Valladolid 2026 Day 1: We Lost Half the Group Before Security
Our plan: meet at the airport around 6:45–7:00 am.
Reality: immediate chaos.
Huge shoutout to K for driving us (true friend behavior), but things unraveled quickly:
- A wasn’t feeling well and didn’t ride with us
- S arrived separately and thought we were all meeting near the ticket counter
- We thought she was already through security…
Long story short: M and I accidentally abandoned S outside TSA.
And Aeromexico did throw a curve ball by scrutinizing our carry-ons like it was a competitive sport. I suspect that the woman at the ticket counter was working on commission.
Somehow, despite all the hiccups, we all made it to the gate on time.
The flight itself was easy—and the cookies? Shockingly good. Biscoff might need to step up their game.
Also, completely unplanned theme of the day: Michael Jackson. “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” played while boarding—making it challenging not to dance down the aisle…and this will matter later.
Our plan after landing in Cancun and picking up our rental car was to stop at a pharmacy or convenience store before heading to Valladolid.
For those of you considering this in the future…don’t.
I don't have any pictures of that debacle, but I do have this fun one of us waiting outside the airport for our shuttle to the rental car office.
One of the things I wanted from a drug store was sunscreen. Couldn’t find it anywhere. Absolute desert. Eventually found it in Valladolid, and now I see it literally everywhere. Of course.
Meanwhile, M went on an equally intense quest for distilled water. I'm behind on posting these blogs, our trip is almost over, and she still hasn’t found it.
Once we hit the open road outside Cancun, things went more smoothly, and after a couple hours of driving, we arrived at our accommodations in Valladolid. We're staying at Casa Del Cenote, a guesthouse close to most of the places people want to visit in Valladolid. It's basic but friendly, safe and comfortable.
The owners, Laura and Francisco, are absolutely delightful.
Francisco speaks English.
Laura does not, and she is absolutely determined that we will be speaking Spanish by the time we leave. Honestly? She’s doing a great job. She’s already communicated more to us through sheer patience and positivity than I ever thought possible.
Our first dinner stop (at Restaurante Los Arcos) seemed promising.
In reality, half the menu wasn’t available. We settled on guacamole, and it arrived with… no utensils… and no chips???
To their credit, they did bring chips when we asked. And they (and the guacamole) were delicious. But at that point we decided to cut our losses and try again somewhere else.
Our second stop (at Le Kaat): success. A ordered a beautiful soup that was absolutely worth the detour, the confusion, and the questionable guacamole situation.
And just as we were settling in…Thriller started playing. Michael Jackson really said: I will be present on this trip. And by the time our dinner was over, there was live music, and it was all 80s classics. Perfect for this GenX-er.
After dinner, S and I walked into something completely unplanned. Day 1 of this trip happened to fall on Good Friday, and we stumbled right into a nighttime procession through the streets to San Servacio Cathedral. There were robes, candles, a representation of the crucified Christ, and what felt like the entire town gathered to watch.
Sometimes, you're just lucky to be there at the right moment.
Random: On our way back to the hotel from dinner, S and I saw these cats hanging out in a coffin shop. We would later learn that, in Mayan mythology, the jaguar rules the underworld. Make of that what you will.
Final Thoughts from Day 1:
We lost each other before security,
Made questionable logistical decisions,
Made one failed attempt at dinner,
Redeemed ourselves with our second attempt,
And stumbled into a beautiful cultural moment we never planned.
Somehow, it all worked.
On to Day 2...