|
Post by onlyMark on Feb 23, 2023 22:30:40 GMT
Had a sweat on today Cheery. About 33 degrees Celsius and pretty humid. Wonderful.
|
|
|
Post by onlyMark on Feb 23, 2023 22:56:40 GMT
The town I'm in, Ciudad del Carmen (not Playa del Carmen for anyone confused by the Carmen bit), is better than I thought and I went out this morning or a walk round and took longer than expected. I'll put those photos up another time, but the place is quite colourful. Last night though I went out for food but to give you an idea of how I choose places, I use the obvious of if there is nobody there, keep walking. I don't often go out with a predetermined idea of what I want, I just know I'm hungry. This stall suits me down to the ground (for something sweet) - On a side note, this is one solution to if you bought a VW Beetle but regretted not getting the convertible. Never mind, just saw the roof and windows off - Let's go and have a look round an indoor market though. I think this one is one off the better ones I've seen. This one has fish, meat, vegetables, fruit and clothing (which I left out for now). Just outside - Inside - It all looked quite good quality, not surrounded by flies etc and I'd definitely buy stuff from here - Plenty of sweet stuff as well everywhere - Are you a lazy cook? Or do you have a large family? Or maybe little time? Get these. I would anyway. Never mind I'd be very happy buying the peeled onions earlier - Lastly, from the stalls outside I refreshed myself with this. Just over a Euro. Papaya, water melon, mango, pineapple and a sprinkle of granola on it. I could also have had honey on it but what I would have liked best would have been yoghurt. Round the back somewhere was a slice of kiwi fruit as well -
|
|
|
Post by kerouac2 on Feb 24, 2023 4:25:41 GMT
I love market pictures anywhere in the world and these are great.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Feb 24, 2023 5:19:33 GMT
Mark, you have really, really captured so much of what Mexico is really like, along with some photographs of great beauty. I am knocked out by that pelican just inches above the water, for instance.
I hope you'll forgive me for my paucity of comments so far. You know what my big project is, so I think you'll be quite understanding. I do check in to see your progress & admire the pictures & narration. Give me some time, & I might even have some halfway intelligent comments to make.
You & Robin Hood running into each other is surely A Sign of something.
|
|
|
Post by mickthecactus on Feb 24, 2023 7:25:43 GMT
Me an'all This is a great report Mark. Culture, plants AND adventure. Looks nice and warm there too. I'll echo that! Especially the warm bit...
|
|
|
Post by onlyMark on Feb 24, 2023 12:51:05 GMT
K2, the market was a lovely place, thriving and well stocked and outside were rows of eateries. The stall holders in the fish area though didn't seem very happy about me taking pictures, that's why there are so few.
Bixa, it is easy enough to take tourist site photos and they can be quite spectacular. I hope to try and catch some of the normal life.
Mick, the warmth is a major factor. I hate the cold.
Long journey today, back later, must dash.
|
|
|
Post by kerouac2 on Feb 24, 2023 17:38:00 GMT
Yes, I saw that the fish guys were not happy with you. Obviously, I encounter that from time to time. My own feeling is that when you work in a public area, you are subject to being photographed (within reason and from a respectful distance like you did). Obviously, there will always be some people who don't agree.
|
|
|
Post by onlyMark on Feb 25, 2023 1:18:48 GMT
If you imagine the Yucatan Peninsula jutting up to the north, today I cut all the way across the bottom of it from the coast on one side to the coast on the other. Not too far really and it gave me chance to call at one last ruins site. I'm now near the Belize border at a place called Chetumal. I don't intend to walk around the town as tomorrow is my last proper day until I start the long journey back home. So I'm making a start on sorting my stuff out plus I've lost an hour as I've slipped back into another time zone and put the clock on. First though, a sunset from my room last night - There is a quite minor ruins site called Becan that was quite handy to stretch my legs at on the way. Some structures have been dated back to 500BC and this place was inhabited until roughly 1200AD - Chichen Itza is known as one of the best preserved sites and one of the best known and the tallest structure there is 24m high. This one, at a place nobody really visits, tops that at 32 metres - You may notice a rope hanging down the steps on a few structures. In theory you aren't allowed to climb them, but it is generally accepted for it to be ok with a few of them - Nice place to spend a couple of hours. Not far from my hotel is this statute. Nope, don't have a clue. I walked around it to see if there was some information but there wasn't - Just let me add something on here - entry prices to the ruins. To get in this one today was the equivalent of 3 Euros. None I've been to are expensive at all. Many countries operate a two tier or even three tier pricing structure. My opinion is that I'm all for it. Many object to paying more than someone else and drag up reasons that are beyond my understanding or common sense. I'd gladly pay twice as much easily as the office clerk from Valladolid or wherever. If I can afford a flight from Europe, rent a car and stay in hotels, six or even nine Euros means little to me for the rare opportunity to see these places. My theory is one price for Mexicans, less for Mexican school kids and old people. One price a little higher for citizens of any country from South America. Then the most expensive price for everyone else - USanians, Canadians, Indian, Chinese, European, Kiwi's etc etc. If they can afford to get there, they can afford a few less beers and crisps and pay a higher entry fee. So there.
|
|
|
Post by onlyMark on Feb 25, 2023 1:46:58 GMT
Last thing. This is what I had for dinner. A very pleasant chicken, rice and all sorts of other bits and bobs, soup. Even had carrots in it - Then a surprise. I rarely have a dessert (pudding) but I am tempted from time to time. Last time was in Oaxaca when I had some very tasty chocolate balls thing. This is what I ordered, the top one, the cheese cake - Then the surprise. Bugger me. It looked just like on the menu. That never happens at all does it? -
|
|
|
Post by lugg on Feb 26, 2023 20:17:33 GMT
Yum
And thatsunset picture that you started this section with - wow
|
|
|
Post by onlyMark on Feb 27, 2023 0:44:00 GMT
I've been waiting for a good one Lugg. Here I am now back in Mexico City. I spent last night in Playa del Carmen as it was not only handy for getting to the airport in Cancun, it was handy to take the rental car back, plus Mrs M had been in Playa del Carmen thirty years ago and wanted to see how it had changed. Lastly though, I could get a variety of "normal" meals. I opted for a 'poke bowl' of rice, tuna, edamame beans, avocado and cucumber. Also a miso soup. Tasted really good and I struggled to finish it. As with a slightly complicated travel there are many potential problems today. I still may have a problem with the rental car return but we'll see. I had it valeted yesterday so it looked good but there is damage underneath they know nothing about where I clipped a speed bump and even though they couldn't find anything, they started to try and make stuff up, like the inside of the car smelled of smoke, the spare wheel had been taken out, used and put back etc etc - no it didn't/no it wasn't etc - in any case, they refunded my deposit (I have a receipt to say so but it's not in the bank yet) but then said they'll email me when the "boss" has had a look. Other problems were potential but notorious traffic jams that may have caused me to miss my plane (sailed through), difficult doing an online check in for the flight from Cancun to Mexico City where they couldn't find my booking, the difficulty at Mexico City airport of transferring between Terminal 2 and terminal 1 (for free on the Aerotren) when you haven't got a boarding card for the flight from T1, also my hotel booking had said my credit card was invalid (got the message this morning as I was leaving) and they would cancel my booking - plus other minor niggles. Nevertheless I managed to get through it all and I'm now in an airport hotel from which I'm not leaving until my flight from here to Frankfurt to Vienna to Bosnia leaves tomorrow evening, arriving late night on Tuesday. Eventually didn't quite manage to crack the 5000km mark but got close. I'll fill in some gaps in a few days. At the moment I'm catching up on internet stuff, communications (got an SMS in German from an unknown number for example saying things like, hello papa, this is my new number, I've broke my phone and so on. Yeah, right, got in touch with the kids and they know nothing about it. So I'll be doing absolutely nothing for 24 hours. Steven has been a delightful companion but not much of a conversationalist, which is fine, he's also got up to quite a few things you've not seen, but, he's got no stamina. He's had to go to bed for a snooze -
|
|
|
Post by lugg on Feb 27, 2023 19:39:44 GMT
Safe journey home Mark ( and Steve) . Looking forward to your updates later
|
|
|
Post by onlyMark on Feb 27, 2023 20:55:58 GMT
Thanks.
|
|
|
Post by htmb on Feb 28, 2023 23:09:15 GMT
Nice report! Your return home sounded like it was going to be long and tedious. Hoping all went well.
|
|
|
Post by onlyMark on Mar 1, 2023 8:18:40 GMT
Got home last night at 11:30pm. It was long and tedious. Flew Lufthansa using up some air miles, so in business class. It'd give it five out of ten. In fact on the way back I rejected one meal and told the cabin lady to take it away and that it was the worst thing I've ever had on a plane, business class or otherwise.
|
|
|
Post by cheerypeabrain on Mar 1, 2023 8:38:23 GMT
Good. I can't stand aeroplane meals...(in my vast experience of about a dozen flights in my lifetime) and have never had an enjoyable one...aside from the anticipation and the fun of the dinky bits and bobs. Im glad that you complained. Shame about your journey home, but at least you know that 'the holiday is over' for now..until your next adventure. Thank you for a lovely virtual-trip
|
|
|
Post by mickthecactus on Mar 1, 2023 8:55:55 GMT
Err, where actually is home now?
|
|
|
Post by onlyMark on Mar 1, 2023 11:07:09 GMT
There is a saying. don't know where it's from but "Home is where your winter clothes are." I'm back in Sarajevo to snow and slush. In just over a week though I'll be driving to Germany for a few weeks, then back to Bosnia, then beginning of April it's a bit of a Balkan's tour ending up in Greece, May will be partly in Croatia and June probably Germany and to Spain. All of that in the car. No more flights for the foreseeable future.
Cheery, I've still got some photos to post to plug a few gaps and add to those already posted.
|
|
|
Post by onlyMark on Mar 1, 2023 14:15:34 GMT
Just a short video to keep you going. I touched on some of these with photos at times but often I took a short video of a few seconds and I've put them together -
|
|
|
Post by kerouac2 on Mar 1, 2023 14:38:29 GMT
Very nice slices of life with everybody having a good time. I am reminded of the cliché one often hears about Mexico: "There's music everywhere."
I have never in this century seen so many people NOT wearing trainers.
|
|
|
Post by onlyMark on Mar 1, 2023 15:26:54 GMT
Never noticed that. I'll look next time I go.
|
|
|
Post by onlyMark on Mar 2, 2023 21:26:30 GMT
Largest city in south east Mexico, Merida is considered the safest city in Mexico. Named after the other one in Spain (now I’ve been to both) and founded in 1542. “Much of Mérida's architecture from the colonial period through the 18th century and 19th century is still standing in the centro histórico of the city. From colonial times through the mid-19th century, Mérida was a walled city intended to protect the Peninsular and Criollo residents from periodic revolts by the indigenous Maya. Several of the old Spanish city gates survive, but modern Mérida has expanded well beyond the old city walls.” You’ve seen some of it but we’ll have a walk round and see what else there is. We’ll start off here. My aim is not to duplicate any of the earlier photos but one or two may slip in. If necessary refer back to the original post if you think something is missing, it might be there. These are meant to add to those rather than be separate. It’s also a very photogenic town so difficult to pare down all of them -
|
|
|
Post by onlyMark on Mar 2, 2023 21:27:16 GMT
|
|
|
Post by onlyMark on Mar 2, 2023 21:28:28 GMT
|
|
|
Post by onlyMark on Mar 2, 2023 21:29:49 GMT
This is the main cathedral. It was built on the site of some Mayan ruins and many of the stones incorporated in the build which started in 1562 -
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Mar 3, 2023 7:19:55 GMT
The hotels have all been renovated and painted, the public buildings all look as though they are suffering serious problems with mould and damp. Nice architecture -- all those big buildings including street corners with the entrance on the corner are not what I would expect.
|
|
|
Post by kerouac2 on Mar 3, 2023 7:53:39 GMT
The variety of architecture is very interesting even though they all appear to be from the same time period except for the churches.
|
|
|
Post by onlyMark on Mar 3, 2023 9:01:37 GMT
bjd, I agree. K2, it looks like there are several hundred years between the two. Not surprising really. I suppose religion trumped accommodation and bureaucracy.
Just a few more to finish that off.
|
|
|
Post by onlyMark on Mar 3, 2023 9:03:08 GMT
|
|
|
Post by onlyMark on Mar 3, 2023 9:04:34 GMT
|
|