Mexico – Merida 24/11/16 – 28/11/16

Over half way through our 7 week exploration of Mexico and we arrive at our 7th destination at the city of Merida. Merida is the capital of the Yukatan Peninsula and full of Mayan archaeological sites. We’re staying at the hotel Colon, right in the city centre. When we checked in they showed us to room 118 on the ground floor opposite the reception. Do not stay in this room, it is totally outdated, plaster falling off its walls and it has a terrible smell. There are no windows in this room which is why it’s dark and damp ridden. It’s terrible so we asked for a room upstairs with windows. After a conversation lasting 5 minutes I stated we would find another hotel for our 5 night stay in the city. To this The receptionist asked us to look at room 233 on the first floor. This room was marvelous as you could tell it had recently been refurbished. I accepted this room and our stay has been very pleasant indeed.
When it came to us unpacking our stuff we discovered we had left the tablet in the other room in the other hotel in the other town!!!! Panic stricken we called the hotel but they don’t speak English. We went out for food and when we got back we had a message, the other hotel must have tracked us down through the booking .com app. The hotel here were great and communicated with the other hotel and after a few conversations in Spanish, (which we couldn’t keep up with), our tablet arrived in our new hotel 2 days later. What a relief as all our photos and documents were on it. We cannot thank both hotels for the service they offered. And it only cost MXN 200 that’s NZ $14 to have it brought to us.
Now Merida is an old established colonial city steeped in history and culture, where time has not changed it one bit. It has many museums and plazas to wonder around and all within its grid system. Everything is close together so transport isn’t an issue. As with other cities the roads are numbered, not named and as before they are all have 1 way traffic. So it’s easy to get around, just follow the numbers.
Due to the tablet wanting to stay in Campeche for 2 extra days, I’m writing this blog at the end of our stay in Merida, therefore everything is passed tense. Over our few days we have wondered through its many streets and plazas. The Piazza Grande has been the cutest central area we’ve come across in Mexico. It’s tree lined central square is a must place to visit. It’s centre is a huge stage where local bands play in the evenings and this is surrounded by plenty of seating. It’s a huge square area surrounded by large colonial buildings including the Gran Muse del Mundo Maya, Catedral de San Lldefonso, Mueseo de Art Contemporaneo and the magnificent Palacios de Gobierno. All of which have free entry and are superb to ponder around once inside each. The palace was in my opinion the best with its vast array of floor-to-ceiling murals depicting the symbolic history of the Maya and their interaction with the Spanish, which were completed in 1978.
On Sunday morning we strolled into the Piaza Grande again to find it packed with market stalls. Each one with hand made artisan crafts made from wood, silks, cottons, straw and anything else. A spectacular, multi coloured view from every angle. The shops are great too, nothing commercialized just more artisan shops. Some were corporations and once inside your guided up to the second and third floors where artisans work on their many crafts.
It’s also a university hub, and I counted 4 In its centre alone as we wondered around. Making it a huge place with many bars. These bars (cantina’s) aren’t like anything else we have come across. They don’t look anything like bars from the outside, but once you step over the threshold, you find yourself in the most funkiest of places. Better still if you wonder through the bar, you always come across a second, third and even fourth room where alcohol is served. Sometimes ending up in a great beer garden! All geared up in traditional Mexican styles, beautiful coloured woollen wall hangings, pictures denoting Mexican battles against the Spanish, and various mood lighting. I thoroughly recommend La Negrita Cantina, the food is awesome, cheap cocktails and a live band playing. It’s located just down the street from our hotel at the corner of calle (streets) 62 and 40.
On our last day we opted for a full days trip to swim in the canotes, (sink holes) in Cuzama. Wow we only found this trip by chance searching the internet, and it has to be done by anyone staying around here. It cost MXN 1000 pp, that about NZ $70, lunch extra at MXN 80 pp. We were picked up from our hotel and driven around the city picking up 4 other couples before heading off. It took just over an hour to get to Cuzama, in a very pleasant minivan. Once there we changed into our swim gear and were asked to sit upon a horse driven trap – see photo. This was hilarious and took a further 5 minutes. There were 3 canotes on this trip to visit and swim in, each a 100 m between each other. Canotes are natural sink holes that form after earthquakes and are fed by rain water from the mountains in the north of the country. Each one around 100m underground and are easily accessible by foot as the owner of the land has built huge impressive wooden stairwells descending the depths reaching the pools. We thought that the water would be freezing, but surprisingly it was quite warm, warmer than our pool at the hotel! At the first one, you couldn’t see the waters as its entrance was tiny, me being over 6ft, I had to literally sit on my behind as we ventured through its entrance. But once inside, the Vista was remarkable. The sun streaming in through the tiny entrance and shinning on the ever so blue waters below. We were told that the depth of the water here was around 10m at its deepest, but with the way the stairs had been built, you just continued walking down the stairs until your waist is submerged in the waters then swim into the abyss. This place was fantastic and although we took photos I don’t think they do it much justice. Remarkable, memorizing, beautiful, stunning, these words also don’t do it justice. There were 10 in our group so it wasn’t packed at all, when swimming in such small numbers you could easily be on your own, investigating all the hidey-holes. After around 30 minutes we walked back up the stairs and onto the second canote. If the first was impressive then this one was even more so. It was twice as big, twice as deep, and even had stalactites coming from its ceiling. The stairwell again went into the water, but this time in 4 places, two of which you could dive (or in our case jump) straight in. The colours of the rocks above, along with the reflecting shimmering sun light from the waters made this place even more special. It was truly a magical oasis. The group spent another 30 minutes or so here, some had even brought their snorkelling equipment with them so could swim under the water with the fish. Oh yes these waters also had fish in them. The owner really has done a great job making the stairs out of the natural trees that line the sinkholes along with bamboo structures. The third sink hole was at our starting position so back on the horse and cart, and another very calm and relaxing ride lasting 5 minutes or so. We were then guided to the third. This one was the smallest of the three, only about 20m from the ground, and only about 5m deep. In fact only 6 of us got in and it felt crowded. However this one had a hidden cave at the back, where you could swim up to it, and possibly into it, but it was very dark and as soon as someone mentioned tarantulas and bats, no one would go further.
After this we got changed and headed to the restaurant and had a brilliant mayan feast. 2 courses, the starter a chicken nacho soup, followed by BBQ pork which had been marinated in orange and cinnamon. This was served with rice, lettuce, onions and tacos. Delicious. An ABSOLUTE MUST visit, and a fantastic day out. The sinkholes of Mexico has to be up high on our list of activities we’ve done throughout the whole of our world trip.
Tomorrow we head for the Caribbean Sea and the town of Cancun.