Merida 2

Inside the cathedral. The picture is just a teeny tiny view of the grandeur of it, but since I am shocked that I was even able to post pictures today, you'll just have to use your imagination for the rest of it.
Below is the gallery in the Governor's Palace. Stunning.
In front of the Palacio Municipal, which flanks the Main Plaza along with the cathedral, the Governor's Palace and Casa de Montejo. This was the Yucatecan dance performance.
Tuesday we got up and got moving around 9:30 or so, had some breakfast at a little place around the corner (cheap and good), then walked down to see another museum - you know, I am horrible with the names of some of the places we have seen, but this one was having to do with musical history - Kim, again, I need your help, you have the map and the notes! It was smaller but again very interesting. There really was nothing UNinteresting in anything that we saw. It was really nice to get some culture. It was nearing 1, checkout time, so we walked back to our hotel and checked out.

Arturo has a friend from work who is from Merida and was in town for his vacations, so they made contact and agreed to meet in the lobby of our hotel. We piled into the car and drove north on Calle 60 to the Paseo de Montejo. This is a beautiful tree- and sculpture-lined boulevard that is home to some big hotels and grand historic homes. It is not like the streets in centro in that it is wide, four lanes with a median. More modern businesses and establishments mixed in with the historic buildings, it was truly spectacular. We drove the paseo and some surrounding neighborhoods, then parked and went to the Museo de Antropologia. What other words can I use to describe it? If you like museums, anthropology, history and socialogy, you couldn't ask for more from the sites that we were able to fit in on this trip.

From there we were given a choice: either visit the ruins at Dzibilchaltun (good luck with that, still can't say it) or visit the town of Progreso. We figured that in the amount of time we had before we needed to head for home, Progreso would have to be the winner, as Dzibilchaltun would most likely require more time. Both were reasonably close - perhaps a 20-25 minute drive. Along the way we passed the Plaza Las Americas (MUCH different than I remembered from 1994 - very busy, surrounded by stores and businesses, a freaking Wendy's AND a Carl's Jr! I still can't get over that). Very modern and quite the contrast from centro.

Progreso rocked. It was everything that you would want from a beach town - malecon, bars and restaurants, street vendors, and a fabulous beach. We walked the malecon a little and stopped for a treat, a marquesita con queso de bola (kind of like a waffle cone flauta with swiss cheese inside) and then on to a beach front restaurant/bar. We had some lunch - lots of antojitos (papadzules again, yay) and a couple of beers. It was nearing 5:30 (we had hoped to be on the road by 4:30) so we got back in the car and headed back to Merida. Progreso will see me again, no doubt about it. I know I live in Cancun, but Progreso just did something to me.

On the way back into town, Arturo decided to do a little maintenance on the car (a tire thing, it's no big deal, and I just don't want to go into why or what), so Kim checked her email and we hit a tienda for some Pino Negra (sweet!) and a little dulce for the ride home. We said our goodbyes to Carlitos (I'll see him again, he is my neighbor here in Cancun) and hit the road. Took the toll road home, and made it in around 3 hours. That is about when the Cancun-bashing started, I think.

Merida is just so much more than Cancun. I love Cancun for the beach and the blue water of the Caribbean, and I love centro and my 'hood and all that, but Merida just has so much more to offer everyone. I know we were all affected in our own ways. This was just a phenomenal little getaway and I am so glad that I got out here before moving back to Oregon.

Just a little irritated that I didn't do it sooner.