Valladolid - A hidden gem that is no longer a secret

After our relaxing time on Holbox, we took a ferry and bus to Valladolid. Valladolid is a small colonial town in the middle of the Yucatan Peninsula and has barely more inhabitants than our old hometown Bünde (~49,000 vs. ~45,000).

In travel tours, the city is often skipped, but we read several recommendations on blogs. Especially the many cenotes, the charming streets, and the nearby world-famous Chichén Itzá, a Mayan ruin, were consistently highlighted.

Since we had very poor internet on Holbox, Roman got up in the middle of the night and booked our bus trip and an Airbnb in and to Valladolid. Therefore, there was not much research done in advance regarding the location of the accommodation, so we had to be surprised. And some of you surely know how much Leonie loves surprises - not!

After about a two-hour bus ride, we arrived in Valladolid and made our way to the AirBnB with all our luggage. The closer we got to our accommodation, the more uneasy we felt. With every block, it got poorer and we were right in the middle of it. The accommodation itself seemed to have been a former school building or something similar because the courtyard was really big compared to the three offered rooms. The room itself was clean and tidy, nothing groundbreaking, but absolutely okay. Despite the steel gate at the entrance, we didn't feel safe, or rather Leonie didn't, so she only got a total of 4 hours of sleep that night. Since this time there was also a small kitchenette in the accommodation, we quickly went shopping in the nearest supermarket in the afternoon. When we had completed the meticulous analysis of the local product range and left the store, it was already dark. So we walked through the poorest corner of Mexico we had seen so far, completely loaded with groceries. Due to the feeling of insecurity, we also didn't dare to go to the light show that was highly recommended for the first two evenings. On the third evening, after several encounters with incredibly friendly locals, we felt so safe on the streets that we voluntarily left the house in the dark to see the light show. But when it was time, it started to thunder and lightning heavily, so we left the city in a hurry and unfortunately never got to see the lights. In retrospect, however, the right decision, because as soon as we got 'home', it started pouring down rain. Yes, there is rain here too, and on that evening not just a little.

On the second day, we had a bit of sightseeing on the agenda: first, the city center, then the weekly market, and finally the Cenote Zaci. The city center is truly enchanting, completely different from the area where we stayed. Colorful facades line up one after the other, and classic cars drive through the clean streets. The cathedral in the heart of Valladolid is also beautiful. Next on the list was a visit to the market. Here, everything is offered. In addition to meat and vegetables, you can even find some fast shoe shopping. However, we were more interested in the fruits and vegetables and stocked our refrigerator for the next and especially the first self-prepared meals in Mexico. After that, we went to the Cenote Zaci, which could only be seen through a restaurant due to construction work - still very impressive though! Cenotes are underground water-filled sinkholes, in which you can even swim in some of them.

On the following day, we went to the significant Mayan ruins and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World - Chichén Itzá. We drove there in a typical Mexican colectivo. A minibus without fixed departure times with room for about 10 people. You simply wait at the meeting point until the bus is full and then it starts. The advantage over conventional tour buses is the price. Here you only pay a fraction of the actual bus ticket price, if you bring a little waiting time. We explored Chichén Itzá on our own without a guide and were surprised to find new ruins over and over again that we hadn't seen before. But the most impressive one by far is the centrally located temple pyramid of the ruins. It is equipped with stairs on all four sides, which in total add up to 365 steps, one for each day of the year. As intended, we arrived early enough that the place was not yet overrun by tourists, and we had the opportunity to take a leisurely look around and take photos. Starting at around 10:30 am, tour buses from all over Mexico arrive to unload tourists for two to three hours. Fortunately, we were finished by 11 am and were able to turn our backs on the crowd of tourists, the increasingly intense sun, and the ever more intrusive vendors on every corner.

In the afternoon, we rented a scooter to visit Cenote Oxman. We arrived after a few minutes and paid the equivalent of about €6 per person, including a life jacket. After a lot of stairs, we finally reached the water of the cenote. And it was worth it! The sight was magical, and the cooling off in the water was just right after the hot midday sun. With a rope, guests were able to battle each other and perform spectacular, sometimes painful belly flops. We spent the whole afternoon in the cenote and enjoyed the great atmosphere.

Last but not least: Leonie's favorite category - snacks!
Let's start with the chips, the least exciting snack. This bag contains four different types of chips: Cheetos, Fritos, Sabritones, and Rancheritos. Each of these types is very spicy, so after a few bites, they are hardly distinguishable from each other. 5/10 stars! Nothing beats Hungarian flavor Chipsfrisch. Let's move on to the wafer rolls. Nothing you haven't seen before, but they came along and deserve a solid 8/10 stars. A good snack for in between with significantly fewer calories than you might think (under 200 kcal for the whole package). Finally, something more unusual. Cookies with a soft topping with strawberry and coconut flavor. The consistency is similar to marshmallow, and the taste is quite artificial. Nevertheless, they somehow caught my attention. Something completely different from the other snacks: 9/10!