Cancun to Merida

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We left our hotel and boarded the 7:45 ADO bus to Merida. The 1st Class tickets cost just over $20 US each. Although a direct route with no stops, the trip took a boring 4 hours. When we arrived at the Merida station, we got directions to our hostel and decided it was better to pay the $3.00 cost of a taxi than to drag our luggage 14 blocks. Arriving at our hostel, Hostal Nomadas, we checked in, paid our bill of fifty some dollars for the 3 nights and deposited our luggage in our room. After getting the lowdown on hammocks (supposedly Merida is THE best place to get one), we headed out. We made the mistake of stopping at a hammock shop before going to the recommended place and had to listen to a long, hard sales pitch. The owner said he'd sell us 4 great hammocks (medium size) for only $350 US! Aftger escaping him, we found the recommended shop, Hamacas de Merida, where we bought 4 medium sized hammocks made of more weather-resistant nylon vs. the cotton ones the other place wanted to sell us, for a total of $100 US vs. the other place's $350! The folks there were real pleasant to deal with, letting us take a long time to decide on colors. We took them back to the room, then went to lunch. Manoli had a fruit salad and I tried to stuff down 3 tacos and 3 quesodillas (I finished 2 of each!). I don´t remember the price, but it was less than $10 US including drinks. After lunch, we took a short nap, then went back out shopping. We stopped to have a couple of capuccinos (very weak) and a little girl trying to sell us something allowed us to take a picture of her. Her name was Lupita. We returned to the hostel to book our trip tomorrow to the ruins of Chichen-Itza, at a total cost of 550 Pesos ($55 US). It doesn't include the entry fee, but takes us from the hostel at 9am and back by 5pm and included a buffet lunch and guide. I'm hoping to convince Manoli to go to the Uxmal ruins on Sunday afternoon and evening for the light and sound show there. We went back out to see the local nightlife and have dinner. The town really livens up at night. We ate a small cafe on the plaza. This time I had a delicious fruit plate and Manoli had a tamale. The food was great and cheap at 78 Pesos (less then $8 US) including a Coke. Well, back to the room to use the internet and sleep.

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Photos

Lupita
A little girl selling things on the street let us take a picture of her.

Hamacas de Merida
The shop where we bought our hammocks.

Merida Artist
A young Mexican was doing spray paint art in the plaza. Very interesting.

Hostel Nomadas Room
Our room at Hostal Nomadas.

Hostel Nomadas
The common area of Hostal Nomadas.