For the second time this month, I set off on another big photography related travel adventure. This was my first trip out of the country in almost 4 years, and the first time I’ve been to Mexico in more than 20 years. It was my first time traveling to the state of Yucatán, Mexico, and I was able to get a taste of the true Mexico away from the major tourist locations. I had a long travel day, leaving home at about 5 am, and arriving in Mérida after 7 pm. I hadn’t realized it, but there were three other guys on our tour that came in on the same flight I did. It took a day to get down there, and I came in a day early (as did everybody else) so I could recuperate before the tour kicked off.
I joined up with the UTadventure team with whom I toured Utah last spring. This time the tour had a fixed base of operations, Casa Vargas Hacienda Tepich, about a half hour from the Yucatán capital of Mérida. It was an old world Hacienda dating to the 18th century, and run by descendants of the original owners. It had been restored, maintaining the original character. It was rustic but very comfortable. Over the course of my stay I saw a giant (and very fast) spider on the wall, and found a centipede in the covers of my bed, but I didn’t let it bother me.