Merida was excellent and definitely the rest that we needed - it was nice to have a few days of not doing too much, sleeping late and generally relaxing. We managed to fit in a few sights - we visited the city's anthropological museum and on Friday the site of the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza. The latter was particularly impressive as it comprises the ruins of 15 or so large buildings that were used as temples, ancient sports arenas and for other ceremonial purposes. Chichen Itza was made particularly fascinating as it was the site of a large number of human sacrifices both of vanquished military foes and and members of sports teams unfortunate enough to find themselves on the losing side. Sacrifice took the form of beheading or being thrown into the sacred cenote - a large watering hole - to drown. All very grizzly, but very interesting.
We left Merida for Campeche on Sunday planning to stay for a couple of nights before moving on. Campeche is a pretty walled city that served as an excellent place to relax some more by sitting in the sunny zocalo (main square) during the day reading our books, exploring the old ramparts of the city and eating Mexican food in the evenings. Our stay has been extended from our initially planned two nights to four as Lisa is suffering with a terrible cold and hopefully some more rest here will help her recover.
We've also been doing some planning here with the intention of doing some more voluntary work and perhaps a language course as we move further into central America. It seems that our appetite for standard traveling has been tempered a little recently as moving from place to place only staying long enough to see the main sites has become a little repetitive (arrive by bus, find hostel, get map, find supermarket etc, etc) and probably needs to be broken up with a more permanent stay. Our thoughts have frequently turned to our time at Pretty River in Canada and how spending an extended period of time with the same group of people made us really happy - I think that this is what is driving our attempts to have some more extended stays in places.
Monday 25 January 2010
Wednesday 13 January 2010
Thursday 7 January 2010 - Quite a Month...
It's been just over a month since my last journal entry and hence we've done a great deal and traveled a long way since I last wrote. We now find ourselves in the Yucatan town of Merida and a jolly long way from Seattle (where I was headed at the end of my last entry). In the intervening weeks we have:
And now we have found our way south of the border to Mexico for a definite change of pace and what feels like the second leg of our travels - we no longer have rent-a-cars or the comfort of communicating in English (although Lisa's Spanish impresses me daily) but do now have the wonder of excellent food seemingly on every street corner and for the first time in a while, some sunshine.
Having flown into Cancun, we spent one night and then made our way to the city of Merida where we had decided to stay for a week. Having moved around a lot in the past month we really wanted somewhere to call home for a little while and so managed to secure the rental of a small apartment. This gave us a base to relax and do some planning ahead of our Mexican adventure (much as we did in Montreal at the start of our Canadian adventure).
Merida has been very good to us so far (setting aside a brief drama where having locked my passport in the apartment's small safe I was no longer able to unlock it - a locksmith with a hammer and chisel soon resolved the problem). We arrived here on 3 January just in time for the festivities for Dia de los Reyes (or Day of the Kings) on the 5th and 6th. This happens to coincide with the town's birthday and hence causes quite a fiesta. On a trip to the supermarket we stumbled upon part of festivities - music and some pantomime-esque comedy around trestle tables supporting literally hundreds of feet of cake which was both very impressive and, for the nominal fee of of 1 pound per enormous chunk, delicious. That evening we headed for the central square for more celebrations including some traditional Mayan dancing (which was a little like Morris dancing but with better costumes) and then a procession through the streets led by four Mariachi bands each with more than twenty members. The procession concluded with some genuinely impressive fireworks and ended what was, all in all, a thoroughly enjoyable party.
It was all an excellent introduction to Mexico that made me reflect on all that we've seen over the past months in North America. I'll certainly miss the US - there's many things that they do incredibly well (I don't seem to be able to shake my American football fixation for one) - and Canada provided some of the friendliest people I've ever met, but I think that after 21 states and 4 provinces, it's time for pastures new. I can't wait to see what joys central America holds.
- Visited and loved Seattle, staying longer than we had planned
uncovering new and excellent things every day such as the Freemont Troll (see picture). We also found a genuine pinball parlour serving cheap beer, sailed across Puget Sound as the sun was setting, saw country/swing/rock and roll threesome Hot Club of Cow Town bust some grooves, watched a Seattle bands showcase and (a personal highlight of mine) ate at a genuine Chili Parlour (see here); - Spent a day searching for locations from the TV series Twin Peaks, humming the theme tune and being generally spooked out by the North West woods and the potential presence of 'Bob' around every corner (if you don't know what this means I recommend that you get hold of the box set);
- Been bewildered at the array of Twilight merchandise available in the town of Forks, Washington where the books and movies are set;
- Driven the highways of the west coast hugging the shore all the way from Washington state to San Francisco and taking in some beautiful views (and more motel rooms than I ever thought I would stay in);
- Spent 6 days in San Francisco (expertly guided by Lisa's friend Tom and his fiancee Christie) including taking in a Lady Gaga concert (at which I felt greatly lacking in flamboyance), visiting Alcatraz and eating some wonderful Mexican food in the Mission district;
- Drove from Los Angeles (taking in Venice Beach and Santa Monica) to the barren salt flats of Death Valley which was like a theme park of natural wonders and like nowhere I've ever been before. Everywhere we looked the views were breathtaking that made me feel very small indeed;
- Spent three nights of wonderful excess in a suite in the MGM Grand in Las Vegas (including taking in a Cirque de Soleil show and rather more frozen margheritas than I would recommend);
- Had Christmas (complete with impromptu rucksack based Christmas tree) in an apartment near to Sedona, Arizona. We took walks out into the amazing red rock country on both Christmas and Boxing Day and cooked our first ever Christmas dinner (turkey, beef and all the trimmings) which was a more or less unmitigated success (if I do say myself). We also marveled at the wonder of Skype which allowed us to feel as if we were simultaneously enjoying Christmas in the UK and the US;
- Visited the Grand Canyon which was beautiful but incredibly icy and watched a succession of people slipping over (including me);
- Saw some very large saguarro cacti in the Sonoran desert;
- Spent a very drunken New Year's Eve in San Diego (happy hours right up to midnight are a recipe for disaster).
And now we have found our way south of the border to Mexico for a definite change of pace and what feels like the second leg of our travels - we no longer have rent-a-cars or the comfort of communicating in English (although Lisa's Spanish impresses me daily) but do now have the wonder of excellent food seemingly on every street corner and for the first time in a while, some sunshine.
Having flown into Cancun, we spent one night and then made our way to the city of Merida where we had decided to stay for a week. Having moved around a lot in the past month we really wanted somewhere to call home for a little while and so managed to secure the rental of a small apartment. This gave us a base to relax and do some planning ahead of our Mexican adventure (much as we did in Montreal at the start of our Canadian adventure).
Merida has been very good to us so far (setting aside a brief drama where having locked my passport in the apartment's small safe I was no longer able to unlock it - a locksmith with a hammer and chisel soon resolved the problem). We arrived here on 3 January just in time for the festivities for Dia de los Reyes (or Day of the Kings) on the 5th and 6th. This happens to coincide with the town's birthday and hence causes quite a fiesta. On a trip to the supermarket we stumbled upon part of festivities - music and some pantomime-esque comedy around trestle tables supporting literally hundreds of feet of cake which was both very impressive and, for the nominal fee of of 1 pound per enormous chunk, delicious. That evening we headed for the central square for more celebrations including some traditional Mayan dancing (which was a little like Morris dancing but with better costumes) and then a procession through the streets led by four Mariachi bands each with more than twenty members. The procession concluded with some genuinely impressive fireworks and ended what was, all in all, a thoroughly enjoyable party.
It was all an excellent introduction to Mexico that made me reflect on all that we've seen over the past months in North America. I'll certainly miss the US - there's many things that they do incredibly well (I don't seem to be able to shake my American football fixation for one) - and Canada provided some of the friendliest people I've ever met, but I think that after 21 states and 4 provinces, it's time for pastures new. I can't wait to see what joys central America holds.
Saturday 9 January 2010
Monday 30 November 2009 - The Great Vancouver Dreadlock Battle
We arrived in Vancouver at 10pm after our epic bus journey and made our way to our hostel where we had two beds booked in a dormitory. Fortunately, on arrival, due to some odd complexities with the booking system, we were allocated a private room with our own bathroom. Somehow we had booked 4 nights in the cheapest accommodation available and were given 4 nights in the most expensive. We were very happy (since we only had to pay for the cheap beds).
As you may remember, after finishing the Appalachian Trail, I underto
ok a battle to remove the two big dreadlocks that had naturally formed in my hair following months of neglect (the full of extent of which can be seen to the right).
I had made some slight progress, but it had become increasingly clear that if I wanted them fully removed I would need some professional help (from a hairdresser, not a support group). It just so happens that Vancouver is home to the legendary Knotty Boy Lock Shop - an international authority on all things dreadlocked. I called and agreed to go in for a consultation. The salon is located in the super-trendy Commercial Drive neighbourhood full of coffee shops, book stores and restaurants and I was encouraged that my initial consultation was not as negative as I had feared - they were confident that they could remove the dreads without having to cut my hair off. So the next day I returned for what amounted to a woman pulling my hair for two and a half hours (fairly painfully) but resulted in the removal of one enormous knot from my hair. I have one smaller dreadlock left that Lisa and I are going to work on over the next week.
As for the rest of Vancouver it was really very nice - the city is located on a peninsula and so benefits from lots of coastlines and water views. On Saturday we went for an incredible meal at the Twisted Fork Bistro (courtesy of the lovely people at Pretty River) which included confit duck, cod with chorizo, a caramel biscuity dessert and a couple of glasses of Sauvignon Blanc. Roughing it? Moi?
On Sunday we took in lots of the aforementioned water views from Granville Market and some of the paths around Stanley Park. We saw some excellent totem-poles (the native art in Vancouver is really outstanding - lots of beautiful carving) and then did our first very Christmassy thing - a train ride on a miniature railway lit up with thousands of fairy lights and playing Christmas songs. Very festive.
This morning saw an early start to make our train to Seattle and some initial stress as we cleared passport control (who knew that you needed to pay $6 US to re-enter the States?) but having crossed that obstacle we have now entered Washington state - my 17th state of the trip so far. Looking forward to some good coffee in Seattle.
P.S. A particularly dull aside, but one I can't forget - Vancouver has particularly wonderful tap water - one of the first places to rival the good old Brummagem canal water.
As you may remember, after finishing the Appalachian Trail, I underto
ok a battle to remove the two big dreadlocks that had naturally formed in my hair following months of neglect (the full of extent of which can be seen to the right).I had made some slight progress, but it had become increasingly clear that if I wanted them fully removed I would need some professional help (from a hairdresser, not a support group). It just so happens that Vancouver is home to the legendary Knotty Boy Lock Shop - an international authority on all things dreadlocked. I called and agreed to go in for a consultation. The salon is located in the super-trendy Commercial Drive neighbourhood full of coffee shops, book stores and restaurants and I was encouraged that my initial consultation was not as negative as I had feared - they were confident that they could remove the dreads without having to cut my hair off. So the next day I returned for what amounted to a woman pulling my hair for two and a half hours (fairly painfully) but resulted in the removal of one enormous knot from my hair. I have one smaller dreadlock left that Lisa and I are going to work on over the next week.
As for the rest of Vancouver it was really very nice - the city is located on a peninsula and so benefits from lots of coastlines and water views. On Saturday we went for an incredible meal at the Twisted Fork Bistro (courtesy of the lovely people at Pretty River) which included confit duck, cod with chorizo, a caramel biscuity dessert and a couple of glasses of Sauvignon Blanc. Roughing it? Moi?
On Sunday we took in lots of the aforementioned water views from Granville Market and some of the paths around Stanley Park. We saw some excellent totem-poles (the native art in Vancouver is really outstanding - lots of beautiful carving) and then did our first very Christmassy thing - a train ride on a miniature railway lit up with thousands of fairy lights and playing Christmas songs. Very festive.
This morning saw an early start to make our train to Seattle and some initial stress as we cleared passport control (who knew that you needed to pay $6 US to re-enter the States?) but having crossed that obstacle we have now entered Washington state - my 17th state of the trip so far. Looking forward to some good coffee in Seattle.
P.S. A particularly dull aside, but one I can't forget - Vancouver has particularly wonderful tap water - one of the first places to rival the good old Brummagem canal water.
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