Jamaica at the Ready

We managed to pack in a lot in 9 days, eating, swimming, and sweating in a tiny loop in the middle of the Yucatán peninsula.  There were so many best parts I couldn’t really pick one.

The cenotes keep me coming back to the Yucatán and this time I wanted to visit Cenote Zaci which is in the middle of Valladolid. It was closed for renovation so all we could do was snap a photo. I didn’t mind too much that it was closed because I’ve always to fight that a cenote in the middle of town would be like a drain and it kinda grossed me out. 

It’s always the food that keeps me dreaming of Mexico. 

This was pretty much me the whole time, with a taco in my hand and a glass of jamaica at the ready. 

We ate in so many cute restaurants that had an artsy vibe with a unique Mexican style.  We marveled over each plate that was brought to our table. Waiters and other diners were pretty entertained by our enthusiasm. Hey it’s not like we have high stress jobs and haven’t been anywhere in two years ….. and speaking of the unmentionable we didn’t really talk about school and the feeling that I work in an ER type of environment was so distant like it was another life. We decided the thing to do is leave on a trip asap after school gets out for the summer. Leaving immediately is very satisfying because it’s like screw it I’m out of here see y’all chumps later I’m going to stuff my face and languish in pools of blue gold and not give any of it a second thought. 

All of Mexico has COVID precautions like the States did in 2020. Mask wearing is required and many people wear them all the time even alone in their cars or riding a bike.  All the shops have dividers in the doorways for going in and out and it’s compulsory to get your temperature taken and a spritz of hand sanitizer. Some places had a set up, like this restaurant, in the doorway with a diy faucet and dish of powdered soap.  Every establishment is plastered with signs requiring social distancing, mask wearing, and hand washing. I don’t know if folks are just still committed to the good of the collective after two years of COVID rules or what but a lot of people are still taking things very seriously.  

Architecture, ruins, colors, simplicity, textures, kindness.  Final images from “my’ photographer, Vicki Spagnoli. 

Valladolid-Izamal-Hoctun-Homun 2022