"On the Trail"

The Journals from the Road

May 4-6:   Riding down the Yucatan, Chichen Itza - Coba - Tulum - Chetumal

Well, I had another night along the road in a small mayan town. I played my harmonica for a group of curious boys and they showed me around the church and the temporary stadium for the upcoming bullfights, ¨Fiesta de Torros¨.

The next day I biked down to Coba and enjoyed hiking around. Coba is different than the other ruins sites in that most of it is not reconstructed and it is like you are discovering it for the first time. You walk on jungle paths past mounds of rubble and rock knowing that they are hidden pyramids. I climbed to the top of the ¨Big Pyramid¨. It is the highest pyramid in the Yucatan and the view is spectacular. I just sat and gazed at the miles and miles of green jungle stretching in all directions.

Just an animal update for you. In the last few weeks I have seen a number of new animals: 20 some roadside lizards (2 feet long), large scorpion coming out from under my tent (4 inches), stomped on my local police officer, and strange snake in Coba ruins (6 feet long). Pretty exciting!

I stayed with a family that night and really enjoyed eating dinner with them. I was tired of being the local amusement, by setting up my tent in the town center, so I just asked this family if I could stay with them. They were very happy to have me and even wondered if I would stay for a week. We hung out in the hammocks and I learned many more Mayan words.

Here are a few:

Bush ka wa lick? - What´s up?
Mish ba. - Nothing much.

Ba hush? - How much(does this cost)?
Champa - baby
Choo-pa - girl
Sheet-pa - boy
noch-mam - grandma
noch-papa - grandpa
velakay - today
sama - tomorrow
ho-liac - yesterday
hatzoots - good
keek - sister
su-ku-un - brother

One of the ladies who made me tortillas that night was 120 years old!!!! I couldn´t believe it but she was the grandmother of the other grandmother there who was in her seventies. I have never met someone this old, who is still hangin´ in hammocks and making tortillas, none the less! Thank-you to Lazaro, Jose, Maximacoconmay, and Juana for this lesson.

The next day I rode to Tulum, didn´t feel like finding a safe place for the bike so I could go for a swim. Instead I washed up in the sink at the bus station and then hopped on a bus to Chetumal. On the bus I met a medical student from Belize studying in Cuba. Cuba is currently training medical students from all Latin American countries hit by Hurricane Mitch for free as a international aid program. Currently Cuba has doctors serving in these countries and they will return when the students are fully trained. I thought this was a very, very impressive way to help one´s neighbors. Well done Cuba! Take care Ray!

Found a hotel in Chetumal and took a long awaited shower!

Refreshed,