On The Road - 4

I was anxious for my sister to see Merida. It was the part of the trip I had been most looking forward to. Merida has become my second home in Mexico. In fact, I have permanently rented a room in my friend's house so that I have a place to escape to when the island just becomes too much for me.

The first thing we did was try to check into my favorite hotel, The Reforma. Of course, not making advance reservations proved to be a bad idea. Or maybe not. There was no vacancy and the reason was because the hotel was full of screaming teenagers there for some kind of tournament. Just as well. We didn't need that kind of noise or exhurberance.

Undaunted, we trudged a block further away from the square and secured rooms in the beautiful, if not slighly age worn, colonial Hotel Colon.

We headed over to the little plaza in front of the Gran Hotel, found a table and enjoyed a cool beverage. To say that it was hot that day is to put it mildly. My sister was not coping with the heat very well. From there we walked to the town square. Bob decided to go back to the hotel while I continued the tour with my sister.

We went into the building that houses the wonderful murals depicting the story of the history of the Mayan people. I explained a few of the murals to her but I could see her eyes glazing over. I think she was on sensory overload.

I did get a few pictures of the staircase in that building. I love a good staircase.







Sun and shadow play with a potted plant in the courtyard of the building.






We headed over to the town market. A huge building full of wonderful and disgusting items for sale. It was my intention to wander around in there for quite awhile. I wanted to show her, and get photos of, the wonderful flowers, spices and generalia that is offered there. Unfortunately, that did not happen. It was just too hot and crowded. I could tell she was wilting so decided that we should better just head back for the hotel while we still could.

Later that evening, we drove over to my friend Lin's house, where I have rented the room. I gave her a tour of the house and my room and introduced her to my spiritual buddy, Lin. We all then walked over to my favorite little outdoor cafe and had a bite to eat. I think she really enjoyed sitting at a table on the sidewalk on a cool evening, sampling Yucatecan specialities and watching all the people and life go by. I know I sure did!