Michael Powell's Blog, page 89
March 13, 2014
The Tokyo SkyTree and Solamachi Mall
After arriving in a new city, Jürgen and I always like to immediately find a bird’s eye view. So our first stop in Tokyo was destined to be the SkyTree which, at 634 meters, is the world’s tallest tower.
It was our first full day in Tokyo, and we planned to arise early and ascend the tower first thing in the morning. Indeed, assisted by an almost comical jet lag (Japan is fourteen hours ahead of US Eastern Standard), we were polishing off a third cup of coffee before most of Tokyo was even awa...
March 12, 2014
Konnichiwa, Tokyo!
“Tokyo.” The word has always sent shivers coursing down my spine. Because Tokyo isn’t just a big, modern, fast and exciting city. It’s the biggest! The most modern, the fastest and perhaps the most exciting city in the world. Just thinking about Tokyo makes my body and mind tense up with fearful, giddy anticipation. Covering the world’s largest city in just 91 days?! Good luck with that!
A couple months ago, as we were lounging in hammocks and whiling away another lazy afternoon in the Yucatán...
February 16, 2014
Ka’a Xi’itech, Yucatán
Once again, another 91 days have come and gone. This time, we’re saying adiós to the Yucatán Peninsula. Our three months here have been amazing; an almost perfect mix of history, culture, sight-seeing and adventure. We’re leaving with tanned bodies, relaxed minds, and memories that we won’t soon forget.
Despite it bordering the US, we had never bothered to visit Mexico and knew next to nothing about it. But overlooking this amazing country is a mistake which Jürgen and I won’t be making again....
Our Favorite Yucatecan Food
Yucatecan cooking was nothing like we had been expecting. With a lot of Maya-influenced dishes that aren’t found across the rest of Mexico, the food of the Yucatán was one surprise after the other. From the street markets to the sit-down restaurants, from the snacks to the meals, from breakfast to dinner, we never tired of eating here… and these were some of our favorite meals:
Panuchos and Salbutes
By far our favorite Yucatecan antojitos (“little cravings”) were panuchos and salbutes. Salbutes...
Hunting for Hammocks in Tixkokob
On paper, it sounded like a fail-proof plan. Pop over to nearby Tixkokob, find someone who makes hammocks, snap a few pictures, head home. In and out, 60 minutes max. But it turns out that, despite Tixkokob’s status as Mérida’s “Hammock Central,” it’s not all that easy to find someone making them.
Hammocks are an essential part of life in the Yucatán. The majority of locals sleep in them, not just for a short afternoon siestas, but every single night. In fact, we’ve met a couple people who cla...
February 15, 2014
Our Favorite Restaurants in Mérida
During our 91 days in the Yucatán, we spent a lot of time on the road. So whenever we were in Mérida, we tried to cook healthy and eat at home. Too many Mexican restaurants turn Mike and Jürgen into softy boys. But even so, we had the opportunity to sample a good percentage of Mérida’s eating establishments. Here were some of our favorite places to grab a bite. These aren’t necessarily the city’s “top-rated” restaurants, but for one reason or another, they were the ones we most enjoyed.
Chaya...
Sotuta de Peon
During the Yucatán’s henequen boom, there were close to a thousand haciendas in operation across the state. Today, they’re nearly all in ruins. And in the area surrounding Mérida, only one still manufactures henequen: Sotuta de Peon. We joined an incredible tour which led us through the hacienda’s mansion, the factory, a Maya house in the agave fields, a cenote, and a great restaurant for lunch. A more Yucatecan day out would be difficult to imagine.
Our tour started in the mansion, filled wit...
February 14, 2014
The Railway Museum of Mérida
Once upon a time, the Yucatán had a popular and far-reaching network of passenger locomotives. Today, most of the train stations scattered across the peninsula are little more than ruins, but Mérida’s has been converted into a museum dedicated to the machines that once chugged through the jungles.
If you’re a fan of trains, you’re going to love this museum, which asks for just a small donation on entry. Even if you’re not big on trains, you should still have a good time. The old locomotives ar...
February 13, 2014
Mérida’s Free Entertainment
Of all the things Mérida has to recommend it — lovely plazas, great food, fascinating museums and friendly people — perhaps the best is its astounding cultural program. We’ve never lived in a city as dedicated to the arts, or as devoted to preserving its cultural heritage. Almost every night of the week, you can catch a free performance of some sort in one of Mérida’s plazas.
At the foot of Paseo Montejo, near the Plaza of Santa Ana, a stage is erected every Saturday night for the Noche Mexica...
The Caste War Museum in Tihosuco
The Spaniards may have conquered the Yucatán with relative ease, but destroying the spirit of the Maya proved a far more difficult task. From the very beginning of the conquest and up into the 20th century, the Maya fought back against their oppressors, often bending but never breaking completely. The stories of their struggles are told in the Museo de las Guerra Casta, in the tiny town of Tihosuco.
The Yucatán is a large peninsula with vast stretches of jungle, providing plenty of cover for t...
