Uxmal, The Jewel of the Puuc, is simply breathtaking & considered one of the most important of Mayan ruins! This Puuc ancient city had the element of surprise as we walked the path that opened up to the most awesome view nestled with the surrounding jungle.
Uxmal is very definitely a site that should be on your bucket list as far as visiting Mayan ruins! Uxmal dates back to pre 6th Century & is an amazing collection of Mayan ruins. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. Uxmal is no doubt one of the most important Mayan sites in Yucatan Mexico. Here is a rundown of the structures we viewed.
The City of Uxmal name means “built three times” representing the past, present & future of the Mayan history. The ruins are an easy drive from Merida & entry fee was very reasonal for what you will see & learn. Absolutely amazing visit for these two senior travelers. Grounds were easy enough to walk, stairs steep here and there but all in all easy to navigate!
Pyramid of the Magician
Mayan Pyramid of the Magician
The Pyramid of the Magician is well over 100 ft high consisting of five temples! The story goes that the Pyramid was built overnight but with the many temples & size, I have my doubts but who knows for sure? Although not that long ago these ruins were open to tourists, you can no longer climb this Mayan site.
House of the Governor
Uxmal – House of the Governor
The House of the Governor took thirty-three years to build using over 1200 workers. The “House” served as the residence of the Ruler of Uxmal & sits atop five levels.
La Casa de las Tortugas
Located within a short distance of The House of Governor is the La Casa de las Tortugas or The House of the Turtles decorated with you guessed it ‘turtles’.
Uxmal -House of Turtles
House of the Turtles Info
For
To Mayans the turtle represented water & the earth. Held in esteem by the Mayans along with the jaguar & snake, the turtle had a role in the conception of life for the Mayans. The House of Turtles was built between 800 & 900 & is the simplest of buildings as far as adornment. For more on this very interesting subject check this out.
Adornment of different turtles on House of Turtles
House of the Doves
House of the Pigeons thought to date to 900 c.e.
Uxmal – Quadrangle of the Nunnery
The Nunnery consist of four palaces, each a different level from the others. It was built around 900-1000 & is named after the Nuns who were assigned there in the 1500’s because it did resemble a nunnery. For more info on this check this out.
Walls full of intricate carvings including images of Chac.
one side of nunnery quad
Pok-ta-pok or Ball Court
This Mayan ball game Pok-ta-pok was played with a hard rubber ball using only their hips, elbows & knees – no hands – no head butts. It was not only a ‘game’ of entertainment but also a way to settle disagreements with what I can only imagine might end with a sacrificial death[s]. For a little more detail on this game check this out. Here is a shot of the ball court at Uxmal. Neither side of the court was level so not sure if this is due to settling over these thousands of years or not?
pok ta pok ball court Uxmal
Other Photos from Uxmal trip!
black iguana Uxmal. We several of these ‘little’ guys in different colors & patters!
Red hand prints found on walls of the main access to large arch of main entry to Nunnery is thought to have been left by the god Zamna!.
We were into the third month of our stay here in Merida when I broke my arm that required surgery in México & put to the test the advantages of having medical insurance while traveling! Prior to this trip, The Big Guy did his due diligence & purchased travel insurance for this trip so we were covered, right?
I knew I would write about having surgery in Mexico & the process of getting reimbursed from medical insurance while traveling but I really wanted to wait until all the dust had settled. I think I naively thought it would be a somewhat smooth process but again thats on me. In this, I will share my account of surgery, cost of surgery & how U.S. travel insurance works here in Mérida, Mexico. Be assured, my arm is healing far better than I would have dreamed of especially being a senior.
I have been known to ramble so I will definitely try not to make this personal BUT it is a pretty serious issue. Pardon me if I lapse here or there. Here we go!
1] The Fall that Caused the Surgery inMexico
A perfectly lovely day until I tripped over my own two feet & ended up having surgery in Mexico! It had been a much needed walk to one of our favorite coffee cafes. I normally let The Big Guy take the lead but for whatever reason on this particular morning I was in the lead with not a thought in my head. None.. Not paying any attention period..Next thing I know I am face first on the sidewalk. A piece of stone stopped me from full facing the walkway catching my forehead instead. Blood pouring down my face. I do know when I raised my head & looked at my left arm & saw the very not natural way it was bent that this could be bad.
It seemed to happen pretty fast but this is just my recollection. Within moments an Angel stopped & was helping The Big Guy get me setting up against a pole. I’m holding my dangling arm the best I can but it hurt so bad. Ever prepared, The Big Guy had a towel & cold water from his thermos to try to stop my forehead from bleeding & the Angel was busy on her cellphone calling an ambulance. Several cars stopped & asked if they could help but the Angel had it under control & The Big Guy was helping as much as he could. An officer stopped & stayed with us, I think, until I got in the ambulance. He told The Big Guy that he recognized us from seeing us out walking every day.
As a side note: The Big Guy told me later that the Angel informed him she was calling a government ambulance as it was free. Otherwise, we would have been charged for the ambulance ride! The Big Guy also old me later he tried to get her name from her so we could properly thank her later but she was just happy she was able to help…Love Merida neighbors.
Second side note: The Officer had evidently asked The Big Guy to see our passports. I only had my passport card & that was not what he wanted but I did have my Texas drivers license on me… The Big Guy always carries the required documentation. So point taken: I always carry my passport or photocopy of it with me now when I leave the casa.
2] Star Medica Hospital
To all of you who have heard conflicting information about the health system & surgery in Mexico, let me set you straight – at least about Star Medica Hospital here in Merida. I can say from a patient’s standpoint, I could not have been treated better. Honestly! A male bilingual nurse was by my side the entire day from emergency room to operating room later that evening. He explained why & what they were doing all along the way from the trip to cutting my shirt & sports bra off to trip to the x-ray room to translating for the nurse who pulled blood & put needle into my arm for drip. The hospital was clean. Dr. Cheng, the anethiologist, explained in great detail what his part would be in the surgery & how he would be numbing, my arm, etc. The entire team of my trip to emergency, operation, recovery & dismissal treated me great, from my one sided view.
Dr. Diaz, my surgeon, was there shortly after I made it to emergency room & he put my arm into a soft sling to keep it still & for x-rays. Afterwards, he explained to The Big Guy what he saw & that I would require surgery. I had a (Helicodial fracture, distal third of the left humerous displaced &an internal rotation of the distal fragment) badly fractured humerus & my elbow had technically rotated around leaving nerves caught in the bones. Yikes. Yes, it hurt. I don’t know if it was because of the nerves caught in the fractured bones but I can only describe my arm as feeling like it was flapping in the wind & I would without looking move my right hand to hold it still against me when it was actually still but the nerves were going crazy.
surgery in mexico on arm
x-ray of arm after surgery in mexico
Dr. Diaz was awesome! He checked in with The Big Guy after the operation to fill him in on what he found. The waiting game was the morning after surgery when Dr. Diaz came in to see if I could move my fingers & wrist! Yes! No nerve damage! My follow up appointments with Dr. Diaz have been smooth sailing & scar is fading a little more each day!
Dr. Diaz stressed the need for us to be satisfied with him & his team. The hospital administrator & financial office checked in with us on release day to be sure we were happy with their services & their team. Just spectacular customer service!
3] Cost of Surgery for Seniors Traveling in Mexico
While I was in emergency room & waiting for room to open up, The Big Guy along with Elsa was dealing with the payment for the cost of surgery in Mexico! Yes, the hospital wanted to be sure they were getting paid before any surgery, etc. We were foreigners so I totally get this. As a side note, Elsa had text us during the ‘fall’ to see if we wanted to meet for lunch later. When The Big Guy told her what was happening, a short time after we made it to the hospital Elsa was there! She reviewed every single charge on the hospital invoice, stopping & asking the accounting office detailed questions about each individual charge on the six page invoice of charges. The hospital stated that the initial payment was only a deposit & additional charges would be posted to the bill. Elsa made it clear to the hospital that she was going to carefully review each charge. We cannot begin to thank Elsa for spending basically the day with us being the accountant, translator & holding the hospital accountable for anything put on the billing invoice. The Big Guy said that Elsa was amazing. Not being fluent in Spanish was definitely a weight on his shoulders that day.
Star Medica Hospital in Merida where surgery took place
Since the Hospital could not work out a direct bill agreement with our Travel Insurance, The Big Guy had to pay all potential hospital charges in advance. The Big Guy & Elsa asked the hospital accounting office for a discount on hospital expenses since they could not work something out with the U.S. Travel Insurance provider to have the charges direct billed to the U.S. Travel insurance company. The hospital staff stated the Big Guy & Elsa would need to talk with the surgeon & the hospital management. The Big Guy was advised that the hospital would not start treatment until they received the initial payment for hospital expenses.
The hospital accepted our credit card for the initial charge, however I don’t think they were expecting the Big Guy & Elsa to head directly to the hospital administrator’s office to begin negotiating for a discount to the hospital charges. The estimated hospital bill was given to The Big Guy on release day [& I’m sure with Elsa’s presence] one person started adding additional charges to the initial bill.
Elsa took the now eight (8) page invoice & began questioning each charge. As she was doing an item by item review of each charge a person from the hospital administrator’s office came over & took the eight (8) page invoice, After she reviewed the invoice she reprinted an invoice that was back to six (6) pages, but contained a 35% on certain services and supplies. The final bill was reduced to $55,000 MXN for the hospital and $50,000 MXN for the surgeon and his staff.
The hospital required payment in full before they released me. The last bill we had to pay before release of me from hospital was for the titanium plate in my arm. The Big Guy negotiated with the surgeon to pay the company directly for the titanium plate. It was initially $32,000 MXN but they reduced it to $20,000 MXN making our grand total for emergency room, x-rays, labs, surgery, meds, recovery & overnight in hospital – less than $130,000 MXN. Let me state for the record Elsa was not being paid & we only met her a few weeks before the accident. Elsa’s took us under her wing & showed us what true friendship is all about.
During this time frame, The Big Guy was in constant contact with our travel insurance provider. More on that below.
4] My Personal US Medical Insurance
We have recommended from day one that you really must have medical insurance while traveling. For a little more info seniors traveling & the need for travel insurance, check out this article. This section will be short & sweet. Medicare did not cover anything. My secondary insurance would have covered if accident had happened within first sixty days out of the states. This incident happened around the 77th day or so day so no help on that insurance.
Thank goodness we had the travel insurance right? After all, emergencies are the reason you purchase travel insurance – correct??
5] Was Purchasing Travel Insurance While TravelingWorth It?
Bless The Big Guy for being a patient man since dealing with the travel insurance while traveling has not been smooth sailing. On top of that his worrying about me…
The Big Guy contacted the travel insurance company immediately & they were concerned with my care since we were in Mexico. I believe if I remember correctly, they asked The Big Guy more than a few times if he wanted the insurance company to ‘send down their jet to get me back to the states?’ The Big Guy told them that the surgeon was going to do surgery & again the insurance company asked if they needed to send a plane down to get me back to the states.
After numerous calls, The Big Guy continued to send the insurance company what they asked for. Dr. Diaz & Star Medica Hospital were very accommodating & assured The Big Guy that they would complete whatever paper work insurance needed & they did EVERYTIME. Initially, I believe The Big Guy was told we would have response in ten days from the insurance company. Then another ten days. We are now told that they should have answer for us next week. Almost two months since the fall & they are silent.
There was no way I could have traveled with my arm fractured with the nerves caught…
Bottom Line for Seniors Traveling Internationally
It is so above my scale of making any sense why the travel insurance company didn’t think twice about offering to come get me to take me back to states in their plane but seem to be looking for a reason not to reimburse us for any of what we thought was covered? I don’t get it but I’ve always thought of insurance (of any kind) as a ‘necessary’ evil so my take on this whole saga is tainted by that. Thank goodness The Big Guy has the patience of a saint!
Anyone can fall & hurt themself, correct? But as we all age into senior traveling, the risks mount. I was simply walking with The Big Guy to a coffee shop when I had my fall. Lesson learned? I will definitely keep my mind on what I am doing instead of day dreaming!
I am in the midst of ten (10) physical therapy visits (Travel Insurance company told us upfront they do not cover) right now so that I at some point will be able to straighten my arm. I started my therapy at the Cruz Roja Mexicana Hospital de Ortopedia here in Merida which cost $120 pesos per visit which was very affordable BUT the distance we had to Uber was costly when you add up three trips per week round trip so I am now back at Star Medic for physical therapy. A few pesos more but I can easily walk to the appointments. I am happy with results that I am seeing in just this short period of time!
At posting of this, we are still waiting to hear back from the US Travel Insurance company. IF, they decide to deny our coverage, I will be posting their name in an update as an insurance company that is not – in my eyes – worth the ink on this paper. IF, they decide to reimburse us, anything, I will be happy to post their name as an insurance company who is worth that salt. Right now it is still a waiting game! I’ll update when there is a final decision from the travel insurance company!
Take care & until next time, Happy Travels With The Big Guy!
As seniors helping seniors we are asking the question “Are you ready to turn those dreams of international travel after retirement into a reality?” “Do you love the idea of traveling the world? Are you ready to face any culture shock that may come your way? Are you easily adaptable to changes? Can you easily leave the ‘stuff’ behind? These are some of the questions you will need to answer below.
We know there are a lot of retirees out there who dream of becoming a senior international traveler but have a fear of the unknown. We were you! In sharing out lessons learned from our travels, we may not have all the answers but we will give it a try to at least point you in the right direction!
We know that as we grow older it is harder for some to address cultural shock or just be downright resistant to adapting to changes in new environments. I know that changes can be scary but there is a huge world out there that will pass you by should you decide to not face your fears. We know that there are numerous questions that only seniors helping seniors know to ask. Here’s the deal, our issues as seniors traveling internationally will differ from younger travelers. That, of course, is a no brainer! As a first time wanna be senior traveler, you will have to dig down inside to determine if in fact you are ready for international travel & the culture shock that may just come along with it! There may be uncomfortable moments but we totally believe that in the long run it is so worth it!
Here are some really very -may not be so simple- questions for you to ask yourself to see if traveling is for you. Your answers after some deep thought may surprise you but will also guide you to your final decision of ‘Am I really ready for international travel’?
Questions to Help You Determine If You Are Ready For That Road to International Travel as a Senior!
If you have followed us you know we started our world travel plan years ago. We quickly realized this could possibly be a future life for us. We loved everything about traveling – new sites & especially the various cultures. Now we are retired & we have been able to turn those fabulous ‘vacations’ into everyday living. We did our homework then & continue to research now to be sure we are on our best path. We have made mistakes along the way but we share those with you in order to hopefully keep you from making the same mistakes.
Whether you are a new senior traveling alone or a senior couple, we believe the answer to each of these questions will be beneficial to seniors with the dream of international travel. Lets get started!
1. Do I have as a future senior traveler a realistic view of my limitations?
How do I see myself as a first time senior traveler? Do I want to stay in a tourist area where English is the main language & I will be treated with all the luxuries of my home? Or do I want to be immersed with the ‘natives’? How much can I handle? What are my limitations? Beach, mountains, jungle, desert??? Where do you see your happy place?
Boats on Progreso Beach
House in hills of Greece
Three Sisters Rock Formation Australia
The answers to all these questions depend on you & your limits you have set upon yourself in thinking about traveling. Are you use to driving from point A to B or would you be happy walking?
A huge question you need to ask yourself also regards your health. Do you consider it good, excellent or on the other end ‘not so hot’? The answer to this question should probably be your first issue to address before even planning traveling. If you have health issues that need constant supervision than you might want to checkout the medical facilities in the area you are desiring to travel. Check out Google to see what is in that area. Also, while we are talking medical, be sure to check with your health insurance to see if they have connections to doctors/hospitals in your new possible home area.
I am just asking you to be prepared!
2. Will I survive leaving the kiddos behind?
Ok, so health issues above have been addressed so lets talk about leaving the kiddos, friends, animals,etc behind. Now here is something else that will give some of you a lot of thought. I’m leaving this one to you to decide. If you feel like you will be missing everything or can’t cut those strings yet, you will probably not enjoy your traveling worrying about what you might be missing at “home”.
My thoughts are simple on this issue. You’ve worked your entire life to this point, raised your children & quite possibly had a large hand in raising the grandchildren, BUT, now is your time. You are still somewhat healthy & the end of your ‘working’ life is a stone’s throw away. It is your time to shine & enjoy life doing what you need to do to be happy. If that is working out in the garden, you do you & be happy. But, if you are like thousands of other retirees, you each have your own reason to travel internationally & worrying about leaving the kiddos behind should not be something to keep you from doing you. Does that make sense for you?
3. Am I up to learning a second language? Will that be an issue?
Do you have a second language? If so, I’m thinking you would check into cost effectiveness to live in a country where you already have a handle on the language.
Not knowing the language of a country you want to visit and/or possibly live should not be a deterrent to your plans but it might slow down the transition from tourist to manageable. Are you willing to take language lessons before you fly to your destination? I think this is probably the best bet if only to learn a few introductory phrases. Once you get landed check out FB pages for that expat community in your new location as they are an excellent source of information!
We found out Spanish instructor by visiting a coffee shop & as we chatted with him we learned his wife use to teach Spanish in Mexico City! Once we talked with her, the plans were set & we try to meet at least three times a week for an hour or so each. It has worked wonders for me in learning & The Big Guy has strengthened his knowledge as well. Pesos well spent!
Watching a Spanish novella is another way to learn the language plus the drama is entertaining & it doesn’t cost a thing. Destinos is a telenovela series that can be found on YouTube. It is 52 episodes & specifically to help you learn beginner Spanish. Check it out & see what you think!
4. Am I worried about culture shock?Isadapting to change difficult for me?
Anyone can face some type of culture shock even in your own home or local society surroundings but when it comes to first time travelers culture shock takes on a whole new meaning. Clash of behaviors, lack of communication, different social customs, even toilet design could throw you into a ‘what the heck did I get myself into!’ To some people the lack of those ‘comfort’ foods or the ability to dress as you please would be enough to send them home.
Ask yourself the question “Does the idea of culture shock scare me?” If you say yes, you will definitely want to do some soul searching as to what you want in your travels. If you are looking for what you already have, then maybe you should just enjoy your ‘travel’ by going to tourist destinations where they cater to well, tourists.
Island Hopping in Phuket
If you feel you are easily adaptable to changes type of person then pack those bags & get ready for some grande adventures to see what is waiting for you out there! A little culture shock is only that until you acclimate. The more you put into your state of mind traveling, the more you will get out of it. I don’t think a little culture shock can hurt anyone. To The Big Guy & I we personally love immersing ourselves into the local community of whichever country we are in & we have been blessed with many beautiful memories.
5. How much will it cost me to live in another country? Is my income and/or budget realistic?
How much will it cost me to live in another country? Depends on which country you are looking at? If you know you will have a limited income than just Google “cheapest countries for expats to retire” & you will have more than enough info to keep you reading for a bit. There are sites that give you approximate rents, etc. Now these are in stone but they will guide you to further research. I thought this article was amazing in that it has a lot of similar articles that may be interesting to you.
Once you have sat down & completed a budget of your present monthly expenses – then compare it with what you could live on in a another country! You may just be surprised. I know cost of living here in Mexico is awesome compared to the drain of living in the states on a limited income.
Mexican pesos bills & coins
Having a realistic budget will tell you whether or not you could survive in ‘that’ country you are looking at. Of course, not everyone has to budget for traveling & that is great for them but considering the number of folks who receive only a social security check with no other income, a budget is a must & the ability to stay on that budget will make or break you.
6. How Tech Savvy Are You – Seniors helping seniors get tech savvy!
This question is simply to be sure you are tech savvy with your smart phone. Your phone will be your life line should any emergencies happen during your trip. Sure, we hope nothing ever will but just in case be sure to have your emergency contact numbers along with local police, fire, hospital info, copies of your medical cards, flight & hotel itineraries, etc. Any & all of these should either be in your number list or scanned into a folder on your phone should something happen.
Apps are another evil you may have to deal with on your phone. I’ve come around to the notion that I do like my apps. My favorites are Google Translate, Google Maps, Currency Converter, insurance polices & access to my email accounts. Are you getting what I’m saying? Let your smart phone work for you!
7. Am I Willing To Leaving The “Stuff” Behind? It’s all material…
Leaving the stuff behind?!?! Really, how can you do that? More than a few of our friends, family & acquaintances asked us these questions. It was pretty easy as we were coming down to within a few months of our preset take off for Mexico.
If you are serious about your grand adventure into traveling internationally, you won’t think twice about leaving all that ‘crap’ behind. We didn’t actually leave it but sold, donated or gave away. Your house, your vehicles, clothes, electronics…..it is all material right. What joy does it bring you other than that precise moment you are using it? Probably none.
If you are ready, just take it in steps. Call the kiddos to come pick up whatever you have been holding for them. Clean out the closets for donation or yard sales [it can be several yard sales but weed out of your closet the unnecessary items].
The larger reputable consignment stores are great for those nicer pieces of furniture or decor that you would like to recoup some money from [remember the money you make goes toward the travel fund]! Let me repeat, don’t try & do this all at once, you will be pulling your hair out. Take it one step at a time. After all, if you’ve gotten this far in your plan then you already have a sale date in mind for the house & you know once the house goes on market, you will need to be able to leave shortly. If this is done right, you’ll be out of your house be closing day & eager to sign those papers & you will be done with whatever had to be done to get to this point.
One more note & we will move on. I cannot tell you how much weight on our shoulders was lifted once we walked out of the house that last time. Sad for a fleeting moment & then we were off to conquer the world! We were free!
city sign post in europe
8. Do I have a clear understanding of how my health insurance works or will it?
We hit on this lightly above in making sure you have copies of all your health insurance policies with you should something happen. Now, the question you need to answer is “Do I clearly understand what my health insurance will or refuse to cover on this trip? Call them & ask, make them talk to you about your policy until you understand completely the coverage or lack of coverage while you are out of the states.
Tell your insurance company where you will be & ask them if they partner with any doctors, dentists, hospitals, etc in that area. As a side note, when I needed my secondary health insurance a couple months ago they would not cover the accident since it was outside of the first “sixty” days of trip [it happened on 77th day]…More on that in another post.
Should you check into traveling insurance? Absolutely, just be aware of what that policy covers as different companies have different coverage. Generally, coverage for the duration of your traveling is a small percentage of cost. Lost luggage, interrupted air flight, accidents, etc are a few of what could be covered but you really won’t know for sure what you need until you speak to your insurance provider.
Bottom Line
There are so many benefits to traveling internationally to look for your piece of the pie. For now, we are in Mexico for a bit to see how this pandemic or if this pandemic changes our future travel plans. We will have to wait & see. For you though, get started setting your goals on paper & looking at it every day you will be on the road to international travel as a senior before you know it. I know the time is flying pass us.
If you have any questions or comments, please leave below. We would be happy to answer any questions you may have & if we do not know the answer we can guide you to someone who does.
These two traveling seniors have absolutely loved our time in Viva la Mexico! but, alas, it is is time for us to make an adventure into a new country! It blows our mind that it has been almost six months since we arrived in Merida!
Here is a break down of the Good, The Bad & The Ugly of Merida.
Everyday here in Viva la Merida has been a life changing adventure for us. We lost a lot in the U.S. with the forever search for material things and the idea that you have to have more… We, and yes I’m speaking for both of us on this point, have never felt more comfortable, safer or more a part of the community. That is sad but true. The warmth and acceptance into the community has been wonderful.
Yes, we heard all the propaganda stories the news stations put out every day about how ‘bad or unsafe’ Mexico is but honestly here in Merida we have seen none of that. Of course, we did not come to Mexico looking for trouble – if you do than you may be at the sorry end of the police here. That’s on you. The only issue we have had with the local police was the other night, we were walking & we decided to remove our masks. A police car pulled up next to us & hit the siren to alert us to put our masks on. Yes, they are serious about the pandemic down here in Merida & we are good with that.
Here is a break down of the Good, The Bad & The Ugly of Merida. If you have been following us than you know every day has not been a bed of roses during our stay, there have been bumps but nothing that wasn’t easily fixed. Empecemos! Let’s get started!
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly As Seen By These Two Traveling Seniors…
Where do I begin?
The Good…
Sweet bread or as they call it in Spanish “Pan Dulce!” I won’t lie, we really have to ration ourselves on the sweet breads. Bakeries!
Cocina economicas food deliveries! For a few dollars, we order our lunch from whichever cocina is offering our favorite that day! Often servings are large enough for leftovers for dinner. Pork or Chicken with beans, soup, salad & corn tortillas meals can be different just depending on which cocina you call.
Street food vendors! Need I say more?
Select Fruit & Vegetables market/store.
Mexican organic coffee. Our nose & taste buds love the various types of coffee beans & their characteristics!
Walking the streets to view the beautiful colored casas, flowers & trees. On one side street, totally unexpected, we ran across a huge coy pond right up by the sidewalk inside the fence of the casa. The coy were at least a foot long & multi colored, just gorgeous! Or the chicken poking her head out from a hole in another fence! I guess what I’m saying is to leave yourself time to walk the streets as you never know what beauty you may see.
The culture of familia is strong here. Quite a few families have wrapped us into their families & we are super appreciative of that love.
Again, the people have been so accepting of us wherever we have gone.
Some days it is toasty hot for walking but for the most part is not to bad with the breeze. We are from Texas after all.
Finding a great Spanish teacher in Georgette! We are not masters of the language yet but she has given us such a good foundation to build on.
The BEST massage therapist & acupuncturist is right here in Merida!
The closeness of the beach! A short drive by car or bus to the Gulf or the Caribbean. We will post more on this later.
Mayan / Aztec sites all over Yucatan! Cenotes! So many to choose from…so much history in this land!
I’m sure once I post this, I’ll think of another Good or Bad but will leave at this for now as I hope you get the picture YOU HAVE TO VISIT MERIDA!
I knew it. The medical services that we have dealt with have been fabulous & really spot on price wise! I’m going to post a “Contact List” for new visitors to Merida in the next week or so. It will save you some time and frustration from looking all over the internet for the various business contacts in the Montecristo and surrounding area that we made during our time in Merida.
Viva la Mexico Sweetbreads
Traditional Dessert Pies
Loved the night lights shining off this dark red building.
The Bad…
Sidewalks are not perfect [see pics below]. We walk & have seen some awesome beautiful sidewalks but with a two foot high curb. The issue is with these sidewalks, if you are not alert you could easily step off & fall or even break a bone. Other sidewalks are in such poor shape, you are better off walking in the street. Some sidewalks have ‘hills’ or dips that are not that noticeable until you step or trip on one. Bottom line, be very alert in walking Merida. Some walks have huge bolts & metal pieces sticking out of middle of walkway.
Alto [Stop] signs are treated like yield signs. Ha. If there are stop lights, you can easily cross at the light on at the speed humps. If you are on a street with roundabouts, then you might have to wait a minute or so to cross, Back to the Alto Sign – I don’t think we have been in a Uber yet that stops behind the sign to check traffic – they pull into intersection/stop/slow down/then finish crossing. I am glad I don’t have to drive here. Ha.
Speaking of traffic, it can get pretty loud especially in the evenings during rush hour. Ha. Just a lot of horns blowing.
Loose wires hanging. I’m talking what looks like cables or electric lines hanging down on sidewalks, etc.?
While it is great to have the sun, the humidity is a killer. If there is no breeze, yikes you are going to sweat your butt off. You should always carry water with you!!
You have four corners at an intersection – is it not uncommon for a street number to change from one side of street to other. Can be confusing.
Sometimes the ‘smell’ factor is not nice.
Sidewalk with steps on street of Merida
The previous pic shows why some streets have these two foot high sidewalks!
Flooded streets in Merida
Although I listed the above under ‘Bad’, the ‘Good’ far outweighs any of these little inconveniences!
And NOW The Downright Ugly!
I am going to stick my head out here & say there is really only one downright ugly thing in Merida…”THAT ONE TOURIST” [or outside person/expat] who talks down to the working class people. We were walking when a truck pulled up on street in front of a auto shop. The expat jumped out of his truck & started calling for a name of someone inside. He hadn’t even crossed the sidewalk when he was yelling at the workers to ‘speak English!]. Really, this is how you treat people? We both felt pure disgust for the behavior of this man. He clearly was ‘privileged’ or at least thought he was. Just a word of advise if he is reading this article, You are supposed to represent (in a positive way), the country that you came from and I hope you were not from the U.S.A.
Viva la Mexico! Volveremos!
Bottom line, the Good of Merida is awesome; the bad, we can live with!; but the ugly of the actions of anyone treating working class people in that way is sickening. I’m not saying all expats or tourist are like this but you only need one pompous ass to make you wonder? Enough of that.
As I stated, our time in Merida is right around the corner. We plan to come back next year but in the meantime we have a couple other countries we need to check out & we are excited to jump out to another adventure.
