On to Merida

Bus transport in Mexico is brilliant.  It's clean, cheap, plentiful and prompt.  The only downside is that the longer distance buses are freezing due to the air conditioning.  Oh, and sometimes the television screens blare out awful North American films dubbed into Spanish, which is doubly unfortunate if there happens to be one above your head.

There are a few different classes of bus transport.  First class is great and second class is not too shabby either.  It makes getting around the country pretty easy.

So, onward from Valladolid to Merida.  Merida was HOT.  We had booked an apartment owned by a very popular hostel.  When we arrived we were hot and tired and the squalor of the place was not immediately evident, but soon the full glory of the filthy bathroom and kitchen became clear; they needed  a bit more than a scrub with bleach.  We made the most of it for a night, then left, successfully gaining a refund, no questions asked, after emailing the hostel with a list of complaints.  All hail the power of Tripadvisor, eh?

As luck would have it, an Airbnb apartment which was previously booked had become available, we moved there and it was stunning (see photos of the garden above, and the lovely house, below).  The very friendly owner, Eva, personified 'mi casa es su casa' and we spent a few fantastic days there.

The house looked and smelled divine and we traced the aroma to the top of a cupboard, where trays of home-made soaps were 'maturing'.  We asked Eva for the recipe for one of her soaps and she kindly obliged:

Honey and carrot soap

200 ml coconut oil 
500 ml olive oil 
100 ml almond oil 
100 g carrot puree 
200 ml of the water from the carrot when cooked 
2 teaspoons of honey 
10 drops carrots seeds essential oil 
110 g lye

Mix all the oils together adding slowly the carrots puree. In another plastic container mix the carrot water with the lye and blend carefully it can burn the skin (better to use plastic gloves and goggles) 
When all the lye is dissolve, incorporate to the mixed oils. In this case is recommended to stir with a hand blender.  
When the oils and the lye are completely blended pour in a plastic or wooden mould the size that you prefer. Wait 1 week to unmould and 3 or more weeks to cut and use the soaps.

                                

                                       

                                 

  A highlight was the Monday evening dancing performance in the square.  Meridans are proud to be Yucatecos and have a rich cultural history separate from the rest of Mexico and, from what we could glean from the MC's jokes, a running rivalry with folks from Campeche.  We were assured that the finale, with the dancers balancing trays of drinks on their heads as they danced, was traditional, and not for the tourists!  

 

 

We also visited a fun exhibition in the anthropological museum, featuring artwork by Mayan children from the villages, the result of an art project.  The subject was 'aluxes': an 'alux' is a mischievous leprechaun-type creature in the Mayan tradition.   They are very important in Mayan culture, affecting the corn harvest, rainfall and health of the community.

      

         

                                        

At the end of a 7 year period they must be trapped in their house as they suddenly become destructive if allowed to roam free after this.

All this culture is hungry-making!  We had read about a VEGAN restaurant in a hotel garden, about 10 minutes from where we were staying, so decided to give it a go.  Having experienced years of wild goose chases in search of vegetarian restaurants listed in guides such as 'The Lonely Planet', which turned out to be either closed, or brothels, we were not surprised to be faced with a closed door at the address listed for the restaurant.  When we chanced ringing at the bell, a face appeared and asked if we had a reservation, fortunately for a meal!  She then led us through a beautifully restored colonial building to an atmospherically-lit courtyard garden, with a palm- and bamboo-fringed pool, around which tables were arranged.  The restaurant is named 'Lo Que Hay', which roughly translates to 'you get what you're given'!  What we were given was probably the best vegan meal we have ever eaten.  There is a different theme each night for the 3 courses and, oh luck, tonight was Thai.  Delicious.  Our favourite bit about travelling is meeting and chatting with local people and it was great to have an insight into life in Merida from the lovely woman who owned the hotel and restaurant.  She said she'd restored the building from a ruin 15 years ago, loved the work, but felt it was time for a change, as she viewed it as 'a gilded cage'.  She said she is really looking forward to travelling and not having an address.  Good luck with that one!

Throughout our time in Merida, as in the other parts of the Yucatan, we shared conversations in a 'different' kind of Spanish, with Mayan people, for whom it is not their first language.  In many places signage is in both Spanish and Mayan and many villages are exclusively Mayan.  As in so many cultures, the preservation and continued use of pre-colonial/indigenous language has ensured that the culture continues to thrive.  When we broke with our tradition and took a guided walking tour of the historic heart of Merida with an English-speaking Mayan guide, the extent of the annihilation of the Mayan people was made clear.  Tens of thousands of people died as a result of the invasion of their land by as few as 300 Spaniards, from introduced diseases, barbaric overworking as slaves and in massacres with sophisticated weapons, also horses, none of which the Mayans possessed.

It also turns out that the Spaniards managed to convince the local population that they were gods, which further enabled their subjugation.  The modern paintings in the government building depicting this period were incredibly graphic and powerful.

      

In the central square in Merida, daytime

......... and night time

We loved Merida.  Next, off to Isla Holbox for whale sharks!