After my mini-meltdown on Isla Holbox, Valladolid was just what I was looking for.
After reading about it on our friends’ blog over two years ago, Scott had been determined to visit the town, as it seemed to be relatively off the usual backpacker route.
After arriving there, we realised that although it may be slightly off the backpacker radar, it definitely wasn’t off the tourist radar. I lost count of how many adventurous gringo families we saw walking around town, eating ice cream and looking wilted in the heat.
The quaint charm of Valladolid was unlike anything we had experienced so far in Mexico. The colourful, colonial streets were a charm to wander down and the park in the centre of town was bustling, day or night. It was also filled with white stone love seats, which made a great place in which to perch and stare at the beautiful church opposite, or just watch the world go by.
The only downside we could find to the place? The lack of good street food. In fact, any street food at all.
Street food is a passion of ours, especially somewhere like Mexico where the stuff they are serving on the street is likely to be ten times better than some of the restaurants. Not to mention cheap.
Yet in our whole stay of five days, we only managed to eat tacos once. That isn’t to say that there wasn’t good food in Valladolid, just that it was mainly Italian food. This doesn’t really bother a pizza-and-pasta lover like me, but somehow I just felt as though I was cheating Mexico.
The main reason I loved Valladolid, though, was the hostel. I have always talked about how your accommodation can greatly affect your experience and it couldn’t have been truer than here.
Taking the GlobetrotterGirls’ advice once again and booking into Hostel Candelaria, we found ourselves spending our evenings swinging in hammocks, listening to the lilting sounds of Mexican music sailing across from the outdoor kitchen and drinking Boones. (Ok, I was the only one drinking Boones. It was the only non-beer beverage I could find, FYI. I’m nothing if not classy. At least I drank it out of a glass.)
Surprisingly for us, we also managed to get off our lazy hammock-loving behinds and make it to our second, yes second, set of Mayan ruins. This time, Ek Balam.
Rather than bore you with another ruin-filled post, I’ll just satisfy your craving with a couple of photos.
Luckily for me, Valladolid turned out to be fun and yet relaxing. Because little did I know just how much travelling and upheaval we were about to have ahead of us…
Leave a Reply