Merida to Campeche
Did Merida impress? Not massively. It had nice things going for it like a beautiful new park area that incorporates the past tastefully with its train carriages; a perfect area for a family afternoon and a food hall to start early drinks.
We were there during Merida Fest but quickly realised this was just musica romántica in a different ‘barrio’ (neighbourhood) every night with an overly chatty comparè to drive me nuts. I was desperate for a bit of Reggaeton but alas, they love their smooth listening!
We did a walking tour with Free Tours, which was fun – we learned more about the Day of the Dead and how they celebrate it – much less macabre than I had imagined. The tour guide had lost her father, so on the Day of the Dead, she sets the table, makes his favourite dinner: mole and rice with a Coca Cola, the mention of which made the other Mexicans in the tour smile in acknowledgment. Then the day after, she throws the food but drinks the coke. It reminded me of something my daughters and I did recently to remember their Nanny – we had a M&S ‘picky’ tea – food is such a comforting way to remember loved ones. Hope my kids don’t blitz a bolognaise for mine! (Family joke!)
Stewart found it very romantic that the spirits are collected from the graveyard and walked back to the family home. People without families could join in too.
She took us to an arty gallery and I made friends with Catrina – Frida Kahlo’s husband’s take on a previously Aztec idea which had evolved into a satirical figure, mocking the privileged classes for not being ‘of the people’ into a traditionally acceptable figure that looked more Mexican and made Death more elegant.
We then started to look at more factual aspects of the city: she told us how the government reacted to a pivotal feminist meeting at the university by getting a French sculptor to duplicate a Parisian maternal statue, next to the university, to remind women of their place … hmmm; she’s very excited to have a female president – and super optimistic about what this will mean for the women of Mexico. (We didn’t have the heart to mention our 3!) And lastly we saw how the forced Mayan labourers had secretly designed their god’s scales onto one of the Cathedral’s turrets as a pushback.
People here are extremely proud of being Yucateca (this region) – more than being Mexican. Guys, young and old, just stopped us in the street – not tour vendors- to ask what we were doing that afternoon and to tell us about Merida and things we could do and see. They are very happy and optimistic – we smiled when the tour guide explained that the number 1 reason Mexicans are such happy people is that they eat chilli with everything (literally – all fruit, sweets, drinks) and it boosts serotonin, raising your endorphins. I try to achieve the same thing by eating chocolate … constantly- it’s scientific!
At the Museum of Yucateca Gastronomy you can eat traditionally made food and see it cooked in the village behind. We only saw them make tortillas but they cook pork pibiI in pots in the ground too. I had the famous Lima Soup (turkey broth, made spicy with a marinated bitter lemon, filled with shredded turkey and taco strips) and Stewart had a filled Squash (below). Both were tasty but mine didn’t pass the photogenic test. I would have gone back again for the famous pibil when I heard about the 12 hours and more cooking process, in banana leaves, in the ground, that you could watch at 12 midday, but they charged an exorbitant amount of money for some water bottles we ordered, which put us off!
El Lucero was recommended to us as a place to get loads of tapas with your drinks – enough to qualify as ‘tea’. It certainly didn’t disappoint. We had a pina colada and a beer and along came a plethora of small plates. And then some more. Just with one drink. Stewart also tried the Michelada Tamarindo – a Mexican version of a fruity Bloody Mary that you fill up with your beer. It has a red straw in it coated in zingy red stuff that keeps the flavour high. I made the mistake of trying to drink the beer through it. Like a weird sherbert explosion!
So, onto Campeche. This is Stewart’s favourite so far. It was a port – so no guessing why. He was reunited with his mate Pedro the Pelican! They certainly slowed his morning walks down with their antics!
They call it the Rainbow City because of the coloured buildings and their ‘beautiful’ street is double storey giving it a European charm. The city felt quieter and less driven towards tourists. We walked the walls, rang the bell and spied a cute wedding.
Hotel Casa Piedad, where we stayed, was in a quiet neighbourhood that felt like a calm community. Outside the city walls on the other side it was a different story. Crazy, mad markets and busy, busy people. I walked forever to find the Walmart along one of these streets to replace my special ear plugs I left in Valladolid (sad!) I got that dodgy feeling like you’ve ventured out of where they’d like you to be. Maps and the signal conspired against me too – so I gave up!
We walked up to the Spanish fort which had a Mayan museum inside. It was just enough to give you some key information without being overwhelming. Stewart really liked it – I’m such a heathen when it comes to museums. I love art galleries but I tend to switch off in museums (who said that?!) I can’t retain information by reading plaques so I know it’s wasted on me but we practised our Mayan numbers – a clever system – and Stewart enjoyed the small sculptures.
