A blog about one woman's journey to Merida

Monday, February 25, 2013

What Brings You to Merida?

I've wondered why so many people have chosen to make Merida their new home. 

Is it to get away from a seemingly hopeless economy?  Political dissatisfaction?  Are income and real estate taxes pushing them out?  Is it to live a simpler way of life?  Cost of living?  The Arts and History?  Adventure? Weather?

I fell in love with Mexico in the mid-eighties.  It wasn't the blue waters of the Caribbean, sun and sand. The people and history are what drew me in.  I've never felt more at home in a place. 

On the afternoon of my very first visit in 1986, I boarded a bus for Chichen Itza.  Not a tour bus...just the type the locals take.  I was the only gringa on board and it was late at night.  I had told the bus driver I wanted to go to the Mayaland Hotel.  (Back then it cost $39 a night and that included breakfast and dinner). 

Well, at about 11:00 pm the woman sitting next to me pointed behind us and said "el hotel esta ahi", warning me the the driver had just bypassed my hotel.  I rushed to the driver to tell him that he had missed the entrance, and he told me very gruffly "el hotel esta cerrado".  Back then the only road leading to and from Chichen Itza was too narrow for a bus to make a u-turn.  Before I had a chance to argue, he pulled over in the village of Piste, opened the door, took out my bag from under the bus and told me to "take a taxi"!

Piste is a lovely place, but at 11:15 at night, alone it can be very intimidating.  Not three minutes after being left on the street, I was approached by a man who asked if I needed a taxi.  My first thought was that I was being set up...that this stranger was somehow related to the driver and I was going to supplement his income.

I had read that you always negotiate the price of a cab in Mexico before you get in the car so I asked "how much?"  His reply?  Two dollars!   He was so apologetic for the behavior of the bus driver and, when we arrived at the hotel, insisted on waiting to make sure I was able to check in so late in the evening.  I thanked him over and over and handed him $20 dollars...after all he had rescued me, hadn't he?  He refused the money and said something that I will always remember.  "El gusto es mio".

We here those words often from people in the service industry, but never are they as sincere and heartfelt as when they are uttered in Mexico.

That's where and when my love affair started  Twenty-seven years later, I'm still in love.

I have friends and family here and living on the Hudson is beautiful...but Merida is waiting for me.  I know I'll be happy. I can feel it.

So, tell me...What brings you to Merida?

7 comments:

  1. What a wonderful story! I'm glad you recorded it for posterity. And to answer your question: Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes and yes.

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  2. There were many, many wonderful moments during that first trip!

    I answered yes to all of the above too!

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  3. we too started coming to Mexico in the early 80's, or maybe it was the late 70's. But didn't find Merida till 2005.

    we regularly traveled to Mexico - normally at least once a year, many of those times to Puerto Vallarta, which still holds a very special place in my heart. Then Cozumel. We were always trying to figure out where we would end up, because we knew it would be Mexico. But that first trip to Merida sealed the where, and the when. we've been here now since 2006!

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    1. I actually looked back and our first trip to Mexico was is 1977; Puerto Vallarta. We've been to PVR probably 25+ times. I really love it there. Our next most visited was Cozumel. Living in Colorado both locations were straight flights and often with great deals.

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  4. Isn't it wonderful when you just "know" it's right?

    By the way, I've been enjoying your posts. I've been bookmarking some for future reference!

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  5. Where else can one live, where your front door is merely inches from the busy street. Yet, once inside, it feels as if you are in your own little private oasis, where you can purchase bread, pastries, or have your knives sharpened by someone riding a bicycle down the street? Where else is there music and/or dancing in the parks nearly every night of the week, year-round? We too fell in love with Mexico several years ago in Oaxaca. But it was Merida that sealed the deal. And did I mention freedom and adventure?

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