Mon 5-Tues 6 November - Day 10 to 11 - Mérida

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Mon 5-Tues 6 November - Day 10 to 11 - Mérida



We were now off to Merida after a full day on bus from Palenque to Merida. After a short walk to the bus terminal after breakfast at Palenque, we boarded a first class bus and the journey took the whole day. It was very comfortable.



Capital of the Yucatan province, the 'white city' of Mérida is a pleasant mixture of colonial buildings, churches and plazas. There were several wide French-style avenues, particularly Calle 60. This was lined with beautiful old buildings, some run down and some beautifully restored.



The markets simply overflow with beautiful weavings, hammocks and batiks, making this a great place to buy handmade crafts and souvenirs if one wanted to. At night the city comes alive with live theatre and concerts.



On arrival, Alfredo took us to the central square, lined with a palace, cathedral, government offices, museums, and retail outlets. Several used the banks and then we came across a park were there were many tables and chairs for dinner as well as 2 massive chairs with “Merida” painted on them, specially for tourists to have their photo taken.



Alfredo took us to a great restaurant for dinner which was right across the Colonial Hotel where we were staying. We were really enjoying the food in Mexico – very tasty and spicy.



There are many city excursions on offer, from a comprehensive hop on/hop off bus tour exploring the greater city area to a relaxing horse-drawn carriage tour around the cobbled streets of El Centro and Pasaje Montejo Boulevard. Tom chose this option. If you want to explore the region near Mérida you could visit the small fishing town of Celestún with its large flamingo population, however there were only 50 flamingos so that was not an option.



I chose to join 7 others to visit 3 cenotes about 1 hour out of Merida. We took a swim in all 3 local 'cenotes' (sen-o-tays), fresh-water swimming holes connected by spectacular limestone caverns and deep underwater rivers once sacred to the ancient Maya, covering the entire Yucatan peninsula. This was one of the best experiences I have had.



The first cenotes we went to was accessed through about 20 steps down to the platform where we walked down more steps into the 20-degree water. Before we entered the grotto, we had to have a shower. The water lights had been installed all around the perimeter of the cenote. It was wonderful to float all around the central stairs. We had safety jackets but I didn’t use mine.



The second cenote was a very different entry method. It was deeper, more stairs and even more beautiful when we got to the platform. It was also much larger. What a mystical experience, floating around inside the cenote, filming with my water camera and taking it all in. I had to dodge the thick strings of tree roots which had signs not to touch them.



The third cenote was incredibly special. The steps entering the cenote were made of local rocks. There was a cave-like entrance and even a ‘room’ cut into the limestone. We walked straight onto the platform. This cenote was deep enough to dive into so was a little colder. The special aspect of this cenote was that looking above was a circular opening and on the edge of the opening was a large fig tree with its roots reaching all the way down to the water. The water was deep teal in colour. Light was shining onto the water and the reflection was shimmering on the walls of the cenote. It was absolutely beautiful. No one wanted to leave. We stayed there for about an hour and dragged ourselves away from the vision to have lunch. Afterall it was 2.00pm.



We had ordered our lunch before visiting the first cenote, so we sat and shared our thoughts. There were 5 of us from our group on the tour as well as a French lady and 2 South African women. We then drove 1.5 hours back to Merida, stopping at the town to admire the church built in the 1500s as well as seeing a Maya ruins and several Mayer houses. The roof of the latter was made of iron and the walls of long, thick sticks. Each town we drove through had many speed humps so that slowed our return trip. We saw many bikes and motor bikes with a carriage in the front which were used as taxis. The weather was warm so the openness of the taxis was ideal.



Tom was waiting for me in the hotel for my return. We decided to go out for an afternoon beer as it was hot, but not too hot. We then returned to the hotel to get ready for dinner. Tom and I went by ourselves to a restaurant which specialised in tea (which we found very unusual in Mexico) and fondues. We had neither, but it was not possible to convince a diabetic to share a chocolate fondue with me!!! Oh well, it wasn’t good for us anyway!!!! We loved Merida as it was clean, open and food was great. Our hotel was very central and comfortable.

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