Familia

I had a post started that was entitled, "New Year's Eve in Merida," but I'm rewriting it because things changed that night.  You'll see why.

Familia isn't always determined by blood.  Sometimes strangers and acquaintances become family.  I have always been amazed by the unconditional kindness of Meridanos. Many years ago, when I was a student living in Merida, I found myself in a couple of vulnerable situations where Meridanos kindly helped me.  In one instance, I had gone to dinner with my professor after which we took a bus together to a nearby mall.  Before she got on the bus to her house, she told me which one to take for mine.  Apparantly the schedule changes after a certain hour and my bus was no longer running, so there I was, alone at a closed shopping mall in Mexico at night.  

Finally, a bus pulled up and some people got off, so I climbed on the bus to ask the driver for information.  He informed me that this was his last stop and he was on his way to return the bus, but that he would drop me off.  I declined and said I'd walk, but he insisted that it was not safe.  So now I had a dilemma, trust this stranger or walk home alone, at night.  Something told me I could trust this gentleman, so I did, and he was truly a gentleman.  On the ride he told me about his family and I told him a little about myself - still cautious.  This kind stranger would not allow me to pay the fare and dropped me a couple of blocks from my house.  That was 16 years ago.  

This is my 3rd time staying at Casa Alvarez, now 62nd Street Guest House.  Miriam and Enrique, the brother and sister who own this small hotel, are wonderful people.  Little did I know when I found them on TripAdvisor, what a gem I had.  This year when I arrived, I was greeted with hugs and kisses. They have told me that I am now family and I believe it.  We have a wonderful friendship.

On New Year's Eve, I left just before dusk to treat myself to a nice dinner and to check out the festivities in the centro.  And then I encountered this

                               

That, mis amigos, is a major crack in the sidewalk, and because I was checking traffic to decide if it was safe to jaywalk, I didn't see it.  Next thing I knew, I was hitting the pavement hard.  Now I've taken ice skating lessons, and the first thing they teach is how to fall.  For the first time ever, I forgot and broke the fall with my hand.  Big mistake!  

I got up and went back around the corner to the house. Miriam brought me ice for my sore wrist and Linden flower tea.  She also gave me a little something for the pain. The wrist actually didn't swell much.  I had ice on it within ten minutes.  Soon I returned to my room.  Within a few more minutes, another of the guests who I met three years ago came to check on me.  The next morning, I decide that I should see a doctor and experience the Mexican health system.  All of the concerned parties agreed, so a doctor was called. This doctor was very nice and said I should have it x-rayed. He wrote out an order and told me which hospital to go to, after which I was to call him with the results.

Miriam insisted on driving me herself.  This is NY day!  If you've ever been to an emergency room or urgent care, you know that the wait can be very long.  I was seen almost immediately, the doctor cam to the hospital t read the x-Ray himself and the called his orthopedic surgeon friend, who I hear, is the best in Merida.  Within 30 minutes, I had two orthopedics consulting and explaining my options.  I went with the safer option to make sure that I don't twist the radius. This...

                    

There are, of course, follow up instruction and I won't bore you with those.  The whole thing;  three doctors, x-rays, 3 prescriptions, cast = $346, in a very modern hospital.  

 

Back to family...

Everyone at the casa keeps checking on me, including Juliana, the housekeeper, who refills all my water bottles.  Roger and Diane, my friends from Maine took me with them to breakfast today.  My new friend Carrie, a teacher from Canada and later Florida, took me to the ATM and for food after I returned from the hospital.  She has lived in Campeche state for three years now and uses the Casa as her weekend getaway. It turns out, I met her parents last year and we had a few meals together.  It's a small world.  Carrie says that she stays here because no one in the big hotels would treat you like family.  Everyone at Casa Alvarez looks out for one another.

 

                         

I know that I have friends for life here.  Think about it, how many hotel owners or managers would drive their guests to the hospital an sit there through everything, translating the complicated medical terms into simpler terms (Spanish only) so it wouldn't be so scary.  It can be very daunting to stay calm and understand everything in your native language, but when it's your second language and you don't understand everything, it's much worse.  

Even though it sucks to have your arm in a full cast in the tropics while on vacation, I've learned two major things. First, it's good to know what it feels like to not be completely able bodied, because we tend to take so much for granted.  Second, fuck Donald Trump.  He has no clue and I'll be damned if I ever support someone so bigoted.  In fact, if he gets elected, I might just defect.

So just to end on a positive note...

      Charlie, who does not speak Spanish and whose person barely speaks English.  He's awesome.

                                  

 

Comida y bebidas

A food and drink post is obligatory.  Enjoy my feast for the senses...

                       

                              Enchiladas de queso con mole

                        

                 Frutas. Plátanos, mangos, aguacates, limones y tangerines 

                                        

                                         Café de maya con 3 licores 

Conversations in Merida

New Year celebrations and MeridaFest (474th birthday of the city) are about to begin and everyone's talking about it.  Last year I did the whole New Year's Eve walkabout for the first time and it was great fun.  I won't do the whole thing again this year, but rather go to one or two things, sit down and really take it in, after which, I'll return to the cash and watch the fireworks from my rooftop patio at midnight.

Back to conversations...

                      

   

I had lunch at Cafe La Via Olimpo which was closed last year for some reason.  The food was ok, I had some cheese enchiladas in a red sauce, but it was more like just tomato sauce.  The order of guacamole was delicious and so was the freshly squeezed lemonade.  The waiter was so very nice.  Since I was seated on the sidewalk, I placed my bag around one foot on the ground, but he brought around the other chair for my bag and said, "You will feel much better senorita."  We exchanged a few pleasantries throughout my meal, but the cutest part was that he patted me on the back in a grandfatherly way each time he passed by.  

While I was eating, a young woman and her daughter stopped at my table and my first response was, gracias, so she'd go away, but she stopped me and said that she just wanted to wish me Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.  Of course, next she showed me some lovely bracelets that she and her daughter made and were for sale.  I declined, but by the time they had passed by again, I changed my mind and they were so happy.  The little girl was 10 and she was very proud of the fact that she was making the bracelets too.  I found out that she was a single mother and this was basically her only income.  It felt good to help a local mother trying to support her daughter.  

                        

   

So, I found out that grapefruit seed extract is anti microbial and of course non-toxic.  It has many uses, but one is that you can wash fruits and vegetables with it.  I found a health store like GNC and realized that I didn't know how to say grapefruit in Spanish.  The very kind lady promptly pulled up Google on her computer and let me type in what I wanted and voila, next thing I knew she scurried off to get it and my purchase was complete.  This stuff is amazing, diluted it will clean wounds and can be added to water to purify it.  

                         

As I was returning home, I found two young women who had forgotten their keys for the house, so I let them in.  They were from Romania, but currently live in Brussels, Belgium.  When they found out I'm from the US, they could not stop telling me how grateful they are that the Americans saved them from the Russians.  They spoke of how quickly we sent troops to protect them and they have a deep love for America.  It was really touching, because right now, I am feeling very disillusioned and try not to broadcast my nationality.  I only tell people when I am asked, but these young women restored some of my patriotism.  I think I'll end here today.

Hello, old friend - Back in Merida

This is my fourth visit to Merida, my second home and the place where I plan to live again one day.  The trip down went well.  I took a different route this time - Sacramento, Guadalajara, Mexico City and finally Merida.  There's nothing like being awakened at almost 1am for a ham sandwich.  Mexicans sure do like their ham sandwiches.  It's always a crap shoot when you find out who your seat mates will be.  I can say that I had very good luck this time.  The first was a very nice Headstart preschool teacher from Yuba City.  Both of her daughters are educators as well and CSU alums.  As soon as she heard me speak Spanish, that was it, she became my Spanish teacher for four hours.  We talked a lot about education, especially bilingual education and the plight of poorer school districts and what teachers can do to help ESL students.  When the ham sandwiches were served, she whipped out a huge container of organic persimmons.  When she saw that I ate everything except the sandwich (I'm vegetarian), she insisted on sharing the persimmons.  Boy were they delicious!  

                              

Guadalajara airport is interesting.  The first sign I saw through the terminal window was Subway.  Pretty much every American fast food place you can imagine was there.  It was a little confusing at first, but I soon figured out what to do.  Basically, you go through Immigration, then Customs, then Security again.  I got the green light at customs, yay!  I felt just as thoroughly checked at security as I do in the US.  The flight was on time and I met my new seat mates.  A young man and his little boy.  This jet was brand new with touch screens on every seat and free movie selections. The little boy was very sweet and quietly watched his movie.  This was a short flight and soon we landed in Mexico City.

Mexico City, get with the program!  It's a very nice airport and there are tons of information specialists to help out weary and confused travelers, but they are the only airport without free wifi.  What is going on?  I mean, I managed, but with wifi, I get notifications regarding gate changes and delays from the airline.  The flight was again on time and it was a smaller jet, Embrear 190.  As soon as I stowed my luggage, a lady asked if I would switch seats so her family could sit together, no problem.  Before I could sit down in my new seat, a man asked if I would switch with his wife so that she could be near their children.  No problem and many thanks from the families.  So, I sat next to a young woman who was either engrossed in her phone or asleep.  So nice...

Boy was I happy to finally land in Merida.  They have special airport taxies with fixed prices that are run by the state.  I love that I don't have to negotiate a price and can just walk up to the window and pay the cashier a fair price.  The driver even gave all of us travelers ice cold bottles of water, gratis.  Taxi rides are always fun.  My driver, Luis, was a comedian.  He also took the opportunity to practice his English.

                                                   

I was greeted warmly by Miriam, Enrique and Julia at 62nd Street Guest House.  They are such lovely people and a couple from Maine that I met two years ago are here too.  It's so nice to have a little family down here.

Merida Fest

January 6th is significant in two ways for Merida.  It´s the 473rd birthday of the city´s founding in 1542 by the Spaniard Francisco de Montejo, El Mozo.  The other celebration is Three Kings Day or Epiphany,  In Mexico, children receive gifts just as the Magi brought gifts to the baby Jesus after the 12 days of Christmas.  This post will focus on Merida Fest with a series of short video clips to give you a feeling of the experience of Merida Fest.

The festivities begin on the evening of January 5th.  At 9 pm, nothing begins before at least 8:00 in Merida, a series of performances began in the Plaza Principal in front of the Palacio de Independencia.  The same gentleman is the MC for practically everything in Merida and he is just wonderful.  Interestingly, while people are late for nearly everything, they are always 2 hours early for all of the free performances, but I digress.  I don´t know if it´s true of all of Mexico, but in Merida at least, they are great story tellers and eager to share and celebrate their history.  The program began with prehispanic Mayan dance beginning with a dance about the land, then a war dance, then a dance with the entire company.  All the while there was a narrator telling the history in story form.

At the end of this performance, the MC came out and directed everyone to another side of the plaza, in front of the Casa de Montejo.  The Maya marched around the square as the hundreds in the audience moved over.  At this time, the Mayan king called out to Montejo who emerged on a balcony and Montejo proclaimed the land as his in the name of Spain.  The Mayan king protested and eventually Montejo and his people emerged from the ground floor and the two men shook hands. Somehow I don´t think this is how it really happened.  We know that the Maya did not give up so easily and Montejo tore down the Mayan palace to build la Catedral de Idelfonso.  Once this performance was over the audience was directed to yet another side of the plaza, in front of the cathedral.

This portion of the program focused on the joining of the Spanish and Mayan people and they danced together.  Following this short performance we were again directed to another stage, This time down the street about 100 meters to el Parque de la Madre.

Here the dance was of the campesinos.

Thee final performance was another block down the street at Parque Sta. Lucia. The dancers were dancing a traditional dance of the vaqueros.  This video is not of the dancing, but for you Spanish speakers, a description of the clothing worn by the Yucatecan vaqueros.

But wait, there´s more...the crowd moved over to the street where several groups of troubadours were in the street ready to lead the crowd back to the Plaza Principal.  By now it was about 11:45 and I could not stand any longer, but... at midnight the most wonderful fireworks began.  Since I have a rooftop room at Casa Alvarez which faces the plaza and is only three blocks away, the view was perfect.  No photos of the fireworks, I just wanted to enjoy it.  There are more celebrations beginning in the morning, so I´ll write about that next.

Izamal: The City of Hills

Mexico has 35 Magical Cities and Izamal is  one of two in Yucatan state.  It is referred to as a "city of three cultures."  Its strong historical roots in the prehispanic era, the colonial era, and post-revolutionary era are evident.  It is also known as the "city of hills" because of the five large Mayan pyramids located there.

Important to Mayan civilization, Izamal has been a pilgrimage site since 1000 BCE.  The maim pyramid, Kinich kakmo, which I visited is a manifestation fo Itzim Na, the god of healing, resurrection, arts, writing, ad agriculture  It's located near the center of town and we took a ride in a calesa (horse drawn carriage) around it before scaling the pyramid.  That's my horse in the pink.

Construction of the convent at Izamal was begun in 1533 and completed in 1561.  It was built atop one of the city's pyramids using stones from the pyramid and was one of the first convents in the western hemisphere.  In 1562, Fray Diego de Landa burned thousands of idols and 27 manuscripts.  He destroyed all, but three of the Maya codices which were hidden.  Because of the loss of these records, it is difficult to know why Izamal was so important to the Maya.  De Landa was punished for destroying the records and spent the rest of his life trying to piece together the records he destroyed.  

I just love immersing myself in all of this history.  

In 1993, Pope John Paul II visited Izamal and the people are very proud to have been visited by him.  He called together all of the indiginous people of the Americas and delivered a speech especially for them.  The speech is posted in Spanish on the wall of a special room in the convent which also has photos of him crowning the Virgin of Izamal and the chair in which he sat.

After the Juan Pablo's visit, the people of Izamal were very proud, so proud of their city that they painted it yellow.  That's right, the whole city is yellow!  I heard a joke while there.  Something about a boracho flagging a taxi to take him home.  When the driver asked which house was his, he said the yellow one. Umm, they're all yellow..haha

I didn't wander too far from the Zocalo since I was afraid of getting lost.  After some free time, we went to the pyramid Kinich kakmo.  Now this pyramid looked pretty small compared to El Castillo at Chichen Itza or Uxmal, but it was deceiving.  We climbed up the first part and there was a big grassy area surrounding the main pyramid.  While it wasn't as tall as some I have climbed, it was definitely steep and there was nothing to hang on to.  For those of you who know me well, I am always turning my ankles and had turned the right one a few weeks before my trip and the left just a few days before, Stairs are my nemesis, especially when descending.  I decided against climbing the second part since my injured ankles were swelling a bit and still tender, but our wonderful guide climbed up and took some photos for me.

                             

Izamal is a charming and laid back city with a very nice market.  I would love to go back and stay a night or two to get to know the locals.  It would be nice to explore the side streets and the lesser known ruins.  Izamal is 72 km east of Merida, about 45 minutes on a nice highway.