Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Saturday we met at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel at 2 p.m. Sabrina would have her hair
done at the hacienda. She wanted a '50s look, and her hair stylist had volunteered to drive
us. We arrived at Uayamon Hacienda, a Starwood boutique resort. There were only twelve
rooms; most were cottages, very private, on the grounds of a partially restored hacienda.
The weather had taken a turn. There was light drizzle. Umbrellas greeted us. Wolfgang
Kresse, hotel manager, introduced the staff and offered us champagne. Sabrina and Jaime
checked in and were escorted to separate cottages.
The cottages were once hacienda workers' homes, but now they were luxury units, with
spacious baths and dual vanities. Roses were set out everywhere. They decorated the bath,
added a touch of red to the tissue box, gave a soft presence to the wash cloths, accented
the silver tray on the coffee table and were sprinkled across the white bed spread.
The rain stopped and I walked the grounds. An abandoned stone storage building, now
roofless, had been converted into to a swimming pool with stone columns. Paths led
through peaceful gardens. This was a secluded place for private, quiet relaxation.
I met the gardener, Rosendo. He showed me the abandoned chapel and took me to the
old hospital, now converted into hotel suites, where the wedding would be held under the
archway. I asked Rosendo how long he had worked at Hacienda Uayamon.
“I was born here,” he said. “I've worked the hacienda all my life. Now it's a hotel. I
planted the
ceiba
tree in the courtyard when I was only twelve. That was sixty-six years
ago.”
“May I see the tree?” I asked.
“You've seen it!” Rosendo said.
I knew the
ceiba
tree was important to the Mayans, but my book learning lacked practical
experience. The
ceiba
is often called “the silk-cotton tree” and its fiber, kapok, is used in
sleeping bags. Rosendo took me back to the entrance. The
ceiba
tree, with its huge trunk,
towered over the hacienda. From its size I would have guessed it to be three times its age.
Rosendo stood dwarfed in front of the massive tree, and I took his picture.
