a walk on the beach.......

the  message is...don't throw your garbage in the ocean!!

the locals told us, "Coca on board...the military took them out...."

same fate....

I never bring home shells anymore...they are part of the landscape......

big storm coming in.......

watching us....

just hanging out in the mangrove next to the beach......good camouflage....

sting ray stuck in a tidal pool...glad I didn't step on him! That is a big stinger....

coral on the beach.....

love the colors....

don't know what it is......but the spiral is amazing....

It's like I've gone Mexican or something....I haven't blogged about Canada , my home and native land, for a very long time.....but, (snivel, snivel) it is really ugly here STILL...and nobody wants to see dirty snow melt. So, how about a walk on the beach in sunny Mexico......

here at the hacienda......

Hennequen plantations were once all over the Yucatan peninsula and many fortunes were made from them. Most of the money was made by the Spanish though as the Mayan people were little more than slaves on the great farms.  Hennequen was used to make sisal rope so after the advent of plastic, and poly rope, the hennequen plantations all closed down. Many can be seen in decay. Many are for sale  and are wonderful restoration projects. .A few have been converted into very high priced hotels. We visited one that was open as a restaurant. It was a beautiful, languid day.....here at the hacienda......

market time....

The markets in Mexico are so vibrant and full of color.  They grow their own food. It is local and fresh. It has not been waxed, color treated, had it's genes scrambled, or been shipped thousands of miles.  The chickens have not lived in tiny cages and been bred for large breasts.  The pigs have felt the sunshine and the rain. Every little bit of the animal is eaten.  There is no best before date, very little packaging, ( plastic bags are there too unfortunately), and no fast food ( except for peeled oranges!). They don't use M.S.G. as a flavor enhancer or any kind of preservatives.They use fresh herbs and spices that have been grown nearby. The Mayan ladies have baby jars filled with their own chili spice mixtures. Their unique, flavorful, smoky spices  are wonderful to cook with.   Every morning, most towns have a market and everybody shops in the mornings. Then they go home and have all day for slow cooking. ....there  is something to be said for slowing down and enjoying the process.....

Ek Balam

nobody there but us......

Ek Balam pyramid

zigzagging down

from the top of Ek Balam's pyramid, you could see Chichen Itza

looking up was o.k....looking down was impossible....

There are Mayan ruins all over the Yucatan peninsula and they are absolutely amazing to visit. They are truly awe inspiring. The Mayans did not have the wheel or metal when these highly engineered monuments were built. Nobody knows how they built them or why. They are all aligned with the sun and the stars so there was knowledge of the universe. They actually allow you to climb the pyramid at Ek Balam. It is very steep and very high. I made it to the top but could not look down. They say there are three ways to get down from the top .... zigzagging, the humiliating, on your bum method, and the fall and plummet to your death method. For awhile at the top I thought I would be plummeting.......

all lit up....

Valladolid is a very historical city in Mexico and full of interesting things to do and see. The main square at night is all lit up and a lovely place to pass the time....

Hotel El Meson del Marques

Back on the holiday trail around the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico, we traveled inland to the beautiful, colonial, Mayan city of Valladolid. The drive through jungle farmland was quiet and serene, but when we came into the outskirts of Valladolid, my husband had to start driving like a local. ...mayhem with more pedicabs than cars, and very narrow streets. We followed the signs to the main square where the Hotel El Meson del Marques was located. ...pretty easy really. Our hotel is a restored, 16th century mansion. It is one of the oldest buildings in Valladolid and is owned and operated entirely by long time Mayan, residents of this beautiful city. The hotel has incredible atmosphere with a central, courtyard restaurant. The menu was all Mayan regional cooking and we enjoyed fantastic food.....( our deluxe room was $80.00 a night...pretty cheap for all that atmosphere.....)