We saw some boys playing a local version of brandy with a soccer ball in the extremely sloping streets of Zacatecas. we walked past them, heading down the hill. suddenly the smallest of the lot came speeding down the cobbled street at a precarious pace, turned a corner, and intercepted the ball coming down an adjacent street- an essential skill for enjoying ball games in this city situated as it is between two very steep hills.

We have flown east to the Yucatan Peninsula where the weather hits you straight away. Muy caliente! Todos, no solo el Chocolate. The Mayans made chocolate but had a real thing for corn. Mayans were created from corn according to Legend. We saw flamingos in Celestun whose legs seem impossibly thin as they wade. We walked along the beach one afternoon as the daily storm began to gather on the horizon. With the sun bearing down on us it began to rain. I think its the first time either of us have got sunburnt in the rain! Over we went to the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza which were well restored and grand and sprawling. The guides show how the sound of a clap reflected from the pyramid there sounds, at a certain spot, like the call of a bird of significance to the Maya. I´m not sure that was by design. Being on a guided tour brought back memories of the information we got from similar experiences in India. There, Krishna was variously reported to have 16 500, or 65 000 girlfriends (milkmaids, I think). We spent time in Tulum on the Carribean coast at Lobo Inn where there is an Italian concierge (Jackie calls him a dogsbody) whose name is Flaco. I nearly laughed at that. Breakfast is served there.

Ours was heralded with "hey australia".