I've noticed that news of the Mexican drug cartels are seeping into the US media. Mexico is basically in a state of war against the drug cartels: a war that Mexico is going to lose unless it gets some help.
Northern Mexico is a violent area, and people are being killed everyday, especially policemen. Government officials who stand up against the drug cartel leaders are at extremely high risk, and many are eventually kidnapped and killed.
I'm only mentioning this because I want everyone to know that the Yucatan is SAFE! The drug violence is mainly concentrated on the US border, and I'm about as far away from the US as I can be in Mexico. The Yucatan, for the time being, is mainly unaffected from the violence. Furthermore, Mérida is probably the safest place in the Yucatan. So nobody needs to worry about my safety, or whether the violence is anywhere close to me.
But pay attention to the coverage of the drug war! It's on the US's doorstep, and we should be concerned about it.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Preparing for a Trip
This weekend is our second free travel weekend, and Sara and I are off to the Caribbean! We're going to a small fishing village about 30 minutes south (?) of Cancun, between Cancun and Playa del Carmen. We really wanted to hit the Caribbean coast this weekend, but we don't quite appreciate loud touristy areas. Thus our choice of Puerto Morelos. It has beautiful beaches without all the craziness of Cancun. And the reef there is part of a national park, so it's said to be beautiful. We're planning on snorkeling, which I'm super excited about.
I had to go to Walmart today to find some underwater disposable cameras to take with me. I usually would just go to the Super Bodega or the Mega, since Walmart is a bus ride away, while I can walk to the other places. But Valerie said my best bet at finding the camera was a Wally World. Sara and I managed to get on the wrong bus (completely my fault) and we wound up downtown. It was fine because we just found the Walmart bus downtown, which was easy. Then after we were done in Walmart, we managed to get on another wrong bus! Luck wasn't with me today...it turned a few blocks earlier than we wanted, but we just ended up walking a couple extra blocks. All was good! Maybe someday I'll figure out where the Walmart buses are hiding, but probably not. I'll just avoid it! :)
Anyways, tomorrow right after breakfast we're off to the bus station for a 4 to 4 1/2 bus ride. We're getting one of the nicer buses, in hopes that the ride won't seem too long. When the difference between the prices is just a few bucks, going for the luxury class is so worth it. Just take a long bus ride in Mexico, and you'll see what I mean!
I hope to have a very interesting blog when I get back from Puerto Morelos. But hopefully I won't have a sunburn!
I had to go to Walmart today to find some underwater disposable cameras to take with me. I usually would just go to the Super Bodega or the Mega, since Walmart is a bus ride away, while I can walk to the other places. But Valerie said my best bet at finding the camera was a Wally World. Sara and I managed to get on the wrong bus (completely my fault) and we wound up downtown. It was fine because we just found the Walmart bus downtown, which was easy. Then after we were done in Walmart, we managed to get on another wrong bus! Luck wasn't with me today...it turned a few blocks earlier than we wanted, but we just ended up walking a couple extra blocks. All was good! Maybe someday I'll figure out where the Walmart buses are hiding, but probably not. I'll just avoid it! :)
Anyways, tomorrow right after breakfast we're off to the bus station for a 4 to 4 1/2 bus ride. We're getting one of the nicer buses, in hopes that the ride won't seem too long. When the difference between the prices is just a few bucks, going for the luxury class is so worth it. Just take a long bus ride in Mexico, and you'll see what I mean!
I hope to have a very interesting blog when I get back from Puerto Morelos. But hopefully I won't have a sunburn!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Carnaval 2009
Tuesday evening marked the end of the week long celebration of Carnaval in Mérida. Carnaval is somewhat similar to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, just not quite as crazy. There are parades and concerts, and a lot of beer is usually involved (not for me). Mérida's Carnaval is in the top 5 carnavals in Mexico, and in the top 12 carnaval in Central and South America. It was pretty amazing to see such a huge event. This morning the newspaper said over 650,000 people participated in Carnaval in Mérida! Ay! I believe it, because when I went down to the Paseo, the main street where Carnval was happening, the 6 lane road was packed from side to side with people.
All along the Paseo (a few miles) there were stages with music and dancers, vendors, and lots of Sol stands-the most popular Mexican beer. Young teens were walking around with cans of Sol, as were the little old ladies. Everyone was pushing and prodding, and I finally had to elbow my way through the crowd. Erin and I were trying to find some other friends, which never happened. It was just way too busy. I did enjoying seeing the sites and feeling like I was part of the celebration. Now I can always say that I went to one of the best Carnavals in the world. However, I don't quite have the desire to go back- it was a little too crowded for me!
The interesting part was the the city basically shut down on Monday and Tuesday. Schools were closed, heck, everything was closed. We still had class, except for our evening class, but that was rare! The roads by our house were packed by the time the evening parade started, even though we're probably a mile or so from the action. It was interesting to see how the festival affected the city.
Today's Ash Wednesday, which means those who partied last night are likely in church preparing for 40 days of Lent. Mexico is very Catholic, and I'm sure the churches are busy today! Adios Carnaval!
All along the Paseo (a few miles) there were stages with music and dancers, vendors, and lots of Sol stands-the most popular Mexican beer. Young teens were walking around with cans of Sol, as were the little old ladies. Everyone was pushing and prodding, and I finally had to elbow my way through the crowd. Erin and I were trying to find some other friends, which never happened. It was just way too busy. I did enjoying seeing the sites and feeling like I was part of the celebration. Now I can always say that I went to one of the best Carnavals in the world. However, I don't quite have the desire to go back- it was a little too crowded for me!
The interesting part was the the city basically shut down on Monday and Tuesday. Schools were closed, heck, everything was closed. We still had class, except for our evening class, but that was rare! The roads by our house were packed by the time the evening parade started, even though we're probably a mile or so from the action. It was interesting to see how the festival affected the city.
Today's Ash Wednesday, which means those who partied last night are likely in church preparing for 40 days of Lent. Mexico is very Catholic, and I'm sure the churches are busy today! Adios Carnaval!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Out of the Loop
One thing about studying abroad is that I have to work to find news from the US. Of course, Mexican newspaper have information about the US, but I feel like I'm isolated from everything that's happening in my home country. I haven't figured out if that's a good or bad thing yet. I just know that reading about things online or in a foreign newspaper is different than living it. Val, our program director, just came back from the US. She was surprised with how much the economy is dominating the US news. I honestly haven't thought much about the recession, expect that the exchange rate is just getting better and better for us. I know that's a bad thing, especially for Mexico, who is trying to stop the devaluation- with little to no success. I worries me because Mexico is bordering on become a failed state, where all government processes just fail to work anymore. The economic problems have a little to do with that, the drug cartels are the main problem.
I guess being in another country during the recession, the worst financial crisis of my life, gives me different perspective. I see here that life doesn't have to be full of luxuries. I knew that before, but living here without those luxuries (like AC, TV, DVDs, video games, fancy cars and houses) I realize living without something like Television is kind of nice. We can survive just fine without having the newest and latest things. Eveyone here can. I'm not entirely sure what I'm trying to say, other than that I'm not so worried about the future of the economy. Well, other than paying off student loans. But I'm going to ignore that for the time being. Countries have survived worse things economically, and in the US we are still living nicely. Maybe having to cut back on a few things is good...although I'm still really glad I have facebook, email, and my blog. I'd be really lonely with them!
I just realized that President Obama may be speaking about the economy to Congress now. Interesting that I should choose now to write this post.
I guess being in another country during the recession, the worst financial crisis of my life, gives me different perspective. I see here that life doesn't have to be full of luxuries. I knew that before, but living here without those luxuries (like AC, TV, DVDs, video games, fancy cars and houses) I realize living without something like Television is kind of nice. We can survive just fine without having the newest and latest things. Eveyone here can. I'm not entirely sure what I'm trying to say, other than that I'm not so worried about the future of the economy. Well, other than paying off student loans. But I'm going to ignore that for the time being. Countries have survived worse things economically, and in the US we are still living nicely. Maybe having to cut back on a few things is good...although I'm still really glad I have facebook, email, and my blog. I'd be really lonely with them!
I just realized that President Obama may be speaking about the economy to Congress now. Interesting that I should choose now to write this post.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Kiuic Pictures
The whole group at the top of a big pyramid in Uxmal. It was quite a climb, but how often can you say that you climbed a pyramid?
A sideways picture of me at Uxmal. Can you see the tiny people by my head? Yup, they're at the bottom. It was a long ways to go without railings or anything to keep me from falling! It was fun though, and a nice little workout.
Kiuic is a place where Jaguars reside in nature. As such, we saw some evidence of these cats- huge claw marks in the tree. And check out how high they were- up to Robin's head. I was careful and a little paranoid when I had to go outside at night. I don't want to get caugh by one of these fellows!
This is what a ruin site may look like when it's discovered. Most of the structure has fallen down- 1500 years will do that to buildings. But archiologists can excavate areas and reconstruct them, given enough time and money.
This is me at the top of the lookout tower in Kiuic. You can see the Puuc hills behind me. The trees were interesting- it almost looked like fall. There were lots of bare trees and leaves covered the ground- in February. It's the dry season in the Yucatan, so the leaves drop now rather than in autumn. It was beautiful!
Kiuic
We spent most of the weekend at a biocultural reserve in Kiuic. Biocultural reserve means that they not only try to preserve the ruins and protect them, but they also work to preserve the natural environment. It was great to participate in ecotourism! We stayed in huts, which were actually pretty nice. There was electricity, but no warm water. And we were given a hammock and a blanket to sleep with. Luckily, they were high quality hammocks, which is really good when you're sleeping in it for the night. Unfortunately, it was a colder weekend, and we froze during the night. I ended up covering up with my towel along with the blanket because I got so cold. The daytime temperatures were perfect though.
When we first arrived at Kaxil Kiuic (the reserve), we went on a short hike up a big hill to a lookout tower. We were in the Puuc hill region of the Yucatan, so the landscape was filled with huge hills. The view from the tower was awesome. The sun was starting to set, and the breeze was wonderful.
The next morning we went on a hike around the reserve and looked at the ruins from the old Mayan city of Kiuic. In many places in the Yucatan, ruins are reconstructed to look pretty for tourists. Often times, the architecture may be inaccurate, and few sites are studied thoroughly. They're used mainly for tourist money. At Kiuic, many of the ruins are in their natural state. It was neat to see them as they were discovered. Obviously that means that we didn't see huge temples or intricate carvings. But we saw houses and smaller temples and all sorts of carvings. Sometimes all we saw was a pile of rocks and rubble. But it was still neat to see!
That afternoon, we climbed the stairway to heaven. It's a path up a huge hill. On top are some ruins from Kiuic, many of which are in bad condition. Very little restoration has happened up on the hill top. I don't blame it because the climb was not fun! I huffed and puffed and finally made it up without falling. The view was once again amazing. We arrived there about the time the sun was setting, so I got to see another pretty sunset. We walked by one tree and saw HUGE claw marks about the height of my head. Kiuic is in jaguar country. That was a little scary! Luckily the Jaguars left us alone...although a little wild pig wasn't so lucky. One of the dogs on the reserve showed up with a severed head of a tiny pig- likely killed my a pretty big cat!
Kiuic was a very interesting place, and I'm glad I had the chance to go, even if sleeping in a hammock in the cold wasn't so fun. Climbing hills and seeing beautiful sites and ruins was worth every minute!
When we first arrived at Kaxil Kiuic (the reserve), we went on a short hike up a big hill to a lookout tower. We were in the Puuc hill region of the Yucatan, so the landscape was filled with huge hills. The view from the tower was awesome. The sun was starting to set, and the breeze was wonderful.
The next morning we went on a hike around the reserve and looked at the ruins from the old Mayan city of Kiuic. In many places in the Yucatan, ruins are reconstructed to look pretty for tourists. Often times, the architecture may be inaccurate, and few sites are studied thoroughly. They're used mainly for tourist money. At Kiuic, many of the ruins are in their natural state. It was neat to see them as they were discovered. Obviously that means that we didn't see huge temples or intricate carvings. But we saw houses and smaller temples and all sorts of carvings. Sometimes all we saw was a pile of rocks and rubble. But it was still neat to see!
That afternoon, we climbed the stairway to heaven. It's a path up a huge hill. On top are some ruins from Kiuic, many of which are in bad condition. Very little restoration has happened up on the hill top. I don't blame it because the climb was not fun! I huffed and puffed and finally made it up without falling. The view was once again amazing. We arrived there about the time the sun was setting, so I got to see another pretty sunset. We walked by one tree and saw HUGE claw marks about the height of my head. Kiuic is in jaguar country. That was a little scary! Luckily the Jaguars left us alone...although a little wild pig wasn't so lucky. One of the dogs on the reserve showed up with a severed head of a tiny pig- likely killed my a pretty big cat!
Kiuic was a very interesting place, and I'm glad I had the chance to go, even if sleeping in a hammock in the cold wasn't so fun. Climbing hills and seeing beautiful sites and ruins was worth every minute!
Sunday, February 22, 2009
A Weekend of Ruins!
This weekend was our first extended excursion with all of us here in Mexico. We all piled into a nice van-bus thing and headed off to see come caves and ruins. Our first stop on Friday was at the cave in Loltun. It was a pretty neat cave. It was huge and had beautiful columns, stalagmites, and stalactites. And the air was nice and cool: free AC is always a plus in Mexico! :)
The cave used to be filled with water, and the floor definitely showed that. There were bumps and ridges all over, which is not great for a stumbling person like myself. It was all ok and I made it through without any accidents. At one point, we walked under some holes in the ceiling, and we heard squeaking above us. The little bats weren't happy that we were making noise, but they we apparently too tired to fly at us! We climbed up the Grand Canyon- in the cave. And we stood in pitch black darkness. Silly me tried to walk around, and I ran into a rock, a big rock! Then we had to climb up a big stairway to get out. Luckily, we got to rest in the van afterwords on our way to Kabah.
Kabah is a Maya ruin site, and it's pretty neat. The area that we visited was all raised up on a platform, so I had to climb some more. It was pretty, and well restored. Since we've been studying Mayan architecture in both my Civilization class and my Art and Architecture class, it was fun to figure out what each space was used for, and who it was built for. Who needs guides when you have the knowledge? (!e also found out that guides like to make stuff up!) We had a short class on the lawn before the big stairs, then we wandered around for a while.
We hopped back into the van and headed to Sayil, another ruin site down the road a ways. At Sayil we saw our first example (I think) of a Sacbeh, which is a raised platform for the rich and influencial to walk on. They usually connected different residential or temple compounds together, and they weren't available for everyone to used. Here, the Sacbeh (don't ask me how it's really spelled) wasn't excavated much, so it was basically a path in the ground. But it was neat to see.
After Sayil, we headed to Labna, which was pretty close by. In Labna, there was an elevated Sacbeh which was fully excavated. It was a few feet higher than the ground, and it connected someone's palace and temple to their extended residential units. Those Maya were rich! In many of the sites we've seen, the temples, even huge ones, have been private alters for a family, not for the whole community. It's amazing to think that one family would build a temple for their use. Although what the definition of a family was is likely different than today's definition.
Each of the 3 sites had similarities, which makes sense since they were all built around the same time period, the same nation inhabited them, and they are in a close radius to each other. However, there were strong differences too. I'm glad I know something about Maya Civ and Architecture because I was able to identify those differences.
We also went to Uxmal on Sunday. We went there a few weeks ago, unplanned, but it was great to go back. I understood so much more than I did the first time. And they had finished restoring the side of one of the big pyramids, so we could climb up it!! It was amazing!
On Friday night we went to Kiuic. I'll talk about this in another post...
The cave used to be filled with water, and the floor definitely showed that. There were bumps and ridges all over, which is not great for a stumbling person like myself. It was all ok and I made it through without any accidents. At one point, we walked under some holes in the ceiling, and we heard squeaking above us. The little bats weren't happy that we were making noise, but they we apparently too tired to fly at us! We climbed up the Grand Canyon- in the cave. And we stood in pitch black darkness. Silly me tried to walk around, and I ran into a rock, a big rock! Then we had to climb up a big stairway to get out. Luckily, we got to rest in the van afterwords on our way to Kabah.
Kabah is a Maya ruin site, and it's pretty neat. The area that we visited was all raised up on a platform, so I had to climb some more. It was pretty, and well restored. Since we've been studying Mayan architecture in both my Civilization class and my Art and Architecture class, it was fun to figure out what each space was used for, and who it was built for. Who needs guides when you have the knowledge? (!e also found out that guides like to make stuff up!) We had a short class on the lawn before the big stairs, then we wandered around for a while.
We hopped back into the van and headed to Sayil, another ruin site down the road a ways. At Sayil we saw our first example (I think) of a Sacbeh, which is a raised platform for the rich and influencial to walk on. They usually connected different residential or temple compounds together, and they weren't available for everyone to used. Here, the Sacbeh (don't ask me how it's really spelled) wasn't excavated much, so it was basically a path in the ground. But it was neat to see.
After Sayil, we headed to Labna, which was pretty close by. In Labna, there was an elevated Sacbeh which was fully excavated. It was a few feet higher than the ground, and it connected someone's palace and temple to their extended residential units. Those Maya were rich! In many of the sites we've seen, the temples, even huge ones, have been private alters for a family, not for the whole community. It's amazing to think that one family would build a temple for their use. Although what the definition of a family was is likely different than today's definition.
Each of the 3 sites had similarities, which makes sense since they were all built around the same time period, the same nation inhabited them, and they are in a close radius to each other. However, there were strong differences too. I'm glad I know something about Maya Civ and Architecture because I was able to identify those differences.
We also went to Uxmal on Sunday. We went there a few weeks ago, unplanned, but it was great to go back. I understood so much more than I did the first time. And they had finished restoring the side of one of the big pyramids, so we could climb up it!! It was amazing!
On Friday night we went to Kiuic. I'll talk about this in another post...
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Volunteering...and speaking Spanish
One of my goals this semester was to improve my Spanish (obviously). However, a few weeks ago, I noticed that in the house I rarely have a chance to speak it. And my internship is working with my program director, Valerie. So again, very little Spanish exposure. So I talked with Val about volunteering somewhere so I could have the chance to use my Spanish.
She looked around and found a guy at the Mexican office for Urban Development and the Environment. We met with him last week about what I could do with them. Today I was supposed to go to their office at 9am, and then we were going to the coast to check out some conservation projects that are going on. So I grab a pb&j, skipping the wonderful breakfast of pancakes, and leave the house at 8am. I had to walk several blocks, then find a bus to take me downtown. Right after I got off the bus, about 1 block away from the office, I got a call from Claudina, who is second in command at the house. Chema, the guy from the office, had called and said the trip was canceled, and that I shouldn't come down.
I was bummed! But I got the chance to travel around Merida all by myself, and I didn't get lost or anything. I hope that next week they'll be something for me to do! Anyways, since I talked to Val about not using my Spanish, I've been using it a lot more. On Tuesday, one of my class assignments was to go to the bus station, get a ticket to a town called Muna (about an hour away), and find someone on the street to interview. We had partners, and Keith and I found a nice little old lady to talk to. Intense Spanish....but I'm really happy because I can understand and speak it clearly. Even if I have a Gringa accent, I still get compliments from some people about my speaking skills. That just makes my day!
I'm actually a little worried that by the time I get to the US, I may try to order food in Spanish. I was thinking about my dentist the other day (my jaw keeps popping, which can't be good). I thought I should tell the dentist about my jaw and its annoying habit of popping. I thought to myself "Dang, I don't want to do that, it's going to be hard. I don't know how to say that in Spanish." Then I thought, "Wait, I'll be in the US. I can talk in English!" It made me laugh!
She looked around and found a guy at the Mexican office for Urban Development and the Environment. We met with him last week about what I could do with them. Today I was supposed to go to their office at 9am, and then we were going to the coast to check out some conservation projects that are going on. So I grab a pb&j, skipping the wonderful breakfast of pancakes, and leave the house at 8am. I had to walk several blocks, then find a bus to take me downtown. Right after I got off the bus, about 1 block away from the office, I got a call from Claudina, who is second in command at the house. Chema, the guy from the office, had called and said the trip was canceled, and that I shouldn't come down.
I was bummed! But I got the chance to travel around Merida all by myself, and I didn't get lost or anything. I hope that next week they'll be something for me to do! Anyways, since I talked to Val about not using my Spanish, I've been using it a lot more. On Tuesday, one of my class assignments was to go to the bus station, get a ticket to a town called Muna (about an hour away), and find someone on the street to interview. We had partners, and Keith and I found a nice little old lady to talk to. Intense Spanish....but I'm really happy because I can understand and speak it clearly. Even if I have a Gringa accent, I still get compliments from some people about my speaking skills. That just makes my day!
I'm actually a little worried that by the time I get to the US, I may try to order food in Spanish. I was thinking about my dentist the other day (my jaw keeps popping, which can't be good). I thought I should tell the dentist about my jaw and its annoying habit of popping. I thought to myself "Dang, I don't want to do that, it's going to be hard. I don't know how to say that in Spanish." Then I thought, "Wait, I'll be in the US. I can talk in English!" It made me laugh!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Things I've learned so far...
Tonight I'm going to make a list of some of the interesting things I've learned so far while in Mexico. Enjoy!
1. Just to get this out of the way- seriously, don't drink the water. Make sure you get bottled water, so you may just have problems.
2. Police carry huge guns with them at all times, so be sure you don't offend the policemen!
3. Speedbumps are everywhere. Riding in a vehicle is just a constant game of breaking and accelerating. And even with all the speedbumps, people still drive too fast!
4. Pedestrians have no rights. You look before you cross the street, or you hope you have great insurance.
5. Baggers at places like Wal-Mart or Super Bodega must be tipped, a peso per bag. That may be their only source of payment, and if you forget, they'll start chattering at their coworkers in Spanish- probably talking about the cheap Americans.
6. Coca-Cola is the king of pop. It's cheap, only about 40-50 cents for a bottle. Good luck finding Pepsi!
7. Hammocks are one of the most comfortable pieces of furnature in the world.
8. Being on time is rediculous to many Mexicans. Late is the norm, so bring a book with you wherever you go.
9. Americans tip way too much. In Mexico, a good tip is 10%, and it's normally 8%. However, if you eat at a restaurant geared towards tourists, they'll automatically add a 15% tip to your bill.
10. If a Mexican speaks English, they'll usually want to practice with you. This can make practicing my Spanish hard!
11. Little old ladies are incredibly nice! They'll also talk your ear off, so be prepared to listen (and let's hope you can understand the rapidfire Spanish.)
12. Cashiers will ask you for change if you don't give them exact change. It's also difficult to find a place that will cash a $500 bill (about $35-$40 USD).
13. People love to talk about Obama. If you say you're from America, you may just hear them say somthing like, "Oh, Obama. Yay!" in broken English.
14. Some people need to learn how to respond to emails. You know who you are...
15. Climbing ruins means your rump is going to hurt the next day, but it's worth every steep and crumbling step.
16. God has created amazing sights in the world. Find a cenote and you can see the wonderful creations.
17. Flamingoes are noisy birds. They chatter like seagulls.
18. Pirates are harder to find than you think, even on a pirate ship. And no, Johnny Depp wasn't there. :(
19. Buses are amazing. They are the best way to get around town, and they're cheap. Plus, you almost always have a bus story to tell after riding on one. The US needs more buses!
20. Mexico is...(speechless) I can't begin to describe how awesome it is to live in such a beautiful country. No doubt Mexico has serious problems, but it's so easy to forget that while living in Mérida. It's like another country althogether.
1. Just to get this out of the way- seriously, don't drink the water. Make sure you get bottled water, so you may just have problems.
2. Police carry huge guns with them at all times, so be sure you don't offend the policemen!
3. Speedbumps are everywhere. Riding in a vehicle is just a constant game of breaking and accelerating. And even with all the speedbumps, people still drive too fast!
4. Pedestrians have no rights. You look before you cross the street, or you hope you have great insurance.
5. Baggers at places like Wal-Mart or Super Bodega must be tipped, a peso per bag. That may be their only source of payment, and if you forget, they'll start chattering at their coworkers in Spanish- probably talking about the cheap Americans.
6. Coca-Cola is the king of pop. It's cheap, only about 40-50 cents for a bottle. Good luck finding Pepsi!
7. Hammocks are one of the most comfortable pieces of furnature in the world.
8. Being on time is rediculous to many Mexicans. Late is the norm, so bring a book with you wherever you go.
9. Americans tip way too much. In Mexico, a good tip is 10%, and it's normally 8%. However, if you eat at a restaurant geared towards tourists, they'll automatically add a 15% tip to your bill.
10. If a Mexican speaks English, they'll usually want to practice with you. This can make practicing my Spanish hard!
11. Little old ladies are incredibly nice! They'll also talk your ear off, so be prepared to listen (and let's hope you can understand the rapidfire Spanish.)
12. Cashiers will ask you for change if you don't give them exact change. It's also difficult to find a place that will cash a $500 bill (about $35-$40 USD).
13. People love to talk about Obama. If you say you're from America, you may just hear them say somthing like, "Oh, Obama. Yay!" in broken English.
14. Some people need to learn how to respond to emails. You know who you are...
15. Climbing ruins means your rump is going to hurt the next day, but it's worth every steep and crumbling step.
16. God has created amazing sights in the world. Find a cenote and you can see the wonderful creations.
17. Flamingoes are noisy birds. They chatter like seagulls.
18. Pirates are harder to find than you think, even on a pirate ship. And no, Johnny Depp wasn't there. :(
19. Buses are amazing. They are the best way to get around town, and they're cheap. Plus, you almost always have a bus story to tell after riding on one. The US needs more buses!
20. Mexico is...(speechless) I can't begin to describe how awesome it is to live in such a beautiful country. No doubt Mexico has serious problems, but it's so easy to forget that while living in Mérida. It's like another country althogether.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Campeche Photos
Here are some pictures from our awesome trip to Campeche. We did so many things that it's impossible to post all of the pictures, but here are some highlights.
This picture is a view of the city of Campeche and the ocean. I took it form the top of the San Miguel Fort on top of a huge hill on the outskirts of town. It was a stunning view, and the picture just doesn't do it justice.
Here is a picture of our hostel room. I was a little nervous about the hostel, since I had never stayed in one before, but it was a great place to stay. It was only about $8 to spend the night, and our room was clean and the place was nice. It was hot, but in Mexico you just have to deal with that! I loved having a balcony in the room, and the hostel was just a neat place to stay. Oddly enough, there were several older people who were staying there.
Here is a picture of the gang of scallywags aboard their ship, El Lorencillo. From left to right: Captain Serpiente (Sara), Pegleg Muerte (Me), Skully (Erin), and Bootie Snatcher (BS, or Myra). We probably enjoyed the whole pirate thing a little too much...I even found some nice eye patches while in Campeche. Man did we have some fun with those! (we really did look like dorky Americans!)
This is a gorgeous picture of the sunset on the ship. We were lucky to pick the evening time, and the sky was amazing. I have never seen a sunset over the ocean, so watching it while out on the ocean was simply amazing. And some people think there is no God.... I have many other sunset pictures, and each one is prettier than the previous!
Finally, here is the pirate ship. This was the one touristy thing we participated in. We hit museums, markets, and even a botanical garden, but this was the one attraction we just couldn't miss! It was worth the (less than) $10 we spent to ride on it.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Campeche
This weekend, Sara, Erin, Myra, and I went to the city of Campeche. It's a beautiful city on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The town was built during colonial times once the Spanish conquered Mexico, and the architecture is really neat. The downtown has been restored very nicely, so it really felt like I was taking a step back in time.
Campeche used to be a huge trading port, even larger than Mérida. Because of this, it attracted many pirates and was attacked often. There are 2 large forts around the city which give amazing views of the ocean and the city. In the center of the downtown, there are huge walls and forts as well. It's pretty neat to see the city form on top of a fort. I have a ton of great pictues....it was almost hard to take bad photos!
The town isn't really geared towards tourists, but we did find one cool tourist attraction: a ride on the pirate ship "El Lorencillo." We took a ride in the evening, as the sun was setting. Watching the sun set on the ocean is amazing, especially if you're on a pirate ship. Arg!
We spent most of our time there walking around town and wandering in and out of museums and such. When your entrance to the museums is only 40 cents or so, it's nice to head inside and take a look. (Since we've arrived, the pesos has taken a nosedive. It works out well for us, but it's having devasting affects on the Mexican economy. Hopefully it won't fall further...)
We stayed in a hostel, which was a first for me. It ended up being a nice place, and it was clean, so all was good. It was located on the main square and our room had a nice little balcony. We could also go up on the roof and hang out. We didn't even have to share our room with anyone because there were 4 beds and 4 of us. Other than the room being pretty hot, we were happy with our choice of hostel.
We ended up getting tickets on a really nice bus line: air conditioned, huge seats, free beverages, 2 bathrooms on the bus, nice tvs. Definately going to check out that bus line for future trips! On the way back to Mérida, our bus got searched. Mexico is having a really bad drug problem (almost a state of war between the police and the drug lords) and even though the problem isn't happening in or near the Yucatan (I'm safe! Don't worry!), they're still being vigilant. Those who had checked luggage had to get out and do something with it. None of us checked out backpacks, for which we were greatful. Even though getting stopped by the police is freaky (they all carry HUGE guns, even if they're just patrolling the streets!) it makes me feel like something is being done to counteract the drug problem.
Campeche used to be a huge trading port, even larger than Mérida. Because of this, it attracted many pirates and was attacked often. There are 2 large forts around the city which give amazing views of the ocean and the city. In the center of the downtown, there are huge walls and forts as well. It's pretty neat to see the city form on top of a fort. I have a ton of great pictues....it was almost hard to take bad photos!
The town isn't really geared towards tourists, but we did find one cool tourist attraction: a ride on the pirate ship "El Lorencillo." We took a ride in the evening, as the sun was setting. Watching the sun set on the ocean is amazing, especially if you're on a pirate ship. Arg!
We spent most of our time there walking around town and wandering in and out of museums and such. When your entrance to the museums is only 40 cents or so, it's nice to head inside and take a look. (Since we've arrived, the pesos has taken a nosedive. It works out well for us, but it's having devasting affects on the Mexican economy. Hopefully it won't fall further...)
We stayed in a hostel, which was a first for me. It ended up being a nice place, and it was clean, so all was good. It was located on the main square and our room had a nice little balcony. We could also go up on the roof and hang out. We didn't even have to share our room with anyone because there were 4 beds and 4 of us. Other than the room being pretty hot, we were happy with our choice of hostel.
We ended up getting tickets on a really nice bus line: air conditioned, huge seats, free beverages, 2 bathrooms on the bus, nice tvs. Definately going to check out that bus line for future trips! On the way back to Mérida, our bus got searched. Mexico is having a really bad drug problem (almost a state of war between the police and the drug lords) and even though the problem isn't happening in or near the Yucatan (I'm safe! Don't worry!), they're still being vigilant. Those who had checked luggage had to get out and do something with it. None of us checked out backpacks, for which we were greatful. Even though getting stopped by the police is freaky (they all carry HUGE guns, even if they're just patrolling the streets!) it makes me feel like something is being done to counteract the drug problem.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Address
I figured I should probably put up my address, since I love to get mail!
Here it is:
Calle 20 # 112 X 31
Colonia Mexico 97128
Merida, Yucatan
Mexico
Stamps for mail sent to Mexico can be purchased at the post office easily. It's 72 cents to send a letter, and likely less to send a postcard. I accept any and all forms of mail. :) It's always exciting when someone finds you and tells you there's mail waiting on the table! And if you post your address or email it to me (spanishjen@gmail.com), I'll eventually send you a postcard. Once I get some and go to the post office...
Here it is:
Calle 20 # 112 X 31
Colonia Mexico 97128
Merida, Yucatan
Mexico
Stamps for mail sent to Mexico can be purchased at the post office easily. It's 72 cents to send a letter, and likely less to send a postcard. I accept any and all forms of mail. :) It's always exciting when someone finds you and tells you there's mail waiting on the table! And if you post your address or email it to me (spanishjen@gmail.com), I'll eventually send you a postcard. Once I get some and go to the post office...
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Trip Planning
This weekend is our first weekend of free travel, and I've been busy planning a nice little trip. Four of us are planning on going to Campeche this weekend. Campeche is the capital city of the state of Campeche, which is the state next to us. We'll be taking a 2 1/2 hour bus ride on a nice first class bus (gotta love those cheap bus tickets!). And I'll be staying in my first hostel- the Monkey Hostel on the main square in Campeche. Should be interesting!
Campeche is an old colonial city that has been kept up fairly well. It's a city on the coast of the Gulf, and it was also the site of pirate attacks back when pirates ruled the Caribbean! I'm looking forward to finding some piratey souviners for people back home. We're also hoping to take a ride on an old pirate ship, but right now we're not sure of the costs of doing that. At any rate, our trip should be very interesting. The only negative part is that there's no beach to hang out on. Oh well...I'll be seeing enough beaches while I'm down here!
On another note: it's started to get hot and pretty humid here in the past few days. Since we've been here, we've been in a cold spell, which is highly unusual in Mérida. But (kind of sadly) the cold spell is over, and the sticky season has begun. Last night I slept in my hammock all night long, for the first time. It's been too cold to sleep in it a night until now. And even though I had a little bit of trouble getting comfortable, I slept well. It's a good thing that I can sleep in a hammock because in 2 weeks we're going to a village, and we have no other options. We'll have to sleep in a hammock! Bring it on!
Campeche is an old colonial city that has been kept up fairly well. It's a city on the coast of the Gulf, and it was also the site of pirate attacks back when pirates ruled the Caribbean! I'm looking forward to finding some piratey souviners for people back home. We're also hoping to take a ride on an old pirate ship, but right now we're not sure of the costs of doing that. At any rate, our trip should be very interesting. The only negative part is that there's no beach to hang out on. Oh well...I'll be seeing enough beaches while I'm down here!
On another note: it's started to get hot and pretty humid here in the past few days. Since we've been here, we've been in a cold spell, which is highly unusual in Mérida. But (kind of sadly) the cold spell is over, and the sticky season has begun. Last night I slept in my hammock all night long, for the first time. It's been too cold to sleep in it a night until now. And even though I had a little bit of trouble getting comfortable, I slept well. It's a good thing that I can sleep in a hammock because in 2 weeks we're going to a village, and we have no other options. We'll have to sleep in a hammock! Bring it on!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Cenotes and Progreso
I'm getting a little behind on the updating....
On Friday we had the chance to go to a nearby town called Cuzama and see the 3 cenotes. Cenote means sinkhole- but they're (usually underground) pools of water. The 3 we visited were all underground in caves. The first one was only accessable by 60 foot wooden ladder that went straight down into a little hole. It was cool! The water in the cenotes was stunningly beautiful; I couldn't believe it! I tried to take pictures, but they just didn't capture the beauty. We spent about 45 minutes swimming at each cenote. I spent most of that time finding places to climb up the cave walls and jump off into the water. Since the water was pretty deep, it was safe to jump.
The other 2 cenotes were accessable by steep stairways. I didn't fall down any of them, so that was a good thing! To get to the cenotes, we had to ride on horse drawn carts that fit onto old railroad tracks. It was a little scary when we had to turn or when the track got bumpy because the drivers didn't like slowing down!
I was pretty tired after swimming all afternoon. Most of the time spent swimming was either spent climbing or treading water, which is really tiring. I definately spent slept soundly that night!
On Saturday, almost all of us (there's only 13 people on the program) decided to go to Progreso, the beach about 30 minutes away. We hopped on a bus and started our adventure.
It turned out to be a bad day to go to the beach because it was really windy. I stepped into the water, but since it's February, the water was still cold. We had fun laying out and trying to keep the seagulls off us. That was hard because the family next to us kept feeding the birds! We stayed until a cruise ship pulled in, and then the beach got busy so we headed out. Most of us got sunburn, but my spf 50 worked well!
On Friday we had the chance to go to a nearby town called Cuzama and see the 3 cenotes. Cenote means sinkhole- but they're (usually underground) pools of water. The 3 we visited were all underground in caves. The first one was only accessable by 60 foot wooden ladder that went straight down into a little hole. It was cool! The water in the cenotes was stunningly beautiful; I couldn't believe it! I tried to take pictures, but they just didn't capture the beauty. We spent about 45 minutes swimming at each cenote. I spent most of that time finding places to climb up the cave walls and jump off into the water. Since the water was pretty deep, it was safe to jump.
The other 2 cenotes were accessable by steep stairways. I didn't fall down any of them, so that was a good thing! To get to the cenotes, we had to ride on horse drawn carts that fit onto old railroad tracks. It was a little scary when we had to turn or when the track got bumpy because the drivers didn't like slowing down!
I was pretty tired after swimming all afternoon. Most of the time spent swimming was either spent climbing or treading water, which is really tiring. I definately spent slept soundly that night!
On Saturday, almost all of us (there's only 13 people on the program) decided to go to Progreso, the beach about 30 minutes away. We hopped on a bus and started our adventure.
It turned out to be a bad day to go to the beach because it was really windy. I stepped into the water, but since it's February, the water was still cold. We had fun laying out and trying to keep the seagulls off us. That was hard because the family next to us kept feeding the birds! We stayed until a cruise ship pulled in, and then the beach got busy so we headed out. Most of us got sunburn, but my spf 50 worked well!
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Uxmal and a University Visit
Thursday was an interesting day! We finally got to see some ruins-at Uxmal. But first we stopped by to visit another University, which was about 2 hours away from Merida. The students at the university have to study English, which is either their 2 or 3rd language (Spanish and Maya being the other languages), but they never have to chance to speak with native English speakers. Thus, we were the guests of honor!
We were told that the school would be having a "rally" for us. Their was a nice crowd and cameras, but apparently rally means something different in Mexico than it does in America! It was actually a scavenger hunt, and we had to run all over campus answering questions and finding places in the hot sun! Jen was not happy...
After the "rally," we got on a bus and headed to Uxmal. Soem students from the school came with us, and we were able to talk on the bus with them, with a mix of Spanish and English. The ruins at Uxmal were amazing! I'll have to get pictures up soon. We were able to climb on most of the stuff, except for the 2 huge pyramids. My legs were definately tired by the time we left.
We were told that the school would be having a "rally" for us. Their was a nice crowd and cameras, but apparently rally means something different in Mexico than it does in America! It was actually a scavenger hunt, and we had to run all over campus answering questions and finding places in the hot sun! Jen was not happy...
After the "rally," we got on a bus and headed to Uxmal. Soem students from the school came with us, and we were able to talk on the bus with them, with a mix of Spanish and English. The ruins at Uxmal were amazing! I'll have to get pictures up soon. We were able to climb on most of the stuff, except for the 2 huge pyramids. My legs were definately tired by the time we left.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Normal Day
Tuesday was the first day that has resembled normalcy since I've been here. I'm finally starting to get into a pattern, and Mexico's becoming home. I'm not looking forward to May, when I have to leave. I'll just ignore it for now! :)
I spent Tuesday doing some homework and working away at stuff for my internship. As our program director's intern, I'm helping here prepare for an upcoming conference which she's in charge of. I'm also working on rewriting the Mexico Survival Guide, which students receive when they're accepted into the program. I also have other small jobs, just things to help her out. Oh, and I have to reorganize the library (not looking forward to that!)
On Thursday and Friday we're taking field trips. We'll be visiting a university somewhat close by. Apparently most of the students have never spoken to native English speakers, so we're the guests of honor. It's apparently going to be a big deal. Later in the day, we're going to Uxmal, which is a ruins site. That'll be neat!!
And on Friday we're going to see some Cenotes, which are underground pools or lakes. They're so awesome looking in pictures and I've been waiting to see them for soooo long!
This is going to be a great weekend!
I spent Tuesday doing some homework and working away at stuff for my internship. As our program director's intern, I'm helping here prepare for an upcoming conference which she's in charge of. I'm also working on rewriting the Mexico Survival Guide, which students receive when they're accepted into the program. I also have other small jobs, just things to help her out. Oh, and I have to reorganize the library (not looking forward to that!)
On Thursday and Friday we're taking field trips. We'll be visiting a university somewhat close by. Apparently most of the students have never spoken to native English speakers, so we're the guests of honor. It's apparently going to be a big deal. Later in the day, we're going to Uxmal, which is a ruins site. That'll be neat!!
And on Friday we're going to see some Cenotes, which are underground pools or lakes. They're so awesome looking in pictures and I've been waiting to see them for soooo long!
This is going to be a great weekend!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Bugs...
Although Mexico has some great weather this time of year, I have discovered one problem: mosquitos.
These suckers never go away and never stop biting. I wake up every morning with new itchy bug bites! I swear, if the Chinese water torture ever went out of style, mosquito torture would be a great alternative.
Along with these flying pests, we also have ants. Someone (I'd like to know who) dropped a chunk of chocolate chip cookie on my bed yesterday. Man were those ants having a party! Luckily I discovered it early in the afternoon, so they were all gone by the time I went to bed, but I still wasn't happy.
The nice thing is that we don't see flies or cockroaches. Our house is kept clean, so we don't have a huge bug infestation, just annoying ants and mosquitos.
Anti-itch stuff is a lifesaver!
These suckers never go away and never stop biting. I wake up every morning with new itchy bug bites! I swear, if the Chinese water torture ever went out of style, mosquito torture would be a great alternative.
Along with these flying pests, we also have ants. Someone (I'd like to know who) dropped a chunk of chocolate chip cookie on my bed yesterday. Man were those ants having a party! Luckily I discovered it early in the afternoon, so they were all gone by the time I went to bed, but I still wasn't happy.
The nice thing is that we don't see flies or cockroaches. Our house is kept clean, so we don't have a huge bug infestation, just annoying ants and mosquitos.
Anti-itch stuff is a lifesaver!
Monday, February 2, 2009
A Busy Sunday
On Sunday, Sara and I wanted to go to Merida en Domingo. I went last week, but there's so much to see and do that I really wanted to go again. We got up early, at least for our groups standard, and we were out of the house by 9am. We made it downtown without any scary bus experiences. We actually got on one of the van type buses, which are common. They're usually full so I think we're the first in our group to go on them. We discovered it was a little hard to hold on...
Once downtown we headed to the Plaza Grande to check out the market. It was pretty much the same as last week. Then we headed a few blocks over to an authentic Mexican market. It's amazing how much difference a few blocks can make. In the Plaza Grande, we were in a touristy area, but at the other market, we were the only Americans in sight. I felt a little conspicuous, but I loved seeing all the stuff available in the market. Food, clothes, meat, candles, shoes, toys, jewelry, anything you could imagine! And we didn't even look around the whole market!
By the time we left, it was about 10am, and we were hungry. We decided to eat at a restuarant around the Plaza Grande. This restaurant has a second floor with balconies that overlook the square. We sat in one of those, and it was amazing. I could see so many people and so much activity. It was fun to sit and people-watch. Until the people started watching us back! :)
That evening, Erin and I decided to go to Church with Myra and her house mother. We walked over to the Church of Itzimna, which is in the next neighborhood over, basically a few blocks away. It was a Catholic Church, as is common in Mexico. I had never been to a Catholic Church before, so it was interesting. We didn't know what to say half the time, and the congregation didn't seem to follow the program very well, but overall I enjoyed the service, what I could understand at least! I think next week we're going to check out a Methodist church which has a college aged youth group.
That evening I was stuck doing homework. No fun at all! :)
Once downtown we headed to the Plaza Grande to check out the market. It was pretty much the same as last week. Then we headed a few blocks over to an authentic Mexican market. It's amazing how much difference a few blocks can make. In the Plaza Grande, we were in a touristy area, but at the other market, we were the only Americans in sight. I felt a little conspicuous, but I loved seeing all the stuff available in the market. Food, clothes, meat, candles, shoes, toys, jewelry, anything you could imagine! And we didn't even look around the whole market!
By the time we left, it was about 10am, and we were hungry. We decided to eat at a restuarant around the Plaza Grande. This restaurant has a second floor with balconies that overlook the square. We sat in one of those, and it was amazing. I could see so many people and so much activity. It was fun to sit and people-watch. Until the people started watching us back! :)
That evening, Erin and I decided to go to Church with Myra and her house mother. We walked over to the Church of Itzimna, which is in the next neighborhood over, basically a few blocks away. It was a Catholic Church, as is common in Mexico. I had never been to a Catholic Church before, so it was interesting. We didn't know what to say half the time, and the congregation didn't seem to follow the program very well, but overall I enjoyed the service, what I could understand at least! I think next week we're going to check out a Methodist church which has a college aged youth group.
That evening I was stuck doing homework. No fun at all! :)
Sunday, February 1, 2009
The Gran Plaza Mall and Noche Mexicana
This weekend has been pretty busy for me. I didn't have much that I had to do, so that left me with a lot of time to do whatever I wanted! I definitely took advantage of that.
After our trip to the Zoo on Friday, I had a pretty boring afternoon and evening. A few of us girls stayed in and talking and played card games. The others went out until the wee hours of the morning. Since I went to bed fairly early on Friday, I got up and went to Pilates class at 9am with Sara. It was a tough class, but I survived.
During the siesta time, Sara, Erin, and I went to the Gran Plaza Mall. It was an interesting bus ride! We managed to get on a really nice, air conditioned, curtained bus. However, it was jammed packed full, so we had to stand up, which is tough when you're in Mexico. None of us had ever been to this Mall, and we very nearly missed it. We finally made it there safe and sound, and our first mission was to buy lunch. We ended up just getting pizza at the food court. Yes, I know, it's not very cultural, but I was craving pizza. We then shopped around for a while and eventually caught another bus back.
That evening, Erin and I were hoping to see more cultural stuff. We took a bus downtown (yet another creepy bus experience- the worst yet). I was about 9pm when we got on a bus, and it was just a few people, us, and the bus driver. When everyone else on the bus got off, Erin leaned over to me and said, "This is the start to a horror movie!" I was feeling the same thing. We drove on for awhile and then a lady and her 3 kids got on. We were relieved. Then the driver took us to a very creepy part of downtown and let us off. He kept asking us when we wanted to get off, and we just wanted downtown, at the place where we always get off. It's at the end of the line. Well, that bus didn't go that way. We got off several blocks south of the Plaza Grande, in a not-so-nice looking area. Erin and I thought the bus driver just wanted us off, for some reason. Luckily I had my map and we made it to some non-creepy areas, but I don't really want to experience that again!
We walked up to the start of the Paseo de Montejo, where Noche Mexicana is. They had lots of vendors and live music. We stayed for awhile until some dude got up and started singing mushy-love sounding songs. Then we walked until we found a bus back. That trip was pretty uneventful, except that it took us forever to find a bus!
After our trip to the Zoo on Friday, I had a pretty boring afternoon and evening. A few of us girls stayed in and talking and played card games. The others went out until the wee hours of the morning. Since I went to bed fairly early on Friday, I got up and went to Pilates class at 9am with Sara. It was a tough class, but I survived.
During the siesta time, Sara, Erin, and I went to the Gran Plaza Mall. It was an interesting bus ride! We managed to get on a really nice, air conditioned, curtained bus. However, it was jammed packed full, so we had to stand up, which is tough when you're in Mexico. None of us had ever been to this Mall, and we very nearly missed it. We finally made it there safe and sound, and our first mission was to buy lunch. We ended up just getting pizza at the food court. Yes, I know, it's not very cultural, but I was craving pizza. We then shopped around for a while and eventually caught another bus back.
That evening, Erin and I were hoping to see more cultural stuff. We took a bus downtown (yet another creepy bus experience- the worst yet). I was about 9pm when we got on a bus, and it was just a few people, us, and the bus driver. When everyone else on the bus got off, Erin leaned over to me and said, "This is the start to a horror movie!" I was feeling the same thing. We drove on for awhile and then a lady and her 3 kids got on. We were relieved. Then the driver took us to a very creepy part of downtown and let us off. He kept asking us when we wanted to get off, and we just wanted downtown, at the place where we always get off. It's at the end of the line. Well, that bus didn't go that way. We got off several blocks south of the Plaza Grande, in a not-so-nice looking area. Erin and I thought the bus driver just wanted us off, for some reason. Luckily I had my map and we made it to some non-creepy areas, but I don't really want to experience that again!
We walked up to the start of the Paseo de Montejo, where Noche Mexicana is. They had lots of vendors and live music. We stayed for awhile until some dude got up and started singing mushy-love sounding songs. Then we walked until we found a bus back. That trip was pretty uneventful, except that it took us forever to find a bus!
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