March 5, 2016 by Rae

A New Dress and Lunch at El Fish Market

I went back to town today in search of my friend’s elusive publication as I had finally ascertained that it was going on sale today. I left around 11:30 after doing some work.

The embarcadero on the Maz side has had a new ramp since I got back from Mérida. Was very pleased to see that since the old one was starting to get scary.

The lady who works the deli counter at the City Deli was on the lancha with me and asked if I wanted to split a pulmonía. I was tempted, but I really did want the walk so I declined. She was taken aback by the fact that I was going to the Mercado on foot and said, “In this heat?!” I replied, “It’s just normal heat…” “Well, you’re strong!” I’m not the only “walker” I know who has no trouble doing so in this weather. Just stay on the shady side of the street if possible and hydrate!

I got to the Mercado and asked a few vendors about the publication, but no one had heard of it, unfortunately. I know that it’s a European newspaper with an online American edition, so it’s probably like getting a UK newspaper in Canada where you can only find one at specialty shops in larger cities. Hopefully, I’ll have better luck with a digital edition.

Next stop was a dress vendor. I really love my pink dress and always get so many compliments about it. It is a very flattering style on me and I have been thinking for weeks of trying to find another one that is very similar. Here’s the pink one:

It has some really nice embroidery at the bottom:

And the bodice has some gorgeous detailing.

I sort of remembered where I bought the pink one and started in that corner of the Mercado. A vendor immediately zeroed in on me. I said I was looking for a dress like the one I was wearing, only in dark turquoise or dark blue. She said, “¡No problema!” and pulled this out. Seriously.

It is very, very similar to the pink one, but has some differences. The hem embroidery has hearts:

The bodice has embroidery instead of the lacy panel insert and cords:

But the sleeves are fancy and have the same type of insert as the bodice on the pink one:

Here it is on me with my huge Mérida hat! By the way, I look like a tourist dressed like this! Mexican ladies might do a lot of makeup, heals, and fancy hairdos, but they are still usually in just jeans and a nice top.

I asked the lady how much and she said $380. I had driven a really hard bargain to get the pink one for $330, so I countered the $380 with that number. The lady immediately said yes. So either she was conceding that I knew what the dress was worth or I could have gotten a better deal. Who knows. But I’m happy with the price! A couple of weeks ago, it would have been a 28CAD dress, but today it’s just 25CAD! 🙂

Next stop was lunch. Contessa has raved many times about both grilled dorado (mahi-mahi) and the restaurant El Fish Market, so with her having been to the restaurant recently, it was on my mind. It helps that I’m still “meated out” from Mérida and only in the mood for fish, seafood, and beans. So I decided to go check out the restaurant. I requested the Spanish menu after being handed the English one. It’s a bit more work, but it’s good vocabulary practice. I was surprised that the prices were as reasonable as they are. There were lots of choices under $100 and I think the most expensive platter, a whole grilled octopus, was $200. Beer was $22.

Everything looked delicious and it took quite a bit of time to decide on the grilled dorado. I was really tempted by octopus, but the most appealing way they offered it was in a taco, which wasn’t what I was in the mood for. Plus, I’ve heard so much about the dang dorado that I really needed to see what the fuss was all about!

The dorado was $150 and a very generous portion came lightly seasoned with soy sauce over a bed of romaine lettuce with chipotle coleslaw and potato wedges. The fish was absolutely perfect, so flaky and juicy, with a nicely caramelised bottom. I’m always nervous about creamy coleslaw because of mayonnaise, but this one was too good not to take a chance on. It got spicier and spicier the more I ate it. The potatoes were disappointing, though, as they are the stock frozen McCain seasoned wedges that I’ve seen at many stops between northern Yukon and the Yucatán. I had one bite of them and that was it. Had this meal had a nice rice pilaf it would have been a 6/5 (really), but the potatoes put it at a 4/5. I am very likely going to have this meal again one more time and I will ask for it without potatoes but with a couple of corn tortillas instead.

Yummy lunch with a view!

My bill was a mere $172! I really hadn’t expected El Fish Market to be this affordable for this type of restaurant. Service was really good, too, closer to what you get NOB, with the server being very attentive and checking in on you. I gave him $200 and he came back with a pile of change for me to make it easier for me to sort out a tip (smart kid). I told him to keep it all and he was obviously very happy with that. It was about a 16% tip, not great for back home, but very good for down here as 10% is the recommended amount. I usually tip around the 15% mark unless the service was particularly bad.

For the trip home, I ended up getting a seat on the fancy lancha with a bathroom. For this one, the captain sits at the front and has a wheel and a throttle (I’m not a boater, so excuse me for getting the terms wrong). It was a lot more work to navigate than just using an outboard motor and docking was difficult.

It was another great day in Centro, days that are numbered, I’m afraid… The urge to have a cold beer on the Malecón will not be ignored from this point forward as who knows when, and if, I will get a chance to do that again once I leave next month…

March 3, 2016 by Rae

Caught in the Act

Running dangerously low on coffee, I put in a good morning of work and then headed out just after 12:30. I walked to the Fisherman’s Monument to grab a bus and as I did, a group of six tourists passed me sounding very unsure of how to get back to their hotel and nervous that they hadn’t seen an auriga (pickup truck taxi) in some time. I asked where they were going and it was near the marina, so I told them they should just get on the bus. They replied that that’s actually what they wanted to do, but couldn’t remember which one or where to grab it.

I ask if they were looking for the Camarón-Sábalo bus and they said yes. Then were very happy to learn they were at the right place to catch it and that they’d be saving at least 40 if not 60 pesos, on top of having an adventure for the grandkids about taking a city bus in Mexico. I waved the bus down for them, helped them buy tickets, and told them to hang on to their tickets in case an inspector came on board. They met other people from their hotel on the bus, so they were fine from that point on. I wish I’d thought to ask people about the bus a lot sooner than I did last year as I wasted a lot of money taking taxis to and from the Golden Zone!

I got off in front of the Santander bank almost next to Mary’s, which is almost next to Rico’s. Thankfully, Rico’s had Veracruz dark roast so my long journey had not been in vain.

Next stop was supposed to be the Thai restaurant, but they’re on my barred list now as well because they are rarely open when they say they will be open. 🙁 It’s twice now that I’ve purposely arrived 1.5 hours after they are suppose to open and they weren’t. Friends of mine here on Isla have made the trip there multiple times to have the same thing happen to them. Shame because the food is so good. I regretted organising my schedule around theirs today because there I was at almost 3:00 p.m., ravenous, and not near any other really affordable food except for the taco place. I actually wasn’t in the mood for tacos, but went there anyway and had their “huarache loco al pastor,” which was a soft maize base topped with beans, al pastor meat, and cheese, serve with avocado and lettuce (and a bunch of salsas). It was about three times as big as I would have expected for the price, so I didn’t come close to finishing it. Al pastor meat is different in Maz than what I’ve tried in Durango and Mérida and I like this version best!

Since I was in the area, I stopped in at Mega in the hope of finding hummus. And did I! They had just stocked up and they had dozens of tubs of all sorts of flavours all with an expiry date of a couple of days past when I need to be out of the country next month! I grabbed six giant tubs (four plain, two roasted red pepper) as well as a huge packet of pita and headed for the checkout. As I was waiting patiently for the person in front of me to pay, I heard behind me, “What is that?!” in Spanish.

I turned and burst out laughing when I saw my server from Ta’Loco! I explained that it’s hummus, an Arabic snack or spread (untable) and gave the list of ingredients. He said it looked like ice cream and I laughed and said no, it’s salty. I gave him tips on how to eat it and said that I love it for breakfast. His reply, “I learn something new every day. But I don’t like new foods!”

I was still chuckling as I headed out of Mega. I mean, what are the odds that someone I know would be in line behind me while I’m buying enough hummus to get me through the apocalypse?!

Having an errand to run around the Mercado, I caught the bus back to Centro. It was standing room only most of the way and I was glad to get there. First stop was the agua fresca vendor I favour and I asked if she had smaller sizes than a litre. Yes! The smaller glass wasn’t as good value, but it made more sense. Thirst quenched (and guayaba craving satisfied), I visited several magazine vendors looking for something for a friend, but struck out. I did get a nice pair of earrings from my favourite vendor. She hadn’t had anything I liked in a while, so I was pleased about that. She recognised that I was wearing one of her pairs. At $10 a pair (yes, pesos!), they’re fantastic value.

Nearly done in, I schlepped to my last stop of the day, Ley, and had to resist buying out all their pineapple coconut yoghurt since it was half price! What a deal!

I found this at Ley:

Looks like a spiny chayote? Anyone know what it was? I asked a guy, but he was too busy laughing at me poking at it to see if it was spiny like a cactus (almost) to be of any help!

My bags were pretty heavy by this point, so I decided to treat myself to a pulmonía since there was one right there. It would have been cheaper to take one on this side instead, but the walk on this side doesn’t have hills!

Oh, and if anyone is paying attention to what I said in my last post, I came home without headphones. 🙁 The brand Croft directed me too is too cheap for me to take a chance on. Soriana and Mega’s electronic departments had nothing. I think it may be easier (and cheaper) to find someone capable of fixing them than to buy another pair. Very frustrating.

I think I’ll call today a draw since I came home with hummus, coffee, and earrings, but without Pad Thai, a magazine, or headphones!

March 1, 2016 by Rae

A Fool’s Errand

It was not a good return to work this morning. My brand new headphones were malfunctioning (sound only coming out of one ear) and a key piece of software I use to transcribe was disabled. I could work with my earbuds, but not without the software. So I spent a bit of time finding a potential replacement before going to town. With the current CAD/MXN exchange rate being as good as it is, I wanted to make a large withdrawal. Since there is a Scotiabank right next to Office Depot, where I bought the headphones, it made sense to go all the way out to Rafael Buelna in the hopes of getting a refund or replacement on my headphones. My receipt said they will do refunds within 60 days as long as you have the original packing and receipt, so I figured I had at least a fighting chance.

I saw a rather unique lancha when I got to Maz. It had a bathroom!

Since I didn’t have much time today to go clear across town and back, I had a first — taking a pulmonía both ways on my own! This was my best ride ever. The driver only charged me $60 and took me on a super convoluted traffic-avoiding route by the outskirts of Juárez and down Insurgentes. When we got to the corner of Insurgents and Carretera Internacional, the driver asked if I was lost. Nope, I told him, the other Scotiabank is about 3KM to our left. He was suitably impressed and asked why I didn’t go to that one. Then, we ended up chatting the rest of the drive to the bank (Insurgentes becoming Marina, and then we turned left on Rafael Buelna). The red in this is roughly the route we took to get to Marina (we did a lot more turns), and the grey and orange are the most direct route. It’s probably not that much more mileage, but it’s a whole other Maz.

I was able to make the withdrawal I wanted to make by splitting it up into increments of $6,000. I then went in and had my $500 bills turned into $100s, $50s, and $20s, plus a bit of change. The counting machines make this job very easy and quick, but the lady still manually recounted everything, the first time I’ve had a teller do that.

Then, I went next door to Sole Mare to grab a bite to eat. I won’t be having lunch there again; the food is too much like the average fare you get at any chain restaurant up north. My “piña colada” iced tea was an interesting red colour, but tasted good. The sandwich was pretty lackluster though, just a very thin slice of processed turkey with lots of black olives (yes, I eat such things now and they’re the reason I picked that sandwich!), romaine, tomato, onion, avocado, and melted gouda on a bland bun. I asked for no mushrooms and the cook subbed chiles curtidos for them. Rather funny, but I’m always happy not to be treated like a Gringo when it comes to spicy stuff now. 🙂

Office Depot was hopping when I got there. They were having some sort of sale or promotion and it was a mad house. I always feel like I don’t speak a lick of Spanish when I go there because they make no effort at meeting me halfway speech speed-wise and today was no exception. It took ages for me to get to the head of the line of the customer service desk and then I was ignored for a bit until they were ready to deal with me. The clerk called the manager and she sneered at me and said that there is no refund on electronics past seven days! It’s not on the receipt, but it is on the wall behind the customer service desk. And then, she told me to leave/not make a fuss because they were busy. I found my Spanish again and told her that was fine and that I’ll never shop there again. That I’m leaving Maz next month for good is neither here nor there. I’d find another place to buy my office goods since I’ve always disliked shopping there.

Next stop was Soriana and they didn’t have much on my list. Between that and this being my third time in a row where I had a hard time finding a taxi upon exiting, I wouldn’t be shopping at that store anymore also. Knowing the buses the way I do now, I’d do the Insurgentes Soriana instead. At least when I did find a taxi, he only charged me $60. It’s normally $70 home from Soriana. I did well on my rides today! This driver took the more direct route that I would have taken last year when driving, Marina to Carretera Internacional becoming Ejército Mexicano becoming Juan Carrasco, then left on Gutiérrez-Najera, then the jog to the embarcadero. There was so much traffic and the drive took ages!

The lancha was packed like a sardine, with me being the last to board and grateful that I barely had anything and what I did have that was bulky was flexible (paper goods)! I didn’t need a taxi on this side.

When I got in, I promptly put the rent together and went to see if my landlady was home. She was a bit startled by the huge pile of bills I gave her and I explained that I have a hard time spending $500s, so I have them changed at the bank now. She was very grateful for that. I tend to give her a mix of bills most months, but usually pay in mostly $200s and $500s. So a stack of 55 $100s was rather impressive!

I came back home and decided to see if Sony could help me with my headphones issue. Sony Mexico claimed that my headphones were only supposed to be sold in Canada (!) and so they couldn’t help me. Sony Canada said that since I bought them in Mexico, they can’t help me. So I’m out about 30CAD and I have to start the process of finding a new set all over again. Croft gave me a tip for a Mexican brand that has a storefront on Zaragoza, so I’ll pop over there tomorrow or Thursday and see what they have. Office Depot and Sony both lost a customer today. And I learned that while Mexico may have many of the same stores as the Canada and the U.S., it obviously does not have the same consumer protections at those stores. I’m going to have to research this before I start making any expensive purchases in Mexico, including appliances.

February 28, 2016 by Rae

Uneventful Trip to Mazatlán From Mérida

My flight was scheduled for 8:25 this morning, so I wanted to be at the airport by 6:15. I woke up without an alarm at just past 5:00 and it took me about 20 minutes to finalise my packing (almost had to sit on my suitcase for it to close, even though I didn’t have anything extra!). I didn’t bother with coffee since I could surely get some at the airport. Once packed, I made certain I got everything and that the apartment was tidy. There is a cleaning fee included in Airbnb bookings, so I don’t go overboard, but I make sure the trash is out, dishes are done, the bathroom counter is wiped off, the floor is swept, etc.

When I booked the apartment, I was disappointed that my Mérida home base was going to be such a bland space, based on the pictures. Funny how the walled courtyard, spiral staircase, and balcony made it into a very special home, and one I will miss! I intend to rent there for a full month when I return to Mérida for good to give me ample time to house hunt.

It was a quick and easy walk to Paseo de Montejo, even with my luggage. I really need a better second bag for flying than my tote so that I can hang it from my wheeled suitcase because the tote is very heavy to hang from the shoulder. Well, I do have such a bag, but a laptop doesn’t fit in it. My luggage suited the purpose for which it was bought originally, but now needs to be reconsidered. But I digress.

There was a taxi waiting at the Conquistador Hotel, just as my host had told me there would be. $180 to the airport, versus the $270 to get from there! This was expected, actually. There is a special contract to go from the airport, but not to. A tip is to actually walk out of the airport to a city street and grab a cab from there. I will do that if I land in daylight next time. I was at the airport in record time, just past 6:00 a.m., and no one was working the InterJet desk… I ended up waiting until almost 6:30 to check in. Well, better early than late!

I suspected, correctly might I add, that I would not be able to get a decent coffee after security, so I did that first. A decent coffee was a reasonable airport price of $40. But I was so shocked by the price of $55 for some coffee cake that I didn’t have the wherewithal to tell them to forget it! I thought Canadian airport prices were insane!

Security was a joke, I’m sorry to say. I didn’t speak to anyone other than to be told to go back through the metal detector after I made it beep the first time. No one even checked my paperwork.

The only thing open on the other side was a kiosk that tried to sell me 200mL of water for $38. I declined. Sometime later, another kiosk opened and I got 1L for $35. Still highway robbery, but I had water for the day (in fact, I just finished it). I think TelCel has upped their prices because I have been burning through pesos this week and I ran out of money on my account again while waiting for my flight. I didn’t trust the kiosk to not have a markup on adding TelCel time, so I didn’t buy any (I’ve only so far encountered one place with a commission, in Mérida, and it was $1, which wasn’t worth complaining about).

My wait in Mérida went by quickly and we boarded on time. The flight to Mexico City was uneventful and I think we even landed early. Beverage service was a cereal bar (yuck) and an apple juice (very yum — I haven’t had it in ages and forgot how much I love it!). Deplaning took forever, though. I had a window seat in the very last row with two people between me and the aisle, so I knew I wasn’t getting off that plane anytime soon even when the line got moving. I finally had to give in to my bladder and ask the other two ladies to move so I could use the on board washroom. They were very put upon and I heard someone across the aisle whisper to them to be kinder as I must have been desperate to put on such a show. Indeed! It’s amazing how much more easily one can deal with being stuck on the tarmac for an extra 10 minutes with an empty bladder. 😀

We finally deplaned and I headed straight for the food court area to get a coffee, pausing only at a TelCel kiosk to add $100 to my account. It was too early to get my gate info for the next leg of my trip anyway since I had a nearly 3.5-hour layover. Starbucks was the coffee place with the shortest lineup and a short was a reasonable (by airport standards) $29. I even interrupted the barista to ask for milk since there was none at the condiment bar and specified skim. I’m getting more comfortable with some uncomfortable aspects of Mexican culture, like elbowing your way to what you want!

I did a bit of work while enjoying my coffee, but it was awkward without a mouse, so I gave up and went off to hunt for some lunch. Food prices were outrageous, of course, so I decided against a sit down meal and instead had a slice of pizza. Still pricy, but the slices were large. It and a tiny bag of Frito-type things with the plane beverage service got me through the next eight hours, so it was actually pretty good value. I declined the ketchup I was offered to go with it, but accepted the Valentina “hot” sauce to dip my crusts into!

Lunch done, I plonked myself down and watch an episode of Defiance on my iPad (how did I ever travel pre-iPad — so much entertainment in the profile and weight of a thick magazine or slim paperback!). By the time that was done, it was past 1:00 and we were supposed to board around 1:30, so I went off in search of gate info. My flight was marked as on time, but with no gate number, same as my delayed flight to Mérida had been, so I had a bad feeling. I went to the info kiosk to ask and was told gate two and that the flight was on time. Yay!

The flight was almost empty, so it boarded and took off very quickly. I’m not a nervous flier, but the airplane shook and rattled so much as we took off that it actually made me nervous. The flight was a bit bumpy and the landing rather rattly. Some folks actually clapped when we came to a stop in Maz! Too funny since I have been on rougher flights than this one. It was nice to have the aisle to myself. I can’t believe it costs me twice as much to fly across Canada in a sardine can as it costs to fly across Mexico with elbow and knee room!

It’s quite a distance from the terminal to the exit at the Maz airport, so I got a workout, avoiding everyone offering me hotel transport. I went to the taxi desk (similar setup to Mérida where you pay a set price) and forked over $550 to get home straight to Isla. The alternative was $380 to go to the embarcadero, $8 to get on the lancha, and $30 for a taxi on this side. When you consider that it’s about $400 to go to Centro from the airport, $550 to Isla really isn’t that terrible considering the odds of getting a passenger back is unlikely. This is a new service now that the road is mostly paved and what isn’t is well graded. I much preferred to spend that money and get home in 20 minutes or so than to save a few bucks and take over an hour to get home.

The driver asked me what hotel I’m at on the beach. I said that I’m not at a hotel, but my house is near the beach. His eyes went round and he gasped out, “I hope you know where you’re going because I won’t be able to find it!” I laughed and reassured him that I was going “home” and knew where we were headed!

Ah, loco Mazatlán drivers… We almost hit I don’t know how many obstacles between the airport and home, including what I think was a very sickly dog, a guy on a bicycle, a few topes, two coconuts, a bus, and a couple on a motorcycle. But soon, I could see Icebox Hill. Home, home at last!

I have directions pretty well down pat, left here, right there, a bit further, etc. so we made the few turns to my house without any issues. My driver was surprised by how big and nice my house is. I made sure he knew how to get back to the main road (it’s easier to go around a different way than get the car turned around and go back the way he came) and then headed in.

Phew, the house smelled musty! I immediately threw open the windows and turned the fans on high, then Febreezed the hell out of all the fabric! I then impressed myself by unpacking everything, but didn’t put on laundry since it wouldn’t have time to dry. I went out some time later to watch the sunset on the beach (which I missed more than I thought I would!) and was struck again by how noisy Isla is. I don’t know how many people have told me that “Mexico is noisy.” Horse hockey. Some parts of it are noisy, yes, but I’ve been to two cities now that aren’t and one that is so it seems that that generalisation is false.

My cupboards were barer than Mother Hubbard’s, so I went to Miguel’s for dinner. I’m pretty much “meated out” after all the rich greasy Yucatán food, so shrimp burritos were very appealing and hit the spot. I don’t see myself having any pork or beef for quite a bit! Miguel overheard me saying how light Yucatán cuisine is on produce and gave me extra salad and roasted onions, bless him. Angela was interested in how much shopping I did. Luis (their school-age server) was mostly interested in the contrasts been Maz and Mérida and why I’d rather be there than here on a more permanent basis.

Among my reasons, I gave language immersion and he said that my Spanish is “sufficient.” I argued that sufficient isn’t enough for me, I want fluency, and for that, I need to get away from ex-pats and really immerse myself. I think the only day last week where I actually spoke any amount of English was Tuesday on my ruins tour, as well as speaking French that evening. Like Durango, it was a very intensive immersion experience and I know I came out of it with more vocabulary and capacity for understanding oral Spanish.

I can get by on sufficient in Maz, but I’m not sure it will be enough for living in Mérida unless I stick to the expat zone, which goes against the point of why I want to live in Mexico in the first place. I am not delusional enough to think that my language skills are enough to actually thrive in a Spanish-speaking community yet. I haven’t had to deal with a real emergency, like a car or medical accident, nor have I had to negotiate and sign a legally-binding rental agreement, figure out vehicle licensing requirements, make an insurance claim, open utility accounts and dispute charges, etc. I still can’t enjoy a Spanish movie or TV show without Spanish subtitles and the radio is still pretty much bla bla bla. I’m lazy and I won’t make the effort to get past sufficient if my very survival doesn’t depend on it. Maz just isn’t big enough for me to get away from English.

So after talking about my scouting trip to Mérida for some time, it has come to an end. Now, the grunt work begins. And this is where I announce that I am more likely than not postponing my move to Mérida to next spring, maybe even the summer. I intend to go to Eastern Europe for the summer and what’s expensive is getting there, not being there. It makes no sense to pay all that money to go for just three months. I’m thinking of doing my allowed three months in Bulgaria, then perhaps three months in Greece (which I’m told is cheap…) after a few weeks in Turkey, and then flying back to North America from North Africa…

Moreover, my passport expires in March of 2017 and most places require your passport to be valid at least six months beyond the end of your trip. This means that I would have to be back to Canada by the middle of September. So it makes sense to get home and deal with my passport renewal before I do anything else. Then, I can take time to really think through what I need to do to get myself set for Mérida (like consult that tax accountant I still haven’t found), including whether or not I should be selling Haven, before jetting off to Europe.

Coming back to Canada next spring would mean I’d be packing up and closing Haven in warmer weather, even if it means landing in Mérida at the peak of the hot season. I just don’t see myself packing up Haven in November or even as late as December, as I had planned to do. Haven just isn’t set up for winter living, and I don’t think I want it to be!

The move to Mérida is a huge deal and not something I’m willing to do on a whim. I want to do this right and will take the time it takes. Knowing where I’m going and that I have a good home base waiting for me when I’m ready for it takes off a lot of pressure. Mérida is concrete to me now and therefore one less thing I need to think about. Onward!

February 27, 2016 by Rae

City Tour of Mérida and Barrio Itzimná

First on the agenda today was a two-hour city tour of Mérida with Carnavalito City Tours. The cost is $120 per person, plus a tip. The office is on Calle 55 between Calles 60 and 62, right in front of Santa Lucia square. Look for a sign that says Gua Gua (“Wah wah”). I left home around 9:15 and got there at 9:40ish, with departure being at 10:00.

I knew that the buses are open air trolleys, so I didn’t expect to hear much of the tour, and I was right. Our guide gave the tour in both excellent English and Spanish, but we could barely hear him. Between both languages, I think I caught about 25% of what was said. But don’t let that deter you from taking this tour. It takes you through the parts of Mérida around Centro that are of the most interest to tourists and will give you an idea of what to go back to and explore further later. This is my last day in Mérida (!) and I was quite pleased that only one thing on the tour stood out as a must go back to…

We saw a lot of beautiful old buildings. This is a building with Montejo in the name. It’s right off of Plaza Grande and is a museum.

This is a ceiba tree, which was sacred to the Mayans. It is about 150 years old. In Maz, my landmark for routing is the Pemex La Ceiba near the embarcadero. Now, I know what that means!

And then we came to Barrio Itzimná… I found that I really narrowed down this week where I don’t want to live, but I haven’t really nailed down a place where I could see myself living. I really wanted to be in one of the older barrios that is anchored by a square and a self-contained village, much like Juárez in Maz, but the ones nearest to the Plaza Grande are Gringoified. Itzimná is just a bit up from where I’m currently living and I knew I had to go back after the tour because I was pretty sure I could imagine myself living there!

It’s definitely much higher up than I thought I wanted to live, but when that appears to be the only con…

The church made me laugh. Can you see the face?

A culinary institute.

Hardware store. Love the logo.

There were some really lovely houses in this neighbourhood.

This one looks like a castle and is going to be converted to a hotel.

These old gems are so inexpensive to buy, but I have to wonder how much it would cost to repair them…

We continued on, had a break at a mall near the Hyatt hotel, and passed a Saturday farmer’s market. I wish I’d made a note of the corner where the market is!

This park has a cenote.

Another gem for sale.

If I understood the guide correctly, this is the entrance to a zoo.

The bus depot is right downtown.

I liked the colour of this church.

The only place in the world where you can learn the Mayan language. My guide at Mayan Heritage says classes have been fully booked for ages and the soonest he can get in is August.

This church altar is done in gold leaf.

The tour office is just a block from Pita, the Mediterranean restaurant I spotted the other day. Same street! I call that destiny. 🙂 I sat in their sunny courtyard and ordered the falafel pita. As a free starter, I got pita with an herbed butter, a pesto-type thing, and a very spicy red thing. All were tasty.

The falafel was adequate! I would sub the coleslaw for hummus next time, though, since I can’t do the mayo. Their menu says the falafel are made with garbanzos, but their bright green colour betray that they are made with fava beans in the Egyptian style. The salad was wonderful, with some of the best tomatoes I’ve ever had in Mexico. I paired my meal with an ice cold and super sour limonada mineral, probably the best limonada I have ever had.

The bill came in a cute little watering can.

So reasonable! I know I will eat here a lot when I move to Mérida! I wish I’d had time to go try out the Thai place because having both Pad Thai and falafel would clinch the deal on Mérida being perfect for me. 🙂

I headed home for a bit of a rest, then went out to explore Itzimná (home was right on the way, so why not?). I have actually been to the periphery of it, but did not get to its square. I can’t believe all of this was only about 1KM from my place, closer than Plaza Grande!

Here’s that hardware store again:

So pretty!

Coffee shop? Check.

Traffic around the square was very busy!

Here’s the church again. The ropes make it look like it’s crying.

Ice cream parlour next to a bakery, nice!

House for sale.

This no parking sign is awesome. It says, “Palm leaves fall and dent cars.”

A gorgeous fixer-upper.

I passed what I call the “duck house” on the tour and was happy to find it again!

Found my Mérida home! Just needs a little elbow grease. 😉

Or maybe this one?

Coming back out onto the Paseo de Montejo, I spotted a Mega. I’ve passed this intersection a few times but didn’t see it from those vantage points. That would have been useful last Saturday!

Like in Maz, there are a lot of VW Beetles in Mérida. This one had no hood! I have to say that I think I would like to find myself one of these when I move here, just until I can afford what I really want. 🙂

So ends my week in Mérida. I can’t believe how quickly it passed! I feel that I accomplished my goal and that I’ll be able to hit the ground running when I move here. I can also start to look at real estate online to get ideas of prices in the areas that interest me.

Mérida is such a sharp contrast to Mazatlán.

The most appealing part of it is that both the city and the state are safe. Sinaloa is in the midst of a drug war right now and there have been a lot of murders lately, with some in Maz and in the tourist village of El Quelite that I had wanted to visit. There’s none of that here in the Yucatán. I’ve even been told that I could safely drive from Mérida to Uxmal after dark to see the light show, no problem. Wow! I feel like my world in Mazatlán is very small and that I would get claustrophobic very quickly if I chose it as my forever home because I wouldn’t feel safe enough to go exploring in the environs.

Mérida is also more approachable because, like Durango, it has good signage and a strong tourism industry that understands the importance of strategically placed information kiosks, maps, signage, etc.. It took me no time at all to get orientated while it took months for me to be comfortable in Maz, and I still get disorientated. I love that you get actual addresses here, as well as the nearest intersection(s).

Drivers here are more like what you see in most of Canada and the U.S., obeying traffic signals, respecting pedestrians, and not driving like maniacs. I felt safer walking here than I do in Mazatlán.

I’ve always found Mazatlán to be fairly grotty and run down, but I imagine it will appear even worse now that I’ve spent time in a second city that is so well maintained and clean.

I didn’t spend much time on the buses here, but my experiences were less positive than in Maz. I found buses hard to flag down, with locals confirming that it’s not because I’m doing it wrong. Some said that they sometimes need to flag down four or five buses before one will stop!

I also didn’t get much experience with taxis, but I know that I will miss the Mazatlán pulmonías very, very, very much.

I thought that being near the ocean wasn’t important to me, but the realisation that I will not get to have a beer while looking at the ocean hit me hard this week, to my surprise. I don’t think I’ve ever really said how much of a treat it is for me to grab a beer on the Malecón. It is one of my Maz things that I will miss the most and which will be one of my favourite memories. I will also miss horseback riding on the beach!

Yucatán cuisine hasn’t wowed me. This isn’t an agricultural state and so the cuisine is very heavily meat-based. I’m pretty sure my salad today was the only real portion of good veggies I had all week! It’s no wonder I’ve been run down! Sinaloa is an agricultural state and produce is part of the local diet. I loved the meat I had here, but, really, the portions were too enormous and not balanced.

I’ll have spent a wonderful year of my life in Mazatlán and I am grateful for being the welcoming first port it was, but I’m ready for something different. I don’t care how much the locals (and not-so-locals) have warned me about the Mérida heat. Bring it on!

I’m still feeling a little rundown, so I doubt I’ll be going out again today, especially since I have to be out the door at 5:30 tomorrow morning to catch my 8:30 flight! My plan was to walk down 35 to the hotel at the corner of Paseo de Montejo, where there is a taxi stand. But, first, I emailed my host here to ask if he could request me a cab. He said that there is little point in calling as they would say that they’ll be there, but then forget to show up. He said that the taxi stand at the hotel is, in fact, my best bet to quickly get a taxi, even that early. Thankfully, I don’t have much luggage!

Glancing around the apartment, I realise that I’d better start packing! I really made myself at home here. 🙂

A Life By Design

"Sometimes in life, we reach to a right place by departing from a wrong port with a wrong ship!" ~ Mehmet Murat Ildan

North America

A New Dress and Lunch at El Fish Market

Caught in the Act

A Fool’s Errand

Uneventful Trip to Mazatlán From Mérida

City Tour of Mérida and Barrio Itzimná