Carnival in Merida

We decided to go to Merida on Saturday February 21st and stay overnight to watch the parade. We booked a room in a hotel with a view on the street where the parade was taking place. Unfortunately there was Plexiglas outside of our patio doors so we could not see the parade very well, however, we were very happy to have that Plexiglas once the parade was over because it reduced the noise tremendously.

We took the local bus at 11:00 from Progreso and arrived downtown at 12:00 to meet some friends for lunch at an old hacienda a couple of blocks away. After lunch we went to our hotel, and had a good swim in the pool (water was very cold), spent some time around the pool and went back to our room for an afternoon siesta. The hotel had a wonderful indoor garden and lots of antiques (see photo).















We went out for dinner before the parade, at a lovely restaurant and had typical Mayan food, which was excellent. We looked around a bit and then decided to come back to our hotel where we bought our tickets to reserve our chairs to watch the parade. The tickets were $2.50/each, and sat on the last row (there were 3 rows of chairs). See photo.




















Merida´s Carnival is one of the five most important in the entire Mexican republic. The theme of this year´s Carnival was Carnival of Cinema. It ran from February 18, when bad humor and moods were symbolically burned, and ended on Tuesday February 24 with humor, happiness and joy in the hearts of all those who took part. There were 110 groups, which included dancers, parade floats, marching bands, lots of very loud music, pretty girls, etc. (see photos). We had a really great time (it was our first Carnival) and enjoyed our break away from the constant wind in Chicxulub.

Uxmal and the Puuc Route

Friday, February 6, 2009

We took a trip along the Convent Route which is off the beaten path and into the heart of the Yucatan. We visited Mayan villages and ruins, colonial churches, cathedrals and convents, courtyards and cenotes (large freshwater sinkholes) dating back centuries. Going through one of the villages we came across a market with a remarkable mural (see picture).














We also stopped in Ticul which is know for its pottery, went into lots of stores but have not found what we are looking for. We then went to Uxmal, which is the most memorable Maya ruins in the Yucatán, it contains some of the best –preserved architecture (between A.D. 850 and 900).

We were planning on seeing the sound and light show but it was cancelled because of repairs. We stayed at the Misión Hotel in Uxmal with our room facing the ruins. Quite a sight. The next morning we spent 2 hrs visiting the ruins, which were beautiful with the lattice work, the numerous masks, serpents and massive buildings (see pictures). We then followed the Puuc Route and saw numerous other ruins. As usual, the weather has been more than beautiful every day, sunny and very warm (+ - 28C).

Campeche City

February 2, 2009

Campeche city is the capital of the Campeche state which is approx. 2.5 hrs from where we are staying. Campeche earned its UN World Heritage designation primarily for its network of city walls, bastions and forts.














Most have been meticulously restored and contain small but excellent museums. We walked on the city walls as well as visited replicas of daily life within the forts. (see picture of Serge defending the fort, and David taking care of the daily water ration!!!).













We also saw some very impressive Mayan artifacts.


















We went wandering around the central plaza and city center where we found a number of historical churches and buildings worth peeking into and looked at the colorful facades and cobblestoned streets along the way. This city must get a lot of rain based on the height of the sidewalks. (See pictures)


















Every weekend, the city streets around the central plaza are closed for pedestrians only, restaurants place their tables outdoors, food and trinket vendors set up stalls, and bingo games get going in front of the Cathedral. Both evenings, the city hosts cultural events; typically a concert and people fill the park benches to enjoy the show. The weather was absolutely perfect for an outdoor event, warm and windy. It was a perfect opportunity for us to stroll around the plaza and to get a sense of how Campechanos enjoy their city.

We also walked around the fruit and vegetable markets and the fish and meat one (stinky…) as well as the Malecon (very wide seaside boardwalk) under a very warm and humid sun. (not complaining though)

We stayed overnight in a very nice renovated small hotel, 2 blocks from the central plaza so that we could take full advantage of the evening activities. We also had a very nice meal at one of the local restaurants followed by a drink on the central plaza. On the way back we stopped at Calcehtok caves which Lucille did not visit because she does not like caves…