El primer día en Yucatán.
Waking up from my mid-flight nap en route to Cancún and looking out the window to see nothing but the blue waters of the Gulf of México, it began to set in that this trip is really happening. Ever since I read my favorite book, A Salty Piece of Land by Jimmy Buffett, for the first time a few years ago, I have been aching to travel to the Yucatán to experience the unique culture (and beautiful weather) for myself. As the plane rounded the final in-air turn before landing, I gazed out of the small window to admire the tropical foliage that seemed to cover everything with the exception of the highly urbanized tourist area. After going through immigration and customs and finding my way through the airport, I was finally able to feel the warm air on my skin. The first thing I noticed upon walking out of the airport doors were the seemingly endless waves of people outside with various signs for taxi services, shuttles, and ice cold cervezas. I heard rapid conversations passing between families, friends, and workers and realized how out of touch with the Spanish language I am. Turns out when you don’t use the language for a few years after studying it for four years at a public school, you tend to forget a few things.
After dodging our way around all of the vendors, we managed to squeeze 12 hot, sweaty people plus luggage into a van. Our first stop was Las Quekas, a small restaurant that served quesadillas y sopes, for a mid-afternoon meal. I ate two quesadillas de pollo con queso y cebollas and was surprised how different it tasted from the Americanized versions I am used to eating. We bought vitamin water in flavors like dragon fruit and glass bottles of Coca-Cola, which had to be returned once finished so the glass could be reused.
After the meal, we made our way over to exchange American dollars for pesos. Because it was expected to be a long and complicated process (which it was), a handful of people volunteered to take others’ money and exchange it. Holding the pesos in my hand, I thought about how the feeling of being in México hadn’t fully set in yet and the experience so far had a strange hazy, dream-like quality to it. Exchanging the currency made it feel a little more real, but it didn’t fully set in until we reached the hotel in Valladolid, Casa Quetzal.
Immediately upon walking through the front doors of the hotel, I felt as if I had woken up from a fantastic dream only to find out that the real world is 10 times better than the dream I was having. The middle area of the hotel is comprised of an outdoor courtyard with so many plants that it resembles a miniature tropical rain forest. It was wet due to the rain that had fallen during the drive to the hotel, which only added to the effect. There is also a small natural looking pool and a pebble path cutting through the plants leading to a room on the opposite side of the square-shaped hotel where Destiny and I are staying. The walkway going around the perimeter where the rooms are located is decorated with various pieces of amazing art and outdoor patio furniture. This hotel is easily one of the most beautiful and quaint places I have been to, and I am so thrilled that we are able to stay here.
As I sit in bed feeling the cool breeze blow through the open window bringing with it the smell of rain, I am beyond thankful to have this opportunity to travel to the Yucatán and learn about the area. I cannot wait to practice my Spanish and explore the city of Valladolid, the nearby ancient ruins, and the natural area surrounding us.
More updates (and pictures of the hotel) to come soon!
Explorando en Yucatán 