This morning we decided our last full day on vacation would be a leisurely day. No major excursions over an hour from the hotel. No long bus rides to another city. For the first time since our stay at Campeche I expected to chill most of the day. The main event besides chillin' was enjoying the Tasting and Gastronomy Tour later in the a.m. The continental breakfast at Casa Del Balam was just like what we had the day before...delicious! Again, T complained I ate too much, but I honestly didn't care as I was on vacation!!!!!! (hehehe). Today we chose to wander a block or so to look for those carved wooden dolls that T had spotted on our tour of Kabah. We had looked for them wherever we went up to now with no success. We walked away from the hotel and turned the corner at Burger King...towards the familiar green building that was the Casa de Artesanos. I tried to suppress winces and grit teeth as every Meridano we passed appeared to be twins of the pushy sales guy we encountered two days before. They all had the same mustache, complexion, height, build, etc...and they each of them kept staring (or glaring???) at us as we passed. Was he cloned while we were away????? *gulp* I was uncertain enough so that when we finished our brief a.m. search and were walking back to the hotel I basically dragged T down that last block to minimise the twilight zone experience. Never walked down that block again! We returned to Hotel Casa Del Balam and decided to wait downstairs for our tour guide. I turned in my key and monster key chain to the front desk, as I had seen other guests doing the same on their jaunts away from the hotel. I didn't have to sign anything to turn it in nor present any ID or sign anything when we returned later in the day. Dunno what to think about that for security...but it is convenient. T and I explored the corner of the patio opposite the restaurant and saw a large room with about a dozen sofas/couches and coffee tables. This room is at the corner of the intersection of two streets, a couple floors directly below our honeymoon suite. It was vacant, so T and I lounged around there for a while...me looking at all the stuff I had printed out for our trip (half of which was either useless or never referenced). I may be wrong, but I think the orders from the kitchen going to the restaurant are carried through that room, out across the patio, and into the restaurant. I was confused as I thought the kitchen would have been closer to the dining area as it is in most places. Our anxious American selves at some point decided that we should really just move back to the chairs near the front desk, where we had seated ourselves the morning before. I didn't want to risk missing our guide for being in an out-of-the-way location. Before long a congenial fellow walked through the front doors into the lobby and looked over at us. "Meeshel F?" (hehehe) We introduced ourselves and presented the vouchers provided by Ecoturismo Yucatan. Our guide spoke very good English and said his name was Pablo or Pedro, I forgot... ...so I guess I'll have to choose which name I'll go with for the rest of this TR. Wait one while I flip a coin...tails...ok, so it's Pedro. Pedro had parked a van in front of the hotel and we followed him out to it. He noticed T's limp and smaller stature, so when he opened the doors of the van for us he pulled out a small stool for T to use to climb up. I followed her in and saw the rest of the vehicle was unoccupied. When our guide climbed into the drivers' seat I inquired as to how many others would be joining us...he said we were the only persons on the tour that a.m. Yes!!!! We could dictate to some degree the way the tour went and I really looked forward to our experience. As we drove off, Pedro announced to us that our tour came in two parts. It isn't called the Degustacion Y Gastronomia tour for nothing. The first part of the tour we would visit a local distillery to see how liquor is made and bottled. We would get to sample some products and even have the opportunity to purchase bottles at wholesale prices! The second part of the tour we would be driven to a restaurant to enjoy a four-course meal...nothing but authentic local cuisine. As I was doing research for this trip I didn't expect to see anything like this tour, but ran across it in a couple different places. One T decided to join me for my Yucatecan adventure, the Tasting and Gastronomy tour became almost mandatory. Something different, something low key...not a lot of activity. Something original and a bit cultural. According to the tour description, we would be visiting two 17th century haciendas located around Merida. The first stop was to the Hacienda Vista Alegre, which was one of the key local distilleries that specialized in rum and liquors made from tropical fruits. It is not only a working distillery, but the owners also live in the house itself. We would spend about 45 minutes touring the oak barrels filled with precious spirits, a pottery house where the bottles for the liquors are hand made and painted. An employee at the hacienda would explain the process for making the rum and other liquors, and would then give us the opportunity to sample their products. The second stop on the tour we would pay a visit to the Hacienda Teya to enjoy great Yucatecan cuisine. T and I by now had already sampled a variety of different local dishes during our holiday; however, this particular location distinguished itself as a host to a number of important guests in the past such as Queen Sofie, the dukes of Luxembourg and Hilary Clinton (boo--hiss, lol). According to the tour description we would be served the "best of the best" of the local cooking tradition. Ecoturismo Yucatan charged $48.00 USD each for this excursion. So we are riding along and drive generally north of downtown. We were still in the 'burbs when the van slowed down and turned into a wide driveway. The Hacienda Vista Alegre may have been built in the countryside originally, but over the centuries Merida had grown so that it was now within the city limits. Pedro stopped our vehicle and let us out so we could walk to the open gate. A bored-looking guard manned a post adjacent to the gates and we ambled over to him so we could sign in. As I put my signature on his register I noticed that there had been only a couple visitors over the prior week. Either this tour was still very new, was not very popular, or was not well-marketed. Or it was just a reflection of the current "low season" as Tony had explained to us two days before. As we not going to explore a state museum or monument but a private property we did not have to pay admission. A man approached us from the hacienda grounds and introduced himself. I forgot his name, but when I first saw him he appeared very familiar to me. As it turns out he bore a striking resemblance to the man I saw in a picture advertising this tour. Pedro identified him as the head manager of the distillery and he would accompany us on the tour of the grounds. A little boy was tagging along with him and I could only assume he was the manager's son. Everybody was very amiable and despite the fact T and I were the only guests that morning I didn't feel we were given a shortened version of the tour. I may have forgotten the sequence of events and exact details here, so please excuse me. We were led through the gates to an open area surrounded on three sides by buildings of the original hacienda. The manager took us directly into a large building opposite the gates and so our tour began. In one room we were shown large caskets or xtabentun resting, and near the door to this room was a table with a small display meant for the tour. The manager explained some things I already knew, that xtabenun was originally a Mayan liquor made from the local honey. When the Spaniards discovered this beverage and learned the process they added a little something to the mix: anise. There before us on the table was a jar of the local honey (bees probably used nectar from those sour orange blossoms), which we sampled *yum*. Another jar adjacent to it contained raw honey that had been distilled. We were invited to sample it, but once we caught a whiff of the stuff we turned down the opportunity. Nasty! According to the manager the honey must be stored in high heat for a period of time to start breaking down and acquire its alcoholic nature. A dish of anise was on the table to exhibit the other important ingredient for the liquor. We would sample xtabentun in its finished form at the liquor-tasting as the final part of this tour. In another large room we were introduced to some huge barrels filled with rum in its early stages. T and I had to pose for a shot in front of one of these and the manager was good enough to handle the camera for us. Nothing much more to see in the big building that I could recall. Pedro led us back out into the courtyard and then walked us over to where in centuries past the horses were stabled. Inside we saw oak barrels stacked upon barrels stacked upon barrels for the length of the building. The tour guide explained to us that these were barrels of rum in the final stages of aging, resting in oak barrels that previously had been used for bourbon. Some of barrels I noticed were stamped with the "Jim Beam" trademark, so I knew from whom they were acquired. Another small table was set up here and we were given the opportunity to sample the rum in its final form. It had a nice fragrance, but... *cough, splutter* ..it probably burned a hole in my throat as I swallowed a little down. With Pedro's help the manager explained how we could tell that the rum had been stored in oak barrel by the oily "residue" that stuck to the glass as it is swished around. According to him, low-quality rum could be discerned in this way as inferior spirits are stored in metal containers to age rather than authentic oak barrels and leave no such residue. I took a pic of this fascinating room and asked if I could pose pouring a sample from one of the barrels as the manager had done for us earlier. They obliged and so now I have a snapshot of me carefully ladling rum into a small container as if to sample it for myself. I played the tourist well. The next stop on our walking tour was some smaller buildings out behind the largest one. These buildings were where bottles of xtabentun were bottled and labelled and packed for shipping. A conveyor belt moved clear, upright bottles of the sweet liquor to a mechanical arm that every second or two neatly laid a sticky golden label on the middle of each. Three ladies occupied the last part of the line, making sure the labels were properly set before placing them in boxes. Those that were mislabeled were placed aside, perhaps to be cleaned for another run later. We did not get to see the bottles filled. I guess that occurred in another room and was not linked up to this labelling machine. T and I were then led to a separate building where we were shown how other "designer" xtabentun bottles were hand-painted and then labelled. The more familiar bottles we had seen on the conveyor belt I guess are normally sold in local liquor stores. However, these hand-painted bottles are different. They come in different colors (red, green, blue, etc) and the glass above and below the unique label (of Mayan symbols and a figure serving a bowl of the stuff to a god) was formed with an indian design. *side note--I had to pour a shot of xtabentun from my bottle just now to relive the experience some more, hehehe* This room was filled with bottles hand-painted with a white base, and a single person was there to demonstrate how the different layers of blue were painted on a bottle to achieve the nice cobalt color I liked especially. Today was a Saturday and the place didn't seem especially busy. I wondered if the ladies in the labelling room and this single fellow in the painting room were called from their homes to work today as exhibits for our benefit. If so, I feel both grateful to them for their time and also a little bad for their sacrifice for their families. Recall the manager's son was tagging along with us, as well. Soon after, the manager disappeared to let us walk the grounds some more before we went to the tasting. Here, I am certain I have some sequence of events mixed up. Pedro took us on a leisurely stroll on the grounds past some tall shrubs and trees and I saw that several had small signs in front of each identifying them. Our guide took the time to describe the native flora on exhibit and the significance for each...some had medicinal properties discovered by the Maya, others bore fruit good for cooking or eating, etc. This was unexpected, but a very educational part of the tour. Every once in a while T or I would give a start and look around. It sounded as if there were creatures hiding on the ground under the trees and their sudden movement among the fallen leaves kept interrupting our nature walk. Staring out into the shadows under the trees we saw iguanas looking back at us, taking a break from the heat of the sun. I know we're too big to eat, but am sure that if agitated these lizards could still bite. We warily continued down a path to the back of the property, past the owners' large backyard to a huge tree providing shade to a table and benches near by what looked like a towel shack or a cabana. The manager was waiting for us and he had a couple of jars of fruit waiting for us to sample. Ciricotes (local peaches), ciruelas (local plums), and nance were presented in small saucers. Pedro, the manager, the manager's kid, T and I snacked on this fruit from jars packed in syrup. The little boy sitting with us warned us of the large pits in the fruits. We kept spitting them out into paper towels provided for us, but the meat of the fruit was very sweet. After shooting the breeze and enjoying the treats for a while, the manager motioned for us to accompany him to the cabana, where an employee had put on display bottles of all the liquors produced by the distillery. Incidentally, the name of the company is Grupo Agroindustrial y Alcoholero de México, SA. de CV (or, AAMSA). A stack of small plastic cups were waiting, and Pedro invited us to sample the various spirits in front of us. The employee behind the counter at this point played bartender as T and I each tried virtually everything in front of us. Xtabentun, Kalani, La Mestiza Nance Liquor, Licor de Guanabana, Ron Caribe, etc. all went down the hatch. Before he poured, our man scooped in some shaved ice from behind the counter. Everything was yum. T has less tolerance than most and usually gets a red face after two swallows of anything with alcohol, but that didn't stop her from trying everything. By the end of our tasting she was positively inebriated and wanted a bottle of each of the items standing on the counter. Insane! Ludicrous! We were talking about up to ten bottles of liquor we would have to pack for the flight back, declare at customs and pay dearly for it. I reasoned with her...first, we can buy rum and coconut liquor in the U.S. Second, we had already purchased six-packs of mini-bottles of the same stuff the day before and would have to account for these. I convinced her to get just three bottles: Xtabentun (in one of those hand-painted bottles), La Mestiza Nance (also comes in a unique bottle featuring a Mayan figure), and a bottle of the Licor de Guanabana (which tastes exactly like the fruit itself...with a kick!). Also on the counter and on the shelves were bottles and jars of the other products we had sampled at the table, as well as habanero sauce and habaneros in different "marinades" and six-packs of the same liquors I mentioned before...but these were priced wholesale rather than the jacked-up figures we had paid in the touristy area of Merida. If only we had waited until today, we could have saved some cash! Most of the stuff sold here we spotted in the shops downtown, so if you're interested in purchasing unique liquors, salsas, etc. and you have a tour like this scheduled...plan to buy the stuff during this tour. The man behind the counter took our cash and made change. He then packed the three bottles into a carrying case of cardboard. T has since thrown this out, but I shall describe the back of it. It is a map of the Yucatan with the major routes throughout as well as several sites of Mayan ruins..a few of which that weren't featured on my other maps. Cool. We thanked the "bartender" and the manager (waved to his son), and followed Pedro back through the trees towards the van. T regretted not getting at least one or two more bottles and we were having a running discussion until I finally decided that, yes, the bottle of coconut liqour (Kalani) was indeed unique and attractive and maybe, yes, we should go ahead and get it...to heck with the consequences! So, I left T to continue with Pedro to the van and I returned to the cabana. The bartender was still packing up all the bottles that had been put out for our benefit so it was an easy thing to pay him for a bottle of Kalani. Just walking after T and Pedro was by itself an experience! The sun had risen higher and it was definitely hotter, so naturally I was trying to stick to the shaded path through the trees. But then so were all the iguanas! I swear, some of them were longer than I was tall...and some of them hidden in the leaves in the shadows of the trees chose to scamper a few feet when I was only a few feet away, making me jump. Somehow I made it through and caught up with the others. We got into the van and took off to our next destination! I forgot the direction we took to get to the Hacienda San Idelfonso Teya, but it "felt" north. While on the road there I struck up a conversation with Pedro about the locations north of the city, since we never planned took a tour in that area. The first thing he mentioned, obviously was the excavated Mayan city of Dzibilchaltun. This city has its own unique features like all the others. But it shared one thing in common with Chitzen Itza...a major structure was built to capture the equinox. While instead at Chichen shadows play on the Castillo to show a snake slithering down from the temple atop, the sun peers through Temple of the Seven Dolls at Dzibilchaltun from one end to the other, so that it is framed in stone. Many peeps in the know schedule trips to see this phenomena at both locations, as they don't occur at exactly the same time. The event at Dzibilchaltun occurs at sunrise, while the one at Chichen happens later. I don't think I will ever make this trip, but it is interesting nonetheless. Pedro also mentioned Progresso on the coast due north of the city. This is a stop for cruises and happens also to be where the citizens of Merida go to play on the beach. It didn't take that long, but near the end of the drive I was trying to figure out how a hacienda could be located in such a run-down looking area. Small houses and/or plots were all around. Pedro explained that we were on the original hacienda grounds; however, the government some time back had seized much of the land and redistributed it to the local citizens. What remained apparently were the buildings of the hacienda, which had been converted to a restaurant, dance and banquet halls. I was looking forward to our experience here due to the notables that had been steered there before (mentioned further above). I'll make this part of the long story shorter. We parked next to the main house. Pedro took us into the restaurant, where we saw pics in the entrance of several peeps including Mrs. Clinton. We were seated and handed special menus for peeps on this tour. Am certain we both chose sopa de lima...after that I don't recall our other courses except my dessert: Yucatecan papaya in chunks covered with syrup and Dutch cheese. Very yum! Am sure that T selected some flan. My beverage of choice was Leon again. Def. tastes better than Montejo IMHO. Paid for the beer and wandered to the entrance of the restaurant to visit the restrooms. Pedro was absent until we got out. He then took us 'round the house and grounds on a grand tour of the hacienda. Among other things we were shown was the small private chapel and a bell, which we couldn't help but ring for our amusement. I guess the hacienda owners' kids were turned loose on the grounds and a couple were trying out an ATV and motorbikes around the parking lot. Anyways, we were finished with the tour and packed ourselves back in the van. We were full, and def. more relaxed at the end of this tour than with the others we had done. As Pedro drove us back to the hotel we talked some more. Apparently Merida once had city walls like Campeche. However, as the city expanded beyond its limits the walls were taken down. I think even the original gates to the city no longer exist. From what I understand (correct me if I'm wrong, please) there are replacement "gates" where the originals once were to commemorate them. Pedro pulled the van in front of our hotel and placed the stool out for T as we exited the vehicle. I tipped him well as we were the only peeps on the tour so we received exclusive attention from him all day long. Our guide actually was an employee with Orbitur, and they offer a fantastic selection of tours just from Merida ( http://www.orbitur.com.mx/orbitur merida daytours.htm ). With a list like that there's little chance you can spend a week at the city with no place to go. However, it was difficult to get a quote of prices for these tours from Orbitur. After a couple attempts by email and no response, I had to inform them I was a member of a travel forum and couldn't recommend them if they didn't respond. They responded Apparently they only do packaged tours...in other words, you have to plan a majority of your holiday with them. Or you can arrange individual tours with Ecoturismo Yucatan which Orbitur may ultimately provide. Anywho, kudo's to Orbitur and Pedro for not pulling the plug on us for being the only people on the tour that day. And our experience on the Tasting and Gastronomy tour was brilliant. Would do it again, I'd say. After getting back to our room T decided to take a catnap. I wanted to go to a service at the San Ildefonso cathedral. Going back downstairs I tried to find out the times for the next service. Well, no one could tell me...the hours were not posted near the church doors as I would have expected. At one shop I made an inquiry and a person took out his yellow pages and scanned down the list of houses of worship, which included times of service. I thought I had it down, but when I showed up at the church for the hour of worship I found that I had bad information and it was about wrapping up. So I settled myself near one of the fans blowing inside and silently made my prayers. But I was in luck. It seems that it was local custom to follow the service with a rosary. While I didn't have one on me at the time I knew the prayers in English and was able to participate. Right at the end of the prayers someone lit off a string of firecrackers right at the entrance of the cathedral making it seem like a machine gun going off and the popping sound echoed all over the old church. After a momentary pause to let the sound dissapate, the deacon finished up for us and we exited the cathedral. On the way out I spotted a couple of the older, poorer locals (usually Mayans) stationed at the entrances to the church. Sitting down with their hands held out begging for pesos. I had noticed these persons since the first day we walked by the cathedral. Even on the sidewalks within a couple blocks of the zocalo, there is the occasional beggar sitting with their hand out for coins. Once before when T and I were walking from shop to shop we encountered one person stretched out full-length on the sidewalk blocking pedestrian traffic and making everyone step off the curb to get around her. Sad sad situation for many indigenous who have to resort to this just to survive. As I walked back I purchased a couple more momentos for the family and returned to find T awake and wondering what took me so long. I reminded her that this was our last night in Merida and we should make the most of our experience...so get up and let's go out! Saturday night is En El Corazon de Merida. Many of the streets around the zocalo shut down to motor traffic and restaurants pull out tables and chairs for this great weekly party in the city. Stages are set up on the street about every block and live music (salsa, jazz, etc) fills the air. T and I exited Hotel Casa Del Balam and started towards the zocalo. On the way we were approaching Ky60 and saw that they already had tables and chairs out and were pretty busy. I saw our waiter there hustling in and out of the restaurant. We decided that we wanted to try something different and kept away from there. We were surrounded by people...tourists and locals. Vendors set up folding chairs and tables in a line for jewelry, leather, paintings, etc. One of those spray-can artists had chosen a spot and was engrossed with his current masterpiece that included a pyramid. Down a street to the east a couple of restaurants were open and we were trying to figure out which we should try. All of a sudden we saw a familiar figure in high-top white tennis shoes, knee-length white socks, tight red shorts and a polo shirt. It was Tony, our city guide from two days before. He recognized us as well and came over to greet us. His face was puffed and shiny and his eyes were red. He was a little sweaty and didn't say much to us except how are you? Definitely drunk. I asked him if his family was around, and he motioned us to follow him. He took T's hand and led us east past the restaurants we had been considering to a stage set up in a great entryway to one of the larger buildings. Salsa! Up to the stage we went. It was ringed with chairs set up for peeps to watch the band play and see the dancers dance. I examined each of the observers to see which was Tony's wife or mom or sister...nope. He led us there because he wanted us to dance with him! He pulled us both onto the dance floor. Well, T dances maybe once every three years. I haven't danced as often either, cause she doesn't and so I am very rusty. But for a few minutes T, Antonio and I were moving to the music. At some point he left us and went to one of the ladies sitting and watching, but she needed some convincing and she turned him down. Meanwhile T and I felt very self-conscious and at some point decided to leave the stage. We waved at Antonio dancing by himself on the stage, indicating we were going to look for some food. Returning to the two restaurants we had passed, we discovered one was Italian and the other was not as busy...perhaps too far from most of the action. A hostess asked if we wanted to be seated, but instead we just wanted to examing a menu. Nothing really new. We wanted something better. I don't know which of us came up with the idea, but I thought it was brilliant. We headed back to the restaurant we patronized the very first evening we arrived in Merida (still don't really know the name of it). Walking a short ways, we saw the Burger King we never visited (still proud of that)...and Tony again wandering about aimlessly. We waved again at him and kept going. Finally we reached the small plaza in front of the Gran Hotel and saw the quiet restaurant in the back of the square ready for customers. Again, not as busy as the Main Street restaurant nearby, but close enough to the action so we could people-watch. The sopa de lima wasn't as good, and I should have ordered a Bacardi and coke as I had the first time. It wasn't as good as the first time overall. As we sat and ate we noticed the same little Mayan princess with her crafts taking a break and sitting next to a boy selling something else. T and I decided to go ahead and buy something from her since she was trying so hard. When we finished eating and I had chased down the waiter for the bill and then my card we left the restaurant to go search for the little girl, who had since left her perch and disappeared into the crowd looking for the next sale. Took a bit of searching, but we eventually found her hanging out with some other little girls, their eyes scanning the crowd for a likely customer. She spotted us approaching (obviously tourists) and she automatically got up and made her way towards us. But then recognizing we were the same couple that turned her down at least three times in the past week, she stopped short with a sound of exasperation and went back to her little friends. T and I kept coming and got her attention. We didn't see anything particularly interesting or useful, so instead we purchased little woven bracelets for our nieces and for T. Forgot what we paid for them, but they are pretty...and fragile. Not well-made. I don't think any of them have survived back home as of today. After taking in more of the sights and sounds, the press of the crowd, the street vendors, etc., we returned to our hotel and packed for the next day when we were to return home *sob* The music in the street was just loud enough to be heard until the wee hours of the morning.
Michael, All I can say is, BRAVO! :clap: BRAVO! :clap: BRAVO! :clap: It may take you 6 months or more to write your trip report, but it is so worth the wait! I felt like I was right there with you and T, your detailed descriptions are wonderful. Were you able to get all the "booze" back safely? Are you going to post any pictures .... please?!?!?!
BTW...I'd like to finish this puppy before the 1st anniversary of our trip there, so some moral support is greatly appreciated :lol: thanx for the comments
thanks, tasha the details coming from my little head...it's almost out of necessity. T and I are different in many ways and this is one. She doesn't dwell on some things as much as I do. Tends not to hold on to memories of our holidays. Early in my first installments when I was asking her for her impressions or trying to jog her memory on specific things, she wasn't at all helpful. In fact she probably thinks I'm nuts just chatting with my friends on CC. :roll: :lol:
I know what you mean. My husband is not detail oriented either. As far as CC goes, he would probably have me admitted if he knew how much time I spend on here. :lol:
