February 12, 2011
We left in our two cars and parked outside John and Kathy Day’s house in Rio Indio for a few minutes to use their internet hook-up. (The signal which should bounce to Mayan Beach Garden hasn’t been working for a week.) Casa Maria’s is not working and when the cruise ships comes to Mahahual and overload their internet cafes with Skype, even email becomes impossible there.We continued down the Rio Indio Beach road, then the Jungle Road, and finally the road from Mahahual to the large 4 lane Highway #307 (50 km). On this large highway cars tend to speed. To keep the velocity lower at nearby towns, “Topes” have been installed.
They also serve the function of allowing the people in the area to sell you produce when you slow down. The pineapples at San Pedro are a delight, either whole for about 20 to 30 pesos or a plastic bag of pineapple already cut and sometimes seasoned with hot pepper…very clean and tasty.On the turn off road, we passed many cattle of the sturdy long horn Brahmin kind, many goats, and ranches. The cattle are allowed to graze loose right next to the highway, but occasionally you’ll see a cowboy on horseback with them. With the hot, humid climate of the Yucatan, this humpbacked Brahmin variety originally from India does very well. Although lean, the meat is tougher and not quite as tasty as the North American cattle.
We drove into the Pyramid site of Chacchoban and found we were the only ones around. Soon appear a man to sell us tickets for 4.10 pesos per adult, and off we went with Calin leading the way and being our scout.
No mosquitoes, no other people and we alone to explorer the large site. Strangler figs were in the forest along with beautiful palms with fronds starting at the ground at ascending up to 15’. We were given permission to climb most any of the pyramids, etc. because we were the only ones around.
There was a very slight jungle rain, and new discoveries around every turn of the paths. The site has been protected for many years by a farm family, but started its reconstruction in the early 1980’s. The two sons, David and Ivan manage the site now. (Both were busy with other duties this Saturday.) But we also felt privileged to be there with no tourists around. We loved the Mayan site.
We stopped at an outdoor “Pollo Asado” location along the 4 lane highway. The Senora had three different kinds of meat fillings for tacos and a choice of tortillas or nice bread buns.
We ate under a Palapa whose roof allowed two Zapote Trees to poke through. These trees were formally used for “chicle” chewing gum, and now for “Chico Zapotes”, a very sweet fruit you can use a spoon to scoop out and we all have learned to love. The chewing gum industry now uses a chemical formula for chicle. Japan is the only country that still chooses to use the actual “chicle” from trees. The Senor graciously brought out a tall ladder and picked us some these “Chico Zapotes”. He also taught us that there are many different kinds of Chicle Trees, each having particular functions and size of fruit. What an extraordinary experience. Again we were the only ones there.
We drove to the outskirts of Mahahual for Barbecue chicken to take home. It cost 110 pesos per very large chicken with a bag of sauce, cut up onion, a bag of pepper seasoning, cabbage and rice. The chicken wasn’t to be done for a ½ hour so we stopped at Fernando’s Agave restaurant in town and then returned. Calin and Marley each had a huge Mango drink.
On the way back, outside the Day’s house on the dirt road, hundred miles away from Amazon Seattle, I downloaded The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, into my Kindle.
Life can be awesome.
