On the mainland

20.7. Tuesday

We have breakfast one last time on the beach. We find out that the supposedly heavily pregnant hotel cat is just very overweight, hahaha... I carefully pack my backpack - there's nothing like order in a backpack, hehe. Speaking of luggage: we arrived with almost 60 kg. The majority of it is in our rental car, incubating away. Some may wonder how we managed to carry so much weight. Simply put: lots of outdoor gear, hiking shoes, etc. for the next phase of our journey in the States. Here in the heat of Mexico, we only need a fraction of our gear.

Back on the mainland, it's my turn to drive. In the first section, we spot some tarantulas crawling leisurely across the roads. I hope to be able to observe these animals calmly at some point. There was no stopping to do so. :)

The drive takes us along a toll highway. However, this particular section was under repair, so we mainly had to drive slowly. Our next stop is Ek Balam, the first Mayan temple ruins we visit. As soon as we get out of the car, sweat starts pouring down our faces. It's always sweaty here, with a humid heat. You don't have to do anything for the sweat to start pouring down (by now, I'm a big fan of ceiling fans and AC units...). Despite the scorching heat, we climb the main pyramid. Some tourists struggle with the steep steps. If you climb the monument in an alpine zigzag style, it's easy to ascend and descend. A few Americans copy our hiking system and find it good. ("who invented it? Riiiicooooolaaaa")

Afterwards, we check into our cabin in the Maya cooperative Unajil Ek Balam. This means that various Maya families work together and run the hotel. We feel very comfortable in our wooden cabin, we read a lot and take it easy. Later, we wander through the village. There are wild turkeys strutting around, I respect them! There are also sheep, pigs, and lots of dogs. We see Maya people crocheting in hammocks. We eat in the cooperative's dining hall.

The night is long and rustic with the many sounds of the forest.

21.7. Wednesday

We oversleep, there's a knock on the door, the kitchen wants to close, so we get up! The scrambled eggs contain chaya, something like leaves from the spinach tree. Cooked, it tastes good, raw it's poisonous. Then we drive to Cenote Hubiku. We reach this beauty at 10:00 a.m. - there are no other tourists yet! Yeah, so beautiful. And the freshwater is pleasantly cool. For the first time since our arrival in Mexico, we both feel refreshed to the core. It's also refreshingly amusing when the Insta-tourists arrive: they put on the bathrobe they brought specifically for the photo: Pose 1 - 5 and then cautiously dip their shy toes into the water... ;)

After the swim, we drive to our next hotel near Chichen Itza. We swim, read, and in the evening we go to the nearby village of Pisté for dinner. There are many begging children trying very persistently to sell you figurines of temples. Covid has hit the indigenous and/or rural population hard: Mexico has had online classes for a long time now. There is a lack of everything: hardware as well as simply good internet... So some of these children no longer go to school and try to support their parents.

22.7. Thursday.

Chichen Itza is one of the most famous and impressive temple complexes in Yucatan. At 8:00 a.m. there are already quite a few visitors. (Many Instagrammers again... oh, it's so strange to watch: it's not about the place or the experience, just about the image, a representation of themselves. An art form? Hmm... it becomes insane to me when people run from pyramid to monument and instruct each other how to sit or stand or, attention, change clothes for the photo... I don't know. But if it makes them happy?) What we learn about Maya culture is impressive, fascinating, and exciting.

Afterwards, we continue to Mérida. Even in larger Mexican cities, it's pleasant to drive a car.

Our room is right in the center. Our eating rhythm is completely messed up or non-existent, so we have lunch at 4 p.m. The waiter looks at me skeptically when I order my Pollo ticuleño. I admit, this makes me nervous because Roman and I often order dishes we don't know. So my chicken is also a special mix: on a bean puree, with fried plantains, cheese, ham, and canned peas. But it tastes surprisingly delicious. A few tables ahead, there are two older ladies. A guitar player in a wheelchair joins them and asks for a donation for a song. The lady just wants to give him some money, but he doesn't like that at all. So she agrees to a song. And how the man sings! And even better: the lady joins in and sings the second voice. It's very touching. After about 4 songs, he rolls away... Later in the park, we meet a very talkative retiree who tells us a lot of interesting things about the area. For example, the fiber called sisal got its name from the port it left Mexico from. In Europe, people asked "where is it from?" and they said "from Sisal." Actually, the white gold is called henequen.

Then Roman gets a makeover ;) and takes the laundry to the lavanderia - 3 francs for 2 kg.

In the evening, we celebrate the successful day with a 9 dl mug of daiquiri. Cheers!