When the sun comes up, my son gets up. Because of this, so do I. As I’m getting dressed, I keeping thinking I hear “It’s a Small World” and I think to myself, we’re not in Disney anymore – I must really need this vacation because I’m going crazy. Ryan and I go down to the dining room and in the daylight this place is beautiful! Don’t get me wrong, it was very pretty at night with all the candlelight and ambiance but in the daylight it was stunning. We wander around the plaza a little as people are setting up the wares to sell for the day. When we’re coming back to the hotel we find that I wasn’t crazy after all. There is a school right next door.
Inside Courtyard


In Resturant

Sleepy Kids


As we walk through the lobby the lady stops us and asks what room we’re in. I tell her and she gives us a voucher for breakfast, its included in the rate. Back to the room to get Chris and Paige and drag them to eat. After breakfast we start to bring the bags down and bellboys appear out of nowhere to help load the jeep. All in all, for atmosphere, quality and value El Meson del Marques was a huge hit! I would like to go back some day and spend more time really exploring the town. The only thing I’d do different is if we have the kids with us, they get their own room. They are getting too big to share a smallish room with.

By the time we hit the road, it’s just before 10am. I had really been hoping for earlier but we did have a 2-hour time difference and we were tired. Flexibility is the key to good plans. We head to Ek Balam. As we drive, I try to explain that these are new ruins. While they are very old, they had only been discovered since Ryan was born. When we walk up to them, the kids are having a hard time understanding how something so massive could have gone undiscovered for so long. I explain how the jungle reclaims things but six years in AZ has let them forget how quickly things grow when there is lots of water around.

At the entrance a kid had a snake. Magic word for Paige, she loves them. Before I even notice the slithery thing, I turn and find her like this with Lola. All I can hear in my head is the line from The Kinks song "... but when she squeezed me tight she nearly broke my spine."


We start to climb to the top of the pyramid. The tombs on the left, halfway up, are incredibly detailed. Their artistry is unbelievable. The view from the top is breath taking. The sense of accomplishment is very fulfilling. The climb down sucks. 40+-year-old knees just don’t have the same amount of spring in them that 15-year-old ones do. The fact that the steps are also about 2 feet tall doesn’t help much when you’ve only got legs with a 30-inch inseam. I plod along and make it down. The siren’s song of cenote at the entrance calls to us, but the late start means we have to pass on it.

From the bottom

Tomb halfway up



Looking up

View from the top

Looking down

A Local

Arch near front


We get down to Temozon and according to the map, there is a road going west to Xuilub. When we passed through on our way up to Ek Balam, I was watching and didn’t see any signs or markings but I remained hopeful. We find what we think is the road and start down it. After about 2 miles the little voice in my head starts to speak up, so we stop at a little tienda to calm it down. The 100-year-old woman inside wasn’t sure what I wanted but she wanted to sell me water. I tried to show her on the map where we were and where we wanted to go but she kept shaking her head. I buy some water and thank her. I’ve got a very good sense of direction and I really believe this is the correct road but my little voice starts again. As I’m coming out of the tienda, another woman is walking by. I try the same thing with her. She speaks no English but my broken Spanish is enough to get my point across. She tells me yes this was the road that went through, but no, it doesn’t anymore. My little voice is gloating. Back into Temozon and down to Valladolid.

Before we left home, I picked up a copy of “Incidents of Travel in Yucatan” by John Lloyd Stephens, which was written in 1843. The timelessness of his narration and Fredrick Catherwood’s engravings are remarkable. In chapter two, he writes, “I would remark that no map of Yucatan at all to be depended on has ever been published.” Amazingly, this still holds true today. (The notable exception being Mapchick's maps but those are technically Quntana Roo) A road not going through isn’t something I would bother mentioning. Things happen all the time and in the jungle of Yucatan I’m sure the DOT isn’t very quick in responding. I’m talking about the map says we cross the highway, then the railroad tracks then enter the town of Uayma. How about in reality it was Railroad, highway, town. This, on a map that is 2 years old. I’m thinking I need to really listen to my little voice on this trip because the map is just a suggestion. And thus the next Phrase of the Day is born, “We’re not lost, its just that the map is wrong.”

Church in Uayma


On our way to Izamal we pass through 7 little villages. I’m struck by how different this Mexico is from the Mexico near us, Sonora. Besides the difference in climate, and rainfall makes a huge difference, it is much cleaner. There is just a different feel driving here.

We get to Izamal a little after 1pm and are hungry. There is an open parking spot on the square in front of the Convent so we grab it. It just happens to be by the Department of Tourism. The man out front asks if he can point us in a particular direction so I tell him we’re hungry. He asks what would we like to eat and I ask he were would he go. He smiles and leads us to a little hoe in the wall place. To get there we go through an open-air market that must be the local fly breeding ground. He apologizes as we get to the restaurant but this was the quickest way here, other wise we would have had to walk 3 or 4 extra blocks. The place was clean, the food was very good, the cerveza cold and the price was cheap. What more could you ask?

After eating we go back through the breeding ground and over to the Convent. We pick up a guide who tells us if went to see the church we must hurry because there will be a mass for the new priest in 15 minutes. We go through and as we finish, they start closing the gates behind us. Funny thing is, we never felt rushed and saw all the highlights. Our guide points out where the pyramid is. We could take a horse carriage over along with a tour but that would take an hour and we’re a little pressed for time. We decide to walk over and Ryan decides we need to climb it. I decide I love the fact that there is shade and a rock at the bottom because that is where Paige and I hang while the boys climb. A short walk back to the jeep and we say goodbye to Izamal.

Convent


Yellow street

Inside Church

Inside the Chapel

Pope John Paul II Statue

Pyramid bottom

View of Convent from top of Pyramid

Horse Buggy


We set off to Uxmal. The map’s ‘suggestions’ are off again but I had emailed another Loco Gringo about this part of the trip and had great directions. The map says nothing about 2 (maybe 3) roundabouts as you get into Merida. We navigate them like pros and have a rather uneventful ride down to Uxmal. The most exciting thing was watching a ‘road crew’ do some clearing near Muna. They had set the roadside on fire. We were just amazed the stuff would burn, it was so green.


We arrive at the Lodge at Uxmal around 6pm. The room was beautiful and spacious, even with the rollaway in it. Ryan has to cool off in the pool and that sound like a really good idea. After a quick swim, we decide to scope out Uxmal. We can buy tickets to the night light show tonight starting at 8pm, 15 mins from then, so we head back to the bar to kill some brain cells, I mean time. One margarita and we go back to the room, turn on the a/c and get the kids for the light show. We get seated for the show and it starts, talk about timing! We decide that in the morning we’ll get a guide so we don’t bother with the translators. The show was very pretty and again the details in the carvings are simply amazing. After the show we wander over to the Club Med for dinner. Nice but slow service, even for Mexico. I highly recommend the Gazpacho and Guacamole. As we stumble back to our room in the dark, I pull out the flashlight I always keep in my purse. Mom is a savior once again. We get back to the room and decide that the best invention of modern times is air conditioning. After being out for a few hours the Air Conditioned room feels glorious as we fall asleep.

Uxmal at Night



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