Yucatan City Life
Trip Start
Dec 16, 2010
1
9
21
Trip End
Jan 01, 2011
Where I stayed
Merida, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Merida is the big city of the Yucatan. I couldn't believe how bustling it was. We are at a FABULOUS hotel only 1 1/2 blocks from the city square where there is shopping, dining, & culture galore. We were given one of the "special" rooms when we checked in. I think they cost extra. We must have gotten lucky. Our room is really beautiful. The ceilings are about 20 feet high & are beamed. The furnishings are antique & are in keeping with the mission theme. We have a large cross over our bed. Hopefully we won't be struck down. We had better be good. Our room opens onto the gorgeous courtyard. You will have to see the pictures. Also opening onto the courtyard is a quiet little restaurant where we had dinner last night after walking around the town a little. The food was good. I had sopa de lima which is a signature dish of the area. It's made with tomato, chicken, & lots of citrus stuff. Very good. Russ order a salad & a meal. Unfortunately for him, he only got the salad. I guess our 'spanglish' didn't quite cut it this time. Since we are away from the tourist areas on the Caribbean coast, we actually have to speak Spanish. We have encountered many people who don't speak English. We have also met a lot of locals who are thrilled to practice their English with us, but we want to practice Spanish with them! The people are very nice, helpful, and don't seem to want tipped. One guy took control of us, took us to a restaurant to eat, then took us to the best place to shop.
The shop was supposed to be strictly handmade Maya goods. We were a bit skeptical at first. Some of the stuff looked similar to stuff we'd seen everywhere. Then Rosie took us upstairs & showed us the 'special' rooms. They were filled with fabulous jewelry made of all stones found in Mexico, glorious silver work, mosaics, carvings, and pottery. It felt like we were in a museum, not a store. Many of the items were way, way out of our reach. I got myself a hand-embroidered & leather purse. I got some other things too. Maybe something for you, maybe not! Did you see the bug brooch modeled by Russ & Rosie? I wonder if I can smuggle that into the USA?
