Valladolid: A Visual Tour
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Valladolid is a smaller colonial town that sits a 2.5 hour bus ride east of Mérida- smack in the middle of the Yucatan. The ADO bus system has been a Godsend for Jay and I, as they do long trips like this for close to $10 a person. The seats feel roomy until the little girl in front of you demonstrates that the seats really do recline all. the. way. back. Jay's face was priceless, but I was too consumed with the person selling popcorn and other snacks down the bus aisle moments before we left the terminal.
As we pulled into Valladolid, we booked our trip up to tiny Chiquila, where our ferry to Isla Holbox would leave a few days later. (We're getting smarter with the bus system, learning that if you don't book days in advance you usually have to wait hours for a bus with room.)
Our Air BnB was walking distance according to maps.me, so we set off in the direction of a beautiful park, knowing only that there was a coffee shop and we should inquire there about our keys. We found the park, dotted with coffee shops and restaurants around the perimeter, and Jay looked at me and shrugged. I popped my head into the first one and said, "Buscando para mi Air BnB," and the woman delightedly exclaimed, "Chantal!" She pulled out a large key and took us next to the cafe, to a huge wooden door with a padlock the size of two fists. We stepped into a magical loft, complete with a chalkboard of suggestions for Valladolid and two cervezas waiting in the fridge. Another Air BnB win, though the stairs to the loft were double the height of normal ones and we had to grip the railing like we were climbing Everest. We quickly fell in love with the quaint loft and our Valladolid neighborhood.
The park next to us was home to a beautiful convent, dating back to the 1500s. One night we were returning from dinner and saw a crowd of people sitting in front of it, staring at the walls, eating churros and crepes, and anticipating something. Sure enough, moments later, a light show commenced and projectors behind the park displayed a 20-minute history of the region and Convent de San Bernardino de Siena. Colorful images and a booming voice guided us through the history of this space, and children clapped in rapture as the stone walls became one of the most spectacular "movie theaters" I've ever seen.
Convent de San Bernardino
We continue to find ourselves in the middle of moments that we couldn't have crafted with the best of guidebooks and pre-planned itineraries. Each time we pray, I ask that God continue to show us the beauty in each of these places and He's making sure we're not missing a drop.
Take a few hours for Cenote Zaci, a partially enclosed cenote just a few minute walk from the town square. We were swimming in the fresh waters as a short rain passed over, sparking the waterfall into the cenote to surge down onto us.
Take a longer walk to the Zentik Project and immerse yourself in art and solitude.
Zentik Project
I'm so glad we took the time to see the Yucatan beyond the beaches and islands. Inland, city life has its own magic and charm, leaving both Mérida and Valladolid imprinted in our memories.
The word for Valladolid? Unexpected- in all the best possible ways.
Yerbabuena
Tresvanbien
For authentic Mayan food, Yerbabuena.
For empanadas in a romantic garden setting, Tresvanbien.
For tables directly on the street and fantastic people watching with pizza, Cafeina.