Dzibilchultan

Pictures are not cooperating tonight, I'll post them manana.
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Caution (Gareth): first paragraph is about health!

The past two days Stuart and I have both been mostly horizontal, either in the hammock, or in the bed, rotating when we needed a change of scenery. A combination of sinus irritation and some digestive track issues has kept us from being the good tourists that we could be, and sleeping lots. Stuart also had a back muscle spasm a couple of days ago, but is moving easily now. >We’re both feeling good this morning. So, how’s that for the retired folks report?!

The trees here are filled with orchids! Of course, it's the dry season, so nothing is blooming, but can't you imagine the beautfy in May?

The communication issue is resolved. I’d rather use Outlook, but can’t send from it, so we’re both using webmail. Some habits are hard to change, and I must whine briefly.

Now, back to my favorite topic: food. The ugly orange is a bitter orange. Bitter like a lime or lemon.It’s used for cooking (I’ve read several recipes that use the juice), and it has lots of seeds in it. G, I’ll save some seeds, for experimentation. As I’m typing this, Stuart is making juice from the sweet oranges for our breakfast. This is like a fairy tale! I had hoped an orange dude would peddle by here, selling oranges, but I haven’t heard him. They get heavy when you’re carrying them from the Mercado. After breakfast, I’ll do the daily marketing for dinner. I LOVE living so close to the fruit/veggie/meat Mercado!After the marketing, we’ll determine what the energy level is for a day of playing tourist at the Dzibilchultan, ‘the place where there is writing on the stones’ ruins, the ones closest to the city. So, I’ll sign off for now.

The bus departure point for the Dzibulchultan ruins proved to be elusive. We walked from our north-side apartment, to the south-side bus stop, only to discover that the bus doesn’t stop there. Of course, I’m doing the talking, and of course, Stuart is hovering with the incessant, ‘What did he say, what did he say”, and I misunderstood the man, so we walked too far in the opposite direction, and when I asked again, the young man just told me the wrong place, and I didn’t trust his answer. By the time we got to Dzibulchultan, it was 12:30, but an overcast, windy day, so it wasn’t so hot.

This is the oldest continuously occupied ruins on the Yucatan and one of the least studied. Mayans lived here for 3000 years before the Spanish arrived in 1542.Boy, did they change the landscape.

The museum is very well done, with placards in both Spanish and English. It was a good test of my language skills, to read the Spanish and then the English, and see how much I understood. The Mayans were great astrologers, and the city of the Seven Dolls is a testament to their knowledge. This temple is situated so that every year, on the 22 of march, and 22 of September, the spring and fall equinox, the sun shines directly through the doorway as it rises. Would I love to be here to see it, just once.!


The bus line ends in a tiny village, Sac Nicte, which is accessible by a one-lane road (recently paved), through the coastal scrub jungle. The village has one street, no businesses of any kind. Stuart and I were the only people on the bus, as our driver hurried along. We marveled that an entire village could spring up here, with no road access until recently. This entire peninsula has been populated for more than 3,000 years, we just forget. Of course, as we got closer to Merida, we began to pick up passengers.The bus system here continues to amaze me.

This is Stuart, going into the Merida Wal-mart. Can't tell by it's facade, can you?!?

By the time we got back to the city, it was way past comida hour, and we found a cheap lunch, stopped at Wal-mart (yes, I can’t believe I’m saying it, but we stopped at Wal-mart) for milk and bread, and walked home. On the way home , we ran into new friends we met last week, who told us about where the best of the Fiesta de Guadelupe will take place tomorrow. The Virgin de Guadelupe is the patron saint of many churches, and the fiesta in her name is always a big party. So, tomorrow, I’ll have a good report that involves bare feet, I understand.