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!
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
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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