Hello, my friends! I spent much of today figuring out the cheeses to serve at a private cheese tasting that will take place in a few weeks. How fun it was to just think about .
This week, I wanted to share with you the second part of our trip to Mexico further into the Yucatan peninsula. After four days in Tulum, with lots of sunshine, ocean views, and cenotes, M. Cheesemonger and I hired a cab to take us to Valladolid. Are you thinking of Valladolid, Spain? That’s because it was named after the then-Spanish capital. The town, originally a Mayan town called Zaci, was rebuilt by the Spanish in 1545. Relations between the locals and the Spanish were tense for a long time, even resulting in a 1847 Mayan uprising. There’s a lot of history in this little area, and we barely scratched the surface with our visit.
When M. Cheesemonger and I arrived in the town square, we noticed that a lot of visitors seemed to come in just for a couple hours on tour buses. The other visitors seemed to be predominantly French (no kidding—we came across SO MANY FRENCH PEOPLE!). Our hotel was the Maria De La Luz, right in the central square. Apparently some of the rooms there have recently been redone, but we did not get one of those room. The hotel, opened in 1970, was charming with a large central dining area, pool, and enormous staircase leading upstairs. Our room was simple with tile floors, and a very squeaky, springy mattress. We could hear birds calling loudly at all hours. It was perfectly adequate, but next time, I might want to stay at the Hotel el Meson de Marques, where President Jimmy Carter once visited! **drumming fingers with twinkle in eye**
The highlights from our short 2-night visit included:
The Mayan Ruins of Ek’ Balam
The ruins of Ek’ Balam were relatively calm. There were groups of people visiting, but there were moments where M. Cheesemonger and I would have a whole structure to ourselves. Not only that, we were actually allowed to climb onto the ruins. The gem of Ek’ Balam, which means “Black Jaguar” in Mayan, is the enormous acropolis thought to hold the ruins of a ruler. Not only can people climb the daunting stairs up to the top, they can see the perfectly preserved stucco (plaster) sculptures and hieroglyphics along the face. It was a humbling, truly awesome experience.
Among the structures, there is a ball game field, where people played this team sport for recreation, or for ritual human sacrificial purposes. It was really so intriguing learning of the Maya, from their legends, to their rituals, to their calendar.
After wandering around the ruins for about an hour, M. Cheesemonger and I were hot and ready for a break, so we walked a 2km dirt path to the welcoming Cenote X’Canche (and even saw a gorgeous blue morpho butterfly on the way!), where emerald waters full of small black fish welcomed us. There were many ways to access the cenote, by rappelling down, ziplining down into the water, or jumping—there were multiple platforms up to about 50 ft high to leap into the 100ft deep water. I took the prudent route of the stairs, but M. Cheesemonger dove off platforms, took the rope swing, and even jumped off a 30 ft tall platform. Like the other cenotes we visited, this one was emerald green, with long tree roots surrounding the edges. Bats and swallows nested and slept in the cave roof hanging over our heads, while small black fish waited below for bites to eat.
We met up with our taxi driver, whom we had hired for a round trip, and headed back to town, 16km away.
Cenote Zaci
I was a little worried that a cenote right in the middle of town would be crowded and not very pleasant. I’m glad we went to Cenote Zaci, though, because it proved us wrong. This cenote, just a couple blocks from the town center, was fairly well-kept, even if the water was a little on the cloudy side . Note, you have to pay an extra 10 pesos or something like that to use the bathrooms.
The cenote is partially covered by a cave overhang, where we saw the usual swallows and some bats overhead. It is accessible via a number of stone staircases along the edges. Many of the swimmers stayed near the most shallow area, leaving much of the deeper areas for M. Cheesemonger and myself to explore. It made for a tranquil midday break, right in town.
Casa de los Venados
I didn’t know I had a life goal of owning a beautiful Mexican villa filled with Mexican folk art until we visited the Casa de los Venados. It offers tours only at 10am, but that’s because it’s the private residence of an American couple, John and Dorianne Venator, who are both passionate about Mexican culture and art. The private collection, numbering over 3,000 pieces, is actually the largest private collection of museum-quality Mexican folk art there is. Our visit gave as much insight into Mexican art as it did into this collector couple. They even have a schnauzer named Mia, who has amassed her own collection of doggy toys. We saw her basking on the bridge that passes over the swimming pool. A number of suites in the villa are dedicated to specific art themes, including to Frida Kahlo. They are the owners’ guest bedrooms by night, and art galleries by day. The Venators seem to really care about supporting their local community, wherever they are, and seem to be well settled in Valladolid.
Calzada de los Frailes
M. Cheesemonger and I called this street the “Tulum of Valladolid” because boutique prices here were ridiculously high! It was picturesque, though, and the colonial buildings reminded me so much of the buildings in San Juan, Puerto Rico (hey guys, Puerto Rico still needs our help!).
We found our favorite little juice bar, empanada place, and hipster hideaway on this street, complete with hanging swing. Called Tresvanbien, this spot offered good prices, tasty snacks, and a tranquil garden.
Food
Speaking of food, there were a number of Yucatan specialties that we tasted at various spots around the city:
Papadzules: corn tortillas dipped in pumpkin seed sauce, stuffed with hardboiled eggs, and served with a tomato-pepper sauce. Yum!
Poc Chuc: pork marinated in anchiote and orange sauce.
Sopa de Lima: chicken soup with lime.
Queso Relleno: a hollowed out cheese stuffed with pork, peppers, spices, onions, and I am not entirely sure what else, smothered in sauce. (I definitely liked this one!)
Chilaquiles: breakfast. Cheese, meat, egg, all sitting on top of a bed of fried tortillas in salsa.
Ceviche: raw fish marinated in something citrusy (the recipe can change), and served with various onion/herb/fruit/peppers.
Pibil: barbequed meat—as in, cooked in a pit after being marinated and wrapped in a banana leaf. “Pib” is a traditional Mayan oven—a hole in the ground that’s been filled with coals.
We kind of went about choosing restaurants randomly, after trying one highly-rated restaurant from Trip Advisor, and finding out it was a watered-down disappointment.
Our favorite place to eat ended up being this little stall called Loncheria El Amigo Casiano, inside a jewelry/clothing/bazaar sort of area. The prices were ultra cheap, the place was crowded with locals, and the food was juicy and filling. I just ignored the little cockroach sitting next to the tip jar. After all, growing up with some greasy spoon Vietnamese restaurants kind of made me selectively turn a blind eye to that sort of thing. And the food was simple and fabulous.
Papadzules 
Queso Relleno 
Poc Chuck 
Breakfast at Loncheria El Amigo Casiano 
Juiiice and empanada at Tresvanbien
We hopped an ADO bus back to Cancun, where we were to catch our flight home the next day. Our bus experience was comfortable and easy, and next time I come back to Mexico, I will not hesitate to take the bus again!
Valladolid Addresses:
Calle 42 193, Centro, 97780 Valladolid, Yuc., Mexico
Calle 39 203, Centro, 97780 Valladolid, Yuc., Mexico
Tours Everyday 10 am
(No reservation is required )
Calle 40 #204 x 41 col. Centro
Valladolid, Yucatan Mexico
Tresvanbien
Calz. de Los Frailes 216, Sisal, Valladolid, Yuc., Mexico
Closed Sunday, Monday-Saturday: 2pm-10pm.
Restaurante Eleganzza
Calle 39 198B, Centro, Yuc., Mexico
Open every day, 8am-10pm.
Loncheria El Amigo Casiano
Calz. de Los Frailes 216, Sisal, Valladolid, Yuc., Mexico
Open every day, 6am-9pm, serving breakfast, lunch, dinner.
At the corner of Calles 39 and 46, about 2 blocks from the central square.
Entrance fee: 211 pesos per person.
Open every day, 8am-4pm.
Cenote X’Canche
Entrance fee: 50 pesos per person. It’s about a mile walk, or you can rent bicycles for an extra fee (M. Cheesemonger and I walked and were able to see so many butterflies along the way).
Open every day, 9am-5pm.
Cenote Zaci
At the intersection of Calles 36, 37, and 29. Entrance fee: 30 pesos per person. We also rented a locker for 20-30 pesos.
