OR, ALL TOO EXPENSIVE, TRASHY AND BUSY FOR A WEARY OLD BIRD.
My arrival in Merida was as one so travel weary and on the point of collapse that any hovel would have done to rest my head but I had booked what looked like a fair old style hotel. I had been travelling for twelve hours on two coaches, and my having had a rough last nights sleep in the cabana at Xpuhil added to a hideous fatigue. Boy the Mexicans like to party and play live music really loud all fucking night! Getting out of Xpuhil proved quite tricky and at one point I felt like I would never leave that little dust covered town. It had made an excellent base for archaeology but the escape was hard with very few buses and at horrific and dangerous times at night! One option had meant getting the 4a.m. bus to Campeche! I did consider it but then decided to opt for a safer route via Chetumal.
I’ve changed my travel plans so many times now I barely know where am when I awaken each morning. It’s scary and never been as bad as this before. This ever changing weather was mostly to blame at the beginning then my bad sunburn. Then the bad advice to go to Bacalar after Tulum that cost me a fortune hence cancelling a beach trip. Then staying the extra day in Xpuhil in my loud but lovely cabin. Then changing my route from Xpuhil to Merida via Chetunal rather than via Campeche. It had all been very confusing and hard work and frankly at times awful. Such is the beast of any travel, but when it’s solo it’s much harder. Much gnashing of teeth and hanging around between the super busy clambering of ruins. Many highs and lows. Much disappointment in the new Mexico and lamenting the old.
Anyhoo! My long and boring trip resulted in my arrival at night in what is the buzzing historical town of Merida. On my arrival at the Hotel Gran Centenario, a dour receptionist checked me in and I staggered up the old stairs to my room. I was horrified by the awful place that had had some very misleading photos on Booking.com. It was windowless bar a hideous slide window that looked out onto a ventilation shaft and the general claustrophobic atmosphere of the shabby abode. However I flung myself on the bed and collapsed in a grubby heap and tried to sleep. I had heard the loud music coming through the wall but thought that I would be able to sleep through it. Nah! It gradually increased in volume until I could bear it no longer and went back down to reception nearly weeping with exhaustion and made them swap my room. Finally in my improved space I slept like the dead.
Merida’s cool walkways in the searing sun
In the morning I went to a fine Yucatan restaurant opposite and feasted in a typical Mexican courtyard on scrambled eggs with ham, empanadas (served in a gourd!) a juice that had something akin to spinach in it, and a mixed fruit salad with a huge amount of coffee to get me through the day. It was so good and the atmosphere amazing that I forgot my misgivings about this town and felt brand new if a little fatigued. Off I trotted to the main square and the museum that had been closed when I was last here in times of plague! It was a great start to the day.
This old museum, Museo Casa Montejo, has a great exhibition of Francisco de Goya ink sketches from the famous series of ‘Los Caprichos’ of rather macabre political cartoons pithily labelled. There are a lot of these that are relevant to today and struck a nerve for me. Also is the original furnishing of some of the rooms. This complimented the fine house I visited last time that I was here the Quinta Montes Molin. The leafy courtyards and rooms with the original furnishing , make for a lovely exhibit, add the Goya and you’re good to go.
Also on the Grand Plaza is the municipal building with amazing paintings of the brutal subjugation of the Maya by the Spanish. There are also paintings of some of the heroes of the time who fought hard to stop the constant enslavement of the Maya people. Although I went there last time it still made me nearly cry as it’s the same old story again and again by the barbaric Spanish who even burned the remaining history of the Mayans and destroyed precious historic art and history of these people
I was already mesmerised by the centre of Merida, its typical Spanish quadrant design and pretty houses. Its shady squares for a respite to that merciless sun. Its statues and dazzling white limestone Cathedral. Its courtyards in every house and an atmosphere of how life was in those Colonial days. The Spanish lifestyle of old, oozing through to obliterate the native peoples way of living, the theft of the very stones which had previously been used in their great temples. So although from the rape and plunder of the previous culture (thankfully being restored slowly but surely) there is a lot to be admired.
Rodrigo de la Sierra outdoor exhibits. (closed at the moment)
I’ve had to take some bits from previous blogs as there is so much closed here and I wanted to show you some of the more comic nature of some artists here, so you can at least get the gist see link to ‘Mexicos Merida Mesmerises and Tequila Conquers all’
A short walk back to the main square and boom! A whole arcade of fun caricature men. RODRIGO DE LA SIERRA is a big cheese over there as I would find out the next day when the museums were open again (Monday you’ll find is a day when most countries museums are closed for the day). His work was abundant in galleries. (See below)
Fernando Castro Pacheco Museum
Then a whole bunch of stuff that was closed for restoration, or just closed. The usual shit. The Cupula, closed Casona Peon also. This had looked amazing on the ever wrong Google info, with very old colonial houses with its bits an pieces just there! Not tarted up and looking really lovely and cobwebby sort of place. Closed! It’s been bought to turn into a hotel ffs.
Museum of the City of Merida was a woeful place trying its best but with practically nothing. Only hard core tourism welcome here now. So sad. Just don’t bother.
Quinoa Montes Molina.…La Belle Epoche Time Capsule.
This living museum still has the owners living in it part of the time who are the same family that built it. (Don Avelino Montes Linaje). It was my last port of call walking from the Historical Centre to the Museum of Anthropology and History and ending up here. It’s a beautiful walk with an amazing variety of architecture (those wedding cake mansions!) and great city planning. I never made it to the modern centre and my example below, is just an example of the stunning stuff they are coming up with now. I must go back, so much more to see.
Calle 60
This is your walk up street from the cathedral, and finally the boulevard and I went in on the next day to have a look at some contemporary art galleries and check out the vibe away from the hoi polloi. Chatting with politically aware artists is always refreshing. An owner of a small but posh gallery bewailed the Mexican election saying that it had also been cheated and the new head honcho was not the peoples favourite at all, merely another Marxist puppet. I wonder if Mexico will change this as they did in the States? Seething resentment and a real atmosphere of loss of direction permeates the thin veneer of jolly tourism
SOME GALLERY STUFF, NOT ON THE MAP
Just wandering around is your best bet while things are closed some beautiful unexpected things that I stumbled across……
So while running around like a headless chicken I finally resolved to take a proper time out. I was going to go off piste and out of my comfort zone. Fuck it, I was feeling trapped in Merida, the renowned Yucatan food then had not lived up to expectations, frankly I was miserable. I would take the plunge and go to a hostel in Homun nearby. This area looked promising and I could get back to nature and visit some really lovely looking cenotes and take some fresh air walks in peace away from the bloody tourists.
So I just had a quick look at the market then sat at the rooftop pool to kill some time and top up my tan (which is peeling in sheets now despite the body butter)
As it transpired, this turned out to being the best move that I could have made.
OVER AND OUT FROM A DISHEARTENED OLD BIRD
Old Bird Travels Solo! 