Un día con los amigos

Saturday morning started with a trip out to the Mercado Fresco de 'Slow Food' Yucatan, which is an organic food market held by a collection of expats here in Mérida. Here we chatted with some nice folks and even ran into Aliza, our interpreter for the EducaTE video project. She has an organic garden, and was there selling her spicy arugula among other things. Sampled some tasty treats (even Korean food!) and brought several back with us, like fresh baked apple bread, cocoa muffins, caramelized onion bread with fresh goat cheese, and dulce de ciricote, along with the arugula for the evening's dinner.

Back at the house, the kids spent some time 'cooking' on the living room floor, then we met up with Cherie and Greenwood for lunch at La Chaya Maya, a great spot for authentic Yucatecan & Mayan cuisine. Chaya was an important staple in the Mayan diet, and since I survived my chaya drink from the night before, we both sipped chaya with our meals today. And since my crepes were made with chaya flour, I hope to stay healthy for the rest of the trip!

The meals were delicious and even the kids ate very well, especially since these dishes are completely foreign to their North American palates.

They enjoyed watching the Mayan woman making corn tortillas by hand.

After lunch, a quick walk back to Cherie's casa for a swim in the pool and plenty of sunshine. The kids played games with Greenwood, and then got an art lesson as they painted their very own wooden signs. They also enjoyed giving the pets lots of attention. It's so nice to have new friends who enjoy making us feel right at home in Mérida!

That evening, dinner at home prepared with the ingredients picked up earlier, then up to the rooftop to enjoy the clear skies, full moon, and cool breezes. Ahhh, now this is the life!