I have often been asked where to
find quiet places in Yucatan.
I always find this question amusing:
“You have got to be kidding. Have you ever been to Yucatan before?”
I love Yucatan, but after forty plus years here
quiet is something that has nearly eluded us. The locals love their lifestyle,
and if you have a good positive attitude you will too.
At times it seems to me that the
Yucatecan mentality holds two things sacred above all else: smoke and noise. Their
ultimate success in life is an ear-splitting motorcycle emitting a cloud of
impenetrable smoke. Do they possess a genetic predisposition to racket and an
aversion to silence?
Vehicles rattle, clatter, squeak, and
incessantly honk their horns while mufflers seem to be a superfluous annoyance.
Petite vehicles marauding city
streets sporting enormous megaphones powered by mammoth amplifiers relentlessly
blast deafening clatter that will vibrate the fillings out of your teeth.
Ear-splitting fireworks are
incessantly detonated for festivals or business promotions, day and night. Dogs
desperately try to cover their ears and escape.
In most places in the world this sonic
trash would be prohibited…not so here; the government happens to be the major delinquent.
If ultra high decibel racket drives
you to distraction beware of the salon de
fiestas, also known as party palaces. I swear these all night
establishments are capable of shaking you out of bed even from several blocks
away. Many times they magically materialize
in hotel lobbies around midnight.
You may locate an upscale
restaurant to enjoy a special occasion in tranquility. The waiters are sure to
turn on a giant screen TV even if you are the only clients. A Mariachi band is
liable to trumpet their way through and an industrial strength blender will be
revved up that cannot be screamed above. Coffee grinders are sure to pick up when noise
generating is slack.
One day I went to the neighborhood
grocery “tienda” and had to scream in the owner’s ear. A large bank of mighty
speakers left from a previous night’s fiesta was terrorizing the neighborhood.
I asked if they had requested the volume to be turned down. The owner replied yes
and was told he was too nervous and if he listened to the music he would like
it. The next retort was “if you don’t like it, you don’t have to listen.”
Looking for tranquility we have
stayed in a typical Mayan hut down a dirt road located far out in the jungle and
with no electrical service. Before the first glimmer of dawn crowing rosters broke
the relative silence. They were joined by squealing pigs, barking dogs, trucks honking
and screaming with bullhorns selling bottled gas and coconuts. We didn’t know
if we should laugh or scream.
If you can hear dogs barking it is
considered quiet.
We travel with 33 db foam ear
plugs. Dampen them, roll tightly, and press into your ears. Allow them to
expand slowly and their effectiveness is increased.
We happen to live in a relatively
quiet neighborhood with a canopy jungle ecologically friendly home where we can
actually hear birds singing in our fruit filled trees and crickets chirping.
This is the real Yucatan. Arm yourself with a positive
attitude, be happy and if you don’t like the noise, don’t listen!
Mayapan
Mayan temple ruins near Mérida - seldom visited - quiet Yucatan.
