Strolling the Paseo

The next day we decided to take it easy. Well, we didn't have much choice, as I wasn't up to par. Maybe it was from brushing my teeth with tap water, or maybe from eating different food, but most likely it was the two margaritas from the night before. Our hotel was not in the lush part of Merida, and we loved that about it. Busses parked right out our door, local women selling peeled and cut fruit on any spare patch of pavement, the thin strips which passes for a sidewalk, the street sweepers cleaning up the filthy streets each day. I can't imagine how pungent it is in summer. We decided to walk over to the Paseo de Montejo, and stolled up this lush boulevard, where most of the tourists stay. We sat and drank these lovely sorbet drinks at a sidewalk cafe. We took photographs of the lovely old buildings, some in great repair, some barely standing upright. We walked past the Wal-mart, yes Wal-mart...built to blend in with the local styles. And back down the Paseo, stopping to sit on benches and watch Mexico go by. There were art pieces all up and down the boulevard. Went back down to the Plaza Mayor and browsed the shops. That night we went to one of the plazas, and they had live music. We watched all the locales dance along. Everybody was dancing, it was wonderful..men in business suits, teenagers in skimpy clothing, old ladies in the traditional dress, fathers dancing with their small daughters, groups dancing with anybody, vendors selling nuts, children playing on playground equipment, and people watching from sidewalk restaurants. And let me remind you that it was December, no coats needed. I could really get used to that (as I sit here in my chilly aparto, because I ran out of kerosene).