23 Feb

After the other ruins that we have seen, La Florida isn't all that. There's a structure that seems to be mostly still standing, complete with an intact interior. There's a fairly good set of low structures, replete with their own set of looter's trenches. Oh, and a stela of some sort.

At the beginning of the trek we would have been thrilled to come here. And the setting is very pleasant and (as the name would suggest) floral. But truth be told, at this point we're kinda burned out on ruins, La Florida's just not all that impressive, and the longer we explore the longer we don't get back to a flat bed and a warm shower. So after 30 minutes, we continued to Carmelita.

I think Eladio had run out of marijuana some time yesterday. Today there was nothing slowing him down. Never one to give a break unless asked (and we never asked) he spent most of the morning out of sight far in front of us.

Even though is was less than four hours, I don't think I've been on a longer hike. Nothing particularly hurt, and the trail was better than normal. But the miles passed s-l-o-w-l-y. But eventually the path lead to the bleak landscape of Carmelita. And even better, the minibus was already there waiting for us.

I wouldn't say there was much sentimentality in out parting from Eladio: I'm pretty sure that he was as ready to be rid of us as we were of him. But he was a damn good cook, and that at the very least deserved a generous tip. I gave him 500Q and two bottles of whiskey we had. Characteristically, he immediately opened a bottle and drank down a couple of gulps. He offered some to me, which I tried. a "muchos gracias" later, and we pulled away from the store, leaving Eladio and his whiskey to the rest of their day.

Meals:

• B: chorizo, beans, tortillas

Hiking: 7 miles, 3 hours 30 minutes