William Lawson's Yucatan Excursions

Hacienda Exploration Day Trip (Part 1)

2012-01-29T07:34:00.000-08:00

The so-called glory of the past comes alive in the over 1000 haciendas of the Yucatan, of which there are are several hundred still visitable today. Many of these are ruins, abandoned to the ravages of time as a result of "socialist" land reform back in the 1930's which took land from the wealthy land owners and redistributed it to the Mayans that were there originally and actually did the work, are visitable in comfortable day trips from the city of Merida.

Ranging from over-the-top beautiful luxury accommodations and hotels to bare minimum shells in the process of being restored, all the haciendas have something to tell us about Yucatan's history and whether you are an architecture buff, history fanatic or simply want to spend a day in the countryside, visiting haciendas is a great way to spend a day.

In this first set of photos of the haciendas visited in one recent outing, we see images from the hacienda San Antonio Tepich, also known as the "rabbit hacienda" because they have rabbit on the menu. The property is divided in two sections: the abandoned machine room and the main house or casa principal which has been restored and where the restaurant is located. At the time of this visit, there is construction work going on and it appears that bedrooms are being added for folks to spend the night.

The second set of photos is from an ambitious restoration undertaken on the property known as hacienda Kankirixché, which for the moment consists of a main building, several smaller buildings in the underbrush still to be restored and what will be ecological trails through the underbrush.

Flagstones to the Machine Room, Tepich

Modern Art aka Grafitti, Tepich

Machine room, Tepich

Square (unusual) chimney, Tepich

Original stones in the entryway, Kankirixche

The main building, Kankirixche

Hurricane damage, Kankirixche

A stone crushing machine from the turn of the century, Kankirxche

Happy Guest Comments

2012-01-21T12:17:00.000-08:00

"Thank you ,you guys were the highlight of our trip"

- Doyle - Arkansas Razorback fan

Took the Merida Whirlwind Tour from the cruiseship with

some of his own modifications to include more shopping

and leave out the Mayan ruins

The Abalá Church - Abalá, Yucatán

2012-01-20T07:02:00.000-08:00

In the little town of Bethle... no wait that's not what I wanted to write. In the little town of Abalá, which is in the Puuc area and the town that precedes a fantastic cenote called Kankirixche, there is a freshly painted church which, in the afternoon light and against a blue sky, screamed TAKE A PICTURE OF ME. And so I took several. I couldn't resist.

Abalá is on the road to Uxmal, sort of. It is a little off the highway and can be visited in about 15 minute or so.

And if anyone knows how to get to the cenote Kankirixche, please let me know. I went offroading there with friend and we did find a cenote, but it doesn't look like the one I have seen in the photos online.

In any case, here are the photos from the Abalá church:

Pedro's Gourd Art - Muna, Yucatan

2012-01-16T12:09:00.000-08:00

In the tiny town of Muna, on the hilltop you must cross over to get to Uxmal, there sits a tiny artisans shop run by Pedro, who makes the most spectacular little gourds, perfect for decorating your home or for gifts to bring home.

The gourds are hollowed out, dried and then carved, polished and waxed to become beautiful objets d'art you will be proud to own. Please note that I receive no commissions from any shop or restaurant recommended on this site; any mention is made only in the interest of promoting the shop, restaurant or artist and only those deemed worthy of any attention receive write-ups.

Here are some photos of his latest creations;

Happy Guest Comments

2012-01-11T18:29:00.000-08:00

A nice comment from some fine Canadians from Quebec who took one of our drivers out to the Puuc route:

Your driver was great and the suggestion for visit and lunch, perfect

We will pass on your name to our friends visiting Merida

Hope to talk to you again

Thank you.

Guy

Mani - More Than Just a Convent or a hunk of Delicious Poc Chuc

2012-01-09T18:32:00.000-08:00

There are two main reasons to visit Mani: to eat Poc Chuc at the reknowned Principe Tutul Xiu restaurant or to visit the monastery/convent/church as part of your hurried pilgrimage along the so-called Convent Route. I say hurried and so-called because the main attraction of the Convent Route, the churches, are closed after morning mass and not reopened until late afternoon for the evenings entertainment. Which means that if you are trying to visit all the churches along this heavily promoted route, you will inevitably be disappointed as you will encounter more than one of your intended destinations closed up tight.

But I digress.

A visit to Mani is full of photo opportunities, from the inside of a corner store where an old man with a people skills challenge and wearing heavy eye mascara will find you whatever you need from behind the giant wooden counter to the dog atop a wall superimposed on the church where Friar Diego de Landa committed his atrocities in the name of the Catholic faith. There are also colorful door fronts on the stores and somber paintings over the convent doors. Random Mayan stones forming part of a buildings wall tell the story without saying a word, of how a Mayan temple - once home to kings, high priests and governors - was desecrated and its stones used to build something as mundane as a house for common folk.

Bring your camera to Mani and in the perfect warm light of a Yucatecan winter afternoon, revel in the history and colors around you.

Casa de Montejo - Downtown Merida

2012-01-01T08:57:00.000-08:00

One of the newer attractions in Merida's downtown is the small museum inside what was once Francisco de Montejo's home, facing north on the main square and featuring an elaborately carved facade that some would call beautiful while others might object to the depiction of the Spanish conqueror standing on the heads of the conquered Mayans.

In any case, entry to the house is free, just register and leave any backpacks or drinks at the coat check.

The guards will humorlessly remind you that no photography is allowed; in general they are a stiff bunch.

Several rooms later, some furnished with period furniture and decorations and others set up as museums to Mexico's revolutionary past, you exit and can visit the gift shop where you can buy and/or take some photos.

The building is now owned by Mexican banking giant Banamex and so you could also do some banking there as well while you're visiting!

The photos below are of some of the items available in the gift shop, most of which are not made in the Yucatan.

The Indiana Jones Tour

2011-12-29T17:19:00.000-08:00

Today I met some lovely folks from England who wanted to see what the Indiana Jones tour was all about. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here are some photos of their trip into the jungles and caves of Muna, which will literally take your breath away, so if you are thinking you might want to do this, cut back on the smokes and wear sturdy shoes.

Inflammatory Events Lead to Rescue

2011-12-13T06:03:00.000-08:00

The title of this article reminds me of a headline for the Onion.

Yesterday, when returning along the Cancun highway from Izamal after a hard day of eating tacos at Wayan'e, visiting antique shops and visiting the yellow city of Izamal, I passed a car parked on the side of the highway just in front of a state police truck, lights a-flashing as usual.

Glancing back in my rear-view mirror I noticed two white people and a pile of suitcases next to the car and thought to myself "these folks could probably use a little assistance" and upon returning to the scene, found a mother and daughter pair of Canadians who were stuck there and had been for the last 3 hours.

Turns out their rental vehicle - a crappy little Nissan Tsuru - had caught fire (literally, there were flames coming out of the motor) and they had to abandon the vehicle before a good Samaritan in a BMW stopped with an extinguisher and put it out. Also, villagers and passers by offered water for the now red-faced (from the sun) Canadians. Things were friendly enough but the state police folks wouldn't let them go until the federal police showed up to take over the situation (the Cancun-Merida highway is a federal highway) and make sure everything was hunky dory. The state police had already contacted the feds, but three patrol cars had already driven by and none had stopped; meanwhile the rental folks back in Cancun had told CanadaMom and daughter that someone was coming, but of course as they had no office in Merida, this might be a while. Needless to say, Mom was a little tense but they were good sports about it and had been talking about food and recipes with the policemen who were reluctant to leave the scene or the ladies.

After talking to the rental agent in Cancun and telling him where his rental car was and where his customers would be to get them another vehicle, and then the police assuring them that everything would be fine and the ladies were coming with me, I loaded them all into the car and away we went.

They assured me that they at no point felt unsafe or threatened in any way; just frustrated with the pace of the resolution of their situation. Let's see the North American newspapers print this story!

Lessons learned:

1) Rent your car from an agency that is established and has offices in both Merida and Cancun in case something like this ever happens to you. It's an unlikely scenario, but it can happen.

2) If your rental car catches fire in Mexico, make sure you are in the Yucatan, the safest state in the country.

A Day Trip to Campeche

2011-12-03T19:31:00.000-08:00

Many people coming to Merida are blissfully unaware of this pretty city just a few hours from here; while others are adventurous and want to see what the UNESCO-designated World Heritage site is all about.

The drive over is about 2.5 hours in either direction right now, with the construction of an improved highway throughout a large part of the route, which fortunately does not affect one's driving too much except in one or two places. When done, the highway will be 2 solid lanes in either direction with plenty of shoulder space and good asphalt and that should bring driving time to 2 hours or less, I am guessing.

As for what to do, well, there is a pirate ship that provides visitors with a glimpse of Campeche from the ocean; for 80 pesos and about an hour of your time you are treated to the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack shamelessly played over and over while a pleasant narrative voice recounts some of the more memorable pirating highlights from back in the day when Campeche was THE port in the Yucatan (no Sisal, and definitely no Progreso) and besieged by these characters looking for loot. Landmarks on shore are also pointed out and explained along the route. Unfortunately, this narrative is only in Spanish and the only piratey thing about the tour is the ship, which has masts and plenty of rigging, but runs on a couple of deep throated diesel motors thank you very much. No pirates on board either except for a mannequin strapped to a fake steering wheel or whatever the nautical term is for the giant wheel. Drinks and snacks are available on board for purchase. It's a little cheesy, but on a cool and sunny day, it is a rather pleasant way to spend an hour of your time. Some photos:

Another thing to do in Campeche is to visit one of the forts (there are several) left over from the days when Campeche was a walled city and had several of them (the forts) sitting on the hills overlooking the town that would raise a smoke signal alarm when pirates were sighted off the coast. One in particular, the San Miguel fort, is now a rather excellent Mayan archaeological museum with plenty of pieces on display from the area, most notably the Mayan site of Jaina, where the Mayans apparently had enough time and creativity to put out some incredibly intricate art, much of which is on display at this museum. Some more photos from that museum and its fantastic view from the top:

And finally, with plenty of little boutiques, art museums and fantastic seafood restaurants, the main attraction of Campeche is the restored historic center and the malecon, or boardwalk, which makes Progreso's look like a kindergarten project! Here are some photos of the downtown (note the absence of overhead cables and tacky signage as well as the colorfully photogenic facades):

So if you are wondering if Campeche is worth a trip, in my humble opinion I would say, yes, definitely.

Chunkanan Cenotes Road Update

2011-12-03T14:14:00.000-08:00

As I took a little trip n dip to the Chunkanan Cenotes today, I can inform you all that the road is coming along swimmingly. A large portion thereof has been done, and many others are smooth gravel awaiting an asphalt coating. There are some parts that are still bumpy and a few detours, and where the sections join up can be a little jarring at times, but in general things are getting done (albeit in a sort of unconnected way) and the road will be very nice as far as Cuzama.

Remember that the Cuzama entrance to the cenote route has a frantic man with a red flag on the highway that will attempt to stop you; ignore him and carry on to the dirt-poor village of Chunkanan, where the cenote excursions originally began. This way you will be supporting the folks who live there and live off this tourist attraction they created.

Progreso to Mayapan and Back Again

2011-11-26T17:48:00.000-08:00

One interesting little side trip when you arrive in Progreso and have only limited time is a visit to the often-overlooked Mayan site of Mayapan.

Mayapan is one of the three most important Mayan sites in the Yucatan; the others are Uxmal and Chichen Itza, which are much more over run by tourists, especially the latter, which is a mess with the vendors and the hordes of red-faced tourists from Cancun.

While Chichen Itza is crowded and Uxmal is very popular, Mayapan is completely silent and relatively un-visited and you can enjoy the site in all it's quite majesty. If you get local guide Eric to give you a tour (about $200 pesos) you will be treated to a passionate explanation of the site and why it was important.

The trip takes about 90 minutes of driving, which will be around the city of Merida and along a route that allows for stops in little villages along the way to admire churches and other attractions like a cenote in the center of the town of Telchaquillo, for example and it's austere but rather interesting church. These can be visited on the way there or on the way back, depending on your time constraints and level of interest.

At Mayapan, you can still climb the main pyramid, which you can not do at either Uxmal or Chichen Itza and get the fantastic view as seen in the photo on your left.

Highly recommendable and enjoyable!

Happy Guest Comments!

2011-11-23T14:21:00.000-08:00

I do not make these up.

"We had a FABULOUS time! I have not downloaded the pictures yet, but when I do I will for sure send you some!

Thanks again!

Michelle and Brian

Another Great "Boat People" Tour

2011-11-15T11:56:00.000-08:00

A not-too-early start from Progreso with a great group of Lousianians - 13 of them - who visited Merida, ate to their hearts content AND got a history lesson at Dzibilchaltun!

From Progreso, a quick ride into downtown Merida, where we stopped in front of the Casa de Montejo who of course founded the city of Merida back in the day.

Facade, Casa de Montejo aka Montejo's Residence

Strolling across the Plaza Grande, stopping only for photos we arrived at the Sorbeteria Colon (founded in 1905) where I instructed everyone to order a local flavor and to abstain from strawberry, which they all did. The coconut ice cream was a hit!

Sherbets at Sorbeteria Colon, downtown Merida

Afterwards, some of the ladies could not resist buying some great leather sandals and other little goodies around the corner which cut into the government palace mural viewing time, but we were able to get into the cathedral which, as Catholics, they found fantastic.

Then, the transportation arrived and we were off to a popular local taqueria for some real pork tacos after which we all piled back into the van and zipped off to the family cookie shop and there was carrot cake for all.

Tacos were a hit!

As was the Carrot Cake!

Eating that in the van, we drove quickly to Dzibilchaltun where the other boat people were leaving, which meant a nice peaceful visit and an excellent mini-tour by the best guide on site, Jose Ancona. The cenote was also blessedly free of other people and so our group was able to swim in peace and quiet, enjoying the magical location.

We were back in Progreso around 2 PM which left the die hard shoppers another 30 minutes to shop before they had to be back on the last free shuttle to the ship!

Definitely a whirlwind trip, but everyone seemed to be having a grand time.

INFORMATION:

Duration: 6 hours, depends on how much shopping time you need :)
Included: Everything mentioned, from sherbet to tacos to carrot cake to entry at Dzibilchaltun to the services of the guide, plus on board water and Cokes and towels, was included in the tour price, which varies according to how many people are in your party.

Let us prepare a personalized tour just for you!

Cooking Class for Cruisers

2011-11-14T05:22:00.000-08:00

So here's the idea: you get off your cruise ship all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and are whisked away to our home, where you will have the opportunity to learn how to cook something typically Yucatecan, complete with handmade corn tortillas and plenty of wine, beer or perhaps a natural fruit 'agua'.

Interesting? Contact me and let's plan your culinary adventure!

Merida to Sotuta de Peon and on to Uxmal

2011-11-14T05:11:00.000-08:00

While this trip has been mentioned before, I thought I would do a little write up again, since is has been a while since I have made this trip.

I picked up my victims err guests at the Fiesta Americana hotel; Mom and her two boys. Eating cookies in the back seat we drove through an awakening Sunday morning Merida to get to the periferico aka beltway and continued along that uneventfully until coming to the turn off for Sotuta de Peon (exit 4). Driving through the villages, pointing out coconut, banana and other assorted tree varieties as well as haciendas both restored and abandoned we arrived at Sotuta de Peon with enough time to visit the washrooms and have an orange tossing contest (there were oodles of freshly dropped off the tree oranges all over the ground) until our hands smelled like a Florida citrus farm.

At 10 AM, Jorge took us on the excellent as usual tour of the hacienda, the rope making machinery, the Mayan house with the world-reknowned Don Antonio and finally the refreshing cenote, always a hit with the kids and today was no exception. Luckily the other members of the tour were French and older, and did not want to swim so the cenote was all for us. Swimming here was probably the highlight of the tour, especially for the boys.

Then, lunch at the Yucatecan restaurant where there were no displays of finicky-ness so common among todays youngsters. These boys attacked the cheese empanadas, the poc chuc and the cochinita pibil with such gusto that it warmed the Yucatecan part of this foreigners heart. Also on the table were an order of queso relleno and pavo en escabeche which were very much enjoyed.

From Sotuta de Peon we drove to Uxmal via Uayalceh (an abandoned hacienda crumbling before our very eyes) as well as several other small towns. This afforded us to observe the Sunday ritual in each and every pueblo along the way: the baseball game. Some men were still playing, others had finished and were already starting on the drinking portion of the ritual, and all the ladies and young girls were watching the men and/or gossiping along the rock walls around the baseball fields.

Arriving at last at Uxmal, the sallow-faced receptionist at the Villas Arqueologicas (I have yet to see a welcoming smile and some empathetic courtesy at this hotel) did his unsmiling check-in spiel and the family was all set to have me finally leave them in the company of Chaac the rain god who was threatening to send a little love our way before the days end.

On the highway back to Merida, I noticed many black birds congregating along the roadside and thought they were just regular xkaues, or grackles. But no, when they flew up as cars passed by, I noticed they were blue! Some sort of jay perhaps?

And finally, where else but in the friendly Yucatan can you stop a man carrying a shotgun on a lonely stretch of back road and ask for directions to a hidden cenote and have him smilingly and enthusiastically give you explicit directions on how to find it?

A great day!

Whirlwind Trip to Unvisited Places

2011-10-29T06:11:00.000-07:00

While most people tend to want to visit the familiar and the 'must-see' occasionally someone will ask for something different.

This was the case just recently when some Canadians and I took a ride out to Motul to check out the market which was a very colorful Yucatecan market place complete with a cows head (skinless except for the snout area - kind of like a bovine goatee); colorful vegetable and fruit tables manned or should I say 'womanned' by smiling ladies who were not too shy to pose for a photo or three next to their exotic wares; and many other things from chinese plastic toys to underwear and bras and spices and and and.

Being in Motul, it seemed logical to have huevos motuleños for late breakfast and let me tell you they were fantastic. Made to order by the lady in the corner stall on the second floor of the 'new' market, they were so good! See the photos to make your mouth water!

After Motul, we were off to Dzibilchaltun and wanted to make a stop in Conkal to see the church and the Museum of Sacred Art, but again, as happens so often on the so-called "Convent Route" this one was closed at noon. The visit to Conkal did however enable us to practice our English with local students who were getting out of school nearby and shouted "hello" and "good bye" along with "what's your name?".

From Conkal, the back road to Dzibilchaltun, stopping for more photos at the Conkal cemetery.

At Dzibilchaltun, the excellent guide services of Jose Ancona (my personal favorite as his English is very good and he explains things in a very calm and understandable manner) made the visit a lot more informative than just popping in and strolling around the "rocks".

Then, with the heat and all that exploring, it was time to head off to Progreso for a beer. Or three. The ocean, churned up from the storm activity provoked by Rina in Cancun, was brown and full of seaweed. Not an ideal situation for swimming, but all that seaweed would work wonders in a garden!

After Progreso it was back to the hotel for a much needed siesta!

Photos are of the church in Motul. Very austere, with the obligatory little white boy altar boy figurine soliciting contributions from the brown masses at the entrance.

New Cenote Option for Adventurous Travellers

2011-10-05T19:17:00.000-07:00

With nothing better to do on a cloudy Sunday afternoon, I decided to take myself on an exploratory tour of some cenotes I had heard about near Mayapan.

As I drove the the highway past Tepich, Acanceh and Tecoh, the sky turned menacingly black and soon, a torrential downpour made visibility a real challenge. Slowing down of course helped and with the conviction that it would stop when I reached my destination, I bulldozed ahead with the wipers at double speed. Sure enough, the rain let up and finally stopped altogether and I reached the town of Pixyah without a worry.

Upon entering the town, I noticed that religious slogans were painted on nearly every building, house and wall and I thought "oh, THIS is that town I heard about". No drinking or carousing here, the town has built a little reputation on its insistence on abstinence when it comes to alcohol which is great, since this is the cause of so much destruction in rural communities in the Yucatan.

At the Casa Ejidal, two laconic individuals managed to arise from their stupor (it was a lazy afternoon) and indicated that the guy I wanted to talk to was Monchi, who lived across the street; he would show me the cenotes.

And he did. Got into the car and away we went, into the jungle along an overgrown, rocky road that seemed really long going in and really short on the way out. It was not a problem for the Impala but a higher, four wheel drive vehicle would be best for this route.

The cenotes are spectacular (but I am biased, I love them all) and there were some local divers at the larger one whose name was NohMozon which means 'evil wind' or something to that effect.

The smaller, closer to town one is called NahYah which means Casa del Zapote but there are no longer any Zapote trees to be seen. It is very deep and at this time of the afternoon under a cloudy sky, very dark and forboding down at water level. Here, Monchi told me a little anecdote about a local drunk (perhaps this was before abstinence made the drinking more difficult) who fell into the cenote and promptly pulled himself up on some rocks and passed out. I have the audio of this anecdote but Blogger doesn't allow me to upload sound files, apparently. Here it is on SoundCloud: http://t.co/mZyMfm8Q

(above) The NahYah cenote

This trip would make a great day trip, but not so much for people coming in on a cruise ship as the drive is a little long and the off-road portion is slow going.

Enjoy the photos!

City Tour on a Tight Schedule

2011-10-03T19:45:00.000-07:00

A group of 10 and Yours Truly left Progreso recently at around 11 AM for a quick look at Merida's Montejo and downtown Plaza Grande. The cathedral was in the middle of mass complete with music and parishioners and a surplus of beggars at the front door and soon after, from the state government building where we were admiring the murals the explosions started which were nothing more than the gremios doing their thing and my Progreso guests were able to get some good photos from the second floor, looking out onto the Plaza Grande.

After that, we stopped for sorbetes at Colon, a Merida institution since 1907; among the flavors sampled were coconut, guanabana and strawberry. Yum. Then it was off to lunch, which originally was to be Eladios but the time constraint made for an interesting alternative: Wayan'E, the popular taqueria in Itzimna. Everyone enjoyed their pork tacos of Poc Chuc and Castacan!

Then, COVI for liquor shopping and finally a well-known cookie bakery for carrot cake, before heading back to Progreso in time to take the shuttle back on to the pier and the cruise ship.

All inclusive, opportunity for shopping, lots of food and little bit of culture!

Happy Guest Comments from LB!

2011-09-26T13:01:00.000-07:00

Note, the folks on this occasion were a little tight on the return time as the driver took a wrong turn!! Note to the nervous: should this ever happen and you miss the boat, we WILL get you to Cozumel!! :) - WL

---------------------------------------

Hi! Yes, we had a great time!

I little harrowing, too....I think the driver stopped uncountable times to ask for directions from people on the street. Unfortunately, it took away from our time at the cenotes (we only were able to spend 20 mins at the 2nd one). Too, we didn't get to see the ruins at Acanceh (or get out of the van), or the Haciendas (except driving by) or stop at the restaurant because of the long one hour wrong turn he took out of Acanceh. Sigh.

The good news is, we saw some things I think no one else on the ship has probably seen, or if they haven't actually lived in Mexico, will ever see. We all loved that. We ate authentic food at a road side stand, took a potty break on the side of the same stand among flowers and turkey eggs (not sure that's a 100% 'plus' Ha Ha), drove through and over country that I'm sure is seldom seen by tourists and enjoyed Lucy's company more than anything.

We definitely had an Adventure!!! I think if you ask anyone on the trip they would say they loved the adventure but didn't so much like that being lost a lot of the time since it took away from the cenotes and other things we were to see. Maybe if the driver had GPS next time, it would be better!

We made it back to the ship by the skin of our teeth but everyone had smiles! Personally speaking, Bobby & I loved the Yucatan with the variety of plants, the flowers, the birds, just being outside with the people. I loved seeing the REAL Yucatan and I appreciated Lucy so much showing it to us as it is, and not someones elses image of what they think the Yucatan is to tourists. What a beautiful part of the world and what a dear person Lucy is!

Happy Guest Comments!

2011-07-12T10:32:00.000-07:00

Our family (mom, dad, 2 teens and a 7 year old) fell in love with Progreso and the Yucatan. We were so sad to only have 7 hours. We arranged a guided tour with William Lawson's driving service. We chose to visit 2 Cenotes for our trip with him. We drove through several beautiful villages during our 90 minute drive to the cenotes. The time flew by as we zipped by picturesque towns that looked like they were built for a movie set of Mexico. Along the drive we saw colorful thatched roof round houses, adorable schoolchildren in starched white uniforms waving at us, a grandmother strolling through town with a basket of flour balanced on her head, a flock of flamingos flying over our car as if they were trained, and a pyramid that was so close we could almost touch it out of the car window. In order to reach the cenotes, we were transported by horses and carts down tracks. The cenotes were truly magical. My kids loved swimming and jumping in the bluest crystal clear water you can imagine while surrounded by stalactites and stalagmites. We were never once nervous or felt unsafe at all. Our guide was a walking Yucatan history book and great with kids to boot. It was a perfect day.

Eco Museo del Cacao (Plantacion Tikul) (Part Deux)

2011-07-11T15:44:00.000-07:00

The tour is comprised of a series of palapas, each of which highlight Mayan history and the story of cacao in the region. The manner in which the information is presented is clear, in both Spanish and English (French and German to come soon in a brochure format) and every single detail has been carefully placed, from the signage to the lighting to the sounds coming through the speakers.

As you can see from the photos, dear reader, this is not some chintzy half baked display - it's the real thing and has all been done privately, with no intervention from the authorities.

The highlight of the tour of course, is when you visit the last palapa where you will see chocolate beans (seeds) ground with a stone grinder and have real chocolate made for you right there, using traditional Mayan methods, which you will then sample. You may add several ingredients so the chocolate is to your liking, such as pepper, chile, sugar, achiote (used by the Mayans to make the drink red in order that is resembled blood). It is an interesting taste sensation!

After this portion of the tour you are left at the cafeteria which offers cold drinks and several chocolate varieties for purchase as well as a selection of locally-produced spices and condiments at very reasonable prices.

Visit their website here.

Happy Guest Comments!

2011-07-11T15:10:00.000-07:00

Honestly, I don't make these up! My two guests from Frisco were a delight to show around the area and here's what they had to say:

Thank you for your note. We loved every minute of our time with you doing things we never would have experienced (or certainly not in such a comfortable relaxed way) without your help. Your cultural perspective and experience are truly invaluable in helping a tourist "see" and put what they see into a context they can understand. You have quite a knack for humanizing culture (reducing the "exotic" factor) for the novice. I appreciated every insight. You made us feel so at home with your humor and friendship. Many thanks.

Eco Museo del Cacao (Plantacion Tikul)

2011-07-08T18:23:00.000-07:00

The EcoMuseo del Cacao, Plantacion Tikul (Cacao Museum) in the Puuc region of the Yucatan is, in my humble and not at all opinionated opinion, a must for residents of - and visitors to - the area.

To get here, take the highway to Uxmal, stop in for an espresso and continue past Santa Elena where you wave at Valerie and her Pickled Onion restaurant (news flash - fresh hand made tortillas available now) and pass Labna slowing down for tourists there criss-crossing the street and finally coming to bone-jarring tope which will shake the mashed butterflies from your grill as evidenced by the small pile already accumulating as you add your donation. Note: this butterfly thing is only applicable during the rainy season, when hundreds if not thousands of butterflies in bright yellow, orange and white flutter like snowflakes over the highways and byways here after a rainfall. Many will sacrifice themselves on the altar of your windshield and countless more on the chrome grill between your headlights (on your car). I have found that slowing down a little gives them time to swoop away as you go forward.

After that speed bump or tope, you will see straight ahead the mysterious path on to Campeche, marked by a police station. But you will turn left and continue past two of the Puuc-y sites until you see the signs for the EcoMuseo del Cacao, on your right.

Park the car and admire the entrance and the parking lot. Lots of trees have been left and the entrance itself is worthy of a photo so here it is.

Once you reach the lobby, you know you are in a first class operation, just from the lighting, the signage, the design and the smiling hipil-clad hostesses waiting to greet you. The cash register, where you will pay 80 pesos per person, is adorned with a giant vase with beautiful aves de paraiso flowers from the property. A gift shop right there features chocolate-making-related gifts.

Once the entrance fee is paid, a young man in traditional white leads you onwards to the tour.

To be continued in the next post.

Update: Visit their website

Fathers Day Jungle Trek

2011-06-19T19:22:00.000-07:00

Fathers Day for many means sleeping in or having a big comida in the middle of the day with the extended family. This Fathers Day I took a nice couple from Lousiana on the Indiana Jones tour in Muna! Traipsing around in the jungle with Pedro, we learned about the local plants, traditions and about some jerkoffs who came onto the property in the middle of the night to steal some of the artifacts and decorative stones Pedro had set out as part of his ecological tour. This of course has left Pedro heartily disillusioned and proven that wherever there is someone trying to make a positive difference in his immediate surroundings, there are always several more lazy-ass good-for-nothing losers who will resort to theft or vandalism to make a living. If there is such a thing as karma, I hope they find themselves infected with an incurable disease that will take their sorry asses off the planet as soon as possible.

But I digress.

We had not only the opportunity to see and learn about the flora of the area, but also to taste some of the local plants, which, like the sinanche, leaves your mouth anesthetized as if you had just left the dentist. Our lips and gums were tingling for about 20 minutes, while we climbed up onto a hidden pyramid and down into a dry cave. A fantastic tour, not for those who shy away from exercise or are too timid to experience the extraordinary.

A few photos: