Valladolid- Mexico Yucatan

Valladolid is a perfect pit stop for the famous Chichen Itza ruins and a few Cenotes. After several days spent on the beaches, I was keen on some local cultures in a cool Maya town.
Valladolid is a small colonial city with its main plaza " Parque Francisco Canton Rosado". The town was full of tourist buses and tourists. A lot of Mexican take vacation this time of the year. I was lucky to find a hotel room without an advanced booking.
After settling in, I took a stroll through the main plaza and had Yucatan dinner at a popular restaurant by the plaza. I had Cochinita Pibil and Sope of Lima again. Walking out the restaurant, there were sirens anywhere and many vehicles were slowly moving toward the plaza from one alley with sirens on. There were sounds of explosion in the distance. I was frightened and asked a shop keeper nearby. They told me that the vehicles were transporting something for New Year celebration. As the vehicles moved closer, I saw the statutes of Saint Maria and other biblical figures standing atop of the taxis and shared vans. I interpret that the sirens were used to escort the statues of saints as a sign of respect.
From Valladolid, I visited the famous Chicken Itza Maya ruins. The grandeur is quite impressive. It was a hot and humid day like any day in this region. Walking through the multiple ruins without a guide was a bit bore-some. The heat and humidity made the walk felt longer than it is. With all the impressive architectures, I was more intrigued with the Cenote Sagrado and the "sacrifice" ritual where children, males, prisoners were forced to jump into the sacred sinkhole and artifacts were thrown into the sinkhole for GOD. When I walked out of the ruins entrance a little past 1:00pm, there were a flock of tourists lining up for the entrance ticket. It is always wise to start early with a popular tourist site.
It was raining back in town. There were scattered tropical showers every day. I took a shared van to Cenote Dzitnup. Dzitnup is essentially two cenotes. I went to "Xkeken", a massive limestone formation with stalactities hanging from its ceiling and a deliberate hole on the roof. To get to the cenote, one has to walk the long stairs to the underground. The cenote is mainly for swimming. I had a short session of swimming with hundreds of fellow tourists in the pool.
I had an extra day in Valladolid. My original plan was to travel to Merida for the last day and back to Cancun on the next day. It would be a huge rush if I had done so. I instead decided to stay in Valladolid for the last day. I paid a visit to Ek' Balam where another Maya ruin is at to see the town and a Maya village. As per my tour book, the town of Ek' Balam itself is worth a visit to see what a traditional Maya village looks like. The shared taxi dropped me at the ruin instead of  at the town. I had to take another taxi to the town. The locals tried to explain to me (in limited English) there's absolutely nothing in the town. I insisted going. I had some time to kill anyway. The taxi driver drove me to a small village where there was a small empty lot, a few huts and a few bored villagers sitting in front of the huts at the end of the road. I quickly figured out the locals are right and that no one here speaks English and there's no transportation back to Valladolid. I made a quick decision to turn back in the same taxi. I put my two fingers together and told the taxi driver this town is too " bokito". Back in town, I had the whole afternoon to kill. I had some good flan in a cafe and wandered through the town. I visited " Museo de San Roque", a lovely and small museum with Spanish only illustration. I chatted with a very cool French Canadian boutique shop owner who has been residing in Mexico for decades. I enjoyed her energy and spirits.
I had the worst Mexican dinner ever at a highly recommended restaurant " Hosteria del Marques" where I ordered a local Yucatan dish " Queto Relleno". The dish is supposed to be a hollowed out ball of Edam cheese stuffed with ground pork and smothered in tomato sauce and gravy. The reality of the dish is a big chunk of cheese atop of leftover chicken and pork soup. It's so bad that it's worth a picture.
I took a stroll through Mercado Municipal in the morning to witness the lively local market as well as  for a nostalgia of the morning markets I grew up with. After that I took an ADO bus back to Cancun and flew back to US. I almost missed the flight. After 15 hours of travel, I finally made it home before 2014 bell rang.
Like any other backpacking trips, I had a good time. It turned out a safe and great trip. I feel I'm very blessed to be able to travel in my own style. I fell in love with Caribbean sea and the beaches although my skin doesn't like the hot and humid climate. I love to travel in Mexico. It's a rich experience.