Pirate City

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Finally made it to Campeche today, about 2 hours from Merida located on the Carribean - no beach really but a boardwalk. Havent seen much of it yet - Carnaval here too and got stuck on the wrong side of the parade by the water. Campeche is much smaller than Merida - about the size of Victoria it feels and I am staying in the old historic walled section which is very quiet with little traffic - narrow streets and painted fronts - unlike Merida wher ethe buses constantly streamed down the narrow roads some spewing exhaust. The Carnaval is also much small *- more a small town feel - amatuarish in respect, small floats on pick up trucks and well it is just not as sexy. The parade started really late - even the locals were getting impatient - and it moved slowly like the line to one of the few porta-potties where I waited 45 minutes and the women in line started getting catty towards one another. Will explore more tommorow - the quieter pace is welcome along witht he smell of the sea.

Last night the parade was big, with too much corporate sponsors on floats - but lots of costumes and women in go-go boots and bikinis with tails. Lots of dancing and hip movement. I was on the grand paseo do M?? the wide boulevard with bleachers set up, food and beer stands (with people walking with these huge bottles of Corona the size of 3 or 4 regular bottles, and food vendors with carts selling fries with fried hotdogs, corn dipped in cream, cheese and chili, and these rolled crepe like things with cheese. Ate too much grease. There were huge stages set up every block with a different band at each that got going after the parade. At the parade I was behind a group of teenagers, the girls with the international teenage squeal, so I didn{t get any goodies - they threw chips, and candy and plastic cups - sponsor goodies - rather than beads. Much was quite sexual with the Corona girls and others. Here, the women tended to wear gowns and less revealing costumes. The area where the parade was was much more Spanish/Mexican rather than Mayan in terms of the population. Here the people seem more "Mexican" and less sexy all around.

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