Saturday, February 14, 2009

A real update!

OK, my posts have been lacking since I´ve been on the road, and this is the most excitement I´ve been in, so I apologize. 

Last night around 9 I arrived in Merida and got to my new hostel, again right on el zòcalo! I was feeling better than I have all week, but I ended up falling asleep almost immediately after arriving. I woke up around 7:30 and I no more upset stomach! I finally got out of the hostel around 9:30am, but, I mean, what is there to do before that anyways? I took a realllllly long walk north along a major shopping street in Merida to Paseo de Montejo, which is a giant tree-lined street that the rich people of Merida modeled after Champs-Elysées from Paris. It has a lot of really old mansions and a museum, that kind of thing. It was pretty nice to walk along, and I got a coffee. 

When I was drinking my coffee, I found a tourist magazine that was really helpful, and it had all these maps to interesting places, particularily an organic coffee shop selling coffee from Oaxaca, Chiapas, and Veracruz. So, yes Mom I got you coffee. It was a hell of a hike to get there though, and by the time I made my way there and got the coffee I was ready for lunch. It was nice because it worked out that I was in the area of the restaurant I wanted to go to in my book! That was also a long trek, and I got there around 1pm. 

Ate some good fish for lunch, and got a taxi back to el zòcalo because I it was really really hot, and I was wearing pants. On my way back here the shops were open, so I saw some cute little places close to here that I want to check out. Right now I´m at the internet cafe that is underneath the hostel, which is really nice. 

My hostel isn´t as cool as the other ones I´ve been at. The first, in San Cristobal, was all open, with lawns and gardens, a little bar and kitchen for breakfast, and just a really cool place. One of those buildings they built into a hill, so at one point you go inside a door, and climb stairs, and you find another outdoor area. It was confusing at first, but really nice to be around. Then in Campeche, the place was really sweet. It was just a little doorway on the street with a staircase, but when you went up the stairs, there were hammocks and chairs, computers, people hanging around all over, and an open balcony onto the zòcalo. Since I wasn´t feeling well, it was the perfect place to just lounge and drink a lot of water. 

I did get to walk around the city walls, and went to a museum with my Quebec friend. That was cool, because it was a museum of all the things they found in Calakmul, the amazing jade funeral masks, and really detailed carvings. It was really awesome to see after going to the site. Campeche was a really small laid back place, so while I didn´t get to spend the full day seeing everything, I´m not worried. Plus, to get to the museum, my friend and I took a city bus! So, that was one of my crowning achievements of the trip so far actually. She spoke less Spanish than I did, but she could really get places. The bus was cool, standing room only, we hailed it off the street, all the good stuff!

This hostel now is definately an old house on the inside, but, eh, whatever. It is a bed for 10 bucks on the zòcalo. I can´t complain. I do have a big list of others, which I know there are tons here, a lot in the big old houses, and from the websites, have more of an atmosphere, but, whatever. I like this location. 

Tomorrow night at some point I´m going to Playa del Carmen. I´m debating whether or not to sleep here for a few hours then take the 3:30am bus to arrive at 8:30 and spend a full 2 days there, or whether I should take a night bus, at like 7 or 8, so that I can just wake up there and go from there. 

I found a little tiny place called Cabañas la Ruina, which is seriously on the beach, apparently it is a survivor from the hippy days and is clinging on to their property and not selling to the condos that surround it. Prime location. I can even rent a hammock to sleep in. I´m seriously considering it!

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