Faye Design - Yucatan

Monday, December 20, 2021

We woke up at 1AM, grabbed our bags, and hit the road. We kissed the still-sleeping cats goodbye before we left, laughing at how Boots was not going to be happy while spending the next ten days inside.

Made it to Jiffy Park with 15 minutes to spare. Luckily there's no traffic yet at two in the morning. They took us to the airport, we checked our bag, and boarded our flight. We have a connection in Denver to Cancun. Luckily, we both slept most of both flights. We arrived in Cancun at 4PM (1PM our time) and got off the plane! We then got to stand in the customs line for the next 2 1/2 hours. What a bunch of shit! But on the plus side, when we finally hooked up with our rental car company, they were too annoyed to try to get us to buy more insurance. Off to City Express Jr.

I booked a cheap hotel because we were only going to be there one night, but what a dump. We were allotted one towel. Not just one bath towel, but just one towel.

We unloaded our gear and walked around trying to find some food and margaritas. Easier said than done! We were close to a mall, so we found an ATM to get cash, then headed across the street over the pedestrian bridge to an outdoor restaurant - but they served focaccia. The place next door had margaritas, but no food. We saw a taco stand across the street, so headed back over, but as we stood at the counter, they told us they weren't serving anymore. So, we headed down the road to a casino. Nope. Back up the road, over the bridge, and to the supermarket we went. Bread, cheese, ham, apples, and beer!

Tuesday, December 21, 2021

Happy 45th to me! We got up and luckily the hotel served continental breakfast, so we had food to eat and coffee to drink. Not great, but better than nothing. We packed up and headed to Merida which is about a five-hour drive. We stopped at Ek Balam and got to see our first ruins. So impressive. This turned out to be the only ruins we could climb. Very cool and scary going down the steps. The view from the top showed how flat the area is. No hills! It always fascinates me when we're somewhere that doesn't have mountains, as that's what I'm used to.

We continued to Merida, and arrived at Hotel Luz en Yucatan. What a fantastic place! It's an old convent and has been updated beautifully. We have free parking, a fridge, air conditioning, a nice big walk-in shower, and an outdoor pool. The room came with two free beers, a water cooler, and a coffee machine. The staff was very helpful and friendly. We walked to the grocery store to get some supplies including tequila and margarita mix. Then we got back to the room, made drinks, and sat by the pool to play cribbage.

Acropolis

Detail at the Acropolis

View from the top of the Acropolis

Ball Court

Me on top of the Oval Palace

View from Oval Palace

Climbing the stairs of the Acropolis

Iguana

What is happening with this motorcycle?

Wednesday, December 22, 2021

Today was our cooking class with Taste of Yucatan. We met Iveth at Parque Hidalgo just a couple blocks up from the hotel. We lucked out and were the only people on the tour. We walked a couple of blocks to the market and went inside. She took us to certain stalls, explained the food we were going to use in the dishes, and purchased them. We got to try different treats and spices, and she explained where they came from, how they are prepared, and how we'll use them in the recipes. It was fantastic!

Then we hopped in an Uber and were taken to the chef's house, who was the grandma of one of the other employees. Her house decorations made me think of my Grandma Connolly - decorative plates hung on the wall, a windowed cabinet full of tea cups and kettles sat in the dining room, and dated family photos were all over the living.

We sat in the kitchen watching the process and helping cut up the ingredients. Both ladies were very impressed and surprised with Jamie's chopping abilities. While I stood at the stove stirring the coconut cream pudding we'd be having for dessert, we explained that he's the cook and I'm the baker.

After about an hour prep, we all sat at her dining room table and enjoyed the delicious meal we got to help create. It was a blast, and Iveth sent us a recipe book with all the creations we had just eaten. I'm so glad we got to do that.

The rest of the afternoon was spent swimming in and laying reading by the pool. Later after dinner, we went back out and played cribbage. Jose, one of the hotel staff, came over to say hi. He told us he saw us swimming earlier and thought to himself "No way, it's too cold!" We laughed and told him it's snowing where we come from, so this is warm!

This is now a standard Jamie creation. So delicious on everything, including our fried eggs in the morning.

This was the main dish we made. So good!

Thursday, December 23, 2021

Today we planned on checking out Uxmal. According to the guidebook, the best way to miss tour groups was get there early. It opened at 8AM, and was an hour drive, so we headed to get the car at 7AM. But when we got there, it said they didn't open until 7:30AM. Doh! Luckily when we got back to the hotel our host said he could open the gate for us, so we headed back to the lot and where on the road by 7:15AM. Again, Hotel Luz en Yucatan was fantastic.

We arrived at Uxmal at 8AM and walked around the park seeing amazing construction and artwork.
It is undoubtedly the most representative settlement of the architecture of the Puuc Region. In this the facades are decorated with masks of Chac, the God of the Rain, frets, panels with hieroglyphics and high crests. Among the most representative buildings are the Pyramid of the Magician, the Quadrangle of the Nuns and the House of the Doves. Main chronological location: Late Classic 600 to 900 AD. C.

We were done with Uxmal about 10:30AM, and it felt too early to hit a cenote, so we went to Museo del Chocolate which was across the highway. I assumed it was just about chocolate, but I was happily wrong. It gave not only a whole history about the production and benefit of the cocoa bean to the Mayans but had a broader history explaining more about the Mayan culture and chocolate production tools. They performed the ceremony in honor of the god Chaac, then we got to not only see how the hot cocoa was produced, but also try it. The Park was also a rescue for abused and abandoned wild animals. They had a monkey cage, a jaguar den, and a little field for deer. That was neat, and sad to see.

After the museum we went to Pickled Onion restaurant up the road for lunch. Yesterday we told Iveth we were going to Uxmal, and she recommended it. Good advice, it was delicious! And the margaritas were delightful.

After lunch we headed to Cenote Kankirixche, also a recommendation from Iveth. We found it on Maps and began our journey. After about 20 minutes down a rough gravel road, we arrived. We changed into our suits and headed down the stairs. So cool! There was a platform from the stairs about 15' up. We took a breath and jumped! It was so much fun to see in the cave and swim around. I wished I would have grabbed the goggles; the water was so clear, and we could see some neat rock structures below us. We took a couple more jumps, swam for a bit, then went back to the car and drove back to the hotel. We spent the rest of the evening lounging by the pool and playing cribbage.

Snack Power!

Pyramid of the Magician

Nuns' Quadrangle

Governor's Palace

Juego de Pelota (Ball Court)

View from the Grand Pyramid - (left) Nuns' Quadrangle and (right) Pyramid of the Magician

Margaritas at Pickled Onion

The flip-flops are on the platform we jumped from.

Entrance to Cenote Kankirixche

Friday, December 24, 2021

We slept in this morning, then packed up and made our way to Valladolid. We planned on hitting Cenote Yokdzonot on the way, but as we got close and saw the line of tour buses in the parking lot, we decided to keep going. A little bit down the road we saw a homemade-looking sign posted on the side of the road that said Cenote Kak Ex, then Natural underneath it. We both said, "That looks like something!" so we followed the signs. We turned off the highway, went down a single-lane road, then took a left on a rough gravel road. The sign said Cenote Kak Ex - 4km, so we slowly made our way toward it.

We pulled into an empty parking lot, parked, and the car that had followed behind us down the gravel road parked a bit away. We were driving a Chevy Beat - which is tiny! - and the car behind us wasn't much bigger. After they parked, I watched amazed as seven adults climbed out of that tiny vehicle.

We put on our suits and made our way to the cenote. It wasn't as clear as the last one, but it was lovely! There was a jumping platform next to the deck, so we jumped! The water felt great, and it was only us and the family from the car. While floating around we saw some forest animals running around the sides of the cenote. They looked like fuzzy aardvarks, so Jamie named them fuzzvarks. (I've now looked them up, and they're called coati, pronounced koh-ah-tee.)

On our way to Valladolid we passed the entrance to Chechen Itza, which is our plan for tomorrow. Again, following the guidebook's advice, we'll get there at 8AM when it opens. We made it to our hotel in Valladolid - Hotel and Suites Country - and again, lovely! We got settled into our comfortable room and set out to find some dinner. Luckily, we're in tourist section, so a nice looking place was right up the block - Ahal Restaurante. We got to sit outside and enjoy some delicious margaritas. We started with some guacamole, then I had chicken enchiladas in mole, and Jamie had turkey something.... Both were delicious!

Next year's Christmas card!

Neighborhood around the castle.

These are the same boards along the highway that caught our attention.

Cenote Kax Ek

Coati or Fuzzvark

Jamie jumping!

Corrie jumping!

Pool at Hotel and Suites Country

Saturday, December 25, 2021

We hit the road at 7AM in planning to arrive at Chichen Itza at 8AM. Success! It's huge, and again, impressive with all the construction and detailed artwork.

As we pulled into the parking lot, we saw a worker on the side of the lot throwing rocks at a dog, trying to chase him off. Yes it's mean. But there are a lot of stray animals. I guess in a Catholic country, birth control isn't even allowed in animals. As we were walking up to the big pyramid, which people are no longer allowed to climb, we heard and saw a pack of dogs on top barking at all the people below.

Another funny thing we've discovered is the over-abundance of people doing menial tasks. There were four spots for ticket purchase and park entry. We bought our tickets, which came as two pieces. The first ticket entry guy checked bags - which was just setting ours on the table where he said they're fine, and off we went. The next ticket guys scanned the code which got us to the next ticket checker. She looked at them, ripped them in half, and handed us back half. But then we made it into the park!

Pyramid of Kukulcan

Ball Court

The Platform Of The Eagles And Jaguars

Tzompantli - The Platform of the Skull

The Ossuary - carved with interlocking snakes that lead to a temple at the top

The Ossuar

The Observatory

The Church

The House of the Deer

Cenote Oxman

Salud!

Sunday, December 26, 2021

After all the excitement of yesterday, today was just a travel and errand day. We needed to do some laundry, so I looked up lavendarias in Tulum, and found one called Bo's Laundry in downtown Tulum. It listed they had self-service, and it looked close to our hotel, so we started the 1 1/2 hour drive to Tulum.

We arrived about noon and got put on the waiting list. We were told to come back at 3PM, then we could start our load. Okay. We thought we'd go find a public beach to hand out at while we waited for the washer but turns out that's not a thing here. I did a search for public beach on Maps, and that directed us to Caleta Tankah. When we pulled in, there was a sign saying $300 pesos per person. So, we turned around and left. Living in OR & WA lead us to believe there are free public beaches everywhere, right? I appreciate my taxes going to support public land and facilities.

We headed up what turned out to be about 15 miles back out of town to our hotel. What a disappointment. There is a king-sized bed and two bath towels, but that's it! No fridge, no glasses, no soap, not even a f&*king toilet seat! After Jamie talked me down from my initial anger, we laughed about how this reminds us of the dumps we stayed at while doing hostels in Spain. Luckily our current income as allowed us to raise the bar a bit.

After getting settled in the hotel, we went across the street to Restaurante La Tatemada and enjoyed some margaritas, shrimp tacos, and mixed tacos - with shrimp, squid, octopus, and conche. They were sautéed in a butter sauce, and delightful. Also topped with a fantastic house hot sauce, giving it a little kick.

After lunch we headed back into Tulum to put our clothes in the washing machine. That got done about 4:30PM, so we decided to scout for our beach hang-out tomorrow. We drove to the main drag closest to the coast assuming there would be a public park somewhere, right? Wrong. Instead we ended up going down a street bumper-to-bumper with the cars in front and behind us as we passed fancy dress shops, spendy resort entrances, and lots of pharmacy's - all indicating they had Viagra, diet pills and pain pills available. Walking along these roads were tourists from all over the world wearing some crazy outfits - including those plant-holder dresses. We both laughed about feeling like we were in a Miami Vice episode.

But the humor wore off quickly. After about 1/2 hour slowly driving down this cluster, Jamie had enough of a break in traffic to flip a U-turn and head back toward an exit. We decided then we'd pay the $600 pesos the next day to Caleta Tanka and enjoy a more peaceful setup.

The plastic containers hold one bite each of granola and yogurt.

Driving through town...

The dream catcher and hammock options are limitless.

Remember Macramé?

What Jamie called "plant-hanger dresses".

Monday, December 27, 2021

What a perfect day! We got up early and made our way to Laguna Tours Muyil, hoping to book a boat trip through the Sian Ka'an Preserve. We arrived about 7:45AM, but they didn't open until 8AM, so there was a rope blocking the driveway. After a little bit, a guy with an official-looking shirt came over, said Buenos Dias, and asked what we were looking for. We told him the Laguan Tours and luckily, he pulled out a brochure to show us what the tour entailed. he told us it was a 2-hour tour and cost $1,000 pesos per person. We agreed, paid him, and he told us to follow him on his bike to the parking lot. We did - which was a little sketchy as he was riding his bike on the side of the highway while we were following slowly behind him. Luckily traffic cleared enough for him cross it in time! We parked then wandered to the dock at the lagoon. Beautiful!

Our guide's name was Felix, and he took us across the lagoon, through the canals lined with trees, to the floating canal. Along the way we saw a turtle in the water, and a crane searching for breakfast. We got out of the boat, put on our life jackets like a diaper, and jumped into the water. The current was surprisingly quick, so we got to float about 1km (about 40 minutes) through this beautiful area. Then we got out and walked on the dock back to the boat. Felix, who later refused a tip, then drove us back to the main dock. It was a great way to start the day.

We were back at the car about 10:30AM, and headed up to Caleta Tankha, a beach club we happened upon yesterday. It was $300 pesos per person, but after what we saw yesterday in Tulu, totally worth it! What we didn't realize was the $300 included beach recliners and an umbrella. For the next five hours we just moved from the chairs to the ocean to play in the waves and back. At about 1PM we ordered tacos and margarita. On our way out, we stopped by the two cenotes up from the beach to check them out. Once you could swim in, but it was too crowded. Back to the car and hotel we went.

* If I were to come back here, I'd pay for a hotel on the beach. I didn't realize you'd have to pay to use the beach, anyway, so why not make it more convenient.

** One of the great people-watching events was a lady wearing a plant-hanger dress and doing handstands on the beach. We first noticed her because she spent a lot of time talking selfies, so maybe the handstands where part of the show (in her head)? She did them constantly for about 1/2 hour and would fall into the sand when she didn't land them, so her back was covered in sand. People are amusing.

We went to the restaurant next to our hotel for dinner, and again - what a fantastic meal! We ordered the first salad on this trip and shared the grilled shrimp dinner. The shrimp came with mashed potatoes, grilled peppers, zucchini, and eggplant. And the hot sauces they provided to top it all had the perfect kick.

Sian Ka'an

From the boat in the Sian Ka'an.

Sian Ka'an

One of the canals in the Sian Ka'an.

Speeding over the first lagoon.

The diaper life-jacket.

Caleta Tankha

And they bring you margaritas!

We got here early enough to have it to ourselves for a bit.

Look at that hair!

We swam in this little lagoon.

Tuesday, December 28, 2021

We slept in a bit then happily packed up to leave dumpy little Palma Real. We headed north to Playa del Carmen, getting there about 11AM. We couldn't check in until 3PM, so we luckily found a spot where the beaches were freely accessible. We paid $20 pesos for 2-hours of parking, then went and sat in the sand. We ate breakfast, read a bit, and watched the world go by.

We left about 1PM to get out of the sun and found a little sidewalk cafe for lunch. We had delicious, toasted burritos with a side-salad. Then we headed to the grocery store to stock-up for our last two days. I checked again, and we should have a fridge at the next hotel. Woo hoo!

We check in to El Mexicano estudios equipados about 3PM, and with the help of cell phone translation app, we get the codes to get into the room, the front gate, and the wifi. We get settled in the room, and there are two bath towels! Then we got online to figure out Covid testing tomorrow in preparation for the trip back home on Thursday. I found a place five minutes away that'll do it for $350 pesos. The rest of the evening was spent on the lovely top floor deck reading and drinking in the shade.

In any supermartket we went to, they offered a plethora of hot dog options.

Hoink! became a joke between us because of this packaging. Look closely at the package next to it; are those hot dogs wrapped in "bacon"?

The view from the deck of El Mexicano.

Neighborhood around El Mexicano.

Wednesday, December 29, 2021

We planned on boarding the ferry to Cozumel today, as we had to check it out based on rave reviews from my Aunt and Uncle. We started looking at ferry times, and where to park, and parking costs, and when to come back so we could get the Covid test. We decided after all that discussion that just walking down the street to the beach and renting chairs and an umbrella sounded more relaxing. Besides, we'll be traveling all day tomorrow. Looking back, we should have left Tululm early and done the ferry trip yesterday. Live and learn.

Around 9AM we headed down to the beach and found ourselves a spot for $500 pesos for the day. It was a bit windy, which made a little sand blow in the eyes while we read, but we powered through. The next five hours were spent reading, people-watching, playing in the waves, and enjoying margaritas and tacos. Another perfect day.

I checked last night and found a spot to get our Covid tests for the flights. We'll head over about 3:15PM, and for $350 each, will have airport approved tests emailed by 6PM. Someone is making bank on this testing requirement. After the test was done, we headed back to the hotel. Then we walked to the Super Aki to find a bottle of tequila to spend our last $220 on. Found it!

Now we're enjoying our last night in Mexico sitting on the top deck, finishing the last of the margaritas; and feeling pretty fortunate, grateful, and a little tan.

Adiós Mexico. It's been a blast!

Thursday, December 30, 2021

We got up about 7AM and ate some breakfast. Then got packed up and headed back to Cancun. We found the car drop-off spot, met up with the driver, and he dropped us off at the airport. We got in line for our tickets and bag check and discovered the hour we had spent the night before getting all our papers and passport images uploaded to the AirAmerica app was a complete waste of time. AirAmerica's customer service rep just asked us for all the same info to put into his system. Ridiculous. But we got checked-in and made it through security. Finally got on our flight, and into the air. So long Mexico!

Our first stop was in Dallas/Fort Worth, and we had a two-hour layover before the flight to SeaTac. After the three-hour wait in Cancun's customs line, we were a little worried if that was enough time. But we got off the plane and made it to customs. No lines! Not only did we not wait, but we didn't even have to show our passports. They had a camera we stood in front of. They scan your face with your mask down, and off we went!

We were hungry, and I wanted a last margarita, so we found a place with light food and cocktails. You had to pull up the menu online, and while we were waiting for it to come up the waitress asked us if we wanted anything to drink. We both said margarita, so she went to the bar to get them made. We finally got to look at the menu, and each ordered a Caesar salad. We then saw the margaritas were $20 each!! For drinks, salad, and tip, that lunch cost $80!! We're back in America.