by vagabondette on November 18, 2009
It’s strange to think that this is my last night in Mexico for several months and maybe my last night ever in Merida. This country, that I never intended to visit, has captured my heart. The warmth of the people, the culture and the comfortable atmosphere has made me feel at home even though at times I’m sure I stuck out like a sore thumb.
I’ve spent the last couple days in Merida visiting my old haunts but mostly visiting with friends. It’s been great to see everyone again even though Alex is gone and we didn’t get a chance to meet up. I’m not sure if/when I’ll be back but I know that when I return I’ll have a home waiting here.
Tomorrow I leave for the US. I’ll be traveling for approximately 24 hours straight and I’m not particularly looking forward to it. My first stop is Palm Springs where I’ll spend a few days with Rob, the owner of the boat I might be sailing on early next year. We want to spend some time getting to know each other before we set out just to make sure that we click in person. it feels a bit like a job interview or a first date but it should be fun and I’ve never been to Palm Springs before so that will be nice.
For now I’m going to take once last walk down to the Zocalo to say goodbye to Merida.
by vagabondette on November 14, 2009
I’m not sure what I expected from a visit to Palenque, but I didn’t get it. I think I expected it to be much larger, to have more ruins and to be just generally more. Rather than the wild, sprawling jungle ruins I anticipated what I found was a fairly small site that was manicured like a park. I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed.
One thing that I liked was watching the families. I went on a Sunday when entrance is free for Mexican citizens so the place was crawling with families having picnics and climbing on the ruins. I also enjoyed the walk through the woods to the waterfall. It was cool and peaceful and I could have stayed in that one spot all day had it not been for the annoying teenagers who were camped out there.
I visited the ruins during a break in the trip from San Cristobal to Merida so I was just spending a day there. Since the ruins were smaller than I anticipated I ended up with a lot of time to kill in town. Palenque is a cute little town and, as you head away from the bus station, the streets become lined with cute little shops and restaurants. It is clearly a tourist town but it has a nice atmosphere and I enjoyed my explorations. I ended up camping out in a restaurant on the edge of the plaza at the end of the main road. The bar was on the second floor and was open-air so it was nice to sit and enjoy the breeze, people watching in the plaza and the live music that started as the sun set. It was good to relax before my last bus trip to Merida.
by vagabondette on November 10, 2009
After seven months of living in this lovely city, I’m sad to leave. I’ll miss the intersection of the old and new cultures, the beautiful scenery, the lively streets and the friends I’ve made. But, as I never intended to stay here forever, it was inevitable.
In a few days I will make my way back east to Merida where I’ll spend a few days with my friends there before heading back to the US. I’m looking forward to visiting Merida again. Returning there feels like going home and I’m excited to see my friends. Jaime will be feeling better now and I didn’t get to see Rafa on my last trip.
Before I leave though I’ll enjoy my final days in San Cristobal by wandering the streets and markets and doing a bit of souvenir shopping. I wonder if/when I’ll be back.
by vagabondette on November 1, 2009
In the last several weeks I’ve talked to many people who have wondered why I’m no lon lger updating the blog. The simple answer is: I wasn’t doing anything interesting enough to write about. I settled into San Cristobal and was just living life - working, eating, hanging out with friends. Not exactly interesting or entertaining things to write about.
That will be changing however as I start the next leg of my trip. In February of 2010 I will be leaving on a sailing trip that will start in San Diego, California and end in New Zealand approximately a year later. I’ll be updating the blog with both pictures and descriptions as we make our way south along the coast of Mexico, west to French Polynesia and then island hop south to New Zealand. It should be a great trip.
Between now and then I’ll post some updates of my travels around the US as I visit friends and family in California, Illinois, Indiana, New York, DC and Arizona.
