2. 'Destiny Valladolid’

In the ADO station the noise is constant with static over the loud speakers and rapid fire Spanish in a too loud voice speaking over the comparatively quiet voices of people talking and babies crying. The translations to English are few and can seem almost poetic. Destination comes through as “Destiny” and today for a while, I wondered if it was our destiny to remain in PDC instead of moving on to Valladolid. By time we sauntered to the ADO and waited 45 minutes to get our tickets, we were told that the only remaining bus left at 6:30 PM. But fortunately, hanging at the pool of Hotel Lunasol was an option. As a traveling Canadian told us: “Nothing is more ridiculous than a rich man complaining “My bag of gold is too heavy.” So we lounged and read and had delicious lasagna at Romeo’s. We arrived in Valladolid and to our hotel, Maria de la Luz in the dark to find we were probably given the most dismal room in the place, #7 which is next to #8 and that room probably wasn’t any better.  Bare light bulbs, thin sheets, popcorn ceiling, ancient TV no refrigerator, and a very narrow bed with crackly plastic under the thin sheet. It WAS clean, though! We laughed (probably from exhaustion)  and actually slept fairly well. In the morning we asked for another room and they were very prompt in moving us to #12 on the second floor. What a difference! TWO beds, new TV, hair dryer, ironing board, refrigerator, comparative luxury although the sheets were still thin and the Internet slow. Once situated in our room off we went to Ek Balam ruins in a wild collectivo! Ek Balam means jaguar and I can’t tell you much beyond that. I have learned that all of the information about the Mayan culture does not stay  neatly organized in my head, but I do know that I like the exercise of walking the pyramids and the beauty of the landscape. The swim in the cenote (waterhole) afterward was very refreshing. I was super exhausted at the end of the day but  I can’t say that we slept soundly. There was a busload of adolescents here for “la feria” which was most likely part of El Dia de la Candelaria and they were running the halls intermittently till 3:00 AM!