Blogs from Merida, Yucatán, Mexico, North America - page 6

Introduction I thought I would introduce myself and this blog. I tend to be a person who collects experiences and not things. I think my son-in-law expressed it best when he told me - Some people think those who have the most toys win in life, he feels that those who use their toys the most wins. In writing the blog it is nice to have the pictures and memories, but the primary reason I write the blog is that it forces me to be a more acute viewer. When I am going to write about something, I generally pay attention. This trip started on January 13th when I flew to Cancun. I met up with Alfonso, my old college roommate from Monterrey, MX. He showed up with a woman he met on the plane. It ... read more

After a brief walk last night around the walled town of Campeche we did a similar walking tour this morning. The difference was stark as the evening was alive with atmosphere but still asleep early before we needed to leave. The town sits on the Atlantic coast with beautifully restored colonial mansions and official buildings inside the wall. Fortified ramparts built as a defensive effort against pirate attacks overlook the narrow cobblestone streets. The town is considered the most complete fortified city in Mexico. Outside the walls was a modern wealthy town, a thriving market, boardwalks and old fishing docks. We could have spent more time here. Today was hot (35c) with a shorter trip of 175 km’s to Merida firstly visiting the Uxmal (pronounced Osmal) Mayan ruins considered the most refined of all Mayan architecture. ... read more

Hit up the Museo del Mundo Maya. We thought it'd be a good thing to do to get a little background on the ruins we'd been visiting since we hadn't been taking any guided tours. We hopped the city bus on Calle 56 between 57 and 59 for MXN7 and got off at the Gran Plaza, a big mall close to the museum. We still had to walk about 15 minutes along the major road to reach the museum. It cost MXN150 to get into the museum. Much of the information was in English, but all the movies were in Spanish so they just turned into nice places to sit for a few minutes. It started out as a history of the areas geology, flora, and fauna; it didn't really seem to tie into the Mayan ... read more

Spent the morning in Progreso. Walked east on the Malecon, then down on the beach. The restaurants and hotels are on one side of the road, the palapas with tables and chairs for the restaurants on the beach side. The waiters go back and forth across the street with the food. The street was very empty this morning, especially compared to yesterday! More dog paw prints on the beach than people footprints. Today noticed people with large orange bags picking up garbage along the beach. First time we have seen this here. At the end of the beach walk the pedometer registered 2 miles. Then we were off to Merida. We already had our return tickets, and the bus was right there when we got to the depot. It was an express bus with no stops, ... read more

The last two days were just travel from Valladolid to Merida, orienting, and grocery shopping. We just hung out in Valladolid at the hostel killing time, sweating in the heat until our afternoon bus. We've found arriving too early at a hostel is more annoying than leaving one late; your bed might not be ready, and they might not have a great way to store your luggage if you want to go wander about in the new place until you can check in. Today we found our way to the main square in town. It was nice to just sit and chat there. We were told that many of the things around the square were free to see, but hadn't really planned on going in to much. There were information plaques scattered about town and we ... read more