Monday I shared the road leading out of my little village with a Hummer and a rooster. Tuesday, when I was leaving my city office to head back to the beach, a spring storm hit the streets. My car, parked at the lowest end of the block, appeared to be moored to a lake pier. Wednesday brought me in close contact with a highway worker who held his body just like my Dad. On Thursday, I feigned disinterest when a car twice my size attempted to jet into my lane. By Friday I knew I had gone to the head of the class when I didn’t even think of using my blinker to change lanes. I’ve won this round with the roads of the Yucatan!
I’ve always loved driving in Mexico, but have to admit that there are a few cities when I tell my passengers to shut-the-hell-up until I’ve made it to our destination. DF is one of those cities. Admittedly, in Merida, the ocassional absence of lane lines, obviously indicating to many drivers that they can create their own, puts me on edge. Yet, what we see when we are driving in the Yucatan, be that the roads from Chelem to Valladolid, or a casual Sunday afternoon of getting off-road, leaves one speechless.
A few months back, a group of us navigated a very narrow, and mostly dirt road, between Mayapan ruins and Cuzama, home of Tres Cenontes, and the sacred grounds of Sac Nicte. We managed to avoid breaking for scooters, cyclist, and footmen, but we slammed on the breaks when we saw a giant Barbie type doll, skewered between the legs, indicating the entrance to a pathway that would lead someone home. Driving the Ruta Puuc, I pulled over to investigate a crumbling henequen hacienda. Noting that the vegetation was reclaiming every inch of the property, I took a stroll through the outlying puebla, and was confronted by a gang of turkeys. Their grey feathers contrasted against the backdrop of a crazy beautiful blue door barely hinged to a Mayan Nah, was stunning. On another drive, heading from Valladolid to Merida, I saw an approaching single filed line of angels. Five grandmothers wearing traditional white embroidered dresses with white laced edged slips can be taken as a sign - you are really in Mayan Country!
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1 comment:
I made peace with the road ragers of the city by placing a sticker on the back of my car that simply says "Namaste." all tho, my sense of humor has tempted me with other stickers I have seen such as "Keep honking I am reloading" and "get a little closer so I can flick a booger at you." Namaste is better LOL
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