This Place is Growing on Me

Saw this beauty while on a bike ride

Merida has cooled down a little lately, and it's been amazing. Now the days are sunny and dry but not so hot that you feel like you're opening an oven when you walk outside. I rented a bike for a week and went out exploring last weekend, which was something I would not have done last month, in the hotter weather.

Ol' Yeller, my vehicle for the week

Park in Santiago neighborhood

Church in Santiago

The evenings are cool enough to wear jeans and even a light jacket sometimes. I love it. Best of all, in my new apartment, I'm in the middle of everything. After work, I just walk outside and there are people everywhere and this welcoming energy.

Yesterday was Nov. 1, the Day of the Dead here in Mexico, and I decided to go on a cemetery tour that they do every Wednesday night at 8:00 back around my old neighborhood. I figured there would be a special one for Day of the Dead. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Not only were there no Day of the Dead processions, alters or flowers, but they actually canceled the cemetery tour altogether. We were all waiting outside the gate when the news trickled through the (mostly gringo) crowd.

I know they do these celebrations of deceased loved ones a little differently here in Merida, in that they celebrate Hala Pixel, or el paseo de los animes, on Oct. 27, so it already happened last weekend. I went, and it was beautiful.

Here's a short little Day of the Dead procession video:

And here are a few photos...

Creepy thing about this pic is there were actually 3 girls.

This cop was working - loved his spirit. 

The dead, eating chips

Church in la Ermita, a cute neighborhood

However, I thought Merida would also celebrate the traditional Nov. 1st date as well. Maybe I missed something, but I don't think they really did. I walked home from the cemetery last night at around 8:30 and other than women selling tamales from their homes, I didn't see anything festive going on; it was just the usual Merida stuff, like a dance performance in the park and people out and about with their families, eating ice cream and riding in horse-drawn carriages.

Speaking of walking home, I love how safe Merida feels. I mean to feel comfortable walking over an hour home alone at night in a major city (and from a cemetery no less!), says a lot. I'm always aware of my surroundings and I stick to streets where there are people, but there's a good vibe here in Merida, for sure.

In fact, Merida has definitely grown on me. Now that the weather has changed a bit, I'm able to appreciate the other attributes of the city more. I could see myself spending winter months here and maybe summer somewhere with more elevation, like San Cristobal de las Casas. There's so much to explore in Mexico that I am thinking it's a place I could really spend some time. Should I sell my car and make it official?