merida!!!

Well after the events of October, a few of the volunteers decided that it was time for a break! Now, I know that many of you will disagree with “needing a vacation” considering all of the things that I write about that seem fun and exciting. But, in my defense, there is a decided difference in what constitutes tropical paradise after you live and work in what many consider one for over a year. It is simply home at this point and I needed a break. SO...off to Merida I went for Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). Merida is located in the northern Yucatan- about 40 minutes from the port town of Progresso. Its an old colonial city with wonderful architecture and has rich, active cultural scene.


I played organizer –aka MOM – and rounded up a few other volunteers to travel with me...because traveling is always more fun when you have witnesses to verify ridiculous stories. We left Saturday morning for the border...and then hopped on our bus to Merida at 1:30pm, following a lovely lunch with Juan (a hotel manager that helped us along and entertained us for an hour) in Chetumal.

Kristen, me & Matt the night before our trip to Mexico

After the LONG bus ride, we arrived at 7:30 and took a cab to our hostel. The Santa Lucia Hostel was wonderful lucky for us, it was close to the action. Upon check-in, I was told that I had two messages waiting for me....FANCY! Turns out they were both from my friends Emily and Lilly, who had already attempted to meet up with our group twice and were vexed that we had not yet arrived. After freshening up and changing clothes, I finally took a minute to relax and enjoy the fact that I was no longer on a stuffy bus. This lasted all of two seconds....right up until Emily came tearing in, screaming my name...ready to cause a commotion if we had STILL not yet arrived. Love her enthusiasm!






Sta. Lucia Hostel

AND...the fact that she and Lilly had shopped for provisions to welcome us properly into this beautiful country. TEQUILA. The group gathered, poured drinks, and “Cheers” –d our trip, the our friends, then Mexico, then.....then I stopped keeping track. It was wonderful! We then headed to a local restaurant where I proceeded to drink my dinner and take in the surroundings.



me with dinner :)




me and Lilly

After dinner, we all split up and did various tours of bars and music scenes. I found Bud Light!!! And was heartbroken when I learned that it was too let for the store to sell it to me...but I cannot tell you how much seeing something other than Belikin MADE my night. Or it could have just been the effects of tequila?? Anyway, my friend Peter and I decided to call it a night and headed back to our hostel. Until we got sidetracked by a live rock band, and then a local traditional band....where we both paid for the most expensive Coronas of our lives. Ah, well... Eventually we made it home...crawled into our respective beds and relished in gloriousness that was Mexico!

Until about 8am...where once again, Lilly and Emily were yelling for us to get moving for the day. I seriously wonder when those two caught some sleep... We mulled around for a while and finally got ready and headed out on the streets in search of breakfast. Of course, this took forever since we kept stopping along the walk to look at various local art and gifts. And this was how we spent the day.... shopping, eating, eventually napping, and then starting the process all over again. By evening, we were excited to go out and see the local festivities for day of the dead. Alters had been constructed the night we arrived and were on display in the Gran Plaza the entire day. They disassembled them in the evening, and then had various activities going on. There was dancing, drumming, and a photo op with a women painted silver.... Lots of variation in Merida!



an alter in the town center

We ended the night by seeing a Rasta/Reggae concert in the middle of an old courtyard. It was my first time hearing Reggae in Spanish, and it was quite the experience....

The final full day in Merida was dedicated to some cultural activities. This was by far, my favourite part of the trip. Maybe its because I majored in Anthropology – and more importantly, love cultural anthropology…but I ate it up! We started the morning walking to the central Plaza. The old Governor’s mansion/compound is open for tourists to peruse through…so we helped ourselves. The walls were completely covered with art work! Most on the bottom floor were all done by the same artist who had a way with drawing in some serious emotion to all of the pieces of work. ON the second floor, there was a small gallery with other historical pieces. A lot of them told the story of the Yucatán region of Mexico. It was a unique telling of the story of the infiltration of the European and the damage and destruction caused….while still maintaining the strength and endurance of the Yucatán culture and people.

One of the pieces of artwork

After touring this, a few of us decided to take a tour of the city via double decker bus. Cassidy and I stopped in the local church first to have a quiet moment in this amazing city, and then we got our cameras ready! The bus tour was completely fantastic. At each point along the way, the local landmarks were described and histories given. Unfortunately between the megaphone-like sound system and the fact that this was done in Spanish, I have a feeling I missed out on all the details. Either way, a few pictures are below so you can enjoy as well.

monument honoring Mexico

The rest of the day was spent wandering around the city and shopping/eating. We were able to view a few of the altars set up for Dia de los Muertos and I wandered into a bookstore to revel in the amazingness of literature! (got myself a book of Yucatán Mayan legends). Overall, it was a fabulous mini vacation and I recommend it to anyone that has a sense of adventure and a basic knowledge of the Spanish language.

bully fighting stadium in Merida