Merida 2016

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General Information and Impression of Merida

Merida is a beautiful and safe city. It has a lot of police and they actually help motorists when their car breaks down. The police are everywhere. Every couple of blocks they have a park which is usually on a square block or half a block in size. There are two Churches within a half a block of The Grand Hotel.

Merida is the oldest city in North or South America. It was established in 1540. The cathedral was built with the stone blocks from the old Mayan city of THo. The Cathedral is massive and very beautiful. The Cathedral was probably completed around 1580.
Merida is the cultural capital of southern Mexico. Last night I went to an art show opening and a wonderful concert in front of the cathedral. The concert had great singers, beautiful talented dancers and an orchestra of 100 or so musicians.
It is a very inexpensive city. Sure, you can spend a lot but it is totally unnecessary. Part of this may have to do with the devaluation of the pesos. I think Canada and all the resource-based economies are getting hit. The peso was always 10 or 12 to $1.00 and now is 18.5 to a dollar. Canada is 1.43 to the US dollar. Not that long ago the Canadian dollar was worth more than the US dollar. Last night I had a supper of Barbequed ribs, fries, salad and a cold beer and the tab with tip was a little under $4.00 US. The food is excellent, primarily pork, chicken and seafood. Beef is expensive. My hotel room is at EL Gran Hotel and it is $38.00 US per night for a single. When Alfonso was here, we had a double suite. It was big enough to play soccer in. The hotel is the grand old hotel in Old Town Merida. It has AC, clean rooms and a helpful staff. I will have my laundry done on Monday. The charge is about $1.70 per kilo, a kilo is 2.2 lbs. Now, do not get me wrong, you can spend a lot of money in Merida but it is not necessary. I went into a beautiful little hotel and the rates were $250.00 US and up. I also visited some 3 and 4 star Mexican hotels and their rates were roughly $25.00 US dollars for a single. My friend Ron is staying at the Windham and I think he said the rate was $80.00 US. The bottom line is labor is cheap while property is expensive.
I am traveling with my old college roommate, Alfonso. He flew home to Monterrey, MX yesterday, January 20^th.
I am very happy I made this an exploratory trip. I had been thinking of renting a place on the beach near or in Puerto Progreso. Alfonso and I went up there. It was expensive, nothing to do and full of half-drunk old white people. I think I know why they drink so much; there is nothing to do in Progreso. The town is dirty with a lot of half wild dogs running around.
I have met some really nice English speakers. Some are tourists and some are Mexicans who returned to Merida. The primary languages are Spanish and Mayan. I am looking into the possibility of taking a 3 to 4 week Spanish class next year. I am investigating the possibilities of taking the class for old dumb white guys.
Some of the down sides of Merida are

In the old town, the sidewalks are very narrow. Space for two. The streets are narrow and you have to watch out for buses and the always adventurous Mexican drivers. Traffic laws are suggestions to be ignored in Mexico. The only enforced laws are size gives you the right of way and the big speed bumps will knock your teeth out if you are going too fast.
In many of the old buildings they have nice 3 inch drops in the floors. With the crazy Mexican drivers, narrow old town streets and funny drop off floors it keeps you alert. I see people riding bikes but they must be getting thinned out over time.


Merida is where old VW bugs come to die. I have never seen so many vintage VW bugs. There is an interesting hierarchy of traveling in Merida. In the morning you will see 200 people lined up at a bus stop. You also have a lot of motor bikes and a few bicycles. I have not seen anyone killed but it is an exciting show.
Merida is called The White City or La Ciudad Blanca.
Alfonso and I took a tour to see the flamingos in Celetun. It was a fun and informative trip. I plan on taking a tour of Uxmal and Kabah. I may also take a cooking class and a tour of homes and gardens. I will report on these adventures at a later date.
I loved Cancun and the eastern sea side of the peninsula. I first came down in 1990. Now I really do not care for Cancun, Tulum or Playa del Carmen. Puerto Morales is still great and has been able to keep its character because of the locals and not being able to expand north or south. The other places on the eastern coast are filled with too many tourist and too many aggressive vendors.

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Photos

VW Everywhere
Excellent Shape for an Old Bug

VW Everywhere
A few hard miles

Merida
Old Town Shopping Center

Merida
The Old Cathedral finished about 1580