Chichen Itza, Izamel Tour

We took our final tour on Friday to Chichen Itza and the Yellow City of Izamel with Pedro. We really debated not going to Chichen Itza because we had heard that it is often crazy busy with tourists but we finally decided that we probably wouldn’t get another chance to go so we signed up. What a long day!!!!! Twelve hours in total and with entrance to the site and lunch it cost us each $55.00 Cdn dollars. It was worth every minute, because with Pedro you get so much more than a regular bus trip could ever provide.

There were nine of us (six from our complex) in the van and we left at 8am. The drive to the site (one of the new 7 Wonders of the World in case you don’t know) takes about two hours. On the way, we stopped in a couple of little towns inland. One of them, called Motul, had just about the cleanest food market we have ever seen outside Canada. It was spotless, as was the rest of the town. We only had about thirty minutes there unfortunately.

Our next stop was a huge bonus, as Pedro took us to the only remaining sisal factory in the Yucatan. It was fascinating to watch such a primitive process working with such outdated machinery. There is no such thing as workers safety here- bare feet around open hot running machines; no safety glasses or hearing protection even though it was so loud we couldn’t hear anyone talking; mules and donkey’s pulling carts of henequen (I don’t know if this is spelled correctly) agave to the mill, then out again when the fibers are processed to be dried in the sun, then again to the warehouse to be bound and cut to go to the factory in Merida to make rope.

Sisel fiber is what made multi millionaires of the families who owned haciendas in the Yucatan. These are the families who now own these fabulous beach houses on the coast. They mostly all still live in Merida and 80% of Cancun was built and is still owned by these people. We have been told that Merida as a city has the highest percentage of fabulously wealthy people in the entire world. This is believable because it’s the only place I have ever been where I have seen car dealers with huge inventories on the car lots: Jaguars, Mercedes, Lamborghini’s, Hummers, Land Rovers, Porsches etc. We just didn’t see regular dealers like Toyotas or Hondas at all!!!!

After the sisal factory tour we drove about another 45 minutes to Chichen Itza. We were prepared for a huge number of tourists when we saw at least 15 large tour buses in the parking lot….but it was surprisingly not too busy. The site is so large that even with lots of people, we never felt overwhelmed or crowded.

It is really magical seeing something so magnificent as the pyramids there. Having Pedro along to explain the symbolism of the hieroglyphics was perfect and really the only way to properly experience a place like this. Unfortunately, most of the buildings are off limits and cannot be climbed or touched. I guess this is understandable but I have to say we enjoyed Dzibilchaltun more because we were able to get into the buildings and really feel a part of the culture, which is lacking in Chichen Itza. There are also huge numbers of vendors inside the site. It sort of spoils the magic of a place like this!

After the tour we stopped for lunch at a wonderful restaurant just outside the site. We were very happy to have a great buffet lunch of mainly Mexican food while watching traditional folk dances!

On the way home we stopped in Izamal, the “Yellow City”. Wow. What a beautiful place. There are very few private vehicles, no buses and the citizens travel either by foot or horse drawn taxis. It is so very pretty and clean! The huge monastery has a very popular evening light show (all to the tune of chanting Franciscan Monks) twice a week. We couldn’t stay but Nancy and Mike did a couple of weeks ago and told us it was one of the highlights of their month long stay in the Yucatan.

This city is believed to be the ancient Yucatan capital. When the Spaniards arrived in the 1500’s they almost completely demolished the largest pyramid in Mexico in order to use the stones to build the cathedral and the square surrounding it. It is the largest square in the world after St. Peter’s in Rome. Never the less the remains of the original pyramid are still part of the city centre. It is at least a regular Canadian city block in diameter but only rises about one or two stories high, and then it just stops. It is tragic that it was destroyed! Nowadays, people have built homes- with basements that are part of the pyramid- and trees are growing out of the huge blocks of stone all the way up to what is left of the top.

Most of the buildings in the city are painted a beautiful yellow colour, which is why it is nicknamed “The Yellow City”. We have been told that this happened in the 1990’s to commemorate the visit of Pope John Paul II when he came to Mexico. It was so nice to get a chance to see it. I have a hard time believing I had never heard of this city before we arrived in the Yucatan!

Things We've Been Doing

This past week as usual has been busy. We came home one day from the laundry and found a note tucked in our door from John and Marilyn, who live down the beach in a very nice rental home. They came back to pick us up to take us to a little cocktail party they had in the late afternoon. Jim and Sharon were there, as well as another couple, John and his wife Alice, who drove us home later as they live only two doors away from us.

Nancy and Mike organized a huge bonfire on the beach Monday night. Gail and I dragged a lot of driftwood home to add to the fire. We bought a large package of wieners and buns and cooked hotdogs for most of the people in the complex. There were probably about thirty people there including Isidro and his wife Mercedes. They are the Mayan caretakers here. They speak no English but everyone had a great time communicating with them. They were really pleased to be invited and stayed until the very end. It was a great evening!

Wednesday we went back into Merida for one last visit. Pat and Paddy had to return their rental car so we went along with them. Afterwards, we took a double decker, open air, hop on hop off bus tour of the city. P & P’s grandson Avery was with us for the day so of course that made it a lot of fun for Gail. He is a sweet little boy and was amazingly well behaved. His parents are in Cancun for a week and Avery is staying with his two sets of grandparents. The other pair has a rental beach house about 2 kms away.

We had such a good time at John and Marilyn’s earlier in the week that we did the same thing Thursday afternoon from 3-6. We invited friends from along the beach and here in our condo complex. I made a few appetizers including fish cakes with real salt cod, which is sadly plentiful and cheap here, but the opposite in Newfoundland. They were a huge hit as no one but Gail and I had ever eaten them prior to our little party. Our large apartment shrank down quickly when almost twenty people filled it up! Nancy also brought a couple of yummy appetizers, which were quickly devoured. After the group from down the beach left, the party continued outside by the pool. Once again, just about everyone in the complex quickly threw together a wine and cheese and appy event. Of course the diehards, Karen, Gail, Pat, Paddy, Barb and Gerry carried on at Gail and Irv’s place (next door to us) until around midnight! Living in a place like this is so much fun because it is so small and intimate. Everyone knows everyone and because we are living in the sun and away from Canadian winters there is never an unhappy face! We constantly hear the weather reports from home, especially from Winnipeg, where at least half the people in our complex live. They gleefully tell us about the –30C temps there and in the next breath tell us that today it is +30C here!

Mayan Ruins and Cenotes

Our complex has seen an influx of new tenants this past week. At least half of the units are now occupied so it is fun to sit around the pool and meet our new neighbours. Last Sunday we went back into Merida for the day with Pat and Paddy. There was a free concert of Cuban dancers in one of the city squares. They were very good and energetic. It was over an hour long and every dance- at least a dozen- had a change of costumes, which were fantastic and colourful.

Our neighbour Wendy has a monthly dinner group in Winnipeg. Her turn was January and she told her friends that if they wanted her to host they would have to come to Mexico for it. So four of them did! Two women named Barb, Stan and Greg all came for a week. The Barbs and Stan all teach at the university there and Greg is an executive chef. Wednesday was Wendy’s birthday and the group hired a van and driver for a tour of the area. They wanted to fill the van so they invited us and Mike and Nancy upstairs. We had a fabulous day. Pedro, our guide, speaks perfect English as well as Spanish and Mayan. The Mayans do not consider themselves Mexican at all!! We left at 7:30 and our first stop about an hour later was in a little Mayan village where there is a daily market and wonderful street food. It was great having Pedro along because he advised about which food to try and which vendors to buy from. Next was another village with the only gothic cathedral in this part of Mexico. Later we were taken to a former sisal plantation to take a horse drawn trolley cart to three underground cenotes. All I can say is WOW WOW WOW!! Two of them had steep steps going down into the caves and Nancy was actually able to get Gail to come down backwards so she could go swimming. I have never seen water so gorgeous and blue. Gail said it reminded her of the Blue Grotto outside Capri in Italy. The third cenote was down a very steep ladder so we did not attempt it!

Our final stop was a late lunch of Yucatan food at a Hacienda. We sat outside overlooking the orange groves and had the most wonderful food, starting with Margaritas of course. Later in the evening we went to Wendy’s for a birthday party and another great meal cooked by Greg.

We had such a good day with Pedro that the two Barb’s, Greg, Pat, Gail and I went with him again a couple of days later. This time early in the morning he took us bird watching to see Egrets, Flamingoes, Herons, Eagles, Vultures and so many more that I will never remember. It was a thrilling experience.

After that we went to a Mayan site called Dzbilchaltun. We had gone to this pyramid site the previous week with Pat and Paddy. It is not as popular as Chichen Itza but it is in our neighborhood and well worth a visit. We did not mind going again, especially with a Mayan guide this time. There is a wonderful museum at the site and it was fascinating listening to Pedro explain the calendar system and show us how the sunrays hit the buildings on the equinox and solstice days. We were able to climb the pyramids there- I don’t think you are permitted to do this at Chichen Itza anymore. It was very very hot so we were glad to jump in the water at the above ground cenote at the site. The water was a lovely green and filled in places with blooming water lilies-very magical! On to another Mayan village where we went into a typical family home and saw the old grandparents weaving hammocks. People in the Yucatan traditionally sleep in hammocks and most of the homes have no beds at all. Actually in our condo each bedrooms has very heavy iron hooks imbedded in the concrete walls to hold hammocks. Even the wealthy people here sleep in them when it is extremely hot in the summer.

After that we were taken to the salt flats. In ancient times the Mayans had dug beds in the soil a few kilometers inland to trap the salt water when the tides were high. The area is below sea level and the flats still fill with salt water. They used the salt to stay hydrated in the heat and to trade with other people. The salt made the Mayans very wealthy. Nowadays the flats still exist and the local people poke wooden sticks into the mud flats below the water. Within hours or days the sticks are coated with sea salt. It is very interesting to see the process.

On the way home we stopped at a seafood restaurant where I had about the best fish fillet I have ever eaten.

Today is Sunday once again. We woke up to another Norte, which will probably last two or three days. We only have nine more days here before we take the bus to Cancun for our final week in Mexico.

The weather continues to be glorious! The strip of land where we are and where all these beautiful homes and condos are occupied is like a small peninsula along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The ocean is in front and directly behind us across the road is a marsh, which is probably about five or six kilometers wide. It is an important wetland for birds, especially flamingoes. On Wednesday we saw hundreds of these magnificent birds just behind our condo.

We had gone into Chicxulub where I had my hair cut, then on to Progresso where Gail had a manicure. There was a cruise ship in town so the streets were crowded and lively. The coast is so shallow that the longest pier in the world was built to accommodate the oil tankers and freighters that stop here. It’s 7 kilometers long and unfortunately because of the high security walking it is not permitted. Nowadays, cruise ships stop a couple of times a week. It’s perfect because as soon as the buses that pick up the passenger’s get to shore there is a fantastic warm sandy beach. I can’t remember anywhere else that a cruise ship docks in a place where passengers can just get off and play in the surf and sun. It’s also great for the people in the town who desperately need the tourist money.

On the way home we stopped for groceries and ran into an American couple, Jim and Sharon, from Minnesota. They are the only American’s we have met here. They don’t know of any other Americans here either-just Canadians! Sharon is a nursing professor at the University of Minnesota and Jim owns and runs a dairy farm. We met them last week and they stopped over for a drink one day. They offered us a ride home and took us to their rental for an hour or so. They have the most fabulous place with a private pool and beach. The master bedroom is on the top floor and is completely under a very romantic palapa. The home is magnificent.

Thursday we planned to take it easy and spend the day on the beach and beside the pool. We’ve learned in Mexico you cannot really make firm plans but need to go with the flow. Sure enough, we did go for a long walk on the beach first thing in the morning and then sat by the pool. Pat and Paddy came by and asked us if we would like to join them for an afternoon trip to Dzibilchaltun, which is a Mayan ruin about 45 minutes from here. Of course we jumped at the chance to go. What a fabulous afternoon we had. The ruins were quite spectacular but the best part was the cenote in the middle. It was so hot touring around- and I have to say it was not overcrowded with tourists- that when we saw this magnificent crystal clear emerald green water we knew we had to take a dip. I was a bit hesitant because the sides were a little steep but there were lots of Mayan kids and families there so I figured it had to be ok! Pat, Paddy and Gail hopped in and harassed me to come in. I’m so glad I did- the water was fantastic! Afterwards, we stood in the sun and dried off before heading back to Progresso where we stopped on the Malacon for a cerveza before coming home.

High season for snowbirds is finally starting. On the weekend at least five other apartments became occupied. It’s nice to have lots of other people to meet and talk to around the pool. More and more people are walking the beach and the towns of Chicxulub and Progresso seem to be more lively.

We’ve been told to expect another Norte in a few days. Hopefully it won’t happen but just in case we are trying to soak up as much sunshine as possible!

Week One 2008!

Here is the long delayed report on the first week in the Yucatan peninsula! We left Bucerias early morning on New Year’s Day. Our taxi was there bright and early at 8am and the drive to the airport was the quietest drive we had while on the west coast! There were hardly any cars on the road other than an ugly scene of a bad crash the night before. The driver told us four American girls were driving a Mercedes, which they had crashed while drunk on New Year’s Eve. Lucky for them they were not hurt but were probably in jail-think I’d rather be in hospital than a Mexican jail.

We stopped in Mexico City for about an hour to change planes- boy oh boy what a huge city! Flying over it seemed to never end. The second half of the flight was very rough and turbulent. We were over the Gulf of Mexico for the majority of the trip and the entire time was cloudy so we couldn’t see anything. We landed in rain, which very quickly turned into a torrential downpour. Barbara, our landlady, met us to take us to the condo in Uaymitun. Just running a few feet to the car soaked us to the skin. We were all like drowned rats. The luggage was DRENCHED! Driving out to the coast-about 40 minutes normally, took well over an hour because it was raining so hard she could hardly see the road. Welcome to the Yucatan! We were told later that just before we landed there was a terrific thunder and lightning storm, so that explained the extreme turbulence!

When we arrived here, the floor just inside the front door had about a ten-foot puddle of water! Poor Barbara was on her hands and knees soaking up the water with rags! That night and for the next two days we had howling winds and rain and it was cold! We met a couple of people on the parking lot in the morning who were Canadian and come here every year. They were very blasé about the weather- “Oh, it’s just a Norte, it will last three or four days.” The cold stormy weather here happens a few times every winter and comes down from Texas. We felt better after we knew what was happening!

Sure enough by Jan 4 the sun was out and it was hot and beautiful. Our condo is directly on the beach and we have a huge place. There are three bedrooms, two bathrooms plus the maid’s quarters with an extra bedroom and full bathroom! We wander around this huge space wishing we were able to share it with some of you stuck up north in the cold!

The day after the Norte we went for our first long walk on the beach. The storm had tossed up a huge amount of seaweed and unfortunately, garbage. It’s sad to see the mess we have made of the ocean. It is not the tourists or residents of this area leaving all this crap on the beach because there are hardly any people here. This beach is very quiet and private. All along the shore are huge HUGE mansions, which mainly belong to the ultra rich Mexican people who vacation here for Easter week and a few weeks in the summer. Most of these fabulous homes have all the windows boarded up to protect them from the hurricanes. The homes that are not boarded up are rented to snowbirds. They all have private swimming pools and are enormous! One about half a kilometer from us was built by the Burger King family and it is large enough to be a resort. Now it belongs to Canadians! Wonder who? We’ve been told that the caretaker will tour us through the home if we see him- so we are constantly on the lookout for him!! The beachcombing after the storm was fantastic!! In addition to the garbage there were also seashells! We have NEVER in our lives seen so many fabulous shells, just lying on the sand. I was like a little kid trying to pick them all up. Because it was our first real walk on the beach we didn’t realize that it was the storm that had brought them in. The next day, the pickings were very slim! We brought home some beauties, which I have to find a way to take home. We have no space in our luggage so I guess I will have to leave something else behind! They are too fabulous to leave here!

We are about 5 km from the nearest little town called Chicxulub. It’s small and has almost no tourists. The only concession to us gringos is that there is an Internet café there and because I am able to take my laptop I’m able to upload the blog. Further along another 5 or 6 kms is a larger town called Progresso. It has a lovely Malacon and lots of little shops and bars and restaurants. The little mini vans called Combi’s act like buses and drive up and down the beach road. We just need to stand in front of the condo and flag them down. It costs 5 pesos and we usually pile in along with the locals to go for groceries or to just tour around. Most of the time though, we end up getting a ride with other gringos who have rented a car- they just see us, stop and offer us a lift. It’s a great way to meet people! Once we were piled into a five seater with four other people- so we were Mexican style- crowded and sitting on laps!

Most of the snowbirds here are Canadian. As a matter of fact, there are 24 units in our complex (everyone just as big or bigger than ours) and as far as we can tell, only four are occupied- all by Canadians. Upstairs are Mike and Nancy from Kelowna, the next building has Wendy by herself, from Edmonton and Pat and Paddy from Winnipeg in the third building. Pat and Paddy are originally from Ireland. They left in the 60’s because they had to- she is Protestant and he is Catholic so they couldn’t get married there. They are fabulous people and we have spent lots of time with them. Sunday we all went into Merida- the capital city of the Yucatan- and toured around. They have been here three or four times and know their way around very well.

So, that is a very condensed version of our first week here. We are really enjoying the Yucatan and the people we have met so far.