Day 12: Chichen Itza to Izamal

January 15, 2018

We made a bee line in the early morning for the bakery we had discovered in Piste. We checked yesterday, and knew they opened at 6. Yesterday when I saw their "Pan Frances" I started to dream about that bread, with cheese. I knew we had a half hope of finding cheese, and coffee! at OXXO. So all that went into my crazy itinerary for us, bouncing around Piste. The bakery came first. As we walked in, the baker was putting some breads into a big plastic bag. Dodie went to fish some out, but he said no, no, wait a second for some hot ones!

This is indicative of how the people here have treated us. Why not let the gringa scoop up the slightly old breads? Why not is because these are decent, friendly people.

Three of the family's kids were behind the counter, and Dodie fished out some Canada stickers for them. The father, like all parents, said to them "What do you say?" But more than that, they went digging in the back and came up with a bakery calendar for us. What a great way to start the day.

The family that runs the bakery in Piste

Back at OXXO, we did find some cheese, and coffee, so although we are so much enjoying Mexico, for a brief time I could feel like I was back in France!

It may not be Brie, bit it is cheese! According to Wikipedia Manchego is a cheese made in the La Mancha region of Spain from the milk of sheep of the manchega breed. Official manchego cheese is to be aged for between 60 days and two years. Manchego has a firm and compact consistency and a buttery texture, and often contains small, unevenly distributed air pockets.

I will try to include a map soon, but suffice it to say we headed north from Piste, to ultimately turn west, at the little town of Dzitas. The road north and then west was the same - small and almost totally quiet. Yes, there was an occasional fast car, in on one section lots of dump trucks, but on the other hand when the road went through a town, there were folk walking down the middle and dogs asleep.

We crossed over the 180D toll road. Yeecch.

It took Dodie to spot scenes like these as a farm. This is corn with beans and squash planted along side. These people do not till the land flat and plant in rows, but rather each little planting is not doubt hacked out with a mattock

The jungle eventually was replaced by cattle farms. As in other countries they seem to have two legged cows. They are typical Brahma type.

When we got to Dzitas, we took a brief spin through town, mainly because we had seen a cluster of people and wondered what they were up to. In fact it was a communal work bee in which they were mixing up cookie dough, shaping the cookies, and sending them off in a transport bike to be baked. The cookies were made from ground corn, sugar, cinnamon, and butter. They were being being prepared, the people said, for a fiesta of Santa Elena. A man ran into the back and brought out several warm ones for us to try. They were really good, and actually gave us a welcome boost as we cycled on.

Dodie samples a cookie. These people were not selling them, they just wanted to share their thing with us.

The ladies shaping the cookies. They told me the name, but I forgot!

The road was lined with yellow flowering bushes - much favoured by bees.

City Hall in the little town of Quintana Roo (not to be confused with the State of the same name)

A roadside shrine. According to Wikipedia Our Lady of Guadalupe (Spanish: Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe), also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe (Spanish: Virgen de Guadalupe), is a Roman Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary associated with a venerated image enshrined within the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. The basilica is the most visited Catholic pilgrimage site in the world, and the world's third most-visited sacred site.

Ladies are not worried about traffic, in Quintana Roo town.

We noticed this name in the Baird's blog. We realize now this is either a chain, or many corner stores just like the name.

It was a bit of a slog for us, but fortunately the day was somewhat overcast and not too hot. So around 2 p.m. we rolled into Izamal. The town's decor is very unique, and it kind of hits you suddenly. The city is very unique, containing four Mayan pyramids right in the town. One is the largest in bulk ever discovered, with a base of a city block in size. The City in fact is known as a place of three cultures. There is the Maya, and then there is the dominating Convent of San Antonio de Padua, which occupies another city block and fronts on the main square. Finally there is a general Spanish influence, somehow embodied in the fact that every single building is the same shade of yellow.

You can read the story here, and on the next photo

A view of the block wide pyramid from the monastery

There are many caleches like this in the town. The horses all wear hats.

The fish. Tonight we will be listening to the bubbling water.

We took a walk around the two town squares in front of our hotel. There is market activity all around, like in the building shown below. We found the post office, which we have been searching for to buy stamps for postcards. Amazingly they claimed to have no stamps - not until Wednesday! Dodie determined that sending our postcards will cost 45 pesos, and she managed to make a deal with the man. She gave him the 45 pesos and in a handshake deal he promised to affix the stamps and send the cards -Wednesday!

A stop in a little grocery was also interesting - so many unusual brands and products.

Abuelita is a perennial favourite - even if Nestle did buy the brand.

We found a restaurant and took a table inside. The table seemed welcoming, with this napkin holder.

That horchatta on the left. We like how restaurants automatically bring chips and a selection of salsas. This one brought maybe four salsas, and the lovely mangos.

Dodie's chicken breast - nice presentation.

Today's ride: 83 km (52 miles)
Total: 535 km (332 miles)

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Eva WaltersRegarding Manchego cheese, you might find this article from today's Guardian interesting:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/15/spain-mexico-trade-deal-manchego-cheese-dispute
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6 years ago

Scott AndersonLooks like a great day, Grampies! This is the first one that looked like a place that could really work for us. Keep it up -you might push it onto our list yet.
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6 years ago

Steve Miller/GrampiesSorry guys-not sure what part of the day you found so great. Although it was interesting and fun, it was also waaay too long for us.
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6 years ago

Steve Miller/GrampiesTo Eva WaltersWow I really stepped into the middle of a big controversy. I'm with the Spanish. The stuff we got really was insipid, except that any cheese seems great to us here.

For other readers the crux of the matter:

There is Spanish and Mexican manchego cheese. "One is a revered sheep’s milk cheese, as Spanish as acorn-fed pigs, a famously insane knight errant or the napkin-strewn floor of a tapas bar.
The other is a mild cow’s milk cheese, sometimes bulked out with vegetable oil, that is sold cheaply in Mexican supermarkets and stuffed into quesadillas."
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6 years ago