Conclusion of Merida, Mexico

By Jeremy Carter - Guest blogger traveling in Merida, Mexico. Here it is my last night in Merida, and while in some ways it feels like I've been gone from North Carolina forever, the last month was certainly too short. I've spent most of today packing and buying gifts for friends (and for me, too, of course), and now I'm winding down the evening by having a Leon Negra (a local brew) at Restaurante Nicte-Ha (flower of the water) at the main plaza in downtown Merida. It's a lovely night here at the zocalo, with most of the sidewalk cafes full, couples courting in the park and horsedrawn carriages clopping down the stone street. Much of the area is closed to traffic and bands are playing on the side streets. And from the trees filing the park come the sounds of the tropical birds that call Yucatan home. Which brings me to my list of the top things I've learned in the past four weeks: 1. Yucatan has (what seem to me to be) the noisiest birds in North America, especially for their rather diminutive size. Their calls are varied, beautiful and often amusing, but here in the zocalo, the calls you hear after dark are a recording (no joke) that serves two purposes: 1) ambiance, and, most importantly 2) to drive off the pigeons so they don't poo on everyone at night. 2. Yucatecans of all ages love to sprinkle their sentences with Mayan words, adding even more character to an already Technicolor language. 3. I love mangoes. 4. "¡Huepa!", which means, more or less, "Cool!", is my new favorite interjection, thanks to a funny commercial on MTV-LA. 5. Being 85 years young doesn't mean you should slow down one bit, as I've learned from Dona Nena, my house mother. She still takes cooking classes, regularly attends arts performances, cooks a mean "pulpo en su tinta" (octopus in its ink) and reads entire novels in a week. 6. Mayan culture is engrained in the lives of Yucatecans. In addition to the language still being alive (see #2), Mayan recipes are part of most home kitchens and restaurants, and kids learn from an early age about Mayan history, traditions, legends and religion, even through the vast majority of the population is Protestant or Catholic. 7. Cold showers are divine. 8. And finally, four weeks is – obviously – not long enough to stay in Merida. You'll need two weeks to adjust to the heat, and the third week you'll finally have the energy to explore the bus system and gain a semi-serviceable knowledge of it. The fourth week you'll finally start venturing out to make friends. I could fill several pages with what I've learned this month, but that's the top eight. So now I'm going to close the night by walking home up Paseo de Montejo. It's a long walk of about 40 minutes, but it's one of the most beautiful avenues in Merida. Plus the stroll will wear me out so I can sleep well in preparation for a long day of traveling tomorrow. Hasta pronto... Jeremy