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June 28, 2021: Day Seven

Francine had a half day of work today so we worked in the morning and then headed out on a small trek.

We walked down to the beautiful malecón.  Malecones are a pretty uniquely Latin American thing from my perspective.  The only American word we have - and the one often used - is "boardwalk", but that's not accurate.  A malecón is a pier or a sidwalk on a sea wall that runs along a seashore.  This one had pedestrian paths and bike paths.  I've never seen that before.  It was Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa, with all the glitz stripped away. Unlike the one in Guayaquíl, this one did not have a retail presence.

Malecón, Campeche

From the malecón we walked to the market, which turned out to be closed.  Then, we got a salad lunch back in town.  Later in the day it was off for a trolley tour of the city.  It is quite a nice city in almost all respects.  Its certainly nicer than the historic center of Mérida.  Its about 1/8 the population of Mérida, but feels smaller.  We haven't heard or seen any police sirens or lights.  Just a little more laid back.  I wouldn't say its Mérida, but with a beach.  Its different.

Dinner was once again excessive.  Two days in a row with three courses and vino which is not like us and is soon to stop for budgetary concerns, both financial and caloric.  It was also a complete coincidence.  I had happened to have been looking at travel sites during the afternoon and on the tour, we drove past the #1 Trip-Advisor rated restaurant in the town.  So, of course we had to try it, all in the name of exploration, of course.   At dinner, we both agreed that what we ate would not at all be considered "Mexican" food back in the United States.  The flavors were very balanced and not all pepper-forward.  We had a Mayan dish (sikal pak) as an appetizer which was like a fluffy hummus made with toasted pumpkin seeds.  The wine was French (they were out of the Mexican wines) which we enjoyed - again - for exploration.

Steps: 10,074

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