Robert's Travel Blog

I've been a really bad tourist lately, so decided to get up at a decent hour and visit the four closest monuments.  Preferably before 10 a.m. when the *real* heat starts. #1 is Monumento a la Historia de México.  It's a bit of a grab bag, commemorating major eras of Mexican history with figures like Benito Juárez, Miguel Hidalgo, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, and Emiliano Zapata. It's known locally as "La Licuadora" ("The Blender"). "Natural resouces of the country should serve for its own prosperity. Handing them over to foreign interests is betraying the country." To get to the other three, you go down Avenida Tulum, which is Cancún's major north-south artery. It wouldn't be a Latin American city if it didn't have a city sign! #2. Okay, this one is a little bit goofy.  It's officially the "Fantasía Caribeña," but is nicknamed El Ceviche, for obvious reasons. #3. The Monumento a José Martí honors the Cuban poet.  Does it...

It's haute hotel cuisine!  You don't need that many ingredients: eggs (d'oh!), mayo, salt maybe, bread of your choice, a large cup, a fork, and your handy immersion heater. Boil two or three eggs.  Note: only after posting did I realize what this looks like!  I give them a good ten minutes. Carefully shell them, with a minimum going down the sink.  After all, you don't want an a.m. visit from the plumber.  Then again, let's face it: this is México, and it's more likely to be p.m. 😃 Mash the eggs finely and add mayo (+ salt) as desired: Serve on bread of your choice.  Yum! P.S. Mexico fun fact.  Here eggs aren't refrigerated.  It's because they use a much less invasive washing regimen that preserves the natural chicken interior anti-spoiling coating, which I don't really want to think about.

 A couple of days ago I moved from my middle-class staying to a decidedly more down-market (obvs cheaper) neighborhood.  Still very central, and parts of it are pretty nice: Playground for the kiddos: The lovely señora sells coffee, spices, and Cuban ciggies from her house: I can't smoke light cigarettes because they make me cough, but not as much as these cubanos! Here beginnith the bad: Parked just outside my building: I am just 1-1/2 blocks from Avenida Tulum, the major transport artery running N to S through Cancún: It wouldn't be Mexico without food stands! Just off the avenue are Cuban delicacies!

 Down a dark alley, where most of the businesses have gone bust, and the others are shuttered, I came across "Tide House Baby." Wha? Did I play?  Five pesos (29¢) a go, of course I fucking did! Did I win, of course I fucking didn't! But the sheer joy of discovering this random oddity was worth more than 29¢!

 No free breakfast here! I had to make do. No commentary necessary, you can follow the pics. This is actually much better than it looks!