleep in a luxurious bed. This morning after breakfast we are back sitting by the pool waiting to head back into Merida for another night.

The one thing that we were unaware of was that last night was the beginning of the Independence Day celebrations all over Mexico. (Cinco de Mayo commemorates the victory over the French and is apparently a much bigger party in the US than in Mexico.) Last night in Merida there would have been fireworks and partying in the streets. And today there should be parades and more partying. We have no idea if we will have difficulties getting back to our hotel since it is only two blocks off of the main plaza. But for now, just more resting.

 

Here's the quiz of the trip

As promised, here is your brain teaser. The real question will be whether or not the ability to answer this question is age-dependent. When we were leaving Campeche with Tracy in tow, she asked for our help. She had seen these 'things' all over town and had taken pictures of them hoping to be able to identify them at some point. Perhaps we could help her. Maybe we knew what they were.
As she was finding the images on her camera to show to us, I was wondering - were they something architectural? cultural? functional? what could this mystery item be that she saw so many of that she was so curious about their origins.....and most importantly would I look like an idiot when I didn't know?
So let's see if you can identify this mysterious, exotic creature:

Here's one:

Here's another:

And just in case, the rear view of another pair:

Seriously, No, I'm not kidding.
Just how damn old am I now that mature, educated individuals traveling on their own in foreign countries have no idea what a VW Bug is?
*BTW they are everywhere here. These four were taken in a one block walk after dinner tonight. I don't even need my reading glasses to pick them out of the crowd. Sheesh!

Chichen Itza

Off early again to beat the busloads of tourists that drive almost 3 hours from Cancun to visit this site so at least it wasn’t crazy crowded when we walked through. Tracy was right, though. It’s not nearly the same kind of awesome as Uxmal. It is big. It is impressive. It does have the observatory that you don’t see elsewhere.
It does have the largest, best-preserved ball court. But the ball court was closed so we didn’t actually get to see it.
You do see columns here that we did not see at other sites. But the vendors are EVERYWHERE. And you can’t go into any structures. And you can’t climb any pyramids (which really broke my heart coz I was looking to take a run up another one).

It is interesting to see in the one photo the difference between the pyramid’s maintained/reconstructed staircase on the left (see the little wee man working there?) and the au natural one on the right.
 

We also did find a jaguar even if it was a carved one.  But what is he doing hanging out with that crazy, cuckoo for cocopuffs bird?


Finally we did stop at the cenote ikil (the natural freshwater pools deep in the post-meteor-crash cracks in the earth). Michael didn’t swim, but I felt obligated. Suffice it to say that the water was not as warm as my swimming pool in Anguilla, the fresh water is NOT particularly buoyant, and I’m not keen on bumping into fish every other stroke.

But now: been there, done that, check.

Pyramid of the Magician at Uxmal (Didn't post earlier)

 

 

From: Michael Paul [mailto:mapaul.dvm@gmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, September 14, 2011 7:47 AM
To: 'solucky1.blogpost@blogger.com'
Subject: Pyramid of the Magician at Uxmal

 

 

Just when you think you've seen it all

After Monday’s rather disappointing trek through the jungle to view the not so picturesque ruins in Calakmul, we were feeling somewhat disenchanted with the prospect of seeing more Mayan ruins. That is, however, why we came here so we endeavored to soldier on. Our new friend, Tracy, was sure that she was finished with ruins but in accepting our ride to Merida she pretty much had to come along. Thank heavens we all did.

Uxmal is Gorgeous. Stunning. Awe-inspiring. And Picturesque to the nth degree. The pictures we’ll post are of the atypically oval-shaped Pyramid of the Magician or Prophet depending on who you read but the story is something about a dude who hatched from an egg and grew to maturity in one day and built the Pyramid that night. Anyway, it’s a site to behold. The carvings on the buildings are extensive with birds here, turtles there, the occasional snake and billions of images of Chaac (the rain god) with his wide toothy smile and big, beaky nose.  

Tracy and I climbed up to the top of the Great Pyramid to take the panoramic images with the Pyramid of the Magician off to the right and Michael’s other photo of it was taken just as a light rain began to fall. I think the lighting somehow makes the trees look like they were photo-shopped in.

We finished our tour, grabbed a few beers and took off for Merida just as the daily 4P torrential downpour let loose. Tomorrow we are off to Chichen Itza. Now we are especially hesitant about seeing more ruins because Tracy (who already did Chichen Itza) was blown away by Uxmal. So it may be a letdown, but we can’t exactly stop now.

Meanwhile, get your thinking caps on because the traditional blog quiz will be coming up.

 

 

Us at Uxmal

From the Top of The Great Pyramid at Uxmal

It just doesn't look real

Cathedral in Campeche

Structure III from atop II at Calakmul

What a day

Jaeson asked if Mayan ruins are in the middle of town like the Parthenon.
Not hardly. And the ruins at Calakmul must be the extreme. We stayed at the closest hotel to the ruins and even that is nearly 1-1/2 hours of driving to the entrance of the park. Then about ½ hour walking to Structure II which is the tallest Mayan pyramid in the Yucatan. So round trip from the hotel, through just part of the ruins and back again to the hotel took 5 hours.
Have a traveling friend, though. The night before, after we were settled in our beds, we heard someone calling from outside our little hut. Tracy is traveling alone for a couple of weeks since finishing her master's at GWU inTrade Relations. There is no bus to the ruins so she would have had to rent
a taxi to take her up for $100US which is an enormous sum in these parts. So we agreed to take her with us. Given that we were the only tourist there when we arrived at 8:30A and when we left only 8-10 more had arrived, it probably would have been a bit creepy for her to be there alone. Plus, I had someone to climb to the top of that tallest pyramid with rather than doing it myself. Sadly, the photos of the pyramid are taken from the sky. You cannot appreciate its entirety from the ground but I'll post of picture
taken from the top looking at Structure III above the canopy.
Sadly no jaguar spotting. Lots of wild turkeys and we were startled by the eerie sound of howler monkeys on our walk through the Calakmul ruins, but no jaguar. At one point we must have been right under the monkey but just could not see him.
Tracy was also headed to Campeche so we brought her along on the 4 hour drive and dropped her off at her hostel before settling into our hotel. She's going on to Merida today, too, so we'll transport here there as well. Torrential rains engulfed us during the last hour or so of our drive here. And it was still raining lightly last night so we visited the plaza and had dinner and then crashed.
This morning we strolled along the water, had tacos for breakfast at a roadside cart and then some Mexican hot chocolate to top it off.
Just getting ready to head out now.

There is a bird in your hair

Nice neighborhood

It's a long way to Calakmul....

Up this morning to the Classical Mayan ruins at Palenque. Striking in as much as so many cultures independently developed similar (though clearly not identical) architecture and tombs and bas relief carvings. Photos to follow.
We were lucky to only have the sun peak through the clouds for a little while coz when it did...yowza. Even so a quick shower and change of clothes were called for before heading out on a 4-1/2 hour drive to Calakmul.
At the first of three police checkpoints we rolled down the windows to hear 'Disco Inferno'. At the third one the officer did not ask us to open the trunk again. He asked where we were going and then queried, 'Touristas?' Guess I thought that was apparent from a mile away.
Now we are at the Puerta Calakmul Hotel, a rather rustic place (even by our standards) but only one hour's drive to the ruins in the morning. (According to Frommers, most lodging is an additional 30 minutes down the road!)
So drinking some cerveza and using the wifi. Still waiting to encounter our first English speaking tourist (I would rather not count the young, toothless, southern belle who tried to hit us up for money at the gas station) let alone an English speaking native. Meanwhile, hoping to see a jaguar run through the jungle. Thought I saw a miniature black one cross the highway, but I may have been mistaken. I will keep you 'posted.'
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Safe and sound

Didn't mean to worry anyone unnecessarily. We have arrived. We were walking down the jetway when I was sending the last post. Flight was uneventful after that. Bags beat us to the carousel. Hertz was right outside the door but spent nearly an hour arguing in Spanish about the fact that the contract showed one price and the reservation showed another. Still not sure we worked it out - really won't know until the currency conversion gets done.
But the drive was fine. A perfectly good road all the way. The garmin gps actually works even though this trip did not require it.
The hotel is better than expected. And we followed Frommer's recommendation and ate on the plaza at Restaurant Maya which was very good.
Tomorrow: Mayan ruins begin in earnest.
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What did he say?

Well, we were up at 4:30AM to catch a 7AM flight to Mexico city so we could connect at noon:30 and arrive at Villahermosa at 2 with time to pick up the car and drive two hours to Palenque before it got dark.
Luckily the new Amex card got us into a lounge here but since then things have not gone so well.
Flight delayed 45 minutes. Then boarded onto the jetway where we stood for 20 min before the attendant came to announce what we took to be a five minute delay - either to finish cleaning (lavar) the plane or because the toilet was overflowing. Either way it was 35 minutes before they came to tell us, what I confirmed by speaking Spanish to the next passenger in line, was the need to change our plane entirely.
So we are waiting again for what I KNOW she said was 15 minutes to try again.
That was ten minutes ago. We shall see.
Really was NOT planning to take our first drive in Mexico through the jungle in the dark so counting the minutes: dieseseis, deisisiete, deisiocho...
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Desde folletos a zapatos

In the leather capital of Mexico so had to squeeze in a little shoe shopping (before the nutrition break at the taco place). Tons of shoes at the shoe mall and purses that are made in China using the same leather that Yves St Laurent uses. Would have considered getting one but I didn't care for the brass studs.
Actually didn't buy a purse especially after one of the sales women admired mine, said how nice it was, felt the leather, asked me if I got it here in Leon, and then was disappointed that I bought it in the States.
So still speakin' de Spanish izquierda and derecha. But could not understand what the one salesgirl was trying to say. So she signed on to google translation and typed it in. Viola! 'No credit cards, only cash, for sale items.'
What a world!
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Jeopardy

Alex, I'll take 'things you will never see sold together in the United States', please.
Especially in a veterinary conference exhibit hall. Not sure if the rifles are for hunting small dogs or if you buy the designer carrier so your Chihuahua can accompany you bear hunting.
Either way it makes for an interesting juxtaposition.
(Sorry about the image quality but these photos were taken with a blackberry that is so old that it would be considered the rotary phone of the smartphone era.)
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Best food so far!

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Another day, another peso

I was exhausted last night. Even the offsetting luxury of sleeping in an air-conditioned room has not rejuvenated me.

We are still in the business part of the trip so there are no lovely images of ancient Mayan ruins to post. Just sore feet and tired eyes and nobody wants to see that. Suffice it to say that only the boxes of brochures had arrived for our booth set up at the conference exhibit hall. No actual booth set up. So we walked back and forth from the hotel to the hall contacting people, tracking down tracking numbers and Mario and Josue and the guys trying to find them.

After a quick lunch at what is apparently a Mexican equivalent of Denny’s that featured a truly delicious mole, we were finally set up at 3PM. I thought I was going to have the luxury of an English speaking student to help me out because we were told that few attendees would speak English. We’ll the former was false and the latter is true making for a really interesting afternoon.  Luckily I used my trusty google translation tool to find important words like, los folletos, los archivos .pdf and pagina web.

Surprisingly I seem to be muddling through OK or at least folks are politely humoring me. Normally, I am always a little anxious at these events – worried about saying the right thing and sounding articulate and intelligent and not sounding stupid. Interestingly, that was not the case yesterday and I puzzled about it for a while. I’ve concluded that the difference is that I am surprisingly accepting of the fact that when I open my mouth here I am guaranteed to say something stupid and/or sound like an idiot. No wondering. No worries.

Regardless, today promises to be a really long day.

Estamos aqui en Mexico

After a night at the airport Hilton in Miami we have arrived in Leon, Mexico.

The American Eagle flight from DFW here was on a little regional jet…not the most comfortable aircraft for a two hour flight. But it got the job done.

Very little English is spoken so I am brushing up on my Spanish quite quickly, and we are getting by pretty well.

There is a veterinary conference here, and Michael is speaking. This is also my last time working the CAPC booth in an exhibit hall.

After three days of muddling through that, my Spanish should be muy bueno.

There’s a dinner tonight but we were hungry so we asked the hombre at the desk where we should go for local food.

He sent us to Almuerzos San Isidro a few blocks away. Very loc al indeed. Quesadilla - $1US (but without any sides or toppings). Enchiladas where the tortillas are not baked but dipped in sauce, fried and then rolled. And one of the cheeses on top looked like Manchego Cheese Whiz.

There was a stack of something by the door that looked like big slabs of chicarrones. And they were. Michael loves pork rinds, but we are accustomed to seeing them in little bits in bags not big pieces from which you break off plate size servings. Didn’t stop Michael from enjoying some, though. Hmmmm mmmm mmmm.