Day 19: Oxkutzcab to Uxmal-2 videos added

December 31, 2023

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One of our USB chargers seemed to die overnight. But I remembered seeing someone with chargers at the market, so we headed over there, though it was just 7:00 a.m. At the market, a lot of vendors had already set up, but alas not the one with the charger. However, we did get to see, for instance, lots of onions getting unloaded from a truck. It felt like the truck must have travelled through the night to be unloading now.

Something we also noticed was the surely unique taxi stand reserved for tricycles!

We set off north, in the direction of Ticul, and quickly found ourselves on one of those roads that has us burbling "this is why we came here". The road was a little traveled straight shot between continuous orchards of oranges, grapefruits, and some sapodilla. We eyed the oranges carefully, trying to decide which might be not only ripe but also peelable. In this pleasant environment and at this hour, the trees were filled with birds. We kept stopping to see what they were and maybe get a photo, and I observed that we were making little progress. But so what - one should grab fun like this when it comes around.

Two Tropical Mockingbirds in the early morning

Another Melodious Blackbird. We've been looking for these!

The road changed character a little as we entered Dzan, but it was still extremely pleasant.

Dzan also had some pretty nice houses, like the one below.

We approached the church from behind, which in fact allowed us to see more of the design than from straight on. A service was in progress, which figures because this was a Sunday. The church was filled for the service, and as far as I could make out a large part of the proceedings were in Mayan. The audience too, as with most people of Yucatan, appeared to be Mayan.

Outside the church was planted a purple cross, which may have been related to the purple crosses of Muni.

Dodie noted that people had driven to church, mainly on their motos, which they parked directly outside.

We continued on the short hop to Ticul, spotting some interesting birds along the way.

As we began to enter Ticul, we found each block headed by a Mayan statue, in the road divider. We have so far not found any detailed info on who is depicted in the statues, and when they were erected.

The church at Ticul is again one of those hulking standard designs. It's strange, because we do not particularly remember churches like this in Spain.

The square and surrounding buildings in Ticul were attractive and interesting. But the action really began as we headed toward what turned out to be the market. We heard drumming up ahead and Dodie figured it was a a parade. Well it turned out to be a drumming group just standing by the roadside. There was no apparent reason that they were doing their thing - they didn't seem to be part of an organization or celebration, and they were not soliciting tips. We enjoyed watching them a lot. (Oh wait, I just zoomed in and see that they have matching Hawaiian shirts that say SoundFest. Trolling this a bit, I see that Batacudasoundfestticul has a Facebook page). When I get better Internet I will upload some of the drumming.

Here we found a four outlet charger for a reasonable price. Notice that buying a cellphone here is often a credit transaction. The same is true at home, where phones are offered as part of term plans.

The excitement for us created by the drummers quickly intensified as we suddenly found ourselves outside the covered market. Inside was packed with people, and the street outside was packed as well. Vendors lined all sides, and there was an exciting array of fruits on display.

Watermelon, pineapple, and papaya and bananas. - all looking great.

We bought a tray of papaya (had to choose one without chili powder).

The little boy was riding the moto with grandpa.

Reluctantly, we left the market area and continued in the direction of Santa Elena. We knew from the past that the fun was over now, at least in that to Santa Elena and beyond to Uxmal, the land would become hillier and more remote. Sure enough it was not long before we were climbing, and Dodie was having to push.

You can not quite see in this hurried afterthought shot, but the younger man, in orange, is holding onto a strap to restrain the trike on the way down the hill. It does take two people, but keeps your trike from having to have brakes.

Here is the road proceeding away and into the hills.

This papery nest has more of the traditional shape than the elongated one of the wasps the other day. I have since researched that one and will post an update on what they exactly were.

Here is a rare field set up purely with corn. Often the corn is interplanted with squash and beans. In any event, the corn here is much more widely spaced than we see back home or in Europe.

Here is an example of interplanted corn.

This shot does give the proper feeling of how the road goes down and to the distant hills.

We arrived in Santa Elena, a place that had once been called Nohcacab. But when the Europeans got here, it had already been abandoned. The town was reestablished as Santa Elena, with the Maya being given a stake as part of an early system of reservations.

We found a seat near the church, which was up on a bit of a hill. We have read that churches such as this one were built on top of and with materials from the former Mayan temples.

At this point we have a small story with a happy ending. During it,I will try to attach blame to everyone but me! It started when Dodie pulled over into a small trail for a nature stop. I took advantage of the occasion to take out my cell phone and check for messages. There was one, a Comment filed by daughter Laurie. I was typing a reply, when Dodie sang out from a small clearing on the trail "Hey there are piles of Woodpeckers in here, come quick". I responded by lurching in her direction, cell phone still in hand. I lurched because I was stumbling on small rocks in the path. This jogged the phone from my hand and down it fell.

The phones we have been using on these trips are ruggedly designed shock, dust, and water resistant ones. Something like iPhone 15, they have strong metal side rails, and by the way not one but two special function buttons. This well protected phone hit the ground, and in an amazing fluke it contacted a rock just so precisely at its side power button, that the metal rail was dented and the button was stuck in the depressed position. With this phone, to turn on, you depress the power button for a few seconds, and release. The phone then buzzes, and proceeds to boot. But what if the button is never released? Then the phone buzzes and waits for the release. If no release, it buzzes and waits again. Now with the button jammed down, the phone was going to cycle and buzz until its fully charged battery was exhausted.

I got out the paring knife and tried to pry the button free. Well darn that sturdy rail was just too sturdy for that. So I had to put the buzzing and now overheating phone away, and just stew about the fluke hit it had taken. Of course, if Laurie had not written or Dodie not spied those woodpeckers, all would also be well. The fact that I seemingly can not walk carefully, or hold a phone, is beside the point!

(p.s. hours later and with a lot more knife play, I got the thing freed up!)

We arrived to near the Uxmal ruins, but our plan this time was not to go to the ruins, but rather to the "Chocolate Story" museum. We especially liked this last time for the main reason that it is located on the very jungle like landscaped grounds of the famous Uxmal Hacienda. The Hacienda has long been an economic force, and had a prominent role in the 1847 Caste War. It was unique among haciendas as well, for not being involved with the sisal (Hennequen) that formed the economic backbone further north.

All the trees and flowers here are labelled, and one can also see rescued monkeys, jaguar, and deer, plus one crocodile. The chocolate museum part is also extremely well done, as you walk among various huts in which the topics of chocolate origin, varieties, growing, preparation, trade, culture, equipment and so much more are explored in great detail. The Chocolate Story is a chain, with other examples in Valladolid and Playa del Carmen, not to mention Belgium and a variety of other European places. Twice through now, and we still have not begun to absorb all the information presented.

We came mostly for the jungle ambiance of he place

Here is some Hennequen, not that they were really into it.

The Mimosa is often called the sensitive plant, because it responds to the touch by folding its leaves.

Here below is a really random smattering of the dozens and dozens of info signs in the museum.

A number of the signs gave clear views of all the Mayan cities from Guatemala to here.

Here are some of the rescue Black Hand Spider Monkeys:

Melodious Blackbird. Dodie has been searching for them for weeks.

The site features an authentic feeling Mayan rain god ceremony, with some nice drumming. I will try to upload video of that later.

Here are the now familiar Melipona bees, in their not so expansive hives.

There were several ants like this scouting out the honey. These ants seem quite long...

The park has two rescue Jaguars. One had been defanged and de clawed, and the other shot and permanently injured by a farmer.

In one of the best bits, in one of the huts on the circuit, chocolate is heated on a wood fire, and offered to the people along with a choice of sugar, chili, achiote, or cinnamon to add to it.

We have to confess that the shots that follow came from inside an aviary. However the aviary was large, and we feel proud that (we think) we spotted everything that was inside.

We carried on the last few kms to the Uxmal Resort Maya, the place we were trying to reach two years ago when Dodie crashed a few kms short. Now with most of her marbles back in place after the concussion, she is here.

Dodie is two years late, but she has arrived!

Also visible from our room is the "Pyramid of the Magician" south of us on the Uxmal ruins site.

This was our New Year's Eve dinner. We found after a day of cycling it was not enough. We went back to our room for pudding and cookies.

That's it for 2023. Tomorrow is another year!

Today's ride: 54 km (34 miles)
Total: 763 km (474 miles)

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