Well, we took our first trip around the state of Yucatan and we had a great time. We rented a Tsuru with a/c and it drove fine. Paul navigated the streets of Mérida calmly while I was having little internal heart attacks at every intersection all the while smashing my right foot into the imaginary brake pedal on my side of the car. But it was fine, totally fine.
We took off around dinnertime on Friday and made it to Ticul in just over an hour. It was raining a bit so we went a little slow on the roads. I was just beginning to relax about half way there when we saw some police lights ahead. (Mind you by now it is dark.) We drove around a bad accident and kept going, a little slower. About twenty minutes later we passed another bad accident. yikes! Speed is a problem here especially when the roads are wet and it is easy to lose control of your car going slow. We arrived in Ticul about 8:00 I guess and stayed in a hotel on the square.
After some pizza at a place I remembered from last year (the pizza is good but the service is still terrible a year later) we headed back to our room to watch the Tigers hand the World Series to the Cardinals. How disappointing was the series? I feel bad for the Cardinals b/c the press they are going to get isn’t going to be that they won, but more like they beat a team that played worse than the Durham Bulls with their three stars suspended from the game. That’s bad…
The next morning I awoke to find out my dream had come true: The lady at the hotel served us pancakes and fresh fruit salad and said, “You know Ticul is having a shoe fair this morning and all of the shoes are discounted.” I said, “I’m sorry, I haven’t had a full cup of tea yet today, could you repeat that?” Unfortunately for Paul, we had cash and the ENTIRE square was full of shoes. Then I found out my second dream came true:
I knew from a friend in Mérida that shoe sizes are different here than in the U.S. and that a size 9 (I’ll hear you if you snicker) in the States was closer to a 6 here. But there was a chance she was just being polite. So I went to the shoe fair and tried on A LOT of shoes and the man helping me says, “No, no, those are too big, why don’t you try a size 5.” “I’m sorry, but could you say that, like, 100 times while I stand here and listen…” A size 5. (wicked uncontrollable laugh-snort)
Well, I didn’t buy the 5s, they weren’t me, but I did buy a rock-out pair of chunky heels with open toes, black, for dressing up because EVERYONE here wears heels. (Maggi, you know what I’m saying.) Those cuties (size 6) set me back $12.00 and then I bought a pair of fake braided leather flip flops with a lower heel. Those (size 6) cost $7.00. Really they cost less than that but I can only do a 10 to 1 ratio in my head. It was incredible fun. Paul was beside himself, but only until he found the leather belt dealer and bought a really cool embroidered belt. Then he ran into a group that does promotional stuff for Mayan culture – then I had Plenty of time to shop.
Finally it was time to make the 8 mile trek to Santa Elena. We arrived without a hitch and couldn’t believe how much the town had changed since last summer. The Bonilla’s cinderblock house is almost done though I am glad they are keeping the original hut that his father built. It is fabulous, catches the breeze, which keeps it cool.
We chatted with them for a long while and they fed us even though we tried not to let them go to any trouble. Mariano assured us that they happened to have shot a wild turkey in their milpa (farm land) the day before and had a special treat for us. We had wild turkey cooked in a pumpkin-corn sauce. It was fabulous. Doña Fidelina’s food is always yummy.
After the Bonilla house we spent a few minutes with Kristine and Santiago at the Flycatcher Bed and Breakfast and then headed back to Mérida. Paul maneuvered through the city streets once again and we came home and passed out – after I wore my shoes around for a good 15 minutes or so!
After some pizza at a place I remembered from last year (the pizza is good but the service is still terrible a year later) we headed back to our room to watch the Tigers hand the World Series to the Cardinals. How disappointing was the series? I feel bad for the Cardinals b/c the press they are going to get isn’t going to be that they won, but more like they beat a team that played worse than the Durham Bulls with their three stars suspended from the game. That’s bad…
The next morning I awoke to find out my dream had come true: The lady at the hotel served us pancakes and fresh fruit salad and said, “You know Ticul is having a shoe fair this morning and all of the shoes are discounted.” I said, “I’m sorry, I haven’t had a full cup of tea yet today, could you repeat that?” Unfortunately for Paul, we had cash and the ENTIRE square was full of shoes. Then I found out my second dream came true:
I knew from a friend in Mérida that shoe sizes are different here than in the U.S. and that a size 9 (I’ll hear you if you snicker) in the States was closer to a 6 here. But there was a chance she was just being polite. So I went to the shoe fair and tried on A LOT of shoes and the man helping me says, “No, no, those are too big, why don’t you try a size 5.” “I’m sorry, but could you say that, like, 100 times while I stand here and listen…” A size 5. (wicked uncontrollable laugh-snort)
Well, I didn’t buy the 5s, they weren’t me, but I did buy a rock-out pair of chunky heels with open toes, black, for dressing up because EVERYONE here wears heels. (Maggi, you know what I’m saying.) Those cuties (size 6) set me back $12.00 and then I bought a pair of fake braided leather flip flops with a lower heel. Those (size 6) cost $7.00. Really they cost less than that but I can only do a 10 to 1 ratio in my head. It was incredible fun. Paul was beside himself, but only until he found the leather belt dealer and bought a really cool embroidered belt. Then he ran into a group that does promotional stuff for Mayan culture – then I had Plenty of time to shop.
Finally it was time to make the 8 mile trek to Santa Elena. We arrived without a hitch and couldn’t believe how much the town had changed since last summer. The Bonilla’s cinderblock house is almost done though I am glad they are keeping the original hut that his father built. It is fabulous, catches the breeze, which keeps it cool.
We chatted with them for a long while and they fed us even though we tried not to let them go to any trouble. Mariano assured us that they happened to have shot a wild turkey in their milpa (farm land) the day before and had a special treat for us. We had wild turkey cooked in a pumpkin-corn sauce. It was fabulous. Doña Fidelina’s food is always yummy.
After the Bonilla house we spent a few minutes with Kristine and Santiago at the Flycatcher Bed and Breakfast and then headed back to Mérida. Paul maneuvered through the city streets once again and we came home and passed out – after I wore my shoes around for a good 15 minutes or so!
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