Valladolid
We were put onto Valladolid by a blog that we have been following and so glad that it was our first stop in Mexico. When we got in it was raining- something that would follow us for the rest of our trip through Mexico- but there is no amount of rain or dark skies that can dull the colour and magic of this beautiful colonial town.
From bright coloured facades to the ridiculous amounts of shoe shops in a town where there is not much else, this place is a definite must on any trip through the Yucutan.
Somehow they make run- down buildings look more beautiful and intriguing than any other and the people are so kind and helpful even though we tried we had a huge language barrier between us (make note: always learn spanish when embarking on a 3 month trip through CA/SA-no brainer for most sane people I know).
We hired some bikes and went on a mission to one of the famous cenotes which is about a 30min trek out of town. Whilst I want to say it was amazing and looked like it did in the pictures- it looked nothing like it with dirty water and a whole bunch of tourists bobbing around in compulsory bright orange life jackets- a slight buzz kill.
Theres no doubt that there are many amazing of the beaten track cenotes and we will definitely be checking these ones out on our way back through Mexico en route to India. Don’t let this dissuade you from Valladolid, the markets, the people and the amazing buildings (plus cheap prices) are enough to fill up your days.
We were lucky enough to meet a really amazing bunch of aussies while we were there and their advice for our future travels, plus a few good sessions of cervesas goes to show where staying in hostels really holds its value, the people you meet and their recommendations are invaluable.
TULUM
Upon arrival in Tulum we were greeted by torrential rain, something that would not leave us during the following four days.
The girl who ran our accommodation told us finding a place to watch the rugby (NZ vs France QF) would not be a problem as several sports bars in the area would be playing it. So off we went in the rain to find the game and a few drinks. After walking, taxiing, walking and taxiing for two hours we were no closer to finding the game. The one place playing it was having issues with the satellite connection (due to the rain) so we gave up and headed to a small vegetarian cafe for a feed and to get our drenched raincoats off – by now they had absorbed so much water they were no longer 100% waterproof.
While walking back to our accommodation after the meal we heard the unmistakable sound of rugby commentary coming from a small local BBQ chicken eatery called “El Pollo Bronco”. I poked my head in and was confronted with the sight of a toothless Mexican vigorously chopping up whole chickens with a big meat cleaver! On top of the Coke fridge was a TV playing the game! Unable to believe our luck we ordered a coke, ¼ chicken and watched the frogs get rolled!
By day three in Tulum all our plans for Guatemala were set - bus to Belize City, shuttle to Flores (Guatemala) and accommodation was locked in. We had given up on wearing rain coats and instead spent the days walking around in wet clothes. We went for a bike ride to ancient Mayan ruins on the coast and had some great meals around town but aside from that were generally confined to our nice damp bungalow.
We went to bed and as I was nodding off felt a drip of water hit my forehead. One drip turned into a steady stream of water pouring in through the roof and walls – which were so water logged you could put your hands through them! We got up and made sure all our belongings were off the ground – on chairs, tables etc – in anticipation that by morning we may be in a few feet of water. Sure enough Jen woke up at 5am only to stand in a puddle of water below the bed. She went back to sleep while I started doing further investigation into the weather. A quick google searched came up with headlines such as “Hurricane”, “damaging flooding” and the forecast showed 2+ weeks of torrential rain across Central America with the weather system due to follow our path!
Jen woke up and I asked her about the idea of flying to Buenos Aires the next day with the intention of heading north up South/Central America as opposed to our original plan of South. Jen jumped on the idea and we booked our tickets that morning and packed up and got our of there!