Estamos aqui!

Yes, we are alive and well in Valledolid, a lovely town in the Yucatan. This town has beautiful, very colorful houses and picturesque streets and very friendly people. We are staying in a really nice hostel next to a city park where a friendly dog makes her home -we seem to have a knack for befriending dogs in Mexico. the hostel is run by a woman from Nicaragua and her guy; people from many countries are staying there now.

I´ll make this comment about Mexico: it has a reputation for being rude and violent, especially now, with the drug cartel violence. The reality is much more complex. Yes, there are places and situations where you have to be very aware of what is happening around you, and some places one should definetly avoid. But this is true of life in the U:S: too.

We almost always find people in Mexico to be friendly, curious and very helpful. It struck us that there are many people on the streets after dark: strolling, socializing and going about their business. It´s really lively after dark! This includes parents who bring their children to playgrounds as the sun sets. That is a rarity in the US these days.

Today we visited the Mayan ruins at Ek Balam, a fascinating place. These date from the high classical period of Mayan culture, about 800 to 1200 AD. The site is quite beautiful. The largest
building is dubbed the ACROPOLIS. it´s a huge structure with a great view of the other ruins and the surrounding forests. I climbed up to a ceremonial area where there are statues of beings that resemble angels, someone who is holding his hand in the position idicating ¨Peace¨in Buddhism (this is a coincidence to my skeptical mind, but who knows?) and more beautiful artwork. I do have pictures and will post them at some point.

A short walk from the ruins took us to a beautiful cenote. The Yucatan´s bedrock is largely limestone. Erosion of this mineral leads to caves or open depressions in the rock. This one us open, although it connects to underground passages. The water is turquoise and the cliff´s sides are covered with ferns and other plants. Some trees on the edge of the cenote have long roots that dip into the water. It´s a very beautiful spot, and a very refreshing place for a swim! Another swimmer told me he saw catfish in the water, but I didn´t see any. I´ll believe him.

We had to walk through a relatively dry tropical forest to reach the cenote. It resembled forests we saw in southern Nepal - not as complex as a rainforest but quite lovely. The butterflies and birds were fabulous! Again, we´ll get som pix to you sooner or later. The world here is filled with bird songs (including our hostel.)

So yes, we are alive and very well. We´ll post as we can. There is a computer at the hostel, but it seems to always be in use. Tonight we are at an internet cafe.

There will be many more thoughts, these are initial ones. Be well and I hope you saw the lunar eclipse. Check in if you are reading this, it´s always nice to hear from home. We´ll be in Valledolid until 12-26. PG