Sunday in the Park with Family

We spent Sunday close to home, exploring Mérida with a combination of sightseeing and shopping.  Started out by hitting the market, and finally found the shop we had seen earlier that had the soccer uniforms we wanted to try on Lukas.  We couldn't decide so we wound up getting him a green Team Mexico outfit plus a red and white striped Bimbo bread sponsorship uniform.  Bimbo is the Mexican equivalent of Wonder bread, and no, he doesn't need to know the negative implications the word 'bimbo' might have in American language! He just looks cute.



 
From there we spent some time in the Museo MACAY, which is the contemporary art museum.  There we found the Yucatan's answer to the Mona Lisa.  But the most memorable exhibit was an antique wedding dress that had been fashioned into a family tree.  The artist had embroidered on it pictures of each family member, including all the couples and their wedding dates.  From the images, threads led to notes and details that surrounded the dress all over the floor.  It made you wonder whether the dress was handed down from generation to generation,  and worn at each wedding throughout the years.  A very interesting and beautiful way to transform a family heirloom into a true work of art.


Afterwards we made our way to Plaza de la Independencia, where the Sunday in Mérida celebration was going on once again, as it does every week.  We combed through the handcrafts looking for souvenirs, and Jennifer finally picked up a couple of beautiful embroidered Yucatecan dresses (I had been after her all month to get one because they look great on her and she could wear it in our family photo before we ended our trip).  I found a couple of linen guayaberas that I really liked as well.  Afterwards, we walked the park, listened to music, and worked up an appetite.

We wandered into La Serenata on Calle 60 and went to their upstairs dining room for lunch.  In retrospect, the food was so-so and the atmosphere was non-existent, but at least it had a nice view of the park and all the festivities going on.  Oh yes, and more Jamaica tea for the kids (what do they put in that stuff, they're addicted!)




After lunch we walked a bit more, then treated the kids to tropical sorbets at El Colon.  Mmmmm!  Before we knew it, it was 4pm and the parking garage was due to close.  We hoofed it back just in time to find our car was the last in the lot.


Once back at the house, the kids happily swam for almost two hours.
They just love this pool!

Finally, with the kids in bed for the night, Jenn and I were able to share a nice evening featuring margaritas in the courtyard.  What a nice combination:  a warm tropical breeze and dancing to Latin music with your sweetheart.  Does it get any better?

Wednesday: Dzibilchaltun

Yesterday was a day where the pictures can pretty much do all the talking. A mostly cloudy day, so we left Mérida and visited the ruins of Dzibilchaltun, about 10 miles to the north.

Discovered in the 1950's, Dzibilchaltun was once a great Mayan city, home to as many as 40,000 people. Artifacts have been discovered that date back to around 500 B.C.

Even with an occasional drizzle of rain, the kids had a great time climbing some smaller pyramids and exploring caves all over the ruin site. The cloud cover actually worked in our favor today, allowing us to explore longer and take lots of pictures without sweltering in the hot sun.

Here are a few more good shots exploring the ruins...

Trapped...

in a Mayan catacomb

With the kids at the top

Kids surveying their kingdom

Emma on the sacbé to the final temple

The centerpiece of the ruin site is the Temple of the Seven Dolls, which is named for the seven figures found inside of the temple. It's thought to have been an astronomical observatory, since the sun lines up precisely through its windows during the spring and fall equinoxes.

As our explorations at Dzibilchaltun were winding down in the afternoon, a pretty steady rain began to fall. Since we were already getting wet, we decided to cool off with a swim in Cenote Zlacah which is on the grounds. A cenote is like a well; it's a sinkhole that connects to subterranean fresh water.

As we rounded the jungle growth near the cenote, it became very plain that two gay caballeros were getting a bit too friendly for a family-style establishment. And since they had chosen to display their affection for each other in the shallow end of the cenote, that meant we had to trek all the way around to the deep end with the kids. Of course, that's the side that is over 140 feet deep. Nevertheless, our kids had a great time splashing around in the cool water with hundreds of tiny fish swimming all around them. And thankfully, they never took any notice of the show at the other end of the water, which continued without any regard for the children or families present. Neither of us are ready to field those types of questions yet!

Once we were done swimming, the jungle mosquitos chased us out of the area pretty quickly. By the time we headed home, we were extremely hungry, having only fed our kids cookies and juice for lunch earlier (another great parenting moment). We'd had a full day, so we decided to order pizza once again.

My confidence with the Spanish language was growing daily, so the telephone ordering process had only a few minor hiccups this time. However, it became apparent that "salchichas" does NOT mean sausage, because I managed to order us a hot dog pizza for dinner. Another gourmet meal for the Cornine family. Oh well, when you're hungry, hot dog pizza really isn't half bad.

Some days just aren't easy...

Ok, time to be brutally honest. Not EVERYTHING can be perfect in paradise. Take this mosquito thing, for example. Sure, I get that it's considered "the rainy season" in Mexico, so you expect a few more bugs buzzing around. Plus, that tropical storm that passed through before we got here sure didn't help. I've been patient. But now they're getting on my nerves.

Don't get me wrong... there are no giant swarms of mosquitos. No, they're much too stealthy for that. I'm convinced that there are actually only 3 or 4 mosquitos that follow us around everywhere. And that's because as soon as you try to nab one of them, they vanish. Inexplicably. They only come out of hiding as soon as you give up looking for them. Mexican mosquitos are sneaky little chameleons, and they thrive on making me look like a fool, swatting and clapping at nothing but air.

Now that I've gotten that out in the open, I can post about yesterday. I needed to follow up on some emails and get some editing done, so Jenn decided to shop as the locals do by heading out to the open air markets in the morning. However, not many vendors were still open and the pickings were slim, so she bypassed the freshly plucked headless chickens, and ventured straight to... Walmart. No ordinary Walmart, the SUPER Walmart with the marble facade and the underground parking garage. In Mexico, they don't mess around.

Emma stayed home with me while the pool guys cleaned the pool and repaired the fountain for us. The sun was still shining by the time my editing was completed, so I headed up to the rooftop to have a look around and to snap a few pictures.

I wasn't really too concerned when Jenn & Lukas didn't return after a couple of hours; they were going grocery shopping after all and with our previous attempt at deciphering labels, I knew it could take awhile. It wasn't very far away. After the third hour, I reminded myself that Mérida is the safest city in all of the Yucatan (as I paced back and forth, checking the phone, my mind reeling with the possibilities). By that time, the sky had darkened to a dismal grey, then almost black as the clouds opened up and the rain began to pour down.

Finally, I spotted a shadow through the glass front door. It was Jenn and she was had fire in her eyes. It seems she had picked out a whole cart of groceries, gotten to check out, and had the bank decline the transaction because it was the first time she was using her debit card in Mexico. Even though there was plenty in the account and we had already informed the bank about our trip. We had used MY cards with no problemo, but now with her card for the same account, no can do.

She promptly got on our business line (our Mexican cell won't call the U.S.) and gave Bank of America an earful before heading all the way back to Walmart to get the groceries. By this time it was pouring, roads were flooding, and most of the items in her cart were gone. So, she went shopping for a second time.

By the time she returned, it was close to 4pm which left just a short while before we were expected for dinner at Cherie's house. So a quick shower and scramble and off we went...

Cherie's house is simply stunning. The original structure must be over a century old and it's been redesigned by her husband Greenwood, who's an artist. A beautiful open layout with a brand new addition and a huge backyard and sunken pool. The intricate pasta tile throughout most of the home is all original, but looks brand new. I've never seen anything quite like it back in the states.

Spending time with Cherie and Greenwood was an absolute pleasure. They are gracious hosts and seem to be very caring people. Greenwood spends time with kids weekly at a local orphanage, teaching them art. This evening, he took time to show Emma & Lukas their collection of Mayan artifacts, and they had a blast playing instruments, hugging pets, and creating their own art as well.

For such a difficult day, it certainly ended on a pleasant note. And you know, even though we spent the whole evening chatting outside on the patio, there wasn't a single pesky mosquito in sight.

How you feelin'? Hot, hot HOT!

Domingo en Mérida está muy caliente!

Every Sunday in Mérida is a fiesta, as entire streets close down and parks fill up with art, music, food, and fun. We headed out to Calle 60 to be a part of the action, and there was lots of it! Picked up some handcrafted doll clothes for Emma and looked at Mexican antiques, before stopping to watch couples dancing to latin rhythms in Parque Santa Lucía. What's striking about Mérida is it's reverence for senior citizens; they are as much a part of the action as everyone else. No rocking chairs here!

By then the heat was in full gear, so it was the perfect time to cool off with some coconut ice cream.

The churches and cathedrals in Mérida date

back several centuries, so we stopped to check out some of the stunning architecture as we made our way over to the Plaza Grandé for more live entertainment. Street mimes, clowns, and strolling minstrels, and plenty more food. A nice sense of community and lots of friendly folks, even though we are clearly 'las turistas'.

A very entertaining mariachi band took over the square to entertain hundreds of onlookers with music and dancing, before the sweltering

heat gave way to a heavy but brief downpour of rain. We headed back to our casa to let the kids cool off and nap before getting ready for dinner out. We're thinking Italian food at Pane e Vino is in order tonight...plus it's AIR CONDITIONED!

MARIACHI BAND VIDEO CLIP