La Comida de Mérida- Yucatanean

Okay, so those who have followed my blogs before know that I always include a food post--again for my own memories, but also for my foodie-geek friends and family, and you know who you are!

But the regional food in Mérida is not traditional Mexican cuisine, it's Yucatanean. I've eaten in only traditional Yucatanean restaurants so far on this trip and have not been disappointed. If I get the order right, my slide show of "La Comida de Mérida" includes:

• Pescado cerviche- white fish marinated in lime juice with olive oil & cilantro
• Ajo Pescado Mojo- (fish fillet in toasted garlic and lime)
• Queso Relleno-  a carved and baked edam cheese ball served with light, almost brothy white/green sauce (tomatillos?)
• Sopa de Lima- a lime-based soup with turkey and tortillas
• Panuchos, Puerco and Pavo- black bean filled tortillas, made into tostados with shredded pork or turkey (I had both)
• Las Tresmosqueteros- 3 chicken filled crepes, each with a different traditional yucatanean sauce: Papadzul (green pumpkin seed), Pipian (red) and Relleno Negro (very, very black) with pureed banana separating each of them
• Pollo Pibil-  Chicken marinated in a crimson achiote-and-citrus marinade, roasted and served in banana leaves
• Activo yogurt, prune flavor is my favorite, a staple "school" snack when I'm in Mexico

La Escuela

I wasn't sure I was going to take a Spanish class this trip. I knew I didn't want to join an early morning group class, which usually start at 9am-- after all I am on vacation. One of the luxuries of being in a Bed &  Breakfast like this is the leisurely mornings sipping coffee, obviously having breakfast and enjoying the premises. But I worked out a couple of hours in the later morning in a private class at CIS (Centro de Idiomas del Sureste) . It was strictly conversational. After I told Francisco, my teacher, that I needed to work on my listening skills- he began to talk, and talk, and talk, but it was great. It turned out really interesting. I practiced my listening skills and he told stories and then I shared some of my own stories. 

Franciso is involved in helping women who are incarcerated in the women's prison here in Mérida. He taught a writing workshop to the women prisoners and became very involved in the cause of the inequities between the women prisoners and the men. He is very knowledgable and passionate about the conditions of prisons, especially for women and was invited to Argentina by Las Madres de Plaza Mayo.  He brought in the book that they published and told me some of their stories. 

Then I shared my own story of my friend, Rosana and her deportment back to Guatemala in 2009, and subsequent legal return to the United States in 2011, winning her court case for illegal immigrant women who have been abused. Francisco asked if I would put my story in writing and send it to him to be translated (Thank God, he didn't ask me to write it in Spanish, although I am pretty proud of my ability to tell the story in Spanish.)  He said it was a beautiful story of hope, which it really is. I was honored. 

So, I didn't learn any grammar, and barely improved the grammar I have acquired, but I believe I've moved myself a little forward in the audio processing department!

Paseo Montejo

Ayer me di un paseo arriba y abajo El Paseo Montejo . . . . 

Yesterday I took a walk up and down the Paseo Montejo. "Travel guidebooks talk about Paseo Monejo as the "Champs Elysees" of Mérida. Paseo Montejo is a wide tree-lined boulevard "with restaurants and cafés, which share the space with banks, insurance companies and beautiful mansions, some luxurious and some abandoned." Even the Starbucks (featured in my slideshow) was on the fancy side.

Mérida was founded in 1542, but Paseo Montejo came to be in the late 1800's. The mansions were built due to Yucatán's prosperity in the late 1800's as "a result of the enormously lucrative henequén industry". (Henequén is an agave whose leaves yield a fiber used to make rope or twine.)  Then as that industry died out, many of the mansions were abandoned, and some are now in the process of being revitalized. It was easy to imagine what life might have been like in those days walking down this street. 

Be sure to click on my slide show to the right of this posting, but you can also see some beautiful shots by clicking HERE (Google Images) Those photographers had some better angles than I could get.

Quick weather update- I heard that last week's weather here in Mérida was 104 degrees and HUMID with lots of intense sun. I arrived at the end of that with a pretty hot and humid Sunday. Then Monday was cooler and today was almost too cool for the summer clothes I only brought, in the low 70s and windy. It is to get hotter each day until 90s towards the end of the week.

CasaAna

The beautiful garden and dipping pool right outside my door

I hear I got very lucky! The weather has taken a nice turn towards cooler. There is a lot of cloud cover and is expected to be in the 70's today, similar to yesterday, although I see 80s and then 90s by the end of the week. I found a school, Centro de Idiomas del Sureste, yesterday, only a couple of blocks from where I am staying, at CasaAna's. I worked out a private schedule for a couple of hours each day and had my first class yesterday. It was really good. I'm told I can "take the class out of school" and we can take a little side trip for our class. I'm hoping to go to Progresso maybe tomorrow or Thursday.

I wanted to share my home for the week- I'm staying in CasaAna, run by two Cuban women, Ana and AnaMaria. They've been great and I feel really comfortable here. It is a small place, with the guest rooms outside of their main house around this lovely garden with a dipping pool and little areas to sit in the shade and catch a nice breeze. There are 5 rooms ranging from $40 - $50 per night with $10 extra if you use the air conditioner-- I used it one night, but last night it was perfect with just the fan and open window. I'm in the Habeñero Room, on the ground floor with a little patio right outside my sliding glass window. I've posted a little slide show of the house starting from the street side. CasaAna is true to all Mexican homes and lodging I've known- not so attractive on the outside, but beautiful on the inside. You can always expect a nice surprise once you've entered the main door!

Connectors . . . conector eléctrico

The importance of knowing your plugs!
Always good to have a 2-prong adapter for those 3-pronged  power cords!

Waking up in 80 degrees of humidity

I'm changing things up a little this year and am in Mexico for Spring Break. Mérida has been on my Bucket List since Robert and I saw it on Rick Bayless' KQED show, "Mexico, One Plate at at Time". I've been putting it off for summer break as it is HOT down here and humid and July it is rainy and their hurricane season. March is said to be their driest month-- no sign of rain, but it is humid! Went to bed in the 80's last night and woke up pretty close to 80 degrees this morning! A little shock from leaving the mild start of spring in the San Francisco Bay Area.

As usual, starting back when Ruth and I made our first blog together in Morelia, I've made a blog to document and archive my trip for "me", but also for friends and family who might be interested in what I'm doing. Plus, it keeps me company as I travel "sola" again. So, read it if it interests you, forgive me for bombarding you if it doesn't-- really consider  "following" and/or "commenting" as that really makes me feel more connected.

So where is Mérida?

It is South Eastern Mexico on the Gulf of Mexico, about 4 hours from Cancun and about 25 miles or 40 KM from the coastal town of Progresso.

I arrived last night about 9:30 and stayed at an airport Inn, Hacienda Inn- very Mexican. I'm the only "gringa", not a foreigner in sight. It is a sprawling roadside Inn, with a huge pool (too hot and humid for me right now though), with kids playing around, but it was clean and comfortable and I feel very safe. The Yucatan is considered to be "the safest state" and Mérida the "safest city" in Mexico. There is nothing touristy about this hotel, which is right on the main drag from the airport. I prefer staying at an impersonal hotel before going into a more intimate setting when arriving late at night to get my bearings.  I'll be going into El Central soon to stay at CasaAna. 

Well, I'll need to return to this later when I have more patience in setting a background for this year's blog.

Stay Tuned . . . . .  Paméla