Spain. Camino de Santiago. 2nd stop at Mañeru (Navarra)

The day had just broken and I was still half asleep, the night had been warm but the sleep not deep, as the snoring of the fellow travellers, coughing and creaking of the bunk beds had kept me awake most of the night. But  already there was movement, most of the travellers had already left the albergue, others were preparing to leave. There was no good morning, no smile on the faces of our fellow travellers. All were silent. So I murmured Vaya con Dios to the ones who still remained there as I knew that we will meet them again on the way to Santiago, many of them will be staying overnight at the same villages on the Camino.

We also got up and got ready. The travellers on the road can sleep only one night in an albergue as the place has to be made ready for the new arrivals. Every one must leave before eight 0'clock in the morning and new arrivals are not allowed to come until 2 or 3 0'clock in the afternoon. This is to ensure that the people on the road have indeed come by foot or bicycle and if some one turns up at eight or nine in the morning, it means that he has travelled by bus or motor cycle and can not be admitted as a legitimate pilgrim. Also the hospitalarios need time to clean up the place after the visitors have left.
 The morning was sunny and bright, we left after having a cup of coffee and after walking about 500 metres through the village streets, we reached the village centre and entered La Conrada, the popular restauran. We saw that many of our fellow travellers were also sitting in the restaurant and enjoying their breakfast. The place was cheerful and every body seemed to be talking at the same time.

We sat down at a free table and ordered our breakfast of toasted bread, olive oil and fresh tomatoes, fresh cheese and two large cups of cafe con leche(coffee with milk). After enjoying our breakfast, we picked up our backpacks and continued our journey north. Our road map showed that the next stop of the day was a small village called Mañeru, situated at an altitude of 451 metres above sea level, about 16 kms. from Uterga which we had just left behind and about 30 kms from Pamplona, with a population of less than 400 inhabitants. It is situated on the Camino and the rivers Arga and Salado, run through its boundaries.

During the 13th century, Villa de Mañeru belonged to the Military Order of the Hospital of St.John of Jerusalem. This Order was established by the Knight Templars in 1119 in Jerusalem, after the capture of Jerusalem by the Crusaders in 1099) in order to protect the increasing numbers of  pilgrims coming to the Holy Land from Europe, from the robbers and infidels who infested the mountain passes and defiles of the Holy City. The religious fervour of the faithful, on the liberation of Jerusalem had increased and whether they came by road or by sea, they were pillaged and murdered by marauding Bedouin tribes.

The Villa Mañeru and Puente de Reina became the cross roads for pilgrims coming from Roncesvalles and Somport (Camino Frances), which merge with the routes from Aragon and Navarre. As the legend say "all roads lead to Rome", similar legend also says "From here all the routes to Compostela will be one".

The river Arga which runs through its boundaries always posed an impediment for the pilgrims, so under the auspices of Queen Munia, the wife of King Sancho the III of Navarre & Arragon, in order to facilitate the passage of the pilgrims, a Roman bridge was built in XI century. With the construction of the bridge the town of  Puente de Reina, and surrounding villages saw a flourishing economy and higher influx of pilgrims and travellers from Europe and the regions of Spain, who passed through this route to Santiago de Compostela. The bridge is a beautiful Romanesque marvel, with six arches and from the hump in the middle of the bridge, the view of the village, its churches and other monuments is enchanting.  

The region of Navarra is famous for its gastronomy and wine. Traditional dishes like Piquillo peppers can be found on the menu of every restaurant in Navarre, usually as an appetiser or first course.

Piquillo peppers are roasted over coals, peeled and potted. They are served with thinly sliced garlic sauteed in olive oil until golden brown and then the peppers and their juice are added. They are left to simmer for a few minutes and  allowed to sit for another few minutes before serving.  You can also fill the peppers with boiled fish and shrimps, heat them in the oven for a few minutes and then serve.

    Bell Peppers fried in olive oil with garlic, oregano and topped with fresh coriander leaves.

Another regional dish is Pochas, a variety of white haricot or kidney beans, stewed and served with pickled green chillies (gindillas) or added to meat dishes. Chorizo, charcoal grilled T-bone or Sirloin steak,Chistorra the thin sausage which you will find in any butcher shop and which is added with vegetable stews are popular dishes.

 Lettuce hearts cut lengthwise, with anchovies or ham, sprinkled with thinly sliced fresh garlic and vinaigrette sauce is another popular dish.

 
 My favourite dish is Lamb al chilindrón, with chopped onion, fresh garlic & ginger and stewed on slow fire with white wine. I always add fresh ginger, red instead of white wine, saffron, a few cloves and one or two cardamom pods and stew it over low fire. 

Bacalao al ajo-arriero (Cod fish) is another popular Navarre dish which is prepared with olive oil,tomatoes, piquillo peppers, onions & fresh garlic, green peppers and one whole dry chili, little sugar, white wine. I add small peeled potatoes too, and when the fish is nearly dry, they come out poached with succulent fish. Green olives and green pickled onions and chillies sprinkled over the fish is delicious. The best way is to soak cod overnight in vinegar and water, changing the water once or twice. Pat dry it before stewing it in slightly fried onions and garlic and other ingredients.Slightly shred the fish as it stews and simmers in the juices of garlic and onions and tomatoes. Sprinkle it with fresh coriander leaves and eat it with fresh country bread (pan de payes) and dry white wine.

We stayed at Casa Rural Isabel in Mañeru, an old three storey house, which had four guest rooms on  the ground floor. The rate was 35 euros. The room we had was spacious, airy and full of light and we made ourselves comfortable, did some reading and took a short siesta.

  There were three restaurants in the village and we chose one which had a charcoal grill Asador and ample sitting places. It was nice and cool. My wife had a plate of alcachofas and a plate of lettuce hearts with anchovies and sprinkled withfresh garlic, country bread with extra virgin olive oil and grilled tomatoes. I had lamb al chilindrón and we shared a plate of asperagus with mayonnaise. And we had a bottle of Inurrieta Norte,a red wine, light in colour and fresh,fruity and aromatic taste.
It was Romans who first introduced the grape in Navarra region in the 2nd century BC and started wineries (bodegas) there. In the Middle Ages, when Navarra was an independent kingdom and had close relations with France, and being the pilgrims route on the Camino de Santiago, the culturaVini flourished, and even in the guide books of 12th centuray, wine from Navarra was recommended to the pilgrims.
 We had a pleasant day in Mañeru and in the evening we sat and watched TV, then to bed. We decided to start late the next morning and continue our journey. Our next stop was Estela-Lizarra,

 

                                             

Spain. Camino de Santiago.- Utrega . Journey continues

Early the next morning, we left our hotel in Pamplona, walked down the street and in a bar near the town hall had a breakfast of toasted bread with olive oil and fresh sliced tomatoes sprinkled with oregano, semi cured cheese and two cups each of hot Spanish coffee. It was delicious. The rain had stopped and the air was fresh with a bite to it. We started walking out of the city, following the signs of Scallop shell, the emblem of Santiago de Compostela. After one km. or so, we came to the edge of the city and the road  became a street and then a track going uphill. And it started to rain again. Luckily there was a restaurant nearby and we ran to it and had one more coffee until the downpour became a drizzle. But dark rain clouds still hovered over the horizon, threatening  us with another shower if we did not immediately start our journey.

We started our trek uphill, it was humid and hot, the backpack although it was less than six kilos, weighed a ton. The rural track, strewn with stones, not pebbles but good sized rock stones, went up all the way. Holly smoke! I thought, we are not pilgrims, we are here for a morning walk, why this test of our faith laid bare on the rocks? My wife also was distressed and we thought of going back the way we had come, but our determination took hold of our wavering thoughts and we continued onward. To be honest, going back on that treacherous way down, would have been equally hard. We soon learned that on the Camino, there was no way of going back, one simply had to go on.

After going uphill for about 2500 meters, the track levelled out, and we came to a halt. A tree had fallen upon the ground, from one bank to the other of a rivulet swelled up by the recent rains. In order  to continue our journey, we had to climb a mound of mud bank, walk over the tree trunk to reach the other side of the rivulet, which was presuming to be a stream. Every thing was wet and slimy and I tried to grasp the tree trunk with my hands, but slipped and fell into the muddy water. My wife helped me climb back and I tried to help her walk over the tree trunk, but the tree was so slippery and our boots full of the mud that we both once again slipped down in the muddy water. Without another word, my wife picked herself up and waded the few metres to reach the other side and climbed up, holding some branches of the tree. I followed. My chance of picking her up in my arms like Tarzan and bringing her safely to the opposite side faded.

We cleaned our boots as best as we could, with the leaves of the tree and with the grass growing on both sides of the track and continued uphill and suddenly we were up on top of the mountain and could see the signs of civilisation in the form of a village, silhouetted against the sky. The sky had cleared too and we saw a group of pilgrims on the other side of the mountain track, also going down towards the village. Some were walking, with long staffs in their hands, others were sitting astride horses and donkeys, followed by dogs, with flags of their faith on long poles, waving in the wind. All were silent, the men as well as the animals. Perhaps they too had sighted the village in the distance and were, like us, anxious to reach it, find accommodation, feed their mounts, wash clothes and then sit down and have a glass or two of the local wine and break bread with olives and olive oil, cheese and chorizo. And in silence lay down upon bunk beds and slumber or sleep of the weary traveller, with aching limbs and be up early in the morning to continue on their journey north. We all were on the Camino del Perdon.

We said hola! bueno dias (hello, good morning) to our silent fellow travellers, but received no response, they all seemed to be absorbed in their own thoughts, so I murmured Vaya con Dios (go with God)  and continued our way down and were soon on the edge of the village. We calculated that we had barely done 10-12 kilometres, whereas it was our intention to do at least twenty kms. every day. It was late afternoon when we reached the village which was called Uterga (province of Navarra) and the Albergue, a private place run by a family of welcoming hosts.

We took off our dirty boots, slid  off our backpacks and sat down on the floor outside.  To our surprise there already were many other travellers inside the place, mostly females (young and middle aged) some were unpacking their things on the bunk beds, others washing clothes or hanging them on the lines outside in the patio.  There were 18 bunk beds and charge was 10 euros per person. We handed our Credenciales which were duly stamped, paid the money and settled down until there was a chance to do the same chores, shower and rest. The albergue also had a restaurant so later we went in and had some food. The day was turning into evening and in the dormitory all was quiet, so we also went in, changed our clothes and lay down on the bunk beds to sleep. It was our first day on the Camino de Santiago.

 

Spain. Camino de Santiago. An interrupted Journey.

In June 2008 we had visited the city of  Santiago de Compostela, capital of Galicia in the north of Spain, starting our pilgrimage from Barcelona. I had started writing about our journey but at that time not feeling upto it, I had postponed further writing and promised to do so at a later date. Now I am doing so.  Better late than never.

 Portrait of Apostle Santiago de Compostela  painted by Rubens.
 

Apostle Santiago is the patron saint of Spain. According to a medieval tradition, after Pentecost (about 33 d. C.), when the apostles were sent to preach the Gospel and convert the faithful to christianity, Santiago crossed the mediteranian sea and landed in Hispania (Spain & Portugal).. According to some accounts, his preaching would have begun in Galicia, There are many versions of his landing on various points in Spain. After converting some people, he returned to Jerusalem where after persecution by the king Herod Agrippa, he was beheaded on the orders of the king. His body was hidden by his desciples and secretly taken to Spain in a mythical stone boat. Thus the legend began.


Throughout history, kings and knights, saints and sinners, defenders of the faith, countless illustrious pilgrims from all over Europe have taken the journey. It is an ancient and spiritual pilgrimage, which comprises of a nearly 800 kilometer trek across fields, mountains and valleys, towns and cities. People do the Camino for many reasons and books have been written by those who have travelled the whole way, revealing the results of their quest. 

It was our plan to start our journey from St. Jean-Pied-du-Port near Biarritz in France, then Roncesvalles, Pamplona, Logroño, Burgos, León, Astorga  to Santiago. This is the Camino Francés, the original and most popular route. In the early times when the pilgrimage started, this route to Santiago de Compostela was safer because of the protection provided by the kings of France, where the majority of pilgrims started their journey and they did not have to traverse the country ruled by muslim kings in Spain. In the end we decided to start our journey from Barcelona to Pamplona and then continue on the same route (Camino Francés), as we were told, the route was mountainous and rough and without any practice of walking long distances, we may find it difficult to continue. 

We had obtained our Credencial del Peregrino from a church in Barcelona which entitled us to stay overnight at the albergues, hostels, hospices and churches.The Credencial is a booklet, which is stamped at each halt on the way, and on reaching Santiago de Compostela, it is finally stamped by the Cathedral authorities, as having completed the pilgrimage by the officially authorised route and the certificate Compostela, is given. To earn this certificate, a pilgrim must complete at least 100 kilometers on foot or 200 kms. on bicycle.

Pilgrimage may be made by foot, on bicycle, on horse back or donkey but those travelling on motor bikes or by buses are not considered authentic pilgrims and are not entitled to stay at alberges. The charges for staying the night at places run by the local municipalities (ayuntamentos) are about 6 euros, private places between 10-15 euros, and individual rooms which cost upto 40 euros. There are some places where you may be asked to leave a donation and only at León the accomodation was free and we paid 4 euros for breakfast. Albergues have bunk beds, capacity from 18 to 60 persons in one room or a hall.

 In ancient times, the pilgrimage took months, the ways were rough and many pilgrims old and infirm, and in order to tend to their injuries and sicknesses, hospitals were erected on the route to Santiago. Many pilgrims died on the way and it was considered a privilage to die on the pilgrimage of one of the most holy cities in christiandom.
  
 
The scallop shell has long been the symbol of the Camino de Santiago. Over the centuries the scallop shell has taken on mythical, metaphorical and practical meanings. In the ancient times wearing a scallop shell not only gave the pilgrims the privilage of free lodging and food, it also warded off thieves and bandits who infested the country, but who dared not attack the pilgrims, as they were under the protection of kings.So we also bought two scallop shells and wore them around our necks, as a sign to any one on the road that we too were pilgrims, although our purpose to walk the Camino de Santiago was not religious.

Although the Camino had been popular in early times, its importance had vained and it was not until Shirley MacLaine, the American actress who did the Camino and wrote about it in her best seller book "The Camino: A Pilgrimage of Courage" did the trend suddenly increased and now thousands of people from all parts of europe and other countries do the Camino.

Mexico- Cancún

19/10/2008:
Last night when we returned to the hotel, the extra mattress promised by the hotel people was not in the room. When I tried to switch on the table lamp, I found that the light bulb was broken, neither the radio nor the T.V. were working.  So Alex went down and asked them to please bring the mattress and replace the light bulb and fix the radio and the T.V. After some delay the student/worker came up with a rubber mattress, a bed sheet and a pillow and put it down on the floor. He told us that they did not have a spare light bulb to replace the broken one, and every thing will be fixed on the morrow,  as it was late and no electrician would come that far from the city. When I asked him, he confessed that he was not a university student but working as an all job man, also sleeping on the floor until the place was refurbished.

The night some how passed, when I awoke early in the morning, the sun light was streaming in through the window, the curtains were thin and transparent and soon the room was hot.

                                                  The View from the window
We got up and got ready. From the kitchen below they brought us a tray of fresh fruit and orange juice, toast & marmalade and coffee and as you can see from the photos, it was a nice breakfast, which refreshed us.

                                                                 A breakfast for two

                                             The Sun over troubled water
                                               
Cancún is divided in two parts, La Ciudad Cancún and La Zona Hotelera. We had found this to be in Tulum too, zona hotelera exclusively for the tourists. Although by Mexican law, as it is in Spain also, all people have the right of access to the beach, to walk and swim. However we had seen the day before that this will not be possible, all the resorts in this area were patrolled by security guards, who would not even permit us to go near and talk to them. There was no access to the beach. So we decided to go to the city (La Ciudad Cancún), have a look at the local fruit and vegetable markets and afterwards, take a bus and visit the various beaches which lie on that side.

So we took the bus which dropped us at the main bus station where we had arrived. From there we walked downtown (El Centro), the Avenida Tulum which is a wide street, full of shops, restaurants and banks. Alex changed some Euros for Mexican Pesos and we had a cup of coffee at 7/11, the American chain of mini stores and we window shopped but there was really nothing of interest to buy. Same brands of clothes and shoes, thanks to globalisation, have invaded all the countries and I personally get sick to see Starbucks, McDonald and KFC infesting even South East Asian countries. It is alright that these companies operate in the north and south American markets, but super malls and hyper markets owned and run mostly by U.S.A companies is intolerable. That is my view. 

After walking more than a kilometre, we reached the municipal market 28. Outside the market were vendors with carts, selling fresh orange and coconut juice and and cold "Chaya" flavoured water.I was told that was a nutritious plant which is used in preparing many other recipes. Alex had a glass of fresh coconut juice and I had Chaya flavoured water. To tell the truth, it tasted like ginseng.

Although it was noon, the place was full with diners at various restaurants there. I looked at the menu of three restaurants, at the plates of food on the tables of diners, to see what the favourite dish was. The traditional dish of Pescado a la Tikin-Xic, fish marinated with annatto(a common yellow food colouring, which is a substitute for saffron and gives a rich colour to the food), sour oranges, peppers, tomatoes, red onions, and spices, seemed to be the popular dish.  This fish is grilled over charcoal, wrapped in banana leaf, and soaked in beer and olive oil. And served with a side dish of vegetables.The price was 120 pesos.
 
 On the menus were also the typical cuisine from Yucatan, "Relleno negro( a dark mole paste made from many spices, to prepare chicken, pork or turkey) and "Cochinita Pibil" , a recipe consisting of pork prepared with annatto and sour orange, sliced and accompanied by red onions and black beans, eaten with corn tortilla or tacos.

We chose a small family run restaurant , which was full of locals, and had to wait about fifteen minutes for a table to be free. Alex ordered Pescado a la Tikin-Xic, and I chose a bowl of Sopa de Lima, a very tasty and light chicken broth, served with shredded chicken, deep fried tortilla chips, and Mexican lime juice and a plate of grilled shrimps with yellow rice, vegetables and onion salad. I tasted a little of the fish and found it quite heavy, as if it had been cooked with butter. But it was fresh, firm and looked very good sitting on the plate. Alex enjoyed it.


It was late afternoon when we finished and walked back to the bus station. Since we could not decide whether to head for the beaches or finish visiting the shopping centre in Zona Hotelera, we decided on the latter and took another bus to go there. As we had suspected, the whole area was nothing but hotels, shopping malls, fast food and big name business. During the two days we had seen nothing of any tourists anywhere and it was the same in this vast area dedicated to shoppers. Almost all the places were empty, low season or the threat of violence in the north, which at that time had the whole country in the grip of fear, had done much harm to the economy of Mexico and we could feel it in Cancún too.
 In the evening when we returned to the hotel, the light bulb had been changed in the room but the T.V. set had not been fixed. I did not fancy the idea of another night sleeping on the floor either.We decided to go to the Isla Mujeres next day.



 

Mexico- The Road to Cancun

We left Tulum in the morning, buses and colectivos which stop at any place you are waiting, run to Puerto Carmen and Cancun. The bus travel in Mexico is easy and comfortable, buses are air-conditioned, you receive a half litre bottle of mineral water on entering the bus, and without the noisy loud music which is played inside the bus, it Will be a perfect way of travelling. But this nuisance exists not only in Mexico, we have found that it exists in Sri Lanka, Thailand, India too.

The bus journey to Playa Carmen took less than one hour, when the bus stopped near the harbour, I saw from the window of the bus the boats and many people strolling about, and I told Alex that we should get down there. I was not so keen on going to Cancun, a city noted not for any historical or architectural monuments, but to the mass tourism. We have seen the beautiful cities around the world destroyed by this phenomena and in Spain itself, the islands like the Canaries, Balearic and even the South coast of Spain turned into shopping malls, cement buildings, gaudy bars, alcoholic dens infested by binge drinkers.

However, before we could decide whether to get down there, the bus restarted and we reached Cancun. On this journey we had not stayed at many hostels frequented by backpackers as Alex knew I preferred individual accommodation. So he had missed out on meeting the young crowd, but now I was not feeling good and we decided to find a quiet place to stay.

 In front of the bus station was a billboard announcing a comfortable hotel, so we crossed the road and enquire at the reception desk if there was a double bedroom available. Yes there was and we could see it too. The available room on the third floor, after traversing a long corridor was shabby and looked down at the bus station and at the city sprawled on the right. We said sorry, we wanted a quiet room at the back. We came out of the hotel and asked at the bus station if there was any tourist information office nearby. A man standing nearby, who turned out to be a hotel agent told us about a new hotel in the Zona Hotelera, which was not so expensive. He wrote down  the address and the bus number which would take us to that place on Boulevard Kukulcan. He told us that he was an student and was working as a hotel representative to make some money. Which later turned out to be untrue.

                                                          A partial view of the pool

We took the bus and asked the driver to drop us at the hotel, but he told us that he did not know it, and we should keep a look- out from the window. Looking out we saw large tourist complexes "resorts" behind 12 meter walls, guarded by security personnel, there were no street numbers and the bus took us to the last stop, near Hotel Melia. Disappointed, we started walking back, asking a security guard or a passerby, but nobody could tell us about this hotel. After walking quite some distance, we at last found a building, a makeshift sign posted outside, gave away the secret that it was a hotel.

We entered the building, hot from the long walk and saw that it was a beautiful building, a young couple were spreading bedsheets on the floor. There was a strong smell of paint and their clothes were spattered with it.  We said hi! and shook hands. The girl was about 30 years old, the man little younger and they told us that they had rented the whole building and were planning to turn it into a hotel. That we were the third party which had come to stay. We wished them all the luck and showed our interest in having a look at the room. They told us that the rooms at the ground and first floor were as yet not ready, but a large room on the second floor was. So we left our things on the ground floor and walked up to the second floor.

As you can see from the photos, it was a pleasant room, there was one big bed in the centre of the room, a T.V. set and a radio on a corner table. The bathroom was clean. We said we liked the room and how much was the rent. The rent we were told was 500 pesos, but could have it for 480 pesos since we had been sent by their representative. I told them that we were looking for cheaper accommodation and made a move to go out. At that minute a very young girl and the representative, who had given us the address, entered the room, we talked a little more and he told us that we could have it for 450 pesos. I told him that one bed was not big enough for two and he told us that he will bring up a spare mattress and one of us could sleep on the floor. We said OK! The reason we took the room was the beautiful view of the sea from our room and from the small balcony.

We went down, picked up our backpacks, went up again and sprawled on the bed. We were tired. It was late afternoon and from the window we could see the sea and in the distance the outline of Isla Las Mujeres, which is just a fifteen minute hop by ferry.

                                                  A view from the terrace

Adjacent to our hotel was a large mansion with a private landing place and in the evening we saw a boat berthed out in the sea. The whole beach are is private, belonging to the resorts which look out to the sea but from the street are totally private and enclosed by tall walls. We later went down to eat something nearby, as the city centre was far and the only way was to take a bus. We saw that the beach was not safe for bathing, the shore was full of dirt and algae and quite windy.

The restaurant about three hundred meters from the hotel was empty, only three tables were full, each occupied by a couple. We sat on the terrace facing the sea, but the wind was so strong that we moved inside the covered area. It is my rule never to ask a hotel clerk or receptionist to recommend a restaurant, although I have broken this rule a few times, as I did now. The restaurant was expensive, menu very limited and when we asked the waiter as to what could we eat, he suggested Paella and Squid. When we asked why the restaurant was empty, we were told that it was off season and there were not many tourists. We gathered that the prices were high because it was in the area of the resorts.

We had cold beers each, ordered Paella and Squid in garlic sauce as suggested by the waiter, an elderly stout man of over fifty. After a delay of nearly forty minutes, by which time we had another beer and eaten a plate of green salad,  the waiter brought a tray of Paella, rice floating in liquid,  a few shrimps and a few shell fish, three slices of red pepper and some pieces of chicken. And it was cold. I knew that the paella had come out of tin and shrimps and other ingredients had been added to make it look fresh.

                                                 The restaurant where we had cold paella

                                The sunset over Carribean Sea. In the distance Isla Mujeres

                                                The swimming pool at our hotel

I called the waiter and told him point blank what I thought of his paella and he confessed that since it was off season and there were no customers, the cook had opened a tin. So I told him to cancel the order of Squid in garlic sauce. We had hoped that he would apologise or offer us a free drink, may not charge for the beer or the salad which was nothing but limpid cucumber, cabbage, tomato and onions. But he did nothing of the sort and we paid 72 pesos for paella, salad and beer apart. I know that paella looks good in the photo but in reality was uncooked rice and unappetising.
And at night it rained.

MEXICO- TULUM AND ITS RUINS

15/10/2008:
Last night it was very hot, mosquitos were going full blast, the noise of their wings in my ears was most annoying and shuffling from one side to another, trying to swat them with my hands, did not ditter them from their attacks. There was no mosquito net over the bed, I think it was because of its large size, and I wished I were a zebra with my own unique stripes to confound the buzzing brutes. Although I was suffering from a cold and fever, we got ready to go and visit the ruins.

We went out and had a breakfast of oranges and fresh juice, I had a coffee to perk me up and then walked up to the main road and caught a taxi. The fare was 40 pesos and it left us at some distance from the ticket booth. It was early, but there already was a line of tourists before the ticket window,  mostly Americans in their loud clothes and with their loud voices, complaining about the delay in opening the ticket window as it was past 8 a.m. The entrance fee was 45 pesos, at Chichen-Itza we had paid 48 pesos.

At the entrance were the kiosks selling mineral water and sweets and potato, souvenirs and jewelry etc, and walking inside towards the ruins, we saw the map of Tulum, as the strategic and important trade route to the Caribbean sea and the ruins of the castle and the wall surrounding it, like a fortress, which were the only things of interest to see. From the perched up on the hill, you could look down at the turquoise sea and the beach and palm trees, but it was nothing to write home about. We had already seen the ruins in Mexico city and Merida and were not so very keen on visiting any more ruins, ancient or modern. The whole area was full with iguanas, huge animals, sitting under scanty shade or sunning themselves. Like the Mexican people, they were totally unconcerned and uninterested in the tourists. And not scared at all.

                                     The Castle and the wall surrounding it

The heat was intense and although Alex lingered some time, I came back to the entrance and sat down, my head was throbbing and I desperately needed shade and rest. After half an hour or so, we decided to take the path which goes down to the beach, through the Hotelera Zone. The distance was about one kilometre. That part of the beach where the villas are, we could see the well appointed bungalows and cabins, surrounded by tall hedges and wooden fences, some had large verandas with swimming pools. The zona hotelera are self contained villas and apartments, where the tourists pass most of their time, eat lunch and dinner and have drinks, they do not venture out and visit the village and do not help the local economy.

We reached the far end of the beach where we had been the day before and spread our towels on the powdery white sand. The sea was rough, a brisk wind was blowing, a few swimmers were splashing in the water near the shore. No surfer, no boat or yatch in sight. The heat was intense and since swimming was out of the question, we also splashed in the sea and picked up our towels and walked to the restaurant where we each had a cold beer. And took a taxi which left us in the avenida Tulum.
Alex did not want to have any Mexican food, he bought a bread roll with some fillings at the Subway outlet and I had a portion of fried chicken with guacamole and onion salad at a nearby small restaurant, where the locals were eating. Every where they give you cold cooked rice, frijoles, cabbage, guacamole and onion salad. But I said "no gracias señora" to the lady who served me.

Afterwards we went to one of the restaurants and had mojitos. All drinks, be it beer, rum with coke, mojito, cost 50 pesos, which I found expensive. But Mexico is not cheap when it comes to eating in a restaurant.
It was past five in the evening when we went back to the apartment and were soon asleep. There were few mosquitoes buzzing around and had to take advantage of the situation. In the evening the fever returned and I could not get up for next two days. On 18th October, we left for Cancun. Alex had missed his appointment there. I was so sorry.

MEXICO- TULUM (QUINTANA ROO)

The apartment had been cleaned and fresh bed sheet and pillow cases put on the bed, two thin towels were laid on a chair in the corner. The small cooking area  was not altogether so clean as we had expected, so I took a dish cloth and wash up liquid and thoroughly washed the long stone slab on which the cups and saucers, plates and glasses stood, and properly washed & cleaned them.

                                                        Iguanas every where

We shaved and showered and lay down on the big bed and soon were asleep. When we awoke, it was afternoon and after freshening up, went out to see the town. There were fruit and vegetable stalls in the street in which was the apartment, and two kiosks selling bottled water, soft drinks and sweets and sundry snacks. So it was easy for us to buy water etc, on our return. As we turned the corner to enter the main street, Avenida Tulum, Alex saw a Subway outlet, the fast food company shop. We had missed seeing it when we went to have a look at the apartment. So he knew where to have vegetarian snacks.

Tulum was a small place, with just one main street, shops and small eating places and hotels and hostels on both sides of the road. It reminded me of those windblown hick towns you see in spaghetti western movies, where a gun totting gringo would suddenly appear to be downed by the sheriff. We walked on and passed the bus station where we had alighted earlier and enquired if there was any market or supermarket. We were told that there was a super at the walking distance of about ten minutes, which turned out to be nearly one kilo meter and was called Super Mar Carib. A small place where we bought some beer, a small bottle of rum and soft drinks. A sign in the window informed us that sale of alcoholic drinks was open from 8-22hrs, monday to friday, from 8-14hrs. on saturdays and no alcohol was sold on sundays. Mexican authorities control the sale so that the consumption is restricted. In bars and restaurants there was no such restriction.

On our way back, we stopped at El Mariachi restaurant where we had grilled fish with cold beer and Mexican coffee. I was not feeling so good, so we decided to call it a day and on our way back, we bought two bottles of mineral water and went to the apartment.

In the evening I was feeling better so we decided to go to the beach and have look around. We took a taxi to the beach, where the wooden cabins were and were surprised at the dissolute dark cabins sitting in the heat on stilted thin poles. Not a tree was around them. On enquiring we found out that many were without toilets and rent varied between 550-700 pesos per night. That there were some self contained bungalow types, which were near the ruins, in the Hotelera Zone, but the rent was from 1500 pesos and upwards per night.

 There was only one restaurant at quite some distance on the beach and walking there on the powdery white hot sand, was not very pleasant. As we walked on, the wind stirred up and suddenly it started raining. There was no shelter so we started running, wet and full of sand, to the taxi stand, took a taxi and went back to the apartment.

                                 A view of the beach at Tulum from the Zona Hotelera

MEXICO- TULUM THE CITY OF DAWN

14/10/2008:

It was our plan, after visiting the ruins of Chichen-Itza, to stay in Merida for a day or two and enjoy its cosmopolitan ambience, then visit Tulum, Playa de Carmen and the island of Cozumel and then reach Cancun. The evening was cooler, the park was full of people, families with children, young couples sitting or strolling, a musical bandplaying. There were many bars and restaurants with terraces and we enjoyed a carefree evening, drinking tall cool drinks. However, we also had to be in Cancun by 16th October, so it was decided that we should first go to Tulum and see what to do next.
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In the evening it rained and strolling the streets of Merida, we got very wet and at night I got a chill. In the morning we took a taxi to the bus station and bought our tickets for Tulum. The bus journey lasted more than four hours, the airconditioning in the bus gave me the chills and by the time we reached Tulum, I was running a fever. It was afternoon when we reached Tulum and walking down the main street, to find a suitable hotel/hostel, we came across two young ladies and a local man, walking towards us. Alex said Hi guys, can you please suggest a place to stay? The ladies who were American teachers on holiday, told us that the man who was with them, had just rented them a cabin at the beach and if we wished, we could stay with them. We declined and the man told us that he had another apartment nearby where he himslef was staying and which he could vacate and give to us for our stay of a day or two. But they would like to eat first, and then the man would take us to have a look at the apartment.
The ladies, in their early forties, one slim and the other stout, knew Mexico and the slim one had often visited Mexico in her holidays. She said that she liked the country and its food. The local man was swarthy, with a pot belly and sweating in his half sleeved white shirt and crumpled white trousers, which needed a wash. He was over fifty, with matted hair which also needed washing, and looked like a cross between El Zorba but not the Greek and a Mexican Peón. After they had some food and Alex and me had a beer each, we left the ladies at the restaurant and accompanied the man to have a look at his apartment.

The apartment was at a distance of ten minutes walk from the main street, Avenida Tulum, it was one large room with a huge double bed, with a kitchen in one corner and attached bathroom, all filthy. Food lying in dirty plates and soiled bedsheets and towels. The man told us that if we liked the place, it will take him half and hour to clean it and change the sheets and towels. The rent was 350 pesos per day. I was not feeling very well, so we decided to take it and while the man remained in his apartment, we left our backpacks there and went back to the restaurant and had a drink with the American ladies until the man came back and gave us the key. So we said goodbye to the two ladies and promised to visit them at their cabin on the beach the next day and again walked back to the apartment. We were tired, it had stopped raining and we wanted to shower and rest first, before venturing out again and see the town and find some place to eat.
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