Only Two Seasons in Merida

As described by one of our guides, "Those two seasons are - hot and hotter."

Brian, who loves the heat, actually finds himself a little over-toasted here at times. Please bear in mind, this is only the "hot season." I wish I could have found an equivalent clip art picture of a girl, but this was the best free one so Brian takes the limelight! :) I'm definitely melting right along with him. We try to avoid walking anywhere around noon because there is no shade on either side of the street when walking north or south. The shade is a must. We knew it would be warm but the experience of it took us to another level of realization. Why I brought anything with long sleeves is beyond me! "You know, it might be cooler at night." HA! Well, it is cooler but still no need for anything like that.

One of our afternoon excursions was to the anthropology museum. As I've mentioned before I'm not big on typical tourism, which includes museums. In this case, it was in a beautiful old home/mansion. (In Europe you might think it was a consulate building or something.) Part of the draw for me on a hot afternoon was the coolness of the building - in both the literal and figurative meanings of that word! It was our guide at this museum who so succinctly described the seasons here.

"Tony" was his name and he was 5" 2' and a hair...maybe. His English was outstanding and I'd guess his age to be somewhere between 70 and 120. His almost toothless smile was engaging and compelled me to smile right back! Tony made that place fascinating. He was so knowledgeable, fun and funny. I learned a lot and it was enjoyable doing so. That's how learning should be. :) It was well worth the little extra we paid for a guide.

Home and Garden Tour

A realtor in conjunction with the Merida English Language Library (at least that's where we met) does a tour of three renovated homes once a week, during the tourist season. I realize it's an opportunity to try and sell houses but I still wanted to go inside some of these homes! So Brian and I along with 50 to 60 others (tourists!! ;-o ) heard a bit of Merida's history, and then, did a brief walking tour. I know the houses chosen can change but I was hoping to walk the interior of La Calle Escondida - the house which sucked me into Merida's real estate, Spanish colonial architecture, and was a big part of The Process. That was the first house!

Much of this house in not colonial at all, in contrast, parts are whimsical, others thoroughly modern. I'd seen the video, perused the pictures and imagined what the spaces must be like in actuality. The photographer definitely shot the home with a wider wide-angle lens then I have. The spaces seemed even grander and larger in the photos. However, I would never say the rooms were cramped!

1st Courtyard Looking towards the Street

The idea of The Hidden Street or in other words - La Calle Escondida, is a fun one. You first walk into an entry room and then immediately into a courtyard. It is this part which is the "hidden street." The architect used the sides of the courtyard to mimic a Merida street. On one side, the side shown here to the left, are bedrooms, upper and lower. However, they look like actual building facades with balconies. The other side, below, is the wall dividing the homes which he has superimposed different types of facades, some with deterioration and all.

1st Courtyard Looking towards the House and the Rest of the Property

Following are some interior shots. The second courtyard with the pool and outdoor living spaces is probably my favorite area. Although, the master suite isn't bad either!

Interior Sunken Living Room

Pool Coutyard & Master Suite Balcony 

Looking across to Master Suite
from Rooftop Area 

Outdoor Living Area below Master Suite

Last but Not Least - the Master Suite

OK, this is probably enough for one post. Trust me, I have more pictures, but I'm sparing you the full rendition. I'll show you more of the other houses at another time, and maybe some pics of where we are staying. Can you tell I used to be an architect?! Enjoying the architectural/cultural differences.

Carnaval de Merida and Around Town

We are here in Merida for Carnaval or as it is called in New Orleans - Mardi Gras! We didn't come particularly for this celebration but our winter getaway to revive Brian happens to coincide. I can't say that we've gone to all of the parades, since there are six in all! Nor did I take any pictures - just wanted to enjoy the time. However, one of my fellow bloggers did take pictures so I refer you to him. The Children's Parade you can find here. I understand it is often thought of as the best. Kids are always cute and they are certainly done up. One of the other evening parades can be found here. We don't even consider going to any of the daytime parades as it is WAY too hot!! I don't know how the people in the parade do it - survive even.

Brian and I did do some wondering of the town with cameras in hand. We ended up in one of the neighborhood parks called Santiago. Naturally ice cream was in order! Here are some images from the park and along the way.

Being Adventurous is a Matter of Degree

Brian and I, both, have always thought of ourselves as the adventurous type. At our first B&B here in Merida (we will stay at 3 to make contact with more people), we have had several occasions to talk with our fellow boarders - one Canadian couple and the other couple is American. Due to these conversations, Brian and I have had to reevaluate "adventurous." I had generally looked at this trait as something you were or weren't. No, it's really more of a scale and I don't think we are even close to the extreme end! It's been fascinating to hear their stories, where they've been, how they've traveled and how long ago they started! This is part of why I love travelling and meeting new people - I have my world expanded. Plus, I receive a more accurate perspective of myself! It's always good to keep my ego in check!!

Speaking of my ego, I think I was a bit overstated in my Foodie?! post about how I throw caution to the wind in the food arena! Last night I was faced with peppers, as in possible jalapeno type, on my nachos. I studiously was placing them in a pile to avoid. "Hmmm. Loving new taste sensations, am I?" So I tried them! Not all at once, mind you. :) A small one was meticulously placed on a chip along with all of the other goodies and in it went. Not that hot!! It was good and did enhance it all. I liked it even!! I didn't eat all of them but at least half. It's good to know my limits but be willing to challenge them too, from time to time. Otherwise, I could miss out on many good or even great adventures.

First Impressions

In brief after a whopping 48 hours:
1. The people are warm, honest and very gracious - especially with my appalling lack of Spanish!
2. Coffee - Nescafe is all too common! :( Instant coffee - can one really call it coffee?! I had mistakenly figured that the cafe con leche (coffee with milk) would be similar to what I had in Spain. Sadly mistaken. Although I have already found a wonderful coffee place, run by an expat as it turns out!
3. It's quite warm, hot even, and in the heat of the day I'm perfectly content reading, blogging or something sedentary in the shade!!
4. Loving the adventure!

A Foodie?!

I am not a connoisseur, plain and simple. (The closest I come, perhaps, is that I'm coffee snob!) Although I may not have a refined taste, nor am I able to isolate flavors to improve a sauce, for example, I do enjoy food. I can recognize an inspired meal and revel in it!

We have started a another journey and it began with a YUM! Our departure was early out of San Francisco so we decided to go up the night before. Some wonderful friends took us up and we enjoyed the evening together. Of course dinner time came around and looking at our options around the hotel we settled on Italian cuisine. This restaurant had one of those classic Italian names - West Coast Cafe! :) Honestly with a name like that I expected standard fare and "nothing to write home about." Certainly nothing to blog about!! However, I was in heaven from beginning to end. The bruschetta was perfect and perfectly messy with diced tomatoes piled high and olive oil running onto my fingers. The basil and garlic tantalized my taste buds, waking them up and they hungered for more! They and I were not disappointed! The marsala sauce for the main course was exquisite and had to be sopped up with delicious bread to get every drop. I could go on and on, continuing with the vegetables, polenta and on through dessert. Naturally dessert was accompanied with espresso done to perfection - rich, dark and smokey. An awesome, over the top experience along with the company!

The next day we were off to Mexico, a direct flight to Cancun. We made our way to downtown, found our hotel and settled in. Tired but needing food, we opted for the easy route - the hotel restaurant. Again, would the hotel restaurant across from the bus station be inspiring? I didn't hold any high hopes. Silly Me!!

Brian and I split two meals. One of them was "chicken fillet mignon" and the other was flank steak fajitas. I figured the name of the first meal was just some sort of translation mix up. We made our orders were asked how we wanted the steak cooked and then the waiter was off to make it all happen. A minute or two later he comes back to ask how we wanted the chicken cooked - medium or well. Confused having never ever been asked how I wanted my chicken cooked, I thought maybe it was supposed to be "beef fillet mignon." No, he was asking about the chicken so I definitely said, "Well!" The mystery was partly solved when the meal came. Yes, we had chicken for one meal and beef for the other. The chicken steak was wrapped around the edge with bacon! Often I have seen fillet mignon served that way so I think that is where the confusion in translation stemmed. In any case, both meals were wonderful and a delight. I know I was really hungry, however, the flavors were amazing. We topped it off with flan, the classic Mexican dessert!

As noted earlier in my blog, a big part of traveling for me is the food! I love trying new things. The notable exceptions have been octopus and beef tongue. There are a few items I just can't get past. Although, by and large over the years and the many places I've traveled, I've let my prejudices go, having enjoyed some delicious food adventures! It's been quite a beginning to this trip.

We are now in Merida, Mexico!

Adventure's Roadmap - The Process Part 2

  The picture that started it all!

La Calle Escondida

I mean doesn't that pool and environment look inviting? I figured it was over budget (which it WAY was) but I couldn't resist looking just for fun and pleasure! Although perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself! (To see The Process - Part 1 click here.

That city which is 20K inland from the gulf coast is Merida, Mexico. Would I be bored there? I decided to take a look. OK, I come to find out that it's a city of almost a million people!! Well, there must be something to do there! I did a bit of research but in typical fashion a big part of the initial phase began with a perusal of the real estate. The picture above was a "hook" shot on the first page of a realtor's site under "featured listings." With one click I was whisked away into Spanish Colonial Architecture as I've never experienced. So many of the renovated homes are colorful, joyful and, in my opinion, works of art. I was hooked! (To see more pictures and a description of the home pictured above click here.)

In several previous posts I revealed my near obsession with the colonial architecture of Merida. I scoured a dozen or so different realty sites - for months! I got to know many properties, and they were easily recognizable to me as they appeared on other sites. Some I fell in love with. After so much time the inevitable SOLD sign would appear on some of MY properties! "Oh no!! All the good places will be gone before we get there!" I'm disappointed to see one of my favorites get sold because I just know it would have been perfect for us.

That sounds silly perhaps but this was part of relaxing and just enjoying the process. I've yet to even set foot in Merida and here I was getting disappointed if a special house was sold. So I let go and enjoyed the pictures, video tours and learning more about the city and it's neighborhoods. Of course to actually start looking for a property in another country was the beginning. Then, there was migration for reasons like cost and environment. I changed locales a few times. However, Merida seemed to fit the bill. This must be the place! Or is it? It finally sank in during the phase of seeing "my" houses sold - this was a process, a journey. No decisions have been made, even yet. There's still more to come!

To see past posts with Spanish Colonial Architecture and my fascination with these gems click on the label entitled such. For The Process - part 3 click here.