Merida

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Wow, it's been a while since I posted anything, hasn't it? It's certainly not because I haven't had any adventures, but I guess I've just been so busy having them that I haven't had time to write about them! Right now I am reclining on my king sized bed in my hotel room in Merida, staring at all of the notes I have made about cows, sheep, globalization, "Andean culture", and I have no idea where to go from here, so I'm going to give a rest and write about my day, even if it hasn't been terribly exciting.
I flew out of Riverton yesterday, surprisingly reluctantly. I mean, Mexico! And it was starting to snow! I have really started to love that little corner of the world. Actually, corner is a misnomer, as that implies that it's backed up against something, but what I really love about it is that it's so...open. I spent two of the best days of the year this week riding out in the middle of nowhere. And I'm digressing. So I got on one of the cute little tin cans that rattle in and out of Riverton about four times a day and bounced over to Denver, where I had to go all the way back to check-in and stand in two different lines to get the rest of my trip's tickets. I got a perverse enjoyment out of that , actually, since I was just in front of a business lady that was tripping out about how long the line was taking. The ticketing agent did not appreciate her attitude, or the fact that she remained on the phone while checking in, so they were just starting a bit of an argument as I walked away. Life is so much easier and more enjoyably when you're calm, polite, and smile at people.
The flight from Denver to Mexico City was...long. I didn't get a whole lot of sleep in the preceding days, so I passed out almost as soon as the plane was in the air. I did get some photos of Mexico City as we landed though! Oh man, I have lost so much of the Spanish that I had by the time I left Peru! I've decided that immersion is a great way to learn, but you lose it a lot faster than the language that you learn in a classroom. Or at least I do. I still have the very basic stuff that I learned in Lethbridge, but I seem to remember being able to navigate fairly confidently this summer... Maybe I'm not giving myself enough slack on that. I did have two full weeks there, with lessons, before I ever had to do anything solo. Anyway, considering that handicap, Mexico City Airport was interesting, but I made it. My flight to Merida was delayed for an hour, so I finished the book that Amy gave me for the trip. I got to Merida right around midnight, and got a taxi quite easily. I'm not sure that anyone else experiences this, but I have a tendency to forget the variety of things I can do. Living in Riverton sometimes makes me forget that I am capable to navigating in a city, even one on a foreign language, so I get pleasantly surprised when I recall those skills. I just about fell over when I was shown my room. It's nearly the size of my apartment at the college. The bathroom is certainly bigger than my kitchen. And I have a king size bed!
This morning I woke up earlier than I thought I would. I'd like to say that I got right to my paper, but that would be lying. I puttered around for quite some time, unpacked my clothes, and what not. It didn't seem in keeping with the room to just live out of the suitcase, like I usually do in hotels. And I found my balcony, which I immediately opened and it remained open all day, until it threatened to blow my papers all over. My room looks over the courtyard of the hotel, which includes a beautiful little pool and patio with lots of covered tables that don't need their umbrellas as the sun only ever reaches half of the courtyard, and hardly touches the tables. Ah well. Then I went out and got a few things at the supermarket close by, so that I don't have to use the hotel restaurant for every meal. There is a Chili's right next door, which I thought was kinda funny and strange. I'm right downtown, in what must be the posh hotel area. The conference is at the Hyatt, which is right next door. The proximity is why I chose this hotel, and it was cheaper than the Holiday Inn, which is also right here, so I was not expecting the big big room. Certainly not complaining though. I worked on my paper for about four hours this afternoon and then left it to go downstairs and explore. I found a very cozy little nook to curl up in, and then went in to dinner at bout seven, which is apparently outrageously early here. I was the only person in the restaurant, which suited me quite well. I got a sampler of Yucatan dishes for my meal. There were these little sausages, I assume chorizo, that sort of exploded, flavor-wise, in your mouth. It was very cool. And I think, not sure, but I think, that one of the things were stuffed with shark. It was really good. And of course it came with wonderfully fresh salsa, which I put on everything. After a huge cappucino I headed back upstairs, ostensibly to continue to work on my paper, but this time I really allowed the lure of the internet to distract me. Lets just say that Skype can be a bit dangerous. I spent far too long talking to Luke, whose cell phone died before we were done, though that's probably for the best, as he was on a cell phone. Oops! Ah well. My goals for tomorrow? A full rough draft, and a big bottle of sunscreen, since I was restricted to 3 oz for the plane ride. I'll never regret doing all carry on though. Sooooo much easier and faster!

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