Hola

Hola. We are in Akumal now and haven't had reliable internet fror a few days so let me tell you more since I last wrote...First more on Izamal from Saturday...

It really is a yellow city. All over the Yuatan are these yellow church facades built by the Franciscans I think. There is some religious significance to the color yelow and at some point they painted the whole city of Izamal yellow. I would understand better if I had understood my tour guide but that is a story on it's own.

We wandered into the vast church yard and I of course strayed from Ope, cimbing about and taking photos. I happened on a little hunchbacked man-- I'm not kidding, right out of Notre Dame in the Disney movie. He was about up to my waist and had a deformed lip. He started talking to me in what he seemed to think was perfect English although I understood next to none. “Come on, come on, can go in, is open”, he kept pulling me along. We met back up with Ope and followed him into the Church, stopping to see the statue of Pope John Paul who spoke in that very courtyard in 1993. He was clearly very proud of this. He kept taking my hand-- he would babble on, a bunch of words then “Yes, Yes” then something about Frescoes and, intertwining his fingers in mine, use our hands to point. Despite the communication gap, he was great fun, smiling and showing me how to make an offering to Maria Guadaloupe and insisting that I should be Catholic. The church was quite spectacuar second in size only to the Vatican or some such. The alter is huge and ornate but what was most interesting was the very top, above all of the Christian symbols, Chaac, the Mayan rain God. You have to wonder if all of those Mayans being converted in the 16^th century were having the last laugh.

We walked back to our little haven in the city. The Mancan-Che Bed and Breakfast consists of a group of cabanas behind a forboding wood door. It is all jungle and little winding pathways. Our room had a thatch roof and nets over the beds and a winding staircase to a little look out balcony. It was pretty cool.

Today we drove forever to Laguna Bacalar which is unbelieivably beautiful. We are in a really funny little hotel which is a total throw back to some by gone era. There is a full moon over this incredibl lake (about the size of Lake George). Tomorrow we are going to get up early and explore. Until then.

So that was Saturday. Now it is already Tuesday. I will fill you in more tomorrow. Bacalar was amazing. I'll get some photos together and post more tomorrow.