Edzná and Campeche, Day Two

We were so taken with Campeche that we realized there was too much to see in just one day. We awoke debating whether we should stay another night, so I checked with the front counter and booked the room for a second night's stay. Just going with the flow!

Started the day with breakfast back at Marganzo, where the kids got to enjoy Winnie the Pooh shaped pancakes. But, what's this... no tequila chaser with breakfast? Bummer!

We stuck with our original plan of exploring the ruin site of Edzná, which is most of an hour's drive further south of Campeche City. Edzná is notable for being the site where several scenes were filmed for the movie Apocalypto a few years back (we saw that film and most would agree, it's pretty disturbing).

We planned to spend an hour at Edzná, then return to Campeche to finish our exploration of the city. It wasn't a very good sign when we approached the front counter and the attendant said to us, "Mas moscas." He got that right.

We had already applied repellent, but we were completely SWARMED once we stepped further into the jungle. There were CLOUDS of mosquitos following us, DOZENS on the backs of our shirts, in search of rich red blood. We ran through the jungle, arms flailing wildly, slapping at the kids to keep them safe. Bad parenting moment #32: another instance of sacrificing our children's baby soft skin for our cultural enrichment.

We made it through the jungle, into the open clearing, and the swarms had dissipated. Thankfully, the ruins themselves were not plagued with bloodthirsty insects. But the sun was in full force and it was HOT. Jenn opened a big umbrella for some much needed shade.

Edzná was an impressively large site with plenty of stone structures to climb and explore. The most imposing structure is the Temple of Five Stories, which is 102 feet high. This was closed for climbing so we settled on climbing to the top of the Southwest Temple for some pictures of the main tower.

I made the mistake of wearing a dark shirt today, so combined with the climbing, the mad dash through the jungle, and the blazing sun, I was absolutely drenched. There were not many others touring the site, so I removed my shirt and used it as a towel for awhile. I thought I would pass out otherwise.

Admittedly, I had not read up on Edzná before getting there, so didn't know much about what I was looking at while we were there. It was an amazing site to visit, but I feel we barely saw half of the site due to our time limitations... and the heat. It's really a shame, because I'm sure the kids will remember Edzná as the hot one with all the mosquitos.

We made the mad dash back through the jungle, flailing our arms and flapping at the kids with my shirt, darting straight for the car, thankfully parked in the shade of a tree. We lunched on sandwiches while driving back to Campeche, and I spread my shirt out on the dashboard to dry in the sun.

Jenn was driving again, so I recorded some notes for the blog and kept checking the map. At one point while my attention was diverted, she pulled right up to a police checkpoint (again) without saying a word to me. Oh great. Here I am, a shirtless, disrespectful sweaty gringo in front of men with machine guns. Mexicans do NOT go around with their shirts off, they go out in the blazing sun wearing extra layers, because they have no sweat glands.

I quickly put my wet shirt back on and opened the trunk for them. But, no problemo. These officers were just as pleasant and understanding as the ones we encountered the day before. I guess if I'm going to encounter anyone bearing automatic weapons, it's best if it's a police officer, right? Protect and serve.

Back at Campeche, we paid a visit to San Miguel Fort, on a huge hill overlooking the waterfront. This was really cool. An intact colonial fortress just south of the city, it was built at the end of the 18th century to stave off marauding pirates.

The kids were fascinated by the drawbridge and moat, and loved climbing into each and every lookout tower. Numerous cannons were positioned on every wall, and the view of the sea was incredible.

The fortress is also famous for its museum full of Mayan artifacts, which we glanced at, but by this point we said enough already. No disrespect, but this was the third Mayan museum we'd encountered on our trip, and when you've climbed pyramids and crawled through ruins, they just don't hold a candle. Besides, we had plenty left to do today...

We got a waterside table at El Faro del Moro for a late afternoon meal; by this time I was feeling weak and in need of serious rehydration.

Afterwards, we climbed aboard the pirate ship Lorencillo for a sunset cruise on the open seas. The view of the city was great, and it was nice to see Campeche from a new perspective.

Halfway through the cruise, the pirates took over the ship for some entertainment, which included sword fighting, music, and dancing. As the only light-skinned people on board, Jenn and the kids were easy targets to draw into the revelry, so soon they were dancing on deck too.

The ship docked just in time to enjoy a stunning sunset from the stone wharf. While waiting for the sun to settle on the horizon, Lukas and Emma found a new friend in the captain's dog, making for yet another memorable moment. The sky turned golden yellow, then crimson red as the sun slipped out of sight.

Now with a day so jammed full of activity, you'd think there wouldn't be anything left to share. In fact, there are two things: one amusing, the other touching and inspiring.

Sticky from the salt air, we headed back to the hotel for a dip in the pool. We were the only ones there for just a few minutes, when a Mexican boy of no more than twelve came and sat on one of the lounge chairs with his towel, obviously intending to swim but feeling shy with strangers in the pool.

So he just sat there watching us swim, not saying a word (maybe we looked really strange to him, it's certainly possible). Of course he probably couldn't understand a word of English, because Lukas spent the duration of the time LOUDLY encouraging Emma to invite him in to swim. "Emma, don't you want that boy to be your friend? Can you ask him in Spanish if he wants to play with us?" All the while, Lukas oblivious to the social awkwardness of the situation, just looking to make a new friend. This escalated to his classic line: "Dad, how do you say in Spanish, 'Hey dude, just come in the water!' " Moments later the boy was rescued when his mother came to the pool, presumably asking him why he was just sitting there watching the gringos, like animals at the zoo.

After cooling off in the pool, we were hungry since we had eaten so much earlier than normal, so we decided to take a walk and order a pizza. It was just a couple of blocks down our street, but it was going to be another 40 minutes until the pizza was ready. So we took another walk over to the square to pass the time.

As we got closer, we could hear piano music and noticed that the doors to the cathedral were wide open with visitors going in and out. We stepped inside and saw that there was a classical pianist and an opera vocalist performing live to a church full of people. We took a seat in the back row and listened in hushed awe as beautiful music, crisp and clear, filled the cathedral. The acoustics were incredible, and we had the uncanny sense that we had stumbled onto something that was truly memorable. In fact, the kids were clearly moved by the music and the atmosphere, because Lukas insisted he wanted to sit a few rows closer so he could kneel and say a prayer. Emma wanted to just sit between Mommy and Daddy and hug, just so she could 'be close to us'. It was one of those strange, enchanting moments in time that you just don't forget.

Afterwards, we went back to the hotel room with our pizza, and spent some time relaxing before bed. It had been a full day of ruins, sailing, and exploring, so it wasn't long before all of us had drifted off to sleep...

Some days just aren't easy...

Ok, time to be brutally honest. Not EVERYTHING can be perfect in paradise. Take this mosquito thing, for example. Sure, I get that it's considered "the rainy season" in Mexico, so you expect a few more bugs buzzing around. Plus, that tropical storm that passed through before we got here sure didn't help. I've been patient. But now they're getting on my nerves.

Don't get me wrong... there are no giant swarms of mosquitos. No, they're much too stealthy for that. I'm convinced that there are actually only 3 or 4 mosquitos that follow us around everywhere. And that's because as soon as you try to nab one of them, they vanish. Inexplicably. They only come out of hiding as soon as you give up looking for them. Mexican mosquitos are sneaky little chameleons, and they thrive on making me look like a fool, swatting and clapping at nothing but air.

Now that I've gotten that out in the open, I can post about yesterday. I needed to follow up on some emails and get some editing done, so Jenn decided to shop as the locals do by heading out to the open air markets in the morning. However, not many vendors were still open and the pickings were slim, so she bypassed the freshly plucked headless chickens, and ventured straight to... Walmart. No ordinary Walmart, the SUPER Walmart with the marble facade and the underground parking garage. In Mexico, they don't mess around.

Emma stayed home with me while the pool guys cleaned the pool and repaired the fountain for us. The sun was still shining by the time my editing was completed, so I headed up to the rooftop to have a look around and to snap a few pictures.

I wasn't really too concerned when Jenn & Lukas didn't return after a couple of hours; they were going grocery shopping after all and with our previous attempt at deciphering labels, I knew it could take awhile. It wasn't very far away. After the third hour, I reminded myself that Mérida is the safest city in all of the Yucatan (as I paced back and forth, checking the phone, my mind reeling with the possibilities). By that time, the sky had darkened to a dismal grey, then almost black as the clouds opened up and the rain began to pour down.

Finally, I spotted a shadow through the glass front door. It was Jenn and she was had fire in her eyes. It seems she had picked out a whole cart of groceries, gotten to check out, and had the bank decline the transaction because it was the first time she was using her debit card in Mexico. Even though there was plenty in the account and we had already informed the bank about our trip. We had used MY cards with no problemo, but now with her card for the same account, no can do.

She promptly got on our business line (our Mexican cell won't call the U.S.) and gave Bank of America an earful before heading all the way back to Walmart to get the groceries. By this time it was pouring, roads were flooding, and most of the items in her cart were gone. So, she went shopping for a second time.

By the time she returned, it was close to 4pm which left just a short while before we were expected for dinner at Cherie's house. So a quick shower and scramble and off we went...

Cherie's house is simply stunning. The original structure must be over a century old and it's been redesigned by her husband Greenwood, who's an artist. A beautiful open layout with a brand new addition and a huge backyard and sunken pool. The intricate pasta tile throughout most of the home is all original, but looks brand new. I've never seen anything quite like it back in the states.

Spending time with Cherie and Greenwood was an absolute pleasure. They are gracious hosts and seem to be very caring people. Greenwood spends time with kids weekly at a local orphanage, teaching them art. This evening, he took time to show Emma & Lukas their collection of Mayan artifacts, and they had a blast playing instruments, hugging pets, and creating their own art as well.

For such a difficult day, it certainly ended on a pleasant note. And you know, even though we spent the whole evening chatting outside on the patio, there wasn't a single pesky mosquito in sight.