And here are the chickens in the northern hemisphere, in Mexico, after more than five months spent on the southern half of the globe. Said like that it sounds like “yeah, well they travel everywhere, we know, we envy them, we would like to be them, they are great, I have a poster of them in my room… so what?”. And then the northern hemisphere in November is synonymous with a winter approaching my little lady (#winteriscoming).
Yucatán: tacos, colorful cities and cavern diving
Twenty hours of travel from La Paz and there you go, we cross the Mexican soil on the Caribbean coast of the country, in Cancún. If we are here it is mainly because it is the largest airport in the region, easy to reach from abroad. Because we are not going to lie, nothing but its name gives us goosebumps… Concrete, rough westernization, alcohol, drugs, organ trafficking, prostitution… Oh no, this is the trailer of the french TV show “Zone interdite”! It’s just a big city created from scratch in 1970 to welcome millions of tourists and entertain them at the seaside, away from their daily worries (but looking it closely, it must still be possible to find a second hand kidney for sale). Still, it’s Mexico, and so it’s synonymous with tacos! The chickens delight in their first and delicious snacks, seasoned and spiced up to perfection. Excellent!
After a first tropical night (what a change after the dry climates of South America) we hit the road, by bus, to a small fishermen village in the north of the peninsula, Rio Lagartos (“the river of lizards” in your language). First observation of this journey of a few hours: the premises are adorable! There is a clear change from the Argentinian fire and the Bolivian restraint. People are smiling and very communicative, we breathe good mood. The bus driver who is holding the grandmother and her walker, asking her “how did the ballerina hurt herself” before taking her in his arms to put her on the bench, that makes everyone laugh out loud and that takes away all doubts! We take our quarters in a nice hotel of the small port quite quiet, it changes us of our standards and it was the objective. During our two days here we indulge in typical activities: paddling in the pool, walk in the mangrove to discover seabirds, pink flamingos, crocodiles and salt lagoons. Side belly (you know us huh?) We enjoy fish tacos and seafood cocktails on the rooftop of the hotel at sunset. There we really thought that we are not missing the European autumn, but really not at all. A little well deserved holiday (we love you too).
The body full of vitamin D, we go to discover our first Mexican colonial city, the charming Valladolid. Streets crisscrossing the city, colorful houses, a paved city center and only a handful of tourists. The charm operates, Audrey embarks on a photo report entitled “a rainbow of facades”. Whether cycling or walking, it’s a pleasure to hang out here. A little snack: we swallow three tacos. A little thirsty: we drink a horchata (cinnamon rice milk) or a frozen jamaica (infusion of hibiscus flowers). Our stay is quite brief, but it is mainly to take our marks to return in a few days, accompanied by visitors to Mexico…
In the meantime we head for Tulum, a famous little town on the Caribbean coast. Do not come here to look for typical Mexico, the little sister of Cancún is more a little Bali, all that the chickens are fond of. The city is divided in two: the village – mainly an avenue lined with souvenir shops, restaurants and youth hostels – and the beach – eight kilometers of hotels for more furnished purses. There is also a Mayan site, but we will come back to it later. We enjoy our first afternoon to go to the beach, which we had not done for two months, a true eternity (don’t you agree?). But if we are here it is above all to dive. Indeed the Yucatan has many options for diving enthusiasts, whether at sea or “on land” (but what are they telling us?!). This is the last option that brought us here. The peninsula is dotted with thousands of cavities, ranging from simple open ponds to networks of submerged caves. Their common point is the circular orifice giving access to the surface; this is called a “cenote” (pronounced se-no-té).
Little explanation Fred & Jammy for scientists: Yucatán is a peninsula that suffers regularly drought. This is also the most likely reason for the departure of the Mayas from the region and the decline of their civilization before the arrival of the Spanish. There are no rivers or lakes here. On the other hand, there is a fairly dense network of underground rivers piercing sometimes the surface, which gives a cenote. In fact, the collapse of the upper wall of the tunnels gives rise to these wells, which have always been used as freshwater reserves. If you look on a map you will see that these cenotes are distributed concentrically – it’s quite disturbing to see – around a specific point in the north of the peninsula. This is the exact place where an asteroid struck the Earth 66 million years ago – the crater of Chicxulub. To keep things simple and avoid going on a Wikipedia tour, underground rock would have been projected around the crater for tens of kilometers and would have favored the creation, much later, of these subterranean rivers. Our sharpest readers have already made the connection and know that we are talking about the asteroid being probably responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs (all except Denver, who is the last dinosaur, our friend, and much more). You are a little more cultivated than twenty minutes ago, our pleasure.
After all these wonderful dives made across the globe since January, we find a small school quite relax. Lucky us, we have the right to a private morning with Kenneth, our charismatic guide and his pierced nipples (what is this info?). On the program, the cenotes of Calavera (“the skull” in English) and Car Wash (“car wash” because the locals came to clean their little jewels before realizing that it was also the water that came out of their faucet a little further). We are even more excited when we discover that we are alone to dive this morning, which in Tulum is quite exceptional. Imagine the entry into the water for Audrey, a great reckless: Calavera is a hole in the ground of two meters in diameter, the water three meters lower. Believe it or not, but she jumped without hesitation. Then it’s just magic. The collapses, opening the caves to the sky, brought with them trees, skeletons of animals, and of course rocks of various sizes. The sun’s rays, piercing the foliage of trees outside, offer incredible light effects. The silhouettes of the engulfed branches are outlined in shades ranging from blue to green. And when we decide to sink into the depths of the caves, it’s total darkness. We sometimes have to slip into small crevasses in the light of our torches. In Calavera we discover what is called a halocline. A few meters deep, fresh water meets salt water. The two are not miscible, it’s like seeing the surface of a lake where the light is reflected, but under water! This experience will remain one of the most beautiful of our trip.
Frankly disappointed by Tulum which reflects rather well the homogenization of tourism around the world – we smooth everything with vegetarian restaurants offering wifi at every corner – we will remember essentially these two great dives. We can leave peacefully.
Family Roadtrip across the Peninsula
A new adventure begins for a dozen days; Ben’s mother and sister, accompanied by their respective husbands, are picked up for a drive around the Yucatán peninsula. Aboard our big American family (the equivalent of a locomotive train in France), we will travel the states of Quintana Roo, Yucatan and Campeche in the opposite direction of the clockwise (sorry for the owners of Casio and Apple Watch). We have been preparing their stays for a few weeks and it is truly a change of pace for us. This is their vacation, so it would be so much better if we avoided any disappointment and make the most of what the region has to offer: incredible Mayan temples, cities with a palpable colonial past and swimming between beaches and cenotes.
As mentioned earlier, Yucatán is a land steeped in pre-Hispanic history, although some traces have been erased by time, more or less voluntarily. The Spanish conquest had a disastrous effect on what was left of the Mayan civilization when the conquistadors arrived. Almost all the religious buildings were built with the stones of the temples located in the area and the few existing writings were almost all burned. Fortunately, some temples were spared, perhaps because of their imposing size, or only because they were still unknown or difficult to reach deep in the forest. We are lucky enough to visit some of them (exactly seven), and it’s gone crescendo!
First there were the northern cities, like the modest Ek Balam – very nice to get started, Chichen Itza and its incredible pyramid of the feathered serpent – Kukulkan – and his huge game of palm – juego pelota – where the captain of the winning team had the honor of being decapitated (they did not roll on the ground like a Brazilian footballer there). The pyramid of Kukulkan is grandiose, as much for the perfection of its now restored lines, as for the hidden meaning of each of its proportions (the Mayan calendar is inscribed in its dimensions and its orientation).
A little further south, in the region of the cities of Merida and Campeche, we discover the sites of Mayapan, Uxmal and Edzna. The architecture of the site of Uxmal differs completely from Chichen Itza, which is normal because a few centuries ago between their respective edifications. Here it is the acropolis and the density of constructions which impresses, one really has the feeling to walk in history. The temples of Mayapan and Edzna are much more modest and are not on organized tour itineraries. So we find ourselves almost alone in the middle of ruins just as beautiful as the headliners stamped UNESCO. The iguanas enjoy the calm and to take a sun bath everywhere, archaeologists and workers have space to work. We stroll between the pyramids, palaces and “administrative” buildings (it is a bit more flashy than the prefecture of Toulouse).
The last two sites we visit are quite oposite. One is at the heart of the jungle, three hours drive from the first big city. The other is a few kilometers from the largest resorts in the region. Said like that we see very easily what our preference was. Calakmul, the city lost in the forest on the border of Guatemala, is accessible after sixty kilometers of turns from the small town of Xpujil. Once there, we discover a gigantic site with the two highest pyramids of the peninsula. After having climbed (for a few minutes) the forty-five meters, one overlooks the forest as far as the eye can see. The screaming monkeys are tenants of the place and encourage us with their serious and distinctive groans (go take a look at the last Bolivian article >>here<< to refresh your memory). We wander for hours in the middle of dozens of temples and palaces of this incredible city and today invaded by trees and lianas. We will keep a very strong memory of our visit here. In another genre, there is the Tulum site. Some rather simple ruins by the sea, in a frame quite as a”postcard”. It’s certainly an easy cultural outing for the thousands of tourists who come to enjoy the seaside a few miles away, but it’s bland after all we’ve seen.
As you were told, Mexico was one of the entry points of the conquistadors on the American continent. The Yucatec peninsula is not left out as regards the traces of this colonization. Apart from the culture and the Mayan temples cleaned and dismantled (well, it’s not just pretty), the Spaniards have also created a small network of new cities. Always built as a grid, they seem to have not changed in 400 years. Small buildings of one or two floors, with colorful facades and charm. We loved it so we go back to Valladolid, but also to Izamal the charming little yellow city, to Merida the big city of the lively center or to Campeche the old fortified pirates’ port. We spend two days in the latter, which is perfect for Audrey who can add a good hundred photos of colorful facades to her collection… We all appreciated them but it is in Valladolid that magic operates. It is also because we have the chance of attending the disguised parade of the festival of the dead (El Día de los Muertos, or Hanal Pixán in Maya). Audrey is thrilled and could not dream better than this to photograph all these young people painstakingly painted.
If we are in Yucatán it is also for holidays, and holidays must necessarily rhyme with swimming at one time or another. That’s good, we have everything we need here! We told you about our discovery of the cenotes a little before, and it goes without saying that we also made the family benefit from them. Our favorite is undoubtedly the cenote of the hacienda Oxman a few steps from the center of Valladolid. This is a crazy place, a huge well fifteen meters, a crystal clear bottomless water in which sink the enormous roots of trees in the park, beautiful. Most in shape try (with more or less success) to rope Tarzan way. One of us (no name, no no) stands out from the crowd by offering disproportionate dishes that make all the spectators laugh. Again, thank you Nadège. In a totally different kind, there are the cenotes of the El Corchito reserve in Puerto Progreso in the north of the peninsula. Pools with shades of green in the heart of the mangrove where you can wade under the look of friendly raccoons and big lizards. There are also all these cenotes a little more touristy and more accessible, but sometimes just as beautiful, as Xankirixche, Dzombakal or Xbatun next to San Antonio de Mulix, or Dos Ojos not far from Tulum.
But there are not only the cenotes in Yucatán, there is also the seaside, the Caribbean coast. After spending a big week in the land, we discover the lagoon Bacalar, a huge lake open to the sea. It must be difficult not to appreciate the shades of blue and green in which come wooden pontoons, with the mangrove in the background. Not too bad isn’t it? We love it so much that we spend two days in a row, wallowing in hammocks planted in the lagoon. One of the most beautiful places in the whole peninsula, perfect for resting after swallowing several hundred kilometers.
After two great weeks of exploring the peninsula, it’s time to leave. The holidaymakers continue their journey on their side and we leave ours. The next stage takes us to the south of the country, on the border of Guatemala, in the state of Chiapas. But that’s for the next article of the chickens!
See you soon,
Audrey & Ben