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Published: January 10th 2012
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Merida I
Cathedral overlooking Merida's town square. Busses, cars, and trucks squeeze through the narrow streets of Merida. Fumes and dust turn my clothes gray. Narrow sidewalks are crowded with pedestrians playing chicken: who will be the one to give way by stepping off of the curb into the street? Ear splitting mariachi music blares out of cantinas, sometimes wafting into the doors of an opposing cathedral, where it blends with choir music creating an unholy cacophony.
Jerry and I step into the courtyard of Dolores Alba, our colonial-era hotel, and with one step we pass from chaos to serenity. Although partially covered, birds fly in and out. Reproductions of some of Frida Khola's more disturbing paintings hang on the walls. Everyone gathers in a cluster of rocking chairs in one corner of the courtyard where wifi is available. Over skype a woman loudly scolds her employees back home. Jerry entertains seven-year-old boy with magic tricks. He is here with his grandmother on a trip of indefinite length and purpose. We think she is on the run.
On Sunday the streets are blocked and the entire town gathers in the zocalo (town square). There are vendors, clowns, musicians, lovers, food, dancers, and kids running amok. Jerry
Merida II
Two merry men and I sit on a bench eating fried bananas dowsed with cream and honey. On the walk home we take a wrong turn and end up in a vast covered market. Endless rows of stalls sell everything from live rabbits to chili peppers. We have to stoop to avoid low hanging wires. We are easily a foot taller than anyone else. I offer Jerry $1000 to lick the floor. He refuses.
I remember hearing tales from my father about how bad the roads were in the Yucatan. On one occasion he and my mother broke the axel of their jeep and had to fight off fire ants while they waited for help to pass by. Of course that was back in the 1970s. Now there are several excellent roads that cross the Yucatan. But the roads are flat and straight. The dense jungle vegetation grows right next to the road, creating the impression one is speeding through an endless green tunnel. When planning this trip I fantasized that it might be possible to turn onto some obscure dirt road and drive/hike deep into the jungle where we might stumble across an overgrown Mayan temple ruled by
Merida III
Merida is an elegant town with lots of pidgeons giant iguanas. But there are no unplanned breaks in the green tunnel. There isn't even a shoulder where a curious driver might pull over.
At some of the more obscure ruins where we stop it is possible to see overgrown temples. We see plenty of large iguanas, too. We even scale the great pyramid at Uxmal. Coming down the 45 degree slope on narrow steps I wonder how many people have fallen in the last millennium. I do well because it's very similar to my steps at home, which I now realize were built to the Mayan building code.
P.S. Scroll down to see more photos.
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mike
non-member comment
loved the blog, which brought back old memories of trips to the Yucatan
Enjoy participating vicariously in your travels. I've just booked my first trip to Bangkok to learn more about Asia. keep up the good work.