Sporting times in Valladolid

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After reading rave reviews about the Candelaria Hostel we got there to find it had been closed down a few weeks ago. Still Hotel Lili had a treat - a cable TV, and shit though it is, MTV scores highly when deprived of such creature comforts.

Following a further reccommendation from the Rough Guide we went to the King of Baseball's bike rental shop and waited for evidence of his 'insatiable character'. Antoñio 'Negro' Aguilar had a certian sort of gruff charm..'you break bike; you pay. You lose key; you pay'. He soon loosened up when we asked him his baseball career and got him to pose for a photo with us. Despite his advancing years and crutches, he had a strong grip onthe arm when he insisted on a kiss on the cheek for his efforts.

Fortunately the Yucatan is flat beacause our bikes had no gears and the brakes were shot, also mine was pink and made for a child. Cenote Samula another impressive site - you will gather by now that am I mad for rocks, caves and all things underworld. This sinkhole was huge with only a small opening at the top and the routes of a tree stretching over ten metres into the water below. As we swam about a bus load of tourists arrived and started to take pictures, Jessica and I did our best synchronised swimming to make their snaps memorable ones. Pegging it back in the dusk was not as much fun!

The 'King' told us there was a soft ball match at the stadium tonight so we wandered on down via the beer shop and had a nice chat with the owner and got a bottle of ten peso sugar cane liquor for the game. For those ignorant of sports like myself, softball is like baseball but with a bigger ball - baseball is like rounders, only played by men in tight trousers and a big leather mitt. Quite good fun actually, we cheered for both teams when they got a long shot. It's harder than it looks, I know from the pitiful atempt I made at hitting a small ball with a small stick on Jesus Green.

Hit another ruin the next day, Ek Balam is another Classic period Mayan site and supposed to rival Chichen Itza for size and majesty. It was certianly a bit different to the others, rounded buildings, intact plaster sculpture and a pet dog. Impressive as they are ruins are ruins at the end of the day and you can get a bit 'ruined' by it all. Decided to miss Chichen Itza for this reason and the amount of tour buses with their cargos of Canun tourists put me off.

That evening the town was celebrating revolution day and the whole place rocked to the sound of a Mexican boy band performing latin covers; complete with white waistcoats and floor-humping dance moves! Excellente!

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