I spent something like 5 days in Merida. I know it’s crazy I don’t that off the top of my head, well maybe not so crazy. The nature of what I write is fundamentally different when I’m traveling alone and in a location where not much socializing happen. In the case of Merida, I was in a major city, by myself, over Christmas. Now, some people might think that’s a terrible place to hang out but I disagree.
I do think I spent a little extra time there than was needed but it was relaxing and I chose to pass on a few excursion options, which might have been worthwhile at other times in the year, but no problem.
So what did I do and what am I going to write about, you’re about to find out (and I’m going to find out what I’ll write about).
Merida is a nice city for it’s size, and when you stay in the center, you don’t really feel the size…well kind of. The hordes of people shopping and filling the sidewalks and street rivals Mexico City if not exceeded it. This may be a timing issue (days leading up to Christmas) or it could be that the city is more condensed. I’m not going to pretend to know anything, which may make this post less than informative.
A short description: Merida is a pretty colorful city and lively to match. For Christmas, there are lights everywhere and a large nativity scene in the main square. Like many other former colonial cities, the main square is dominated by a large cathedral and flanked by two old colonial administrative buildings. The city is incredibly flat and sits on what seems to be an endless grid. People crowd within the many blocks of centralized shopping around the markets and leave several blocks almost completely empty in the more residential areas of the city. It’s in these areas that there were some fun finds. However, most of the lively people watching and food consuming was done in the main center.
As for what I actually did in the city. This one is a little harder since I did a lot of nothing. Not like sitting around the hostel “nothing”, but wandering around, eating, and people watching “nothing”. That is to say there weren’t too many stories or events the unfolded in my time there.
I went to the Mayan museum, which is pretty impressive and has a nice anthropology/archaeology section but is overpriced and really far away from the old center of the city. As I mention “old center” I think it’s important to notice that I probably missed out on a large swath of cultural activities by staying here vs. a more modern neighborhood. I think the area I was in was more for shopping and tourism.
I actually tried walking to this museum which led me to see one of the unofficial sights of Merida, which is a street called Paseo Monejo, which includes the "Monument To The Flag". Along the street, and more impressive than the actualy monument are the old time mansions and houses along the street. It’s wide even by American standards and is impeccably maintained and has trees and landscaping shaping, at least the rich stretch of, road. Wikitravel says, “the wealthy constructed the grand Pasejo Montejo avenue north of the old town, inspired by the Champs-Élysées in Paris.
The hostel I stayed at was right in the main square, which made getting around incredibly easy. It was not the most social of hostels, but that’s ok. It was comfortable enough, although the top bunk is never that exciting. It allowed me to have a great Christmas though, which was just me eating ramen, sipping beer, and watching anime. A quality night by my own personal standards.
All other eating adventures were primetime. Merida has some good local dishes, including one that is some kind of pepper based sauce, that tastes sort of like black beans with a twist, negro relleno, and a few other things including various versions of turkey dishes. Street food is king here, just eat whatever you see.
One particular establishment to actually visit indoors though, is the tourist favorite, la negrita, which is an unassuming bar, but upon entry to the rear, you see the band and dance floor bumping salsa, etc… in the middle of a crowded bar. I went with a girl I met at the hostel named Doris. I’d recommend this place, even if you don’t dance salsa, like I don’t.
This is actually just an extension of a longer day/excursion. Doris and I tried to go to the beach in Progreso and from there to where you can see red water and a bunch of flamingos. Now of course I’d love to see a bunch of stinky pink birds in a lake. So we trekked out on the bus for an hour or so, then walked around on the crowded beach and along streets asking where we could catch a bus east to the flamingos. We were too late, there were no more collectivos that went that direction (at what was sometime shortly after 2, I think). So we decided to return which is when we started grabbing beers and snacks before ending up at La Negrita, wow that was a fast circle.
Now that you’re all caught up, that basically sums up my time in Merida. Brief, I know. One thing I heard from two of my Aussie friends is that there is a yellow city called Izamal nearby. I skipped it, because well, the only thing to do there is blow up your Instagram feed with yellow pictures. Every building is yellow or some shade similar. I’m sure it’s exciting but it wasn’t tempting enough for me.
Maybe next time, if there is one, there probably won’t be.
