Hunting for the Elusive Hammock

 

Helen has had the hots for a hammock for much of the time we’ve been at Xpu-Ha. Several other campers have them and seem to completely enjoy their time in the hammock, reading a book, while the wind breezes in from the ocean. In particular, John seems to absolutely revel in his hammock time and Helen has noticed. It’s not that Helen hasn’t looked, because she has looked at dozens, but none have the quality and feel of the hammock that she wants. So……..Sunday we headed out on a 180 mile round trip to the ONLY place where one can purchase the hammock of one's dreams.  90 miles one way……a trip that would be nasty on the west coast where we were last year was a dream by comparison. All the roads are in great condition and if I hadn’t run afoul in Valladolid it would have been a snap. Of course, those who know me know the route I eventually take is not the best.

We drove down to Tulum and took the road to Coba. Long before we got to Coba, our journey came to a halt as we came upon a large display of ceramic goods. OK, Helen wanted a hammock, but she also wanted a Talavera Water dispenser, what she referred to as a ginger jar.

This is NOT it. This is a picture I got off the internet because I didn’t want Helen to hunt down and unpack the one she bought, which is mostly blue and white……..I think.

A  SMALL part of the display.

More of the display. Helen has looked for the container at dozens of places and now she has what she wants. So now it’s off to Valladolid, or rather the prison just west of Valladolid.

The directions from John specifically stated that I should take the bypass around Valladolid and when the bypass rejoins Rt 180, the prison would be on the left 1 and 1/4 miles on the left. The sign for the bypass actually says Chichen Itza and Merida and I ASSUMED that this was the entrance to the Cancun-Merida toll road, so I bypassed the bypass.

One of the BEST roads in the city, and we drove over almost all of them trying to find our  way to the western side of the city.

The streets were wide open and there was little traffic, it was just that I had no idea where I was, where I was going, or how I was going to get there. Eventually, we stumbled on a sign for Rt. 180 heading east. I made a couple of left turns and was heading WEST on 180 and soon we were out of the city. Very soon we passed the other side of the bypass and up ahead was the prison.

A bonanza of hammocks awaits the discerning buyer.

There was every color and size combination and I’m very happy to report that Helen found one that she is comfortable with. Placed in the Jeep, we were soon on the way home, via the bypass this time. One thing to note about the route is that the road we took from Coba to Valladolin does not exist on MS Streets and Trips or my Garmin GPS. During the period we were on that road my Garmin showed that I was “Off Road”.

It was a quick ride home except for one more unscheduled stop at a place that sells gourd lamps. Helen bought one (most everyone here has at least one) and later bought a second. However, Ann told Helen about a place on the road to Coba where they were cheap. So we stopped and now Helen has three………so far. After that it was a quick stop for groceries and then home. Phew!

Later!