I Don't Have The Shits
Trip Start
Feb 10, 2008
1
4
29
Trip End
Aug 06, 2008
Valladolid,
Mexico
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Anyway, enough of this toilet talk. The evening after we saw the ruins, we played a bit of poker. The 2 Welsh boys hadnt played before, so we were just going through it slowly without any money involved....and I got a royal flush. A ROYAL FLUSH! I have never even heard of anyone getting the best hand in the game before, and yet the one time I get it I win 3 cotton buds. 3 of my own cotton buds no less. Maybe those Mayans should have thrown in a pig or two for me as well
Me looking sexy in a wetsuit
. I went on to join some other guys in the hostel in playing for actual money, and of course crashed out within minutes. Pah.The next day we got a bus ride out to some local cenotes, which are underground freshwater rivers and caves. Weirdly, the Yucatan Peninsula doesnt actually have any overland sources of freshwater eg rivers or lakes, but they have these underground water labyrinths which are all connected and last for hundreds of miles. We got kitted out in wetsuits and snorkelling gear, and after a short truck ride through the jungle a local guide took us on a couple of tours around these underground caves. They're pretty claustrophobic and eerie, and I am happy to admit that if I got lost down there on my own I would scream like a particularly feminine little girl and poo myself on the spot. Still it was good fun.
That night back at the hostel I played a bit more poker with Kane, some English dude and a couple of Israelis. This time I was on fire and destroyed everyone for the first few hands until it was just me and Ner left, at which point the power and chips went to my head and I made a stupid move which turned the tide in his favour. He went on to win the pot, and although it was only 20 pesos each (a pound) my pride was severely damaged.
One of the Cenotes
After this we headed to a local bar upon some Mexican woman's reccommendation, and had an awesome night. It had quite a hippy vibe and a mixture of locals and backpackers in seemingly equal doses. There were a few live local bands, and for the first few I was pretty much entranced by these crazy talented bongo players. They saved the best to last though, when an amazing Mexican ska band came on. I got very sweaty skanking away for an hour or so, and after getting a hot dog and getting mocked by the stand's owners, we all hit the sack. The next day we (me, Kane, Geoff, Rich and Ulrik) got a bus to a little town called Valladolid, where we are now. Although there's not a huge amount to do here, I really like it because it's the first place that actually feels genuinely Mexican. We are also staying in an actual hotel with precious air conditioning, double beds, ensuite, TV etc.... needless to say we feel like kings (and at a cheaper cost than all the hostels weve stayed at). Last night we were eating a takeaway pizza whilst hanging around in the central plaza, when a local dog sauntered over and sat staring at us. Assuming he wanted some food we tossed a bit of pizza for him, but he ignored it and lay down in front of us. As we got up to leave, he began to follow us, and we realised he just wanted the company. Suddenly this other scary looking dog came running towards us, and Woofie (as Kane so cleverly named him) jumped in front of us and started barking at this new scary dog
Us Having Snorkelled The Cenotes
. After a few minutes of this the scary one walked off, and our new protector Woofie followed us further through the park. A few minutes later the dog again came running towards us, and again Woofie jumped out in our protection. They were snarling and barking and baring their teeth about a foot away from me, and the crazy one was looking me straight in the eye. I was just waiting for it to jump at me and inject me with rabies, but I didnt want to run in case it enticed him. Ulrik and Geoff were also standing on benches cowering, and the locals were all laughing at us. But luckily Woofie was once again victorious, and we went on our way. This went on a couple more times, until eventually we left the park, but Woofie continued to follow us. He didnt even stop when we went into the supermarket, but no one seemed to care so neither did we. He actually followed us all the way to the top of the stairs in our hotel, at which point he waited till we all got into our room safely before turning around and heading back out.Woofie the protector will forever hold a place in all our hearts, and is without a doubt the coolest dog I have ever met.
Today we went to Chitchen Itza to visit the famous ruins. Not much to say really, except that they were cool. A few too many tourists though, which kind of ruins the vibe, so I am looking forward to seeing the more remote sites like Coba and El Mirador.
Tonight we will chill in the park again before going back to watch an amazing American dating show involving Brett Michaels from Poison. Tomorrow we head to a city called Merida, where we can embarass ourselves salsa dancing at a weekend long festival.
Adios everyone
