Report from the South of Q Roo

[BP.]

Drumming at Taco Night at Toby's:

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[heenan]

I think we need some audio to fully enjoy the drumming post!

[beachreader]

Buncha hippies.

[ilovewyoming]

Buncha hippies.
Good one Beach Reader...:) Where is Toby's? How are the tacos?

[minniemex]

Thanks for the live report!! Hopefully more to come??

[BP.]

Toby's is in the village of Xcalak. Tacos are delicious, as is the company there . . ,

Few more pics . . .

Buying (another) hammock from our favorite place in the jungle

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Leaving Valladolid for points south:

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[BP.]

Took a day trip to Ambergris Caye, Belize and started our day there here to get our passports stamped:
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Then off to breakfast with the mayaflya's here:
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[minniemex]

Barb ~ can you explain (and you can surely wait until you get home) how that whole process worked going to Ambergise Cay. You guys rented a panga and then what? Do you dock at the international dock and proceed to customs? :)

[mayaflya]

Barb ~ can you explain (and you can surely wait until you get home) how that whole process worked going to Ambergise Cay. You guys rented a panga and then what? Do you dock at the international dock and proceed to customs? :)

Don't want to bogart Barb's story, but THIS is the "international" dock in San Pedro:

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[utmck]

Belize might just be the place once Tulum becomes PDC.

[TortillayTortuga]

Belize might just be the place once Tulum becomes PDC.

+1

[tbpeaceful]

+2 ..... I hear they welcome retired Americans. :crossfingers:

BP~ beautiful photos! Thanks for your live reporting.

[BP.]

Go ahead and bogart, Jorge!!! Love you!! Thx for the int'l dock pic . . . I don't have one. Minnie- Yep, hire a panga, arrive at the dock, walk to the Immig. office. Pay "someone" "something" ($40 US for the whole boat last 2 times we were there,) and then wander around the island. The boat captain has generally facilitated the process for the passengers. Super friendly local people there, too.http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh40/bpuchino/MEXICOJULY2011021.jpg

[minniemex]

It does sound like an awesome side trip! Hopefully when I get to spend more than just a few weeks in Tulum we can travel further south. Or maybe, just start traveling further south! :-)

[TheWindyCity]

Hey There, BP. Enjoying your pics and report. Where did you stay in Xcalak, BTW?

PS : I owe you one for your Siena trip report here a year or two ago. It kind of pushed me off the fence to go forward on with a trip to Italia make my dear wife very happy!

[BP.]

Crocodile Tour:
We decided to grab the kayaks and some fishing gear and spend the day with friends, exploring near the mangroves of Chetumal Bay a few kms from Xcalak village. We set up camp, built a fire, and tried to pull lunch from the bay, or at least spot some crocs. Sadly, found neither, but had a total blast. No fish to fry, but we stuck some canned things in the camp fire, fried up some spuds, and augmented it all with PB sandwiches, coffee and beers. We explored a cenote at the edge of the mangroves, where we could barely fit 4 kayaks abreast, and had to enter in our kayaks single file. Passing showers only enhanced the rugged adventure and atmosphere.



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[BP.]

Hey There, BP. Enjoying your pics and report. Where did you stay in Xcalak, BTW?

PS : I owe you one for your Siena trip report here a year or two ago. It kind of pushed me off the fence to go forward on with a trip to Italia make my dear wife very happy!

Ciao, ciao, WindyCity! Was utterly delighted when I found you two made it to Italia. Do those people know how to LIVE, or what?? In Xcalak, stayed at Casa Carolina.

[beachreader]

Cool adventure there. Were you looking for crocodiles in the same water you were then standing in and fishing? :eek:

[BP.]

Cool adventure there. Were you looking for crocodiles in the same water you were then standing in and fishing? :eek:

I know, right? I was not fool enough to stand in any croc-infested waters, but stayed "safe" in a wobbly little vessel atop the water. ;)

[BP.]

Sure, beachcombing yields pretty seashells, lovely bits of coral, and a fabulous shoe collection. And . . .

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[minniemex]

Ciao, ciao, WindyCity! Was utterly delighted when I found you two made it to Italia.

As a proper reward wouldn't a trip report from Windy be nice??

[minniemex]

I think a note ~

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[BP.]

Love it Minniemex!! Was thinking of you in MX, as Marcia had a July 4 party at MBG. Would love to have gone, but weather wasn't so good, but still do wanna check out the scene there. You recommed a coupla days there? Cheers!!

[beachreader]

OK, that is just freaky. Minnie, your talents continue to amaze me!

[TheWindyCity]

As a proper reward wouldn't a trip report from Windy be nice??

I'm workin' on it, I'm workin' on it! Actually really close to Day 1. Brickwalled by a Tulum tie-in!

[mayaflya]

I'm workin' on it, I'm workin' on it! Actually really close to Day 1. Brickwalled by a Tulum tie-in!

Hmmm. "Exploring the Riviera Italia"...."Road to Ruins, part due" (apologies for plagiarizing Doug's magnificent report title!)...."My wife dragged me to Italy and all I got was this lousy bottle of wine"...."What do you mean you don't serve tequila!"...

sorry, I got nothin'

Quit worrying and start posting my friend!:p

[TheWindyCity]

Hmmm. "Exploring the Riviera Italia"...."Road to Ruins, part due" (apologies for plagiarizing Doug's magnificent report title!)...."My wife dragged me to Italy and all I got was this lousy bottle of wine"...."What do you mean you don't serve tequila!"...

sorry, I got nothin'


Ah ha ha ...i should have knocked on your door to begin with...Mr Wordsmith!

[beachreader]

"Margaritas to Margherita", "The Road to Quintana Rome", "Mayan ballcourt or the Coliseum, which has more skulls?", "Gelato, a scientific comparison"...

Or how about "Alice booked the wrong flights again"? :D

[mayaflya]

Excellent!!


"Margaritas to Margherita", "The Road to Quintana Rome", "Mayan ballcourt or the Coliseum, which has more skulls?", "Gelato, a scientific comparison"...

Or how about "Alice booked the wrong flights again"? :D

[Solbound]

Great adventure BP....despite the Hijacking! LOL

[mayaflya]

Great adventure BP....despite the Hijacking! LOL

It's not a hijacking if BP started it!:p

[minniemex]

Love it Minniemex!! Was thinking of you in MX, as Marcia had a July 4 party at MBG. Would love to have gone, but weather wasn't so good, but still do wanna check out the scene there. You recommed a coupla days there? Cheers!!

Most definitely go there! Marsha & her husband could not be better hosts. I love the communal suppers too!

[BP.]

It's not a hijacking if BP started it!:p

That is funny! I am thinking PS would make a great new base for us in Xcalak. Beachreader, love the TR titles!!

[mayaflya]

It has a way of getting under your skin...or is it "getting your skin out from under"?


That is funny! I am thinking PS would make a great new base for us in Xcalak.

[BP.]

It has a way of getting under your skin...or is it "getting your skin out from under"?

Well put, Friend! Let's just say even here at home since MX we are doing "a lot less laundry!" :)

[mayaflya]

Well put, Friend! Let's just even here at home since MX we are doing "a lot less laundry!" :)

Sniff....you are making me so proud!

[BP.]

We headed back out to the 307 one day, and turned south. This section of Rt. 307 is nice and newly redone, but driving enthusiasts will be happy to know that topes remain! There are roadside villages at the topes, where people sell fruit, breads and beverages to passersby.

When we got to the Quintana Roo capital of Chetumal, we turned east toward the turquoise bay, and then drove north along the bay.


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Our destinations were the village of Calderitas, and the ruins of Oxtankah.

Calderitas has pretty painted houses and lots of seafood restaurants lining the bay. We stopped at a restaurant and picnic park called Ichpaatun. A friendly waiter met us at our car and walked us to a table.

In addition to an open air restaurant, the lovely place was set up with lawn games, lots of tables in intimate spots in the shade, a swimming pool, and a collection of animals and orchids. This is a spot where people might spend the day on school trips, or family celebrations, according to our waiter.


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The waiter told us Ichpaatun means sculpted stone. He showed us the collection of sculpted stones that were found on the property.

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We ordered Cokes because we still get a kick at getting them in real glass bottles. It’s the little things . . . Well, here’s what was brought to our table along with our bottles of soda: (Vegetable soup, in case you are wondering, and I know you are.)

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We had a look at the menu and placed our seafood order.

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Our meals were freshly prepared and very delicious and there was lots more on our plates than we expected. Very yummy and satisfying.


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We intended to swim in the pool after lunch, as we were the only people there, but then a large family arrived for a birthday party and the kids took over the pool. We finished up with some yummy flan and continued a few kms north to the Oxtankah ruins.

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I think this was the domain of Guerrero after he embraced a new life with the Maya. We were alone there, except for lots of mosquitoes. We had lots of repellant on, plus I tried a new technique- I walked around with a lit mosquito coil- very effective. I felt triumphant as I heard the mosquitoes buzzing around me, and I only left with about 2-3 bites.

I climbed a structure, which had a smaller structure on top of it. Before I knew it, a gentleman with a machete on his belt appeared alongside me, urging me along a narrow ledge to the back of the upper structure. He took a key, unlocked a grated door, and showed me the two tombs inside. What an exciting and unexpected discovery! The ruins are so little visited that the caretakers are happy to show visitors around. Another caretaker enthusiastically tried to teach me a few Mayan pleasantries; at least I hope they were!

You can just about see the top of the upper structure in this shot, appearing to the left of the staircase

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Leaving Chetumal, we stopped at a roadside Artesania bursting with colorful pottery, plants and some cute baby chicks that followed us around as we shopped. I restrained myself with just a few little ceramic pieces. We wanted to pick up a small regalo for our friends for not letting us succumb to crocs during our kayak adventure! While the owner was wrapping our purchases, we admired his personal collection of obsidian daggers and hand tools which he said he found while collecting orchids in the jungle for export to Canada. Wow! Holding the daggers he found was pretty amazing. Then I spotted this interesting thing. He called it a Mexican stufa, or woodstove. I was fascinated with it, as I had never seen one. He wanted to clear off some things on top of it so I could take a few pictures.


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[TnTWalter]

lOVE IT!

[minniemex]

I love this little town you were in! What an adventure!

I can understand your fascination with the "stufa". It looks like the perfect barbeque station to me! Flat surface for cooking tortillas and the other two for meats & sauces. With a huge area in between for prep work.

How was the ocean there? Was it shallow with grass or was there wave action?

And I loved this picture (of course, it's a flower:p) ~ what a frilly looking orchid.

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[mayaflya]

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I apologize in advance for my pedantic geekiness, but what is the story behind this structure? It can't be Mayan, as the Mayans had not mastered the technology of building true arches....the Mayan arches were formed by gradually stepping the stones above an opening outward until they met in the center forming a triangular shape. A round arch such as the one in the picture needs to be built on temporary shoring until the last middle section, the keystone is inserted. As far as I know, this practice was not used by the Maya?

[TheWindyCity]

What a great stop for lunch, and visit to the ruins. How do they pronounce the ruins site? Osh-tonkah? It's so cool to be able to go into some of the rooms as well - kinda eerie once you're inside. Really enjoying your reporting!

[beachreader]

Took me two readings of your story on top of the pyramid for me to understand the man was helping you. Something about a man with a machete urging you onto a narrow ledge just didn't sound too good until I read it again. :D

Wonderful ruins, reminiscent of Muyil to me (just from the pics and the signage).

How long a trip was all this from Xclalak?

And because I'm also a pedantic geek, interested to hear anyone's take on Maya's arch question. That's the first true arch I've seen down there.

[BP.]

I knew that out-of-place arch would intrigue you guys! Yes, nothing at all like a Mayan arch. The structure is called "The Spanish Chapel" built in the 16th century after the arrival of Spaniards in the area.

Minniemex- the water is Chetumal Bay, and at that spot there's no turtle grass or ocean waves. People were swimming in it at Calderitas; there were wooden stairs to get in and out.

The waiter was showing us that the yellow orchid flower looks like a cobra.

WindyCity, I've heard the name of the ruins pronounced the way you suggest, and that's how I've been pronouncing it, emphasis on last syllable.

beachreader- I think the whole journey was maybe about 1 1/2 or so hrs. from Xcalak.

[heenan]

Great day trip to the ruins - a lot of fun to have them to yourself!

[Lynnette]

Barb, you always find such interesting & unique photo ops, and I love your adventures!! Sand gravity is my friend, so I live vicariously through others. I really like your participation in the drum circle....my husband plays a djembe, and he would have been in heaven. I'm not seeing the cobra in the orchid (maybe on purpose), but the doll arm sticking out of the sand is most disturbing....right out of a horror film. Love all of your pics and fun report!!!