Photos above are snaps of a couple of the sights from tour this morning as well as one that shows a little of the diversity that lives here. Horse and wagon going down the street selling something, food vendor on roadside, yellow bike with cart in front used to sell whatever the vendor has that day...all taken while standing in a park beside a fountain across the street from another park where there was a stage and bandshell all decorated in Mayan tradition. Now for the blog...
Another great day but I'm going to begin at the end of it for a change. Tonight after a dinner of panuchos and enchiladas for a total of 65 pesos or about $6 CAD (including drinks) - yes that is for the both of us!! we made our way over to an open section of the small zocalo we were eating beside.
There were chairs set up all around the open area and word on the street was that there would be a band and dancers beginning at 8 pm. We finished our dinner at 7:45 so our timing was perfect and tonight we wouldn't be the ones standing behind the chairs...we'd be the lucky ones sitting down for the show. (Last night in the main zocalo the dancers and orchestra performed but we missed out on the chairs) As the time ticked by more and more locals began to fill the rest of the chairs and as the clock passed 8 pm we began to think that it was more likely scheduled to begin at 8:30 but that was still okay.
While I saved our seats, Lynda ran across the street to a movie theatre to pick up some hot fresh popcorn. (the thought was there but I have to say that our movie theatre popcorn is much better than it is in MX. Perhaps it is because in MX they typically douse it with salsa or hot sauce and we chose to have ours plain.) The popcorn gave us something to occupy the passing time as we people watched the crowd as it grew. There was some excitement when one man's chair collapsed beneath him and he had to be lifted by several others as it is likely he was hurt in the fall. As the crowd continued to gather and the chairs to fill we also noticed that once again, we were the only non-Mexican's in the square. That was okay though...it's not the first time and in fact we kind of like it that way. At least we know we're truly getting the Mexican cultural experience. The other thing that we began to notice was that the crowd was quite aged. In fact we estimated that the average age was likely somewhere around 70 at least. It was kind of nice though...so many older couples holding hands and waiting for the show. We wondered if they had all come in from a seniors home or something for the performance tonight.
Eventually the band began to warm up (a full orchestra with brass and strings just like the night before) but there was still no sign of the colourful dancers in costume. I began to watch over my shoulder in case they were going to be coming in from behind me as I was sitting at the end of a row with a large opening beside me.
At 8:35 the band leader welcomed the crowd that now completely filled all of the chairs and included 2 or 3 rows of people standing behind the seats. The music started and all of a sudden at least 1/2 of the chairs emptied as the crowd flooded onto the "dance floor". We couldn't help but break into laughter...we'd waited for 45 minutes and it was like we were in the Legion at home! We stayed for a little longer to watch the locals make their way round the dance floor and it really was nice to see. Even though the average age of the crowd was 70...the average age on the dance floor was likely closer to 80. The couples on the floor had obviously all danced together for their entire lives and it was obvious they still enjoyed dancing with one another. There was one couple where the husband held his wife's purse over his arm while they danced together. And another couple who just held hands while they waited for the next dance to begin. It was obvious that some of them had been good dancers in their day and that some of them had two left feet but all of them were enjoying the night. Lynda and I decided it was time to leave when we noticed a very odd little man eyeing us up as potential partners so we beelined it out of there and lived to tell the tale. LOL!! Yes...it was a surprising ending to a very good day!
This morning was a full one as we had a tour booked with a local driver who speaks english. It was a real treat to have a car to take us around to see all the sights and get the lay of the land. Highlights of the tour included a visit to a carved monument that was a gift from the artist (a Columbian man whose passion was Mexican history). The monument took him 11 years to complete (1945-56) and it is magnificent! It sits in the middle of a roundabout on a main road in the city and so we had to take our lives in our hands to get over to it to have a closer look. But...as you can see...we survived as I'm here typing this tonight. LOL! There were a few seconds where I wondered if I would be though!
Another highlight was a fountain that features the Mayan serpent and eagle symbols. It was located in a lovely little park and so was much easier to appreciate up close! We also had an opportunity to find out just where the museums and cathedrals we'd like to spend some time in are and it was great to be able to enjoy some of the beautiful old colonial buildings that line the main road that is likened to the Champs d'Elyse (sp?) in France. The road here is called the Paseo Montejo and it really is something to be proud of.
We learned that there are about 1 1/2 million people living in Merida and that the city reflects the Mayan culture as so many of the residents are of Mayan decent and continue to live a traditional lifestyle (including speaking the Mayan language.)
Another tidbit that I think is interesting is that the plumeria (the flower they make lei's from in Hawaii) is called a May Flower here in Mexico.
We also visited a very old church that is the site where all the people who came to Merida from the state of Campeche made their entrance into this state (Yucatan). Another interesting site was the graveyard. It was massive and is completely full! It's hard to estimate just how large it is but my guess would be a couple of kilometres square. It is so crowded that headstones are butted up against each other in every direction! The city now uses another location that is outside the city limits but for the families who have someone buried in the old cemetery...they can still use that same plot for additional family members as needed.
All in all...it was an informative and an interesting morning.
One other sight that we viewed this morning and that has left us with a burning question is the Merida bull ring. The reason that we now have a burning question to answer is that there is a bull fight scheduled to occur there this Sunday and so we have to consider whether or not we will attend. It is not something that happens here often and not something either of us has ever wanted to see but when the opportunity is placed right in front of you and it's one of those "when in Rome" moments...the question gets bigger. As of right now the decision is to check tomorrow to see if there are any tickets left and if so how much they cost. My hunch is that the decision will be made in the moment based on the information we gather at the ticket place. Sunday nights blog will tell the tale of what we decided to do....
Lunch today was at a traditional regional restaurant called Chaya Maya which is just a couple of blocks (about 4) from our hotel. It was delicious! Both of us decided on a bowl of soup. Lynda had cream of chaya soup (chaya is a green vegetable kind of like spinach I think) and I had sopa de lima (lime soup) which has a light lime flavour and is in a turkey broth base with chunks of turkey and strips of crunchy fried tortilla floating in it. Both were fantastic!! As well, today I discovered my new favourite drink at lunch. It is also a local favourite and made from chaya and lime juice and water and probably a little sugar. It is very light, refreshing, and good enough that I had two of them at lunch time!
I think that about finishes off this busy day so till tomorrow...
L & L
No comments:
Post a Comment