Quite a few of you will have been to Cancún. Well, Mérida is just a few hours' drive to the west from there. Or in my case, a short flight to the east from Mexico City. After a couple of months spent living mostly at altitude, and struggling to climb stairs without losing my breath, I'm finally back at sea level. Thank God. The downside is that, in the absence of cooling mountain breezes, it's pushing 30 degrees C almost every day. I hope I can count on your collective sympathy. In the absence of mountain breezes, I did at least manage to catch a few sea breezes when I made the short journey north to the beach at Progreso. See picture below. It boasts the world's longest dock (important to type that bit carefully).
My overall impression of Mexico is firmly positive. I like the food and the people and the scenery and the weather. It's just a shame that the place is doomed always to be in the shadow of its bigger northern neighbour. You get the impression that NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement) basically makes it easier for American brands and chains to grow their empires further south, without any realistic prospect of Mexican businesses being able to expand northwards to the same degree.
But trade agreements are only part of the problem. Guns are legal in the USA, so they flow south; drugs are illegal in the USA, so they flow north; money from the latter pays for the former, and much of Mexico is locked in the grip of people whose income and survival depend on both guns and drugs. The 'war on drugs' continues unabated since the 80s and victory is nowhere in sight. I wouldn't necessarily advocate for the complete legalisation of all drugs, but really, somebody is going to have to explain to me how it could possibly make things any worse than they already are.
That's more than enough ranting for one blog...however, it's worth adding that while guns and drugs haven't stopped me from visiting and enjoying Mexico, they're the main reason why I didn't make any stops on the way here from Colombia. Central American countries like El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras have horrendous problems with gang violence. Even for intrepid carefree souls like me, prudence imposes limits.
As for Mérida? It's OK. It's the capital of Yucatán state, in the eastern peninsula, and Yucatán food is justly famous all over the world. (Back home, my favourite soup from Waitrose is the 'Yucatán' chicken & bean one; obviously Waitrose have to call it 'Mexican-inspired' rather than 'Mexican', just in case anybody's stupid enough to think that it's actually imported from Mexico.) I'm not missing home cooking too much, partly because I still have strategic reserves of Bisto and Oxo in my backpack. That said, I'm yet to have a Greggs Festive Bake this year, and it gets me thinking about home. But there's time for another blog or two yet.
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| Plaza Grande |
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| Mérida cathedral |
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| Statue of Manuel Cepeda Peraza, a former governor of Yucatan |
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| Regional Anthropology Museum |
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| The beach at Progreso |
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| Edd vs Food #136 Relleno negro, a classic of Yucatan cuisine, with all the sundries. At La Chaya Maya. The main dish looks a bit scary, but it's basically just meat & sauce plus an egg. When it arrived my first thought was Shaun The Sheep. And I couldn't stop giggling for about half an hour. |
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| Comfy apartment in Merida |
