Well the ADO bus station didn't keep us awake but truth be told....there were some roosters who I would gladly "assist" to the stew pot! As strange as that may sound given that we are in the middle of a city...roosters are aplenty in Vallodolid. My guess is that they are fighting cocks as that is a popular sport in Mexico and based on our observations of the fights in Troncones during the fair there....the owners of those birds treat them like kings! I suspect that those crowing 'boys' last night were calling their owners for a fresh pot of water or a little more corn just cuz they can. LOL
Siesta time but I can't seem to settle down. Must be missing the lull of the sound of the waves lapping up on the beach and the gentle swing of my hammock. Sure am enjoying the opportunity to laze in our air-conditioned room though! It is smoking hot out there on the streets again this afternoon!
Spent this morning and early afternoon wandering around the area west of the zocalo and we will be going back to that zone for sure. Loved the little shops and restaurants along one of the streets (calle 41A) that appears to have been revitalized already. From what we saw yesterday (east of the zocalo) they are in the midst of revitalizing that area too.
Valladolid was officially recognized 3 years ago in 2012 and at that time was awarded the nickname "Magic Town". It is easy to see why that was the name given.....it really is a magical little place. In fact, both Lynda and I agreed this morning that of all the cities we've visited in this region this is the only one that we might consider living in if we were to make the move that so many expats have. Most expats gather in Merida and certainly we saw them in every place we've visited but...Valladolid seems to have more culture and authenticity and appears to be very safe and "tranquillo" (tranquil) from everything we've seen.
Shortly before returning to the hotel we stopped into a lovely little outdoor restaurant called Jardin de los Frailes (Friars Garden) on Calle 41A where we not only enjoyed the food and drink but also made a friend in our waiter, Luis. Luis has been here only 3 months having come from Cozumel so he was able to give us a few tips on reasonably priced places to stay once we reach that coast. We're pretty certain reasonably priced places are going to be few and far between once we've hit the Caribbean so any help we can get is much appreciated!
We also spent some time in a quaint little shop that is really just the front room of the owners home. She is a seamstress and it was fun to chat with her as she showed us some of her handiwork. We had a good laugh when Lynda ended up behind her counter helping her to retrieve and rehang things that are simply too high for her to reach. Remember....we are veritable giants in this land of tiny people and she was happy to be able to make use of our incredible height! LOL...it was a fun morning.
Who knows what tonight will bring....till later....
We're back from an evening of new adventures....well nothing too adventurous but we did manage to set up a tequila tour for tomorrow, participate in a chocolate tour tonight, and enjoy an amazing pasta dinner complete with micheladas for Lynda and tequila, kahlua, and milk for me. In fact....there was more than one drink for both of us tonight...hic.... LOL! Nothing too extreme but I will tell you that when Lynda downed her first beer before the waiter had even left our table after serving our drinks the look on his face was PRICELESS! Honestly, I actually laughed aloud...he was totally shocked. He gave her her beer first and then served my drink...that one was a pina colada (and it was delicious!) I then asked him to explain the difference between a couple of different Michelada type beer drinks they had in the menu. By the time he was finished (only about 2 minutes at most) Lynda asked him for another beer but this time a Michelada... and his jaw hit the table. She just laughed and said, "Canadian grandmas", while he returned to the bar in amazement. Yep...thirsty Lynda made quite an impression tonight! After my pina colada I switched it up to my standby Dirty Mother and I have to say....it was yummy! I guess the server must have figured I was a tequila kind of girl as after we were all finished and ready to leave, he brought over a shot glass and a bottle of local reposado that he wanted me to taste. It was very different...a little sweet and quite smoky. I'm guessing that is what our tequila tour will consist of tomorrow too...being able to taste a variety of types of tequila. At some point I really must find a place where I can try the traditional Mayan liquor...supposedly it is made at least in part from anise and I'm thinking that it might be delicious! In fact tonight at the chocolate tour we were able to taste some pure chocolate (local of course) that was flavoured with that Mayan liquor and it was my favourite. But before I move on from the food part of our evening...I must add that tonight I ordered a rotini dish but what I received was penne. I didn't have the heart to tell them that they have their pastas mixed up....or maybe in Mexico rotini is penne and penne is rotini. LOL....either way it was a treat to have some pasta tonight...that is the first time in a long time and we enjoyed it immensely.
Now back to the topic of chocolate...during our tour we learned that it was the Mayan's who first discovered chocolate and the guy who discovered it was named Chocola Te (my spelling might be off here). In Mayan language Chocola translates to one of three words depending on the context it is used in. It is either Hot, or Dirty, or Bitter and Te translates into either Water or Milk. Put it all together and you get a hot drink that is brown in colour and bitter in flavour. Over time that hot chocolate evolved into what we all enjoy today. Needless to say, it was an interesting tour and our guide did a great job of describing the stages from cacao to nut to the treat we eat today. I'm hoping the tequila tour tomorrow is just as informative and as tasty! I'm sure it will be though as the guy who we talked to tonight was full of information he wanted to share.
Tonight we also learned that Villadolid is home to about 60,000 people which explains why it feels to comfortable. It is a perfect size...big enough to have all the amenities but still small enough that it doesn't have the problems that can come with a big city. We also got confirmation that the area east of the zocalo that we explored yesterday afternoon is getting a facelift similar to the one that we wandered today. It is all as a result of that Magic Town designation from 3 years ago...lots of promotion and potential to grow tourism here for sure. On the downside we also learned that one of the casualties of the facelift that began in 2012 is that many of the traditional vendors who used to be visible in the main zocalo area have been moved out to surrounding neighbourhoods. They've been replaced by someone who may hold more appeal for the visitors as the "facelift" is orchestrated. Tomorrow we will visit one of those old vendors as he is known to make the best version of one of the traditional Yucatecan dishes in the entire city. It is pork that is covered in local spices, sour orange, wrapped in a banana leaf and cooked underground for 4-5 hours. As luck would have it, his new location is about 1/2 block from our hotel!
All in all...it's been another great day and based on what we already have on our radar...tomorrow will be more of the same. So...till next time,
L & L
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