Last night we headed to grab fish tacos before our fishing trip. We went to this tiny shop that Erick our host had suggested much earlier in the week. Getting there was a small ordeal because as we waited for the bus a cabby stopped by and wanted to drive us. After negotiating a price that was almost the same as bus fare, we got in. The problem was that he couldn't understand where we were going. Possibly because only locals would go to the shop we wanted to go. He dropped us off at a sea food restaurant in the tourist mall thinking most likely that the directions we gave him were somewhat wrong. I thought we were near the right spot, so we paid him and got out. Turns out we were about 10 minutes walk from where we needed to be. Doh!
Well the tacos were totally worth the confusion and the walk. The food we got was pretty awesome. After eating the tacos we headed off towards our night fishing tour. Grabbing the bus this time we headed off. The problem with buses are that the stops are pretty far apart. So when Trish saw a dive shop we figured we must be in the right spot or at least close to it and got off the bus. Turns out we were about 10 minutes walk from where we needed to be. Hmm, deja vue?
On the boat we met some crazy people, Steve, Allan and Andrea. We kept ourselves entertained while they played music from the 70s to the 90s including some pretty terrible remixes. Turns out they're from the bay area too! And Allan actually has a fishing boat. Apparently I may have found a bay area fishing buddy. Anyways the night tour was advertized as fishing and food and lots of partying. What a load of crap. The fishing was pretty bad. With 15 people pulling up fish the average was about 2 fish each. Most of the fish was "white grunt" whatever that is. There was one grouper, and a few "jacks". The jacks looked like small tuna to me, but they assured me it wasn't tuna.
We went to the front of the boat to fish because there was no room in the back and Steve, Allan and Andrea joined us. We kept ourselves entertained through quite a few hours of bad fishing. From the description we thought they would cook fish as we caught it, but it wasn't so. They started cooking the fish on the way back to the dock. It took us about 90 mins to get out to their marvelous fishing spots and the same on the way back. Cept on the way back we had food instead of bad music to keep us entertained. The food was fish lasagna and garlic butter fish and veggies. So they made ceviche special for me. It was practically midnight by the time we ate but it was fantastic. Best fish ceviche I ever had. If you don't know that ceviche is, it's raw fish cured in lime juice with onions, tomatoes and a few herbs and spices.
All in all we had a good time. Mostly because of the company rather than the boat tour and fishing. Steve owns a house down here and spends almost half his time in Cancun. Allan and Andrea are newly married and on their honeymoon. They're pretty hillarious people and we had a great time making stupid jokes. When we got back to land Steve offered us a ride with his personal cabby and seeing as Allan and Andrea were staying in the same resort as us, we gladly accepted. Steve didn't even let us pay for the cab ride, I think he might be a little loaded. Anyways, we traded info with Allan and Andrea so that we can keep in touch when we head back to the bay area. Maybe I'll finally get to go fishing in the bay!
Today we visited Ek Balam, the tour was a lot like the Chichen Itza tour except way less touristy. Instead of hundreds of people checking out the buildings, it was just us. And instead of millions of tourist traps and souvenir shops there was one souvenir shop in the parking lot and it was well priced. Trish bought a nice pair of sandals for less than $15 and I think we still overpaid a little. The best part of Ek Balam was that we were allowed to climb up the buildings. We went up the tallest one and took pictures of the others. That was enough excercise for us. Those buildings are tall. I'd say at least 4 stories up if not 5.
On the tour, instead of taking us to a super touristy boutique of knick knacks he took us to a farmers market. Trish and I were pretty much the only ones buying stuff from the locals, everyone else was looking and thinking they might get sick if they touched anything. We bought some veggies to cook with the fish. And then the guide told us which limes to use for ceviche and pointed out a cool looking melon that we should try. The guide even told me that if we come back next year, he can hook me up with iguana and armadillo meat. He told me the locals eat that stuff, but they never sell it in shops or restaurants because nobody would buy it.
Well, now we're back and we're cooking the fish. Well, Trish is cooking, seeing as I'm currently blogging. As a last note, if you had to pick between Chichen Itza and Ek Balam, I would do Ek Balam while you can still climb the buildings and get up close to the stuff. Everything in Chichen Itza is roped off. But they are both very different and both very much worth visiting.
Tomorrow is scuba diving!
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