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    Is This the Isthmus? Tour – Mexico Part 4

    Sunday, October 1, 2017
    Tulum Pueblo to Valladolid, Mexico

    A decorated door and window in Valladolid, Mexico.
    A decorated door and window in Valladolid, Mexico.

    A Victrola at Conato 1910 in Valladolid, Mexico.
    A Victrola at Conato 1910 in Valladolid, Mexico.

    A veggie quesadilla and a veggie burger with a mohawk at Conato 1910 in Valladolid, Mexico.
    A veggie quesadilla and a veggie burger with a mohawk at Conato 1910 in Valladolid, Mexico.

    Late this morning, I checked out of the Weary Traveler Hostel in Tulum Pueblo and climbed onto an Oriente bus bound for Valladolid, a town 60 miles west toward the middle of the Yucatan peninsula. After passing through several crumbling small towns, we pulled into the ADO bus terminal. Luckily, one of my first choices for a place to stay, Hostel Zaci, was just around the corner. It was really clean and classy, but with a hefty price to match. So, I had to look elsewhere.

    A couple of colorful buildings in Valladolid, Mexico.
    A couple of colorful buildings in Valladolid, Mexico.

    Iglesia de San Servacio in Valladolid, Mexico.
    Iglesia de San Servacio in Valladolid, Mexico.

    Iglesia de San Servacio in Valladolid, Mexico.
    Iglesia de San Servacio in Valladolid, Mexico.

    After trudging around for quite a while in the intense midday heat, I finally found my way over to the Hostel Tunich Naj, where I paid $11 for a nice, comfortable bed in a spacious, airy dorm room. The place was nice and clean and seemed fairly new. The only problem was the wi-fi did not work at all. After a pleasant nap, I went out to eat a late lunch at Conato 1910, an artsy cafe where I enjoyed a succulent gourmet veggie burger with a green lettuce mohawk while sitting right next to a Victrola. Just like everywhere in Mexico, there were a bunch of paintings of Frida Kahlo all over the walls in there. The Mexican government may as well just go ahead and put a portrait of her on the Mexican flag.

    A big band belts out some mambo in Valladolid, Mexico.
    A big band belts out some mambo in Valladolid, Mexico.

    People dance as a big band belts out some mambo in Valladolid, Mexico.
    People dance as a big band belts out some mambo in Valladolid, Mexico.

    The Plaza Casa de la Cultura Valladolid, Mexico.
    The Plaza Casa de la Cultura Valladolid, Mexico.

    Later in the evening around 8:30 pm, I went out to eat again–this time for a club sandwich at Las Campanas right by the Parque La Mestiza. Because it was so late on a Sunday night in a small town, I was surprised to see a big band blasting some mambo tunes on a sidewalk in front of the Plaza Casa de la Cultura Valladolid as dozens of locals–many of them middle-aged ladies–danced in the street.

    Words and photos ©2017 Arcane Candy.

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