Day 11 (March 14, 2014) Valladolid


Before   

   Our last day in Yucatan Peninsula will start in Valladolid, which we’ll worth a short visit. Then, we could visit Ek Balam, after a 20 minutes’ drive from the city.

   The important for us is to be at Cancun airport on time for delivering the car and board into our flight to Miami at 4:55 PM.

   At 8 PM we would reach the American city, where we only will have time for dinner and spending the night in our hotel in Miami Beach.

Area of Mayan Riviera

   The spots marked at map are:

 A- Hotel Meson del Marques in Valladolid
 B- Cancun airport
 C- Ek Balam

After

   This is a relaxing day as the only we really need to do is being at Cancun airport at one point between the midday and 3 PM, so no rushes for waking up and breakfast. Hotel is quiet at this time of the morning.

Swimming pool at Hotel Meson del MarquesPart of the dining room in Hotel Meson del Marques

















   We finally go out for a walk around Valladolid city center around 8:15 AM, starting by the square in front of the hotel, which is the most centric point of this city.

Cathedral square fountainCathedral square park
















   It is beautiful, with more space than the one in Antigua. We walk through the park and pass by the fountain to reach the Cathedral, just across the square.

Cathedral of ValladolidCathedral of Valladolid

















   Then we cross the wide road to getting in and exploring the austere external walls of this building walking all around it.

Interior of Cathedral of ValladolidLateral of Cathedral of Valladolid

















   In 15 minutes we’re done with the square and take one of the streets to explore the surroundings. My wife has read about the shoe maker tradition for this city and is looking at every shoe shop looking for something to buy cheap.

Valladolid city center streetsValladolid city center streets

















   At 9:15 AM we’re back in the hotel to follow our simple plan: checking out from hotel and taking the main road with the car, which is just here.

Entrance of Hotel Meson del MarquesParking of Hotel Meson del Marques
















   The center of Valladolid is worth to be visited. The colonial style is clear and we can easily compare it with Antigua, with the low and colorful façades. The difference here is coming by the taller buildings and the paved streets, with cars going and coming permanently.

Valladolid city center streetsValladolid city center streets
















   I’m driving by this eternal straight road through the jungle which passes by a village once a while, always after some speed bumps. After three hours we reach the point we should change to the road going down to the airport.

   Somehow, there is no sign to the airport in the road and we can clearly see in the GPS we’re getting further from that point. My solution is turning around and, following the map in the GPS, taking an exit labeled as going to Valladolid and Merida.

   When we’re on it we can see is the one where we can take the way to the airport from, but only from the other direction. We freak out when the signs in our road only point to exits in Valladolid or further, after some 180 Kms. This is a sort of direct highway with the highest speed limit we’ve seen in the country: 110 Km/h. We should take this one from Valladolid in the first place. I keep looking at the vegetation at my left for a hole that allows me to change to the other direction as no way of doing all those kilometers going and again when coming back. Finally, a third lane opens at left for a few meters as if it was a resting area and, when I go to there, I can find a narrow pass to the road at our left, the desired one. With no second thoughts, I take it and get the right direction and finally solve our arrival to Cancun airport.

Highway to Cancun and airport

   So we reach the airport around 12:30 PM, after four hours driving from Valladolid. As the people who must take the car are not still here I leave it in the parking and keep the ticket carefully.

   After some calls they appear around 1 PM. Luck for us we are in no rush. I pay some extra pesos for the parking and the extra fuel spent by me and I take my cash deposit in US dollars, which I think to use in Miami.

   Once free of our baggage and after the security control, we choose a Domino’s pizza place for our lunch. We’re in a large hall with some restaurants and big gift stores, between all the boarding gates at walls. We must take one of them to board into our flight, which leaves around 5 PM as scheduled.

   The immigration tasks in Miami airport are fast because there are a lot of officers attending the long line and, at 8:30 PM, we’re taking a taxi to Miami Beach. There is a fix rate for this: 32$ (USD since this point).

Miami by night from our taxiMiami by night from our taxi
















   We’re delivered at our hotel in North Beach, the Baltic Hotel, where we check in and go out for a walk to a supermarket two blocks down Collins Avenue, where we get some snacks we enjoy while watching a movie in Spanish in our room’s tv.