Andy777

I have a chinese cleaver made by "Town Foodservice" or rather made by a small manufacture for Town Foodservice. It can be found here http://www.chefsresource.com/no1.html It measures 24x13cm and weighs 515g. It came dull as a butter knife but sharpened up nicely. I've only had it for a little over a week but it has held an edge pretty well (the really cheap stuff turns to butter after just one chopping session.) I plan on doing a side by side comparison with my Chan Chi Kee 1102 and seeing what turns out. I don't know if it's quite as good as a Chan Chi Kee but I'd say at a bare minimum it's ~90%. I'll let you know more once I have some more time with it under my belt. Finish was just as good as Chan Chi Kee on this one as well. Here's an obligatory pic There is also Ho Ching Kee Lee out of Hong Kong, I have a couple of their cleavers and they are pretty good. I think I do prefer Chan Chi Kee over them but they are nice just the same. They are nothing like the super junky ones you usually find in your local asian market.

I wish I could remember exactly how long it is to just drive the whole route. One thing I do know for sure is that 1/2 to 1 day is plenty of time to see the whole route, that I can be sure of becuase I did it (we even got lost a few times .) If you need a translator buy me a plane ticket I don't take up too much space . The Ruta Puuc is one of the more beautiful parts of the Yucatan that actually has rolling hills. You can see some beautiful vistas. I remember at one of the ruins on the route (Kabah or Labna I believe) you can actually see the tops of ruins in the distance that they're just barely getting around to uncovering. Have a great time!

Merida is pretty easy to navigate if you have a map (I guess it really boils down to how good of a navigator you are.) How many days are you spending in Merida? Do you speak spanish. I spent a week in the peninsula with my family and was a pro by the end. The whole peninsula is pretty easy to navigate. Campeche is very beautiful in it's own special way. If you speak the language and you have some time for trial and error you should do just fine. Depending on how much time you spend at the ruins you could tour the whole Ruta Puuc in 4 or 5 hours easy. (although Uxmal demands 2 hours alone) An early morning through late afternoon would be ideal, with enought time for relaxation and tacos that evening (and don't forget the marquesitas .) If I remember correctly to drive the whole route is only about an hour. The Loltun cave is kind of interesting but could be skipped if you're short on time. It's also sort of a pain with the different tour schedules; they won't just let you go in you have to go with a tour guide. You can also stop at Oxkutzcap along the route which is famous for it's fruit market. I'm going to the Yucatan for 10 days this summer you're getting me so excited! Andy

If you love tacos you absolutely MUST eat at Los Trompos taqueria. They are the best tacos in the Yucatan if not all of Mexico. Try the queso fundido, carne queso, torta al pastor, tacos al pastor, nachos, I could go on. Last time I was there they had two locations, one just out of Garcia Jinerez that opens in the evening(its an old colony with tons of beautiful old french style mansions that you shouldn't miss) and one in one of the shopping malls (sorry I don't remember which one). I'm sure if you asked you could find your way to either, or if you are really interested I can call some friends in Merida and get directions for you. There are other places I would recomend but I don't want to send you too far into the "hood" if you know what I mean. I can't reccomend any more formal dining places because when I'm in Merida I just eat at friends homes (which is ten times better than any restaurant, and free ). Also don't forget to eat a bunch of marquesitas on the street (a thin waffle cone batter filled with melted edam cheese from Holland and rolled up to be all gooey and crispy. Are you going to see any ruins? Try the Ruta Puuc which is a circular road with 5 or 6 ruins on it (Uxmal is the most famous but people rarely see the others Labna Kabah etc.) You start with Uxmal and drive for about 45 minutes total and end up back at Uxmal (I hope that makes sense). I know the area pretty well so if you have any more questions feel free to ask.