Can that fit in my suitcase? : Mexico, Part Dos

On the last day of the Cancun project, the staff invited me to an authentic Mexican restaurant in the downtown area, which was beyond exciting after 2 weeks with tourists. As we walked in, I saw the mariachi band, gigantic margaritas, colorful sarapes, and tortilla chips on every table. This is authentic? Really? Honestly, the only different between this place and every Mexican restaurant in America is the Spanish menu (although who really needs an English menu to order Mexican food anyhow?)

This is what "authentic" Mexican restaurants look like

After a couple margaritas that were the size of my face, I barely noticed the mariachi band behind me.

This is how "authentic" Mexicans dress for dinner.

The next morning, some staff offered to take me out again – this time to a Playa Del Carmen. It was such a different vibe than Cancun (in a good way) and we had a lot of fun walking along the beach and through the town. My biggest laugh of the night was when one girl suggested a restaurant that “all Americans love” and proceeded to lead us to a Brazilian steak house. I really appreciated the thoughtful gesture, even though I ate more meat in that one meal than I usually consume in an entire week. The day in Playa Del Carmen was the perfect end to a fun project.

Walking along the beach in Playa Del Carmen

My next project was in Merida, which is a small city with lots of Mayan influence. The lifestyle was so relaxed and simple that I truly felt like I had gone back in time. People were strolling through the parks, streets were closed for for bicycling, and cafes along the road were filled with people just sitting around, eating ice cream and, I assume, wondering how many more years they could get out of their VW Beetles. No joke – these cars are everywhere in Mexico.

People don't like to drive in Merida...

...unless they're in one of these beauties!

The downtown area is anchored around the oldest cathedral in North America and actually reminded me a lot of Morelia, which I visited in 2009. The biggest difference is that the cathedral in Morelia has a weekly sound and light show, which seems to attract every resident of the town (even though the show is exactly the same every week).

Here's the Cathedral in Merida, lit up at night

Memories from the 2009 trip to Morelia!

On my first Friday night in Merida, I went out with some of the staff and learned that lots of locals actually still speak Mayan as a primary language. No wonder why I couldn’t understand half of what people were saying! By this point in the trip, I was actually getting tired of speaking only Spanish so I booked myself on a full-day tour (in English) to Chichen Itza, just to let my brain relax!

I was really excited to see this Wonder of the World and it totally lived up to expectations. The main pyramid that you see in all the pictures is overly restored, but one side is maintained in its original condition and the rest of the site also remains largely untouched. These Mayans were incredibly advanced for their time and it was amazing to hear the stories about how life may have been for them.

The observatory was my favorite part of the Mayan ruins

For my second weekend, I found out that I couldn’t have picked a better time to visit Merida because they host a killer parade for Carnival. Normally, I only watch parades when drum corps are involved, but I eagerly made an exception in this case. The dancing, floats, lights, and overall atmosphere was a fun way to spend my last nights in Merida. I was also amazed at how well-controlled the viewing areas were. Just when I thought Americans were masters at making money, the Mexicans proved superior by fencing off literally the entire sidewalk and requiring all spectators to pay a minimum of 30 pesos for a chair. Best $3 I have ever spent!