This post is late in coming out as I suffered a technological problem with the website, being less than a tech wizard it took quite a while to sort out this problem, tech support was not so supportive. In any event, “necessity is the mother of invention”, and we are back in action…
December 15, 2023
Our month in Merida has come to an end and it has been an interesting experience since this is the first time we have spent this long in one place. Well, some of you may ask, what did you guys think?
Before responding directly a few general comments: we tried to experience Meridian life through a variety of lenses (albeit with the caveat that we could always return to the comfort of our casa and credit card): we used all types of public transport buses (higher and lower end), collectivos, taxis, and we walked and walked; shopped at area markets and our neighborhood grocery store as well as at a Walmart; cooked at the casa, ate on plastic stools at area taquerias and luncherias as well at tourist-oriented restos so, in summary, a bit of everything.
Although we did do our research we underestimated the debilitating effect of heat, especially if you are active and not just sitting on a beach, by a pool, etc., age also starts coming into play, particularly regarding recovery as it relates to our friend Montezuma and the before mentioned heat/effort/dehydration…that’s it for the excuses.
The good: there was a lot: the ruins, the cenotes, the Biosphere in Celestun, Izamal, proximity to the ocean e.g. Progreso & other towns, the churches and parks in Merida, and people > lots of smiles (perhaps at my rather feeble attempts at elementary Spanish, mea culpa), buenas dias, etc from people simply crossing our path on the streets, on the buses and what have you. Our rental and of course the varied food choices, all at a price that is significantly lower than in Canada (even with the pathetic value of the CAD). Safety is another important consideration, we never felt ill at ease meandering around at night on dimly lit streets…there is a large police presence seemingly at all times day or night.
The bad: when you read travel blogs or look at YouTube’s discussing Merida they are incredibly positive and we agree with a lot of the commentary. On the other hand, even in the gentrified areas of the Centro Historica, there remains a large number of dilapidated buildings, garbage on the street, and the like. The charm of this colonial city is evident but it remains a definite work in progress… for those who have traveled to Cuba, it has a similar vibe, except that Merida has advanced much further in part fueled by the foreign investment in housing, etc. This aspect too is a double-edged sword as house prices (and rentals) have increased dramatically >>> we were told by a factor of four, creating potentially dramatic social consequences (to be fair this phenomenon has been manifested in Canada and elsewhere in the world), the geography in the interior of the Yucatan is rather boring and uni-dimensional, which coupled with the climate makes for a non-starter for a longer-term sojourn or even a return visit. For others of course the positives outlined above clearly outweigh whatever negatives we saw and some 20,000 foreigners have concluded that Merida become their home.
As for the ugly, well we did not see nor experience that aspect…Following a series of photos that try to portray some of what we saw in this historically quite interesting city and area…
The core of the city is the Grande Plaza with the Catedral de San Ildefonso as the centerpiece. It was the first cathedral built in continental America (mainland), and it is also the oldest in Mexico.
There are several quite cool colonial buildings around the Grande Plaza housing municipal offices and museums…
Over these last few weeks, we enjoyed some nice and sometimes curious foods including tacos al pastor which are spit-grilled slices of pork (interestingly this originated from Lebanese immigrants) >>> Merida certainly has a large ensemble of eateries at every price point…
As to where we stayed following are some pictures to give you a sense of our neighborhood…some of you may have seen the TV series “Salt, Fat Acid Heat”, the La Lupita was featured and is the most popular taqueria at the Santiago Market > I did have the Sopa de Pava and it was deelicious!, such is the power of the media…
…as well as some random street scenes
We wanted to see a modern mall to see how that looks here…Gallerias Merida is a pretty nice mall on par or better than what we have in Vancouver (as to who can afford the prices well certainly not the average Joe; while there we decided to cool off with a skate (just kidding)…
A last look at the Plaza Grande lit up for the Xmas Season:
Tomorrow we are on our way to the coast to stay in another town albeit much different from Merida, it should be fun !!!
Very nice, I liked the look of some of the food, lol. Your December was a big improvement on mine. FYI there was a piece on the BBC about the centavos being damaged by the construction of a railway that is el presidentes pet project!
The Mayan Train is a huge project and with its share of detractors…..impact +/- still remains to be calculated….