On Novelty

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One thing about travel is the novelty of it - the newness of situations and places you encounter - from larger things like the architecture of cities, the language, the food, the people in general, the historical sights and natural wonders, to little things - the bathrooms, the sidewalks, crossing the street, and with longer term travel how the novelty wears off after a while. When encountering the new, your mind is ablaze - new ideas, feelings, coping mechannisms and at times you long for a bit of routine, but then I find you want the new again - maybe explains those like me addicted to travel - or is it just addiction to novelty - getting quickly bored, if the mind or senses not stimulated by ideas or nature or just something simple that is different, you become bored and ready to move on. Once the novelty wears off, you see things differently - no longer awed (or annoyed) by every detail - the difference between a short term and long term stay. After a while, things just become ¨"normal"

Here in Merida some of the novelty has worn off - as in mexico. Historic churches abound, and are interesting, but how many, the market still has a plethora of foods, and stuff and is a great place to shop - probably my favorite market, but markets as a place to buy your fruits and veggies is no longer new. The shouts of prices, the narrow aisles, the women sitting or standing behind their neatly stacked fruits, is no longer new - and how many mangos can you eat (still love them, but in the market they are becoming riper and riper) - and the women in thier indigenous dress are now normal, as is the noise on the streets - music from shops in the clothig area, the traffic with its mix of cars (old and shiny new and even suvs), buses, collectivos and trucks that never seems to stop, the air quality now noticable at times - can taste the pollution in your mouth and the television, movies and radio on buses. And the language - still dont understand it, but it seems normal Still like it here, but I think i am wanting a quieter place. Sunday night am off to Veracruz and will explore some small towns there too. And the food - still really great (though tonight i had my pasta fix) but no longer that different - I will miss all the hot sauces when I leave, and hte drivers like Montreal drivers times 2, and simple things like pay toilets in bus stations and other areas where you pay to enter and they hand you your individual allotment of toilet paper (and those that dont have a central toilet roll in the main bathroom area), and people wanting to sell you stuff - varies by region - bracelets, blouses, hammocks, hats, dodads, and how in the parks many men work as "shoe shine boys" - and do a decent business, and the eating hours etc.

Today the noise and pollution got to me, so went to Progresso for about an hour but the wind was very high and the blowing sand stung. Back in town for free music tonight.

I still find Merida is a city that works, and while things seem mush less organized or just more choatic than in North America they work, and often better. Few people beg - instead is capitalism run amock, with people selling what they can whereever they can (in stores, stalls, parks, restos, sometimes on buses, on the street etc.) and while the traffic is choas with all the different types, the public transit (in all its varieties from open trucks in the country to deluxe long distance buses to collectivos and city buses) is extensive and works great. And what I really like are the zocallos (the main public squares) and other pàrks that are meant for gathering and hanging around with benchs and trees and life (and the idea of "no loitering" does not exist). Here the police presence is less -though still around - but things just seem to run themselves. And even little things, like the usage of ecologically friendly compact floresent lightbulbs almost everywhere.

While I want quiet and nature (unfortunately is difficult to get out in the country by yourself as most small villages are not places a tourist would go and are not set up as such and at least here no hiking on your own) I do need newness and novelty as i think i always have.
Almost out of time, so enough of my blabbing today.

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