Mexico and guacamole

Curti-Rome-Paris

Today our vacation finally begins, and since the plane leaves at 9:30 we have to wake up early...at 3:50 AM (Gulp). By 4:30 we're already in the car, just one stop for breakfast at the service area and off we go!! At 7:30 we're at the Italia 92 parking lot (super cheap and super convenient). The free shuttle takes us to the airport where we notice a suspicious bit of fog...you don't think...bitter surprise...our plane has been cancelled and unfortunately we also miss the connection to Mexico City. No point in mentioning the extreme courtesy of the airport staff, which contrasts with the extreme rudeness of the Alitalia staff at the ticket counter (we're in Italy).

Since IATA suggests that airlines shouldn't pay for hotel accommodation (in case of adverse weather conditions) for the unfortunate ones, either you sleep in Rome (hoping the next day there's no fog again) or you leave for Paris and sleep there...obviously we choose the second option. Ok, once we arrive in Paris we pick up our luggage and head to the information office to get a suggestion for a (cheap) hotel nearby. The girl gives us a photocopy with phone numbers, distance from the airport and prices. After a call that goes nowhere we finally find accommodation at the Premiere Class (42 euros), a bus that leaves from gate 4 (costs 3 euros round trip, you pay at the hotel when you return) takes us to our destination in 15 min.

Paris-Mexico City

After the usual breakfast at the hotel (4.5 euros/person), we take the shuttle that brings us back to the airport. At 10:30 our plane departs; the flight will last about 13 hours; the plane is a Boeing 767 of Aeromexico; the seats are quite wide but it is not one of the newest models. A bit tired, we arrive at our destination, withdraw pesos (at the ATM max 3000) and head toward the airport wing where authorized taxis depart. A small desk on the left sells tickets, a single fare depending on where you're going (in our case to the Zocalo, the main square...127 pesos). With all the traffic, in 30 minutes we are at our hotel, El Catedral. Fortunately, after passing the migraciones office, we arrived in front of the infamous little column with the button, where once you press it, if the screen is green, OK, you pass; otherwise you have to open the entire trunk.

Of course, since yesterday we hadn't notified them (we were on the flight), we lost the reservation, but the hotel people don't charge us for it and on top of that they give us the suite at the same price (475 pesos!!!). We take a quick tour of the Zocalo and visit the imposing cathedral; tired, we decide to go to sleep.

Mexico City-Merida-Dirt Roads

Fortunately tonight we sleep great; after a nice breakfast at our hotel (150 pesos), we return to the airport; the flight to Merida with the tiny Aereocalifornia awaits us. After some doubts and a bit of accumulated delay (we'll understand why later), our flight departs (the plane is a DC9 and you can smoke on board!!!). We arrive in Merida after 1 hour and 30 minutes, take the usual fixed-fare taxi and arrive at the second-class bus station. We buy tickets for the bus heading to Chichen Itza (52 pesos); the trip lasts 2 hours and 30 minutes. The landscape along the way is very beautiful because we pass through many small villages; you have to be careful because no one tells you the stops and as soon as you get off, it leaves (watch your luggage). We arrive in Piste in the dark; it's 19:30; we arrive at our hotel, the Piramide Inn (410 pesos), very modest.

We drop off our luggage and head to the restaurant suggested by the guidebook, El Mestizas, where we eat excellent tacos and two chickens cooked on stone (160 pesos).

Dirt Roads-Chichen Itza-Valladolid-Tulum

Finally today we see our first archaeological site. Given the heat, we decide to wake up very early, so after breakfast we are at the opening of the Chichen Itza site; we arrive by taxi (direction ruinas); admission costs 40 pesos (video camera 35); at the entrance, besides the usual restaurants and souvenir shops, there is an excellent luggage storage. As soon as we enter, after a few meters it is possible to admire the castillo in all its beauty, truly exceptional. The guide says that on each side there are 91 steps plus one central one, therefore 365 like the days. It is no longer possible to climb the pyramid. On the left rises the magnificent ball court, perfectly preserved, beautiful; by clapping your hands at the center of the court you hear the echo...exceptional. Just outside there is the wall of skulls where the winners (or the losers) were sacrificed.

Continuing, you see the temple of a thousand columns, the pyramid of the priest, very beautiful. Every now and then you see squirrels and huge iguanas wandering among the ruins. For buses, you don't have to go back to Piste, but outside the site the bus for Tulum passes (three buses a day) or for Valladolid (from here 6 a day leave for Tulum); tickets are bought in the souvenir shop. We take the bus for Valladolid (where we arrive in 45 minutes) and from here the ADO bus for Tulum (arrives in 1 hour and 30 minutes). We arrive in Tulum and take the bus to our beach cabanas, the ones at Diamante K (350 pesos). Our cabana is very small, made of logs (when you undress it's just the same), it's on the beach and there are many palms. Although suggestive, the cabanas are very uncomfortable and, since the Montezuma curse has struck us, there's a need for a bathroom in the room.

We decide to book for the next day the more comfortable hotel El Crucero (300 pesos). In the evening we go to eat at the renowned hotel Charlie, a terrible idea.

Tulum

Excellent choice, the Crucero, because today the curse reaches its peak (boy, what a scare). Fortunately, thanks to the legendary assistance (even if only by phone) of the doctors from Europe Assistance (which I always recommend), we are a little calmer.

Tulum

This morning Manu feels a bit better; finally she eats something. Slowly, around eleven, we take a little walk toward the beach and see a wonderful woodpecker in its nest, very beautiful. We arrive near the ruins (10 minutes away) and from there we head toward the cabanas El Mirador, where we slip onto the beach. In the afternoon we rest again at our hotel and then return to the beach for a dip in the magnificent Caribbean Sea.

Tulum

Today the visit to the site awaits us (admission 40 pesos and 35 for video camera). To be honest, the site isn't exactly majestic; the only nice thing is the classic postcard with the ruins of the castillo overlooking the beach and the magnificent Caribbean Sea. Many people opt for a swim near the ruins, but a few meters away there is the Mirador beach, much less crowded.

Tulum-Caleta Yulka-Tulum

Today a beautiful trip awaits us to the little cove of Yulka, which is located after Akumal in the direction of Playa del Carmen (20 minutes from Tulum). We take a very comfortable collectivo (white vans in A-Team style, with the red Tulum-Playa del C. lettering); after getting on, we ask the driver to leave us at Caleta Yulka. They drop us off at the intersection for 20 pesos; from here you'll see a porticoed area; go there and take the taxi there, not just before, otherwise you'll pay more (they are the Tulum taxis operating out of town). Have them leave you in front of the Posada Que Onda; from here either pay 60 pesos to enter the cove or (suggested option) slip onto the path right in front of the posada (don't ask the taxi driver, otherwise he'll tell you there's no path). After passing the vegetation you arrive on the rocks, a few steps to the left and you're at the cove.

The cove is a wonderful place, a shame about the houses built by American tourists that surround the cove and prevent access (except for the path and the entrance where you pay 60 pesos); there are thousands of colorful fish...incredible; I recommend swimming with a T-shirt and not using sunscreen. In the evening we go to eat at Don Cafeto.

Tulum-Merida

Today at 12:30 our bus for Merida departs; the trip lasts 4 hours and costs 163 pesos. As soon as we arrive in Merida you immediately feel the great heat; we take a taxi and arrive at our accommodation, La Luz En Yucatan, very nice, the room is huge (450 pesos). We take a nice walk through the center, eating at Cafe Habana (I don't recommend it), and then go back home; tomorrow the alarm is at 4:00!!!

Merida-Villahermosa-Palenque

7/4/06 Merida-Villahermosa-Palenque

As expected, we wake up at 4:00 and luckily our taxi, booked by the girl at the hotel the day before, arrives even if early. Time to get our things ready and in about 20 minutes—obviously at that hour there was no traffic—the Aviacsa plane (excellent airline) departs at 6:30; meanwhile we discover that the Mexican company has launched a low-cost carrier called click. At 7:30 we're in Villahermosa and once we've landed you have to go through the usual routine, that is, go to the taxi stand and buy the usual fixed-price ticket for 150 pesos; our destination is the ADO bus station. It's about 8:30 and our coach leaves at 9:30, it costs 166 pesos (two people), the trip takes about 2 hours. On the bus, besides having the air conditioning on full blast (bring a fleece), they show a schmaltzy movie but the comfort is excellent.

We temporarily say goodbye to the state of Tabasco to head into Chiapas…. practically in the middle of the forest. The terminal is a stone's throw from our hotel, the Kashlari, booked by phone this morning; they give us a huge room that would normally cost 600 pesos for only 300… the low-season effect. I must say that even though it's April it's really very hot and the site has to be seen in the morning, so we decide to take a little walk around the centre (it's not much). We decide to eat at the Maya restaurant where we have a taco, a quesadilla and a steak with potatoes for 145 pesos. Given the heat we decide to go back to the hotel and to kill time we decide to surf the internet for a bit (1 peso per hour). Reading our email we discover that the airline Aereocalifornia went bankrupt a few days after our flight….

heart attack… obviously no refund is provided for the bankruptcy, so we try to find a replacement flight. We go to the only ticket office in town, which asks us for 300 USD, while on the internet we found 279.39 USD (obviously without agency fees), again with the legendary Aviacsa. After solving the ticket problem we go to the bus station to ask about the return times: 12:15 and 13:30.

Palenque-Villahermosa

This morning we have the visit to the archaeological site and, seeing that it is already scorching hot from 10:00, we decide to go and see the site at opening time (8:00). The combis leave near our hotel, we wait a few minutes for the minivan to fill up and off we go..in the direction of the ruinas and for 20 pesos we cover the 8 km that separate us from the site. We fork out 45 pesos per person plus 35 for the video camera (is that TV rights???). Fortunately there are few people and we head immediately to the temple of the inscriptions (you can't climb it) and right in front the palacio with the observation tower. The site is beautiful, completely immersed in the forest, only a small part is visible.

Afterwards we cross a small bridge over a little river and arrive at the plaza of the cross, where you see the temple of the sun, the temple of the foliated cross and finally the temple of the cross. The latter is the structure located highest up and by climbing it (not without considerable difficulty) you admire a fantastic spectacle. Descending towards the exit you see various ruins until you reach the ball game court which has nothing to do with the one at Chichen Itza. Heading towards the second exit, in the direction of the museum, you cross a beautiful forest until you reach an enchanting waterfall with a raised bridge. The museum is not very big and the most interesting part is the incense burners. Outside the museum we wait just five minutes and take the colectivo that goes to Palenque.

We get off at the ADO stop where we buy tickets for Villahermosa at 12:15 (85 pesos per person)…outside it must be at least forty degrees. At 12:20 we set off, the road is full of potholes and the bus bounces around like crazy, fortunately the air conditioning is not on full blast and they show a nice film: Alaska. At a certain point we stop at a fixed checkpoint (which I hadn't noticed on the way out) where some soldiers get on to check documents…we are in Chiapas. After more than two hours we arrive in Villahermosa; to avoid going round in circles we decide to phone the various hotels to see if there's room, but as often happens whoever answers speaks only Spanish so we choose one at random and go there directly. We discover that here in Villahermosa you can't stop taxis along the street but have to wait for them at designated points.

The Hotel Oriente is our destination, where we take a room with air conditioning for 310 pesos. Even though the lady who welcomes us is rather rude the rooms are very clean, we go to eat at the restaurant Madam, good.

Villahermosa-Mexico City

Today we conclude the tour; fortunately after the failure of Aereocalifornia Avaicsa saved us, only the flight is at 8:10 so we have to get up at the usual ungodly hour. We take the usual taxi to the airport, 150 pesos, we arrive in 20 minutes. The flight to MEX lasts 1h and 20 minutes, our hotel is the very convenient Catedral (which taxi drivers often confuse with the nearby Hostal Catedral, even though it has now changed name), the room costs 475 pesos, but paying in cash the price becomes 430..great, clean and very central, a few steps from the local. The next stop is the gigantic anthropology museum, where we arrive via the very convenient metro (2 pesos).

We get off at the Auditorio stop and in a few steps we are at the museum; today is Sunday and admission is free!!! The museum is huge, worthy of note are the Maya, Mexico and Teotihuacan rooms…..but the most beautiful objects are the tomb of Pacal, the Olmec heads and the sun wheel.

Mexico City- Teotihuacan-Mexico City

We wake up nice and relaxed and have a good, abundant breakfast in our hotel, we take the convenient metro to go to the huge terminal norte bus station. Going in on the left at the back, in the direction of hall 8, there is the bus company that goes to the pyramids (27 pesos); the journey lasts 1 h and you arrive at gate no. 1 of the ruins. We pay the usual 45 pesos per person plus 35 pesos for the video camera. The first building (the citadel) the citadel is nothing special except for the heads/statues that you see after the staircase. From here you get a wonderful panoramic view of the pyramid of the sun and the moon. There are various vendors who stop you and offer interesting objects, we walk the whole Avenue of the Dead up to the pyramid of the sun, fortunately we are quite high up and it is not very hot.

Climbing the steps of the pyramid is truly an arduous undertaking, but from the top it is marvellous. With the little strength we have left we head towards the pyramid of the moon to take the last photos (not to climb it), we exit through gate no. 3 where we wait about ten minutes for the bus to Mexico City.