Patrick: Week 3: The Adventuras

I should say first that I totally underestimated Merida.  I expected a little town.  Instead I found a bustling city that is twice the population of Portland (proper) and about half the pop. of the Portland metro area.  Most of the streets around where our hotel's located are one way with two narrow lanes, and somone is always temporarily parked in one of the lanes.  I'm forever asking the kids to walk on the other side of the sidewalk because the city busses roar past inches away with little warning.  :-)

What an adventure.  We've been trying out a bunch of restaurants because we've heard that Merida is one of Mexico's premier food destinations.  We tried several Mexican restaurants (Los Trompos and El Chile Habenero), a Mayan restaurant (La Chaya), an Irish (Henneseys), a Mediterranean (Rescoldos) and Burger King.  Ha.  Not kidding about that last one.  The kids needed a brief respite.  I must say though that the food at Rescoldos was some of the best we've had in a while.

In terms of things we did here: Liz went chocolate shopping and found some dark bars that had "red pepper & fine spices" which were my favorite.  Very unique.  Took a horse drawn carriage ride up and down a very beautiful boulivard.  Sofia wants to do that one again.  Visited he public zoo (for free) and totally loved watching the big tiger play like a little kitty and the baby hippo frolic with his parents.  We rented a car and I tried to follow the examples around me.  People don't use their blinkers to change lanes and lane markings don't seem to mean much.  :-)  We drove to some ruins, Progreso, and Celestun to see the mangroves and flamingos.  Got pulled over once.  On the way to Celestun, we got to drive through a few small towns.

In retrospecitve, in our skype lessons with Erin and Ulisses, we should have covered "What to say when the cops pull you over because your rental car permits are invalid for this area."  I was keenly feeling the gap in my spanish vocabulary at that moment.

We've had to flex a bit from our original schedule since we were all kinda sick at the beginning of the week.  Since we were 'out' for a few days we decided to stay a few more near here instead of heading back to Cancun.  As I'm writing this here at the hotel I can hear the live music at the park across the street.  Have I mentioned that I love live music?  We'll drive ourselves down to a new hotel near Uxmal (pronounced oosh-mall) stay there for a few nights checking out ruins and cenotes.

After that we're heading to Cozumel for a little more beach time.  Might try to get a little diving or snorkeling in.  Maybe shake fins with a dolphin?  Stay tuned.

Pictured below: The king-sized iguana and Otis sunning themselves at the zoo.

Liz: Day 16: Celestun, Bird Paradise

The name Celestun means "heavenly", a big name for a small town to live up to.  Celestun, the town, was not the glorious place I had imagined. They are currently in the middle of a huge construction project that involves tearing out the street all around the city center and the ambience factor is remarkably low.  Also, the streets are small and the homes modest.  However, they are sitting next to one of the most beautiful natural treasures I have seen on this trip.

After eating a very affordable lunch at the town market ($109 pesos) we chartered a boat at the pier. We had a boat and a guide all to ourselves. As we cruised up the river the kids held on to their hats. We felt like explorers!  There were great blue herons and white egrets hunting all along the river.  There were white and brown pelicans.  There was a big flock of little gray ducks that took flight right in front of us. We could watch them right next to the boat running on the water as they took off. I was in heaven!  And then we saw the orangish-pink color on the river horizon in the distance.  Flamingos!

The flamingos stand on sand bars in the river and feed on algae.  They make a lot of noise, although you can't get too close to them and they are such a beautiful color.  Words are failing me to describe it. What a magical place the Yucatan is!  Mayan ruins, turquoise blue water, flamingos.  Wow. 

On the way back we veered off into a tunnel through the mangroves.  We have been studying the mangrove forests for home school and it was great to get to see them up close.  The roots from the red mangroves have tannins in them, which turns the river a deep brownish red color. 

Tomorrow (Sunday) is market day in Merida and will be another guys/gals day for the Voelkers.  It's our last day in Merida before we head south along the Puuc Mayan Ruins route.

Otis & Sofia: Day 15: Kids Day

It's been two weeks of traveling!  Now that Otis (8) and Sofia (6) have a little bit of world travel under their belts, here's what they have to say about it.

What have you done so far that you think other kids should know about?
Sofia: the horse and carriage ride (in Merida)
Otis: Kids club! Especially digging for dinosaur bones on the beach.  (at the Westin Resort and Spa)

What is something new that you've learned about Mexico?
Otis: "Hard to say. The hotels are really good. The food. The hotcakes."
Sofia:  "The talking is different."

What do you most look forward to doing on our trip?
Otis: "I'm going to hug some dolphins."
Sofia: "Dolphins. More Mayan ruins."

If you could bring one thing from home to keep with you for the rest of our vacation, what would it be?
Otis: "A computer!" (with Minecraft capabilities).
Sofia: "Nothing."

How has it been for you speaking Spanish? Do you have any advice for someone who doesn't speak very good Spanish?
Otis: "Good.  I let my parents speak for me."
Sofia:  "Not good because I don't speak Spanish."

What is the most interesting thing you've learned here?
Otis: (At Dzibilchaltun) "The sound hit the buildings just right so you could hear someone talking below from up at the top."
Sofia: "The fish were interesting and funny when they nibbled our toes."

What advice would you give to someone from home getting ready to fly to Mexico?
Otis: "It can be scary when the plane goes above the clouds. There are barf bags in the seats! Bring headphones so you can watch the movie."
Sofia: "It's going to be a long flight with lots of waiting."

Who in your life do you think would most enjoy Mexico?
Otis: "Faith and Colin" (cousins)
Sofia: "Faith and Sophia Grace"

Anything else you want to tell the people at home?
Otis:  "Bring a water bottle to the mayan ruins."
Sofia:  "At the zoo there are turtles."

Below: Pictures from dinner last night at the yummy Rescoldo's Mediteranean Bistro (best ravioli's ever!) and our walk home on the Paseo De Montejo.

Liz: Day 13 & 14: Fish Pedicures

Wednesday we all were a little stir-crazy but had to stay home to get everyone healthy. Patrick caught up on some reading. Otis triumphed over the carrot after much effort in Bowsers inside story ds game, Sofia caught up on cartoons and I caught up on sleep. We enjoyed our fresh fruit from the market, mangos and strawberries, ripe and freshly picked. 

Thursday had a dramatic start as Sofia had another high fever so we scrambled around to find a doctor.  Finally I was able to consult with a doctor who makes house calls and he said to take her to the hospital as there is a strong influenza going around right now and they would have better tools to take care of her there.  In the mean-time I had given her a fever reducer right away and now Sofia was doing jumping-jacks and showing her muscles to passersby. We have made the mistake before of taking a sick child who currently appears quite healthy to the doctor and didn't want to do that again.   

We decided to go to a set of Mayan ruins close to town and then to the beach at Progreso.  We had maps to a good hospital on the way and a recommendation for the hospital at Progreso so that if Sofia started feeling sick again we could take her in right away. It turned out she started feeling a lot better in the afternoon so we didn't need them.

Dzibilchaltun (tzee-BEEL-chahl-toon) was a peaceful place.  It was a great ruin to see first as it was smaller and there weren't many people. We hired a guide to show us around and we learned a lot from her.  The kids had many questions.  Sofia said she wish the Mayans were still alive and our guide told us that she is Mayan.  She showed the kids her last name, Ek Moo, which means star (Ek) and a type of Macaw bird (Moo).  She also told us that there was no evidence of human sacrifice at this site, a site that was only Mayan, whereas the Mayan at Chichen Itza (for example) were influenced culturally by the Toltec, who were a bloody, warrior people.  (her words)

After our tour she showed us the cenote on-site, where you can sit with your feet in the shallow end and have a fish pedicure.  We tried it and enjoyed it. The kids loved it and it was soothing sitting there watching the little fish nibble at your toes. A little bit of free spa therapy was just what we needed.
Afterwards we drove another 15 minutes to the beach at Progreso and chased waves for a while. 

We finished up the evening with a horse and carriage ride back in Merida from the city center up the Paseo Montejo, Merida's version of the Champs Elysees. Sofia asked if we could do that every night.  It was gorgeous, with beautiful older mansions, as well as statues and monuments along the tree lined street. There is a starbucks with valet parking, packed with people.   There is so much to see and do around Merida!  We have decided to cut out our three days in Cancun next week and stay a little longer.

Pictured below is the temple of the seven dolls (Siete Munecas) named for seven smaller figures they found when excavating it. This building is a great example of the Mayan's talent for astronomy and timekeeing. Every spring and autumn equinox the sun shines right through the middle square on rising, and on winter and summer solstices the sun shines through one of the smaller squares (each has a specific square, I don't remember which is which).

Liz: Day 12: At El Mercado

We gave it a good effort yesterday.  We walked down to Merida's main market (mercado) in the morning.  It was full of people and fruits and vegetables and chickens hanging by the necks and spices and food carts and noise.  Musicians were set up every so often playing the drums or guitar or singing.  I wish I could say we hung out and tried some food at the food carts.  Instead we bought some fruit and then fled to the supermarket to buy comfort foods and then home to be comforted as we've all been under the weather. 

In the evening we went to La Chaya, a Mayan restaurant where women dressed in traditional Mayan dresses sit out front and make homemade tortillas for your dinner while you watch.  The food was very good. Otis has, to our surprise, been enjoying all the food he's tried so far.  He tried the chicken pibil dish last night and loved it. Patrick ordered chaya, the drink. It's a bright green drink and I have no idea how it was because halfway through dinner I was slammed with a fever, aches and pains and all I could think about was getting home.  Sofia was still sick also and declined to eat her empanadas. This morning (Wed) when she got up her fever was much better, which is a huge relief.  I was prepared to call the travelling doctor to come take a look at her today if she still had a high fever.

On the bright side, we have gotten to meet some fun people hanging out at our hotel.  Sofia and I met a 4 year old girl and her mom from Vienna.  The girls didn't have any trouble playing  even though one spoke only english and one spoke only german. It turns out that they were also were traveling for the first time in ten years, taking an extended trip and heading down to Belize after the Yucatan.  We also met a couple families from Australia (who just happened to meet each other here at the hotel) who are here for the same but opposite reason as us: they are avoiding an extra hot summer.
Below: the market, Sofia and I buying fruit, Otis' chicken pibil, Otis, Patrick's shark dish pan de cazon.

Liz: Day 11: Faith Laundry

Our first order of business today, after breakfast, was to drop off our laundry at la lavanderia de fe.  I like the name lavanderia. It suggests flowers and lovely scents, whereas laundry brings to mind loud machines, quarters and lint.  The actual lavanderia was not a fancy place, but the woman running it was kind. She heaved our bags up into a laundry basket attached to a scale and told us it would cost 240 pesos and would be done by 4. That's about $17. We had a lot of laundry, almost 7 kilos.  Did I mention that I love vacation?

That task accomplished we were free to pursue our second order of business, finding the chocolate shop ki'XOCOLATL.  When I held Sofia's hand to help her cross the street, I was surprised to feel that it was very hot.  I quickly did the mom fever check and she definitely had one.  A little while later she started complaining about not feeling well, which for her means she could be seriously ill.  We decided that Patrick would take the kids back while I checked out the chocolate shop and ran a couple errands.

One of my errands was tracking down some stationary/ notecards.  I have been regretting not having some on hand to write notes on for thank yous and exchanging information.  I checked two bookstores and two papelrias and did not find what I was looking for.  I did find the chocolate and it is good. Dark, real chocolate.  ki' XOCOLATL means "rich, dark chocolate" in Mayan.  One of the mixes they had was a bar with milk chocolate, almonds and oregano.

Fast forward to back at the room where Sofia had laid herself down for a nap, another worrying sign, and still had a big fever.  Patrick was the hero of the day, going out to get lunch, a thermometer and children's ibuprofen, telling me not to panic. Turns out her temperature was 102.9, but she responded really well to the medicine and started to perk up.  On top of all that, Patrick went down to the laundry with his back pack and hauled all of our clothes back in the heat.  I finally got around to looking up what lavanderia la fe means: faith laundry.  Does that mean you can have faith in that laundry? Or does it mean you need to have faith to use the laundry?  I think travelling with kids is travelling la fe.

Below are more pictures from our hotel, the terrace outside our door looking left and right, and the chocolate shop.

Liz: Day 10: Hidden Gardens

Merida has taken us completely by surprise.  It is unassuming at first glance. The streets around our hotel near the town center are lined with tall, plain walls and heavy wooden doors.  The only hint of the elegance waiting inside our hotel is a bright coat of yellow paint and a small blue and white tile with the name painted on it.   Inside is a series of quaint, cool rooms leading past and through outdoor patios filled with trees, flowers and fountains with seating areas tucked in here and there, leading finally to the inner garden and pool area.  Our room is up a winding, tiled staircase on a garden patio with flowers lining the outside of the windows and wrought iron screen doors.  I love this idea of a hidden garden and I'm looking forward to exploring more.

And then there was this whole amazing fiesta in the town center tonight that I still can't quite get my mind around.  It was so BIG and full of music and dancing and WOW.  I had no idea.