Best Western Maria Del Carmen Merida

... have just taken a bus a couple of hours south (I think) to somewhere called Puebla. We are staying in one of the grimmest hotels I have ever seen, and I´ve been to Bolivia, so I´ve seen some bad ones. As soon as we arrived Diego said "It is very safe here". The Aussie couple with lots of stomach bug stories subsequently went out for lunch and got their bag nicked with their passports in it. See, Diego really does know nothing.<br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br ><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><b r> <br>

... vestiti in modo macabro tipo Halloween, i bambini ci provano con "dolcetto o scherzetto", ci sono venditori di cibarie in ogni dove.<br>Ho visto una mostra interessante sulla storia dell'inquisizione, allestita all'interno del vero palazzo che fu dell'inquisizione, attuale facoltà di medicina-radiodiagnostica. Anche se in spagnolo ho compreso quasi tutta la narrazione dell'audioguida; la chiesa ce l'ha sempre avuta la mania del controllo e dell'annichilimento del pensiero ...

... Curiosity. " I make hammock, come and see how it's done".<br>So I go, we talk, and in a dreadfully efficient way he manages to play with my unconscious. I go back to the hostel with one of his hammock, lighter of my 1st hammock and 250pesos. In a way I appreciate the talent this guy has : I knew this was a trap, he made me fall in, and I left knowing perfectly I've been fooled but - there's the beauty - was almost glad about it.<br>Old men on a ...

... so we could see across part of the city. We headed out for dinner to another courtyard restaurant, recommended by the Lonely Planet Guide, which had live music in the form of a chilled out guitar soloist. I had enchiladas for my meal, and the mole sauce on the top actually had a slight cocoa flavour to it. It was a little weird but nice. Merida makes a great base for day trips, like the one we did the next day to the ruins at Uxmal, 80km south of the city. It took us over an ...

... dinner. This was a much-needed break from Mexican food. We also hung out at our favourite Cafe La Habana. Had the best pizza Don Corleone´s. Back to today. We decided to save money by skipping the tours and just take public transport. So we walked for 20 minutes to a collectivo station outside the Noreste bus terminal. Got a 1-hour ride to Cuzama for 14 pesos. We got there and couldn´t see the cenotes (underground water sinkholes ...

... respect what we do, helping them to leave the street, if that is what they decide. The weather here is getting warmer, the past couple of days it has been about 37 degrees and even hotter on the metro. I have been told it will get a little hotter so I think I will have a nice tan by the time I come back. Must go and download some photos now, and do some shopping so that I can cook a meal on my little camping stove, should be interesting! Miss you all, Gemma x

... risk of being fined heavily by the police, we were obeying the limits. This resulted in lots of moaning about speed restictions from Dave!) We checked into our fantastic wee hotel in Merida which was run by a guy from Belfast and guy from the US. The room was completed with a little outside area where you could chill and swing in a hammock. Tough life, but someone has to do it! Merida was in the midst of preparing for its own Carnivale ...

... the opening, as small birds and bats fly around. There was a reasonably high diving platform, so brave the waters and jump straight in - and its surprisingly warm, and very deep. The water is crystal clear, although not much to see underwater with the snorkeling gear (some minute fish). Further towards the back of the cave the water goes very dark due to the depth the water goes too, far too eerie to swim too far into! There were stalagmites hanging down. Our 30mins was ...

... and stay there. hehe, i found the hostel, but.....there is no parking in the city (unless you pay $8/hour). so plan B. i headed down south to a suburb called Tlalpan, a more richy area with old restored houses. There was a carpark for $1,60 a day. big with trees, and as such , perfect for westy camping. alright that was my base in MC. From there i took the bus to discover the city (4 pesos). There ...

My original plan was to not spend any time in Mexico City, i'd heard it was an unsafe place, especially for a lone female traveller so i was only going to be there long enough to leave. But my plans changed and i ended up staying there overnight, afterward i wish i'd spent a couple of days wandering around, maybe next time, i plan to go back again one day. (note: once i dig out my photos i'll upload some)