Thursday, 28 October 2021: Boston’s in Merida

Packers (6-1) meet Cardinals (7-0).  There was talk that this game would be a preview of the NFC championship.  That means we are on our way to Mérida.

First, breakfast with Chris and Roger.  We ran into Sandra and Kris Misuda while we were at Peter’s.  We got the scoop on Robert...going to school in Merida...swimming and baseball.  Sandra spends lots of time on the road...and that means no Pilates.  Justin and I had struggled with the decision about whether to open our home for Pilates and I hadn’t really come to peace with any decision.  So, good, bad or ugly, the decision is made.  Guess I’ll need to walk the beach more regularly.  

Is this a store just for watermelon?

On to Merida to meet with Miguel who has a small house he is getting ready for rental.  We wanted to be able to help he and his family and if we had a home in town it wouldn’t be so bad.  As it turns out, the house wasn’t really ready for prime time and the location didn’t really suit me.  When I asked about nearby restaurants, he told me to call an Uber.  If I’m going to be in town, I want to be able to walk to several good restaurants.  As it turned out, the Hotel Zar will serve us just fine.

We stayed in Merida longer this weekend.  We’d never celebrated Dia de Los Muertos in Merida.  Day of the Dead is officially observed Nov. 1 and Nov. 2 to coincide with the Catholic festivities of All Souls Day and All Saints Day. The festivities are not limited to just one day as it is quite the thing throughout Mexico.  Many of the most popular customs associated with El Día de Los Muertos trace their roots back to several pre-Hispanic cultures so, of course, the Maya have their special take.  In the Yucatán, Hanal Pixan begins Oct. 31 and continues through Nov. 2. Just like during Día de Los Muertos celebrations elsewhere in the country, people in Yucatán believe that during these special days the dead are able to travel to the human world to enjoy some time with their loved ones, as well as their favorite foods.

As with everything in Yucatán, food plays an enormous role during Hanal Pixán with some of the most popular traditional dishes being the fruit salad known as Xec and the star of the show,  pib. We had this homemade delicacy several years with Ishmael and his family.  Most often turkey or pork based, this giant tamale-like dish is cooked with corn dough, mixed with a handful of spices, and wrapped in banana tree leaves and traditionally baked in the ground.

This year, we also tried Pan de Muertos — a deliciously sweet and eggy bread is decorated with strips of dough to resemble bones, sprinkled with sugar and then baked.  Yummy!

The major thoroughfare right outside our little Hotel Zar is still quiet.  They’ve been working on it since we got back.  It’s nice to take Gemma for a walk in the morning because it is so so peaceful.  This week we learned that the initial reason for the closure was that the underpass was flooded in June 2020 after a particularly severe tropical storm season and has remained closed ever since.  We also learned that, for the fourth time now, Mérida’s powers that be have announced delays in the reopening.  Sounds like I 45 in Houston, right?  And, surprisingly, they are over budget!  This is a huge underpass that typically saw traffic of over 45,000 vehicles each day. What a mess.  Traffic is traffic...no matter when you are.