izamal and wandering

 
 

Today was road trip day! Izamal, one of Mexico's 17 Magical Cities, according to something I read yesterday. It's about an hour and a half bus ride from Merida, and we managed to catch the 10am bus from the second class bus station. That bus station neighborhood is an adventure in itself, and one day I may write about it. As usual, I got the window seat (ha!), pulled out my knitting (I'm working on a pair of socks for Stuart), and settled in for the ride. We drove east out of town, on a very good road, passing urban neighbhorhoods, then suburban neighborhoods, then the scrub that is the yucantan. We drove off the main road to pass through several small villages, being a second class bus, it stops anywhere someone flags down the driver. It is a bus system that truly works. When we walked out of the tiny bus station in Izamal, we both gasped. The brilliant golden yellow cathedral with white trim, was set against the bluest sky I've ever seen! This photo does not show the intensity of the colors, or the energy of the contrast.

Izamal was a pretty important religious Mayan village , so you know that just irritated the living shit out of the Spaniards. The set about instantly dismantling the pyramids and other buildings there, and repurposing the stones for the magnificent cathedral that still stands. It's one of the oldest colonial cities in the country, they say. Every building in the town is painted the same brilliant golden color, very effective for the magical drama of the little town.

Our first order was to get a room at the much-admired Mananche B&B, about three blocks out of town. We had packed a change of clothes in case we could spend the night. Of course, I had my little drug cooler, too. When we walked up to the stone fence, with the bouganvilla hanging over it, I said, 'I want to stay here'. Little did I know! When the gate opened, ohmy! Unfortunately for us, we didn't think about it being the week between Christmas and New Years, and there was no room at the Inn. And, quite possibly, no room at any inn in town. That's it. I don't want to even see the town if I can't stay at this most beautiful garden place. So, we had a very good lunch, and caught a bus back to Merida. We'll make a reservation, and come back, because the town is magical, I think, and I KNOW this B&B is magical.

When we got back to Merida, we had to walk through the market neighborhood again, and at this time of afternoon, the vendors were out in full force selling fireworks of all kinds, and pinatas for the New Year's Eve celebration. One of the fireworks that caught my eye was a coconut sized ball of sisal (surprise), with a 'fuse' from one end. The young vendor told me that it makes a loud noise, but no light. He was also selling a bag full of tiny versions, about the size of a large radish. What a fun gift this would be for my brother and SIL! Thank goodness I didn't buy a bag...think about this. You can't bring a bag full of fireworks on a plane. But, the pinatas also caught my attention. It might have been the number of them hanging, and the bright colors, but they were selling them 2 for 80 pesos...about $6.25 US. You can see from the photo they are pretty large.

We passed through several small Mayan villages today. The old style Mayan house is oval, about 20 feet long, and about 10 feet wide...give or take a couple of feet. The old ones were made of stick walls, and thatched roofs. The breeze could come through the walls, making for a nice temperature, even in the summer. The 'newer' ones are concrete walls, with a thatched roof. Often, the thatched roof is covered over with corrugated sheets of metal. No windows, door in the center of the long side. Some have electricity, many don't. I could see hammocks in the ones that had the door open. The yards around most of them are swept clean, the only litter on the ground is oranges that haven't been picked up today. Chickens, and maybe a pig might be in the back, too. Some of them are part of a small group, inside a stone fence, like an extended family compound, perhaps. Each of the villages we passed through was well-kept, supporting a few small businesses, and the expected huge cathedral with zocalo. This is fruit country, and orange trees grow everywhere.

We had a lower than usual number of bus salesmen today, but I think it's because it's not a high population area. Bus salesmen are the mostly young men who get on the bus when it stops in town, and ride through the town selling something. They get off at the opposite side of town, or after a few blocks in the city. They don't pay to ride, there is an agreement with the drivers. Sometimes they sing, sometimes they play an instument of some kind, then ask for a donation. Many of them sell food. Today, a young man got on the bus at the edge of a village, selling helados de coco. Coconut ice cream. I believe it was just frozen coconut! It was delicious..the driver got one for his 'trouble'.

The second photo is a heliconium bloom. It is a large, palm-looking plant that is growing in Stuart's friend, Don's interior courtyard, in Merida. Looks artificial, doesn't it?

The moon is just a sliver tonight, and only appears just before sunset. I wish you could see it from our point of view. As the sliver disappears, we can see a lighted Christmas tree through an opening in a stone wall, far behind our apartment. There is no way we could figure out where the tree is, behind the walls on the street.