2017 - 2018:  Punta Mita Mexico to Quetzaltenango Guatemala

Dec 19, 2017 . Hecelchakan, Hotel Margarita

• Breakfast of banana pancakes and vanilla milkshake, at the recommendation of two women I met the night before:  both snow birds who bought homes in Celestun.  They rent their places out, but think VRBO takes too big a slice, don’t rent to Mexicans, and complained a lot about difficult clients.

• Boring drive through flat shrubby country, with a brief stop at a lovely decaying Hacienda beside the road, and passing through several small villages with thatch-roofed homes and locals with features, especially the women, what I imagine the Maya looked like (wait a minute: these people are Maya) to the Grutas de Calcehtok, the longest dry cave system in Yucatán.  Then the lovely little Museo de Hecelchakán, with its collection of tiny Jaina figurines.  Small town, no tourists, plaza ready for the evening with booths and rides for kiddos, a $13 room in a nice little hotel a block away, and a good Mexican restaurant close by (chili rellenos and horchata).  The perfect setup.

• Thinking of delaying my trip to Serenity and joining her when Caren is ready to take her through the canal.  In the meantime, the list includes: the CDT, Central America, a many-week commitment to learning Spanish, Colombia, the condo, Gold Lake.

Dec 20, 2017.  Hotel Puuc, Oxkutzcab, Yucatán 

Visited 3 sites and a museum today: Xcalumkin, Xumal, Museo de las momias, Kabáh. 

• Elena: Museo de las momias: Not much.  A couple of 200-year-old baby mummies.  But lunch at The Pickled Onion: avocado soup and chaya with goat cheese, washed down with Horchata, now my favorite beverage. 

• Noticed my gas getting low fast, and discovered using maps.me that the closest Pemex station was about 30 miles away.  Then the gas gauge started blinking, a little gas pump image lit up, and finally a picture of a car with an arrow pointing to a gas pump.  I skipped the other tourist stuff on the road (I’ll return to it tomorrow), sweated the next 45 minutes, and managed to pull into a Pemex in this town on fumes.  Found this fine hotel for about $16 using “hotels near me” with Google Maps, and here I am, another day drawing to a close in paradise.  

• Stopped in for a beer at a noisy bar, and took a photo of two guys with 7 liter beer bottles on their table.  OMG.

• Withdrew 5000 pesos > $280.17

• It’s so pleasant, sitting at a cafe next to the Mercado, enjoying some tacos al pastor, watching (and hearing) the bustle of people, motorcycles, moto-taxis (or whatever they are called), trishaws, collectivo, buses, taxis, even a few private cars - the browsing, haggling, buying and selling, every family with a kid, smiles and greetings, with lovely balmy weather.  Of course, I am completely outside this society - but what would be going on at “home” for an old guy like me?  TV?  A good book?  But certainly no show like what’s going on in front of me right now.  

• I have no idea where I will be for the holidays.

• Crates and crates of citrus fruits everywhere- the air is sweet with the scent.  Tomorrow morning I hope to visit the Mercado and see some serious citrus biz.