Merida, Yucatan winter holiday 2010

Into our second week of our month long vacation here in beautiful colonial Merida, Yucatan. Weather first week was chillier than normal and the locals were bundled up in coats and sweaters. Our casa has no roof over the living room so we had to resort once or twice to (gasp) turning on the heat in the bedroom for ten minutes or so to remove the damp.

Much warmer and brilliant sunshine today as we strode purposefully uptown to solve the problem of our missing tourist visitor card. However, when we arrived at the designated address, no Immigration office!

Yesterday we went out and about for Merida en Domingo which was pleasant with all the local gentry out and about on the streets and in the Plaza.

Progreso, Yucatan,

We took the bus (5.oo return for both of us) to the seaport town of Progreso which is about a forty minute bus ride from Merida. Progreso has the longest pier in the world which enables it to dock mega cruise ships which are fast contributing to the growth and economy of this once sleepy village. Mind you, its still pretty sleepy, although we were here early in the day on a somewhat chilly January day. We walked the malecon and explored some of the streets and looked at the houses for sale before wandering into a thatched roofed restaurant called Buddies which seems to be the equivelent of the Wilno Tavern for the expats of Progreso. Food was good, beer was cold, people were friendly...what more can one ask!!

good food and a visit to progreso

Tom has been cooking at home, as is his wont, and we have had several delicious meals including fresh fish and a Mexican version of beef bourguignon as well as our mid afternoon tapas snack of cheese and chorizo and onion and olives washed down with Sol beer.

more casa in Merida

our casa in Merida

sightseeing, a trip to Walmart,

All of the Yucatan is lamenting the cold "norte" which has settled on this customarily hot and humid area of Mexico. Even we Canadians, newly arrived and possessed of warm sweaters and socks which we wore onto the plane in chilly Ottawa, are sitting under a blanket in our 'open to the stars" living room. Daytime is pleasant for walking or riding on the double decker turisto bus as we did today. First we walked all the way up Paseo de Montejo, past the wedding-cake architecture of the mansions lining Merida's version of the grand boulevards of Paris. (I am putting it this way as I can't recall how to spell Champs d......). Its a couple of miles from our home here in the Barrio of Santiago and we had walked it already yesterday. Our destination: Walmart.
Now, we are generally in favour of shopping in the local groceterias and in fact, did stock up at one of the local Meridian supermarkets but we have been on the hunt for the product "contra fumer" for Tom. I inquired at countless neighbourhood farmacias for the Nicorettes, or something equating that term and each pleasant white clad farmacia clerk shook his/or her head negatively.
Now the Cuban cigar sellers are out in full force and I felt it imperative to replenish the 'contra fumer" supply of gum so off we went to Walmart and sure enough, there it was...and cheaper than in Canada also!!!

While at Walmart which has a sizeable grocery department also, we were able to get Don Simon boxed wine from Spain which is much cheaper and probably more drinkable than the wines in the other supermercados. Cervesa is of course, cheap everywhere and it seems more pleasant to drink beer here than in Canada. And Walmart also has a very good Mexican bakery which has freshly baked bread, buns, pastries and even pizza.

We had planned to have some lunch out today but ended up buying three fresh buns already made up with cheese, ham, lettuce, tomato and mayo, two fresh pastries with chocolate and custard and a bottle of apple juice and one of pepsi. Total cost for this lunch which we ate at a cafeteria style area near the store entrance was 4.00 Canadian.

The turisto bus tour was 100 mx pesos each (about 10.00 each) and wound its way through the streets of the centro historico and then northward along the newer boulevards until we reached the turnaround point just past Sam's Club and Home Depot. There's also a Boston Pizza and numerous fancy car dealerships and high end home furnishing stores. Back downtown, amidst the colourful pastel fronts of the renovated colonial homes, are the traditional cantinas and little convenenience stores and shops of the old neighbourhoods.

We'll go out for lunch or desayuno (breakfast) one of these days but thus far have been cooking and eating at home. Last night, fish with cilantro and garlic, rice and beans and avocado. Tonight it will be beef and potatoes and perhaps the fresh corn I bought yesterday. Trying to remember not to eat unpeeled fruits and vegetables which is difficult as they all look so tasty in the shops.

Forgot my camera today but have taken some photos of our casa on calle 57.

Daily expenses Merida holiday

Day one:

Sandwich, doughnuts and two soft drinks at Cancun bus terminus. 4.50
Two first class tickets to Merida...........................................................................64.00
Two tickets airport to bus terminal................................................................... 6.40

Day Two: (Mix of sun and cloud, breezy, chilly when not in the sun.)
Grocery shopping for bread, cookies, oatmeal, beans, rice, olives, vegetables ....... 21.00
Grocery shopping for beer, wine, cider, fish, avocados, cheese, etc etc.....................36.00.

Merida, Yucatan winter holiday 2010

Hola from the lovely colonial city of Merida, capital of the province of Yucatan. We arrived yesterday via Westjet from Ottawa to Cancun (airmiles paid for the flight which was pleasant and fast). Cancun airport was surprisingly efficient for a place that channels so many gringos into the country. We found the bus to the downtown bus station and bought a first class ticket to Merida which gave us entrance to the Platino lounge where we waited for an hour and then boarded our super swanky coach, all blue velour and pleated grey window curtains which make the inside look a bit like a plush coffin. Mexicans like to watch tv on the bus and of course since it is so hot most of the time, shutting out the sunlight is necessary. But, coming out of -22 temperatures in Ontario...we want light and sun and it wasn't particulary warm when we arrived with a reading of 0nly 16 for the day and a bit breezy. The driver, a tall handsome Latin gentleman in an impeccable starched blue suit, introduced himself and welcomed us and then shut himself into his curtained plexiglassed drivers cubicle and off we went. The seats fold out to make a very comfortable reclining bed and they provide pillows and blankets like you get (used to get and now pay for) on an aircraft. Each seat has a small screen tv with a choice of films and music. Free. Bottled water or softdrinks. Free. Price for a first class ticket on the ADO Platino is 438 pesos which is approx $32.oo per person. We glided along the straight highway and in what seemed like no time at all (but was indeed four hours and right on time) arrived at our stop at the Hotel Fiesta Americana. We could have travelled much more cheaply but the first class bus is the only one which stops at the Fiesta Americana which is near our rental casa.

Because our flight was half an hour late, and we had already arranged to meet Ruben at the casa, we wanted to get to Merida as fast as possible. We hailed a cab, or rather several cabbies hailed us, and off we went richocheting down the narrow streets while I prayed fervently to the Virgincita that we weren't being taken off to be robbed or murdered. We had been warned about getting into a cab on the street as it seems they can be fronts for criminals who have stolen or borrowed the cab from its presumably honest owner. Seemed a bit bizarre to me, but nevertheless, this driver didn't seem familiar with the streets which I had written on my sheet with the address and he hustled us into the car with unseeming haste and slammed our door shut, threw the luggage including my computer bag into the trunk, and off we went into the dim Merida night.

Just as I was contemplating our options in terms of escaping, he swerved into yet another narrow street and ground to a stop...just yards away from our casa where Rubin was waiting by the door.