Valladolid

January 2-3, 2023

Max had made us an unbelievable itinerary for the next 8 days with hotels, restaurants, places to visits and all on a google map as well. We tried to do as much as possible but when Covid got a hold of me, my energy level went way down and we ended up having to skip a lot of it. We will definitely have to do it all over again.

It took us a couple of hours to arrive at our hotel called Real Hispano, located in the center of town. We walked around town a little and had an early dinner at Al Atrio del Mayab. They had a beautiful courtyard and the food was great but the service was extremely slow. We were full but still found a spot for churros. We went to bed early.

The next morning, I woke up at 6am feeling unwell with sinus pressure and a bad headache. I also had body aches and an itchy throat. I took some advil and went to breakfast. The service was really slow as well so we had them box our fruit plate and we left for Chichen Itza. 45 minutes into our drive, we were almost there but were stopped by the police who told us that the road was blocked by protesters so we needed to turn around. We found out eventually that Mayans were protesting because the government didn’t want them to sell their handicrafts and wares at Chichen Itza anymore, which is the only way most of them in the surrounding villages are making money. Max suggested that we go to Ek Balam Archeological site instead with a little detour to Uayma.

It was really beautiful and the only pyramids you can still climb in the Yucatan. I didn’t attempt to climb myself as I was feeling a little faint being in the hot sun. We met a young couple who asked to join us when they found out we were hiring a guide. He was very informative. We found out among many things that the Mayans were the only culture that didn’t do sacrifices. Also they were really tall apparently which is weird because now they are really short.

On our way back, we found out that Natalie had tested positive for Covid. As soon as we arrived at the hotel, we tested and I wasn’t surprised to found out I was positive since I was under the weather. Pogo was negative.

I rested for a few hours and Pogo went for a walk. Later on, we walked to the Covento de San Bernardino and had a quick dinner on our return. I know I should have been isolating but it was hard living in hotels. I started wearing my mask everywhere we went.

I took Nyquil and Advil and went to bed.