After dropping off some folks from Colorado at their hotel in Rio Lagartos, I took the back roads to Merida, to see a little more of the countryside and take some photographs. Along the way, I encountered new highways, OXXO's in the middle of nowhere, abandoned and restored haciendas galore and many photogenic towns. Also, a downpour that almost made me turn back.
The road from Rio Lagartos through Loche and Panabá to Sucilá, where I encountered my rain storm, is cattle country through and through, with the occasional surprise on the side of the road.
After some fumbling in the visibility challenged streets of Sucilá, I finally found the highway to Merida and proceeded towards Buctzotz, passing by Cansahcab and Temax. Many haciendas including the ruins of the Dzoncauich hacienda.
The sun made a dramatic show of the sky as I continued.
Next stop, the town of Temax (place of the monkeys) where there were no monkeys but plenty of evidence in the form of elaborate colonial homes that there was some serious money here at some point.
But the highlight of the trip, a place that had been on my bucket list of things to photograph for some time now, was the Chenche de las Torres hacienda. This is a fairy-tale hacienda that is a monument to excess during the times of Mayan slavery or should I say the era of the green gold, when life was good (if you were white). The sun made a magnificent final appearance as the afternoon light waned and I was able to squeeze off some great shots of this funky hacienda.
For a peek inside, have a look at this video.
After Chenche de las Torres, everything else was anti-climactic to say the least, but there was still plenty to photograph; unfortunately, the sun was on it's way down.