Last day!

Wow!  How did six weeks go by so quickly!  But we had one more "must" on our list of things to do--visit a cenote.  So Saturday afternoon we rented bicycles with our new friend Alex and biked about 3.5 km to one of three sites we planned to visit.

San Lorenzo

Some entrance!

This cenote had steps that led down to the water; or if brave enough, one could just jump from a limestone cliff about 40 feet above the water.  We chose the steps, but the water was delightfully cool after the hot bike ride.  We picked a gorgeous day to come here, and the weather was nearly perfect.   

After swimming at this cenote, we decided to call it a day.  We still had 3.5 km to return to the city, and Ann's knee was bothering her, so we parted ways with Alex and cycled back into town.  After a shower and a cold Sol, we felt much better.  We had another wonderful dinner in town and walked home under a full moon. 

Moon over Valladolid

The next morning, we boarded the bus to Cancun and headed back for Texas.

Chichen Itza

Friday we traveled by bus to Chichen Itza to visit the most famous of all the Mayan ruins in Mexico.  Two problems with this site:  too touristy and everything is blocked off.  No one can climb any of the ruins.  We came early as we had been warned about the tourist buses coming from Cancun.  We arrived at 9 a.m. and as we left around 12:30, we counted 10 tour buses in the parking lot! Over a million  visitors a year tour the site. Wayne estimated German and Italian tourists outnumbered American tourists about 3 to 1 the day we were there.

El Castillo or The Temple of Kukulkan 

In front of one of the many ruins at Chichen Itza

Ring at Ball Court

Can you image trying to put a 12 pound rubber ball through this ring 30 feet above the ground without using your hands? And guess what happens to the team that wins? No trophy--they were sacrificed. Some think only the team leader was killed but being sacrificed to the Mayan gods was considered an honor.

The ball court is 225 feet wide and 545 feet long. The acoustics of the building are so fine the sound echos off the walls and a simple hand clap reverberates back to you. One can stand at one end of the court and speak, and the words can be heard at the other end.

That evening we walked downtown to visit a Chocolate Factory.  We tasted several flavors of chocolate, including tequila, and drank a delicious cup of hot chocolate.  

We then went on a Tequila Tour in a 400-year-old building; of course, we tasted several samples here as well.

Our guide shows us how the agave is first roasted and then distilled

Friends enjoy the tour

We finish our wonderful day with a delicious meal at Conata's with our new friends. By the way, we had a chicken dish prepared with a chipotle cream sauce, stuffed zucchini, beer, and chocolate crepes for about $22 for the two of us.  Gourmet on a budget!

Jack (England), Alex (Holland) and Adriana (Minnesota via Venezuela)

Valladolid

We left Merida on Wednesday and traveled by bus to the city of Valladolid, where we stayed two years ago. We wanted to spend a few days in the little hostel, La Candeleria, which we enjoyed so much on our last visit.  This is an enchanting hostel run by a nice young couple; she is from Nicaragua and and he is from Holland.  We had a great time at the hostel and met some neat people from several different countries who were also staying there.

Our room is at the top of the stairs on the far right

Wayne enjoys reading in the back garden

Each morning we had breakfast at the hostel. This included great coffee, fresh fruit with yogurt and granola, and fresh french rolls toasted and topped with butter and jelly. All included with the price of the room, about $20.  On Friday we went to a wonderful home to see the largest private collection of Mexican folk art in Mexico.  The home itself, called Casa de Los Venados (House of the Deer) was beautiful, and the owners had over 3000 pieces of art.  The owner offers tours once a day at 10:00 a.m. for a contribution of 60 pesos (about $5), which goes to support charities in Merida.  He and his wife live here most of the year, yet allow visitors to view all the rooms except his mother's and his private bedroom.

Skeleton with Deer Horns

His version of the card table with skeletons, instead of dogs!

These beautiful, glass pineapples were in the first  room, all hand made by artisans throughout Mexico.  The next day a lady with a large back pack turned around and knocked one over and shattered it!

Notice the chairs:  Each one of the 12 has a painting of a different famous Mexican political leader or artist, on both the front and back of the chair.

The formal dining room    

Anyone visiting Valladolid should put this on their 'must places' to see.

Last Night in Merida

Wayne and I walked to Rescaldo's, a lovely Italian restaurant, to have a quiet, romantic dinner for our last night here.

We ordered wine and polpettes and were enjoying the delicious potato cakes with a spicy cucumber yogurt sauce when suddenly, SPLAT, an orange fell out of the tree right above my head landed on our table and blew out our candle!  Quite a surprise. Just glad it wasn't a coconut!

We thought maybe we might get our dinner free, but alas, no such luck!  Maybe if the orange had landed on my head first.

However, the food was delicious.  We ate a veggie pizza with spinach, artichoke, white beans and mozzarella served with a lovely rich olive oil with basil and red peppers. The wood oven was made from the original water tank in the building.  The owners are from British Columbia and taught there and in Korea before coming to Merida and opening this delightful, intimate restaurant. 

He cooks the pizza and she makes all the desserts. When we asked about the night's special, the waiter told us banana cream pie, and  I thought that was too ordinary, so I ordered baklava, which I had tried the first time we were here.  Wayne ordered the special.  This pie was NOT ordinary; it was the best banana cream pie I ever put in my mouth.  Needless to say, I shared this huge piece of pie with Wayne, and we took my dessert home for manana.

The baklava comes in a close second. They also offer homemade gelato.  Look at all the different flavors.  Never enough money or time to enjoy it all.

Bits and Pieces of Merida

Susan and Bill left today to return to Swarthmore, PA, and much colder weather.  We truly enjoyed sharing Casa Caire with them and hope they have a safe trip home!

We looked through our photos and decided to post several with no particular theme except life in Merida. It is a fascinating and very busy city. Hope you enjoy.  Don't forget you can always click on a photo to enlarge it. We are back on el autobus in the morning, traveling two hours to Valladolid to spend our last four nights before we, too, must return to colder weather. We will be staying in the little hostel there where we stayed two years ago on our last trip to the Yucatan.

Wind Chime made of Gourds

Merida is full of art!  These gourd lamps hang from a vendor's stall on the Plaza Grande every Sunday and the wind chime was in a small gallery nearby

We spotted this wood art on Paseo Montejo.  Look carefully at the three faces from bottom to top.  Stages of life.  

Clever way to repair a hole in the street

Early morning sunrise from our rooftop terrace.  Too bad the wires mar the view, but the sky is still beautiful.  Much more pink than what the photo reflects.

Strange plant:  Plantains grow at the top of the plant and then start another bunch of plantains within the casing shown.

Domingo en Merida

We had a wonderful day this past Sunday here in Merida.  This city closes off many of its streets on Sunday for families to ride bicycles or walk between the Plaza Grande and Paseo Montejo while providing all kinds of free entertainment for the general public the entire day in several areas of the city.

We began our day with a wonderful breakfast prepared by the outstanding Merida chefs Susanna y Ana at Casa Claire, who served french toast with caramelized plantains and mimosas. Muy sabroso!

At noon we attended the Orquesta Sinfonica de Yucatan for a 90 minute per-formance commemorating the 200th birthday of Richard Wagner and Giuseppe Verdi.  The musicians were excellent, and the Director Titular, Juan Carlos Lomonaco, conducted the entire performance without sheet music!  It was the best concert I have attended since Bruce Springsteen, seriously!

Excellent Performance

Box seats! At only $8

Bill & Susan peruse the program

After the concert, we walked up to Parque Santa Lucia and watched as families gathered, danced, ate, and enjoyed their Sunday afternoon.

A couple enjoying the danacing

One of the many vendors selling tacos & other foods

We then walked back toward the casa and stopped at Portico de Peregrino for a delightful lunch.  Ann was so hungry she forgot to take pictures of the food but wished she had as Susan had chicken baked in banana leaves, Ann chose salmon, Wayne ate eggplant parmesan cooked with shredded chicken, and Bill dined on shrimp and garlic pasta. Of course, we finished our meal with our favorite dessert in Mexico, coconut ice cream with Kahlua.  After all that, siesta es necessito! 

Tequila Bar

Later in the evening we walked down to Plaza Grande where thousands of Meridianos and a few hundred tourists had gathered to hear the bands and to dance in the streets.

We enjoyed watching the people dance in the streets and we listened--and possibly danced a little--to the Mexican music.

The Band at Plaza Grande

Finally, we stopped in Le Bierhaus, a German pub in the center of Merida
and had a brautwurst with mashed potatoes, and naturally, beer!  Wonderful nightcap to a wonderful day.

The beer menu: front and back!  Over 80 brews!