Day Seven 2/1/26 (Sunday) Merida and Progreso

 

Day Seven 2/1/26 (Sunday) Merida and Progreso

 

After another spectacular breakfast, we walked to Parque Santiago and explored a small outdoor market (mostly Chinese junk) and the real indoor market, which has lots of food stalls and also fruit and vegetable stands. It was absolutely full of people eating, drinking and socializing. Then we walked along Calle 57 looking at the myriad of colonial houses in different colors and conditions, stopped at an art gallery (Cirque) and some little stores.  At 1 pm we met Carolina, Bo’s online Spanish teacher, at the restaurant Chaya Maya Casona. The restaurant serves Yucatecan food and is very popular and very big. Phil was running late, but eventually joined us. We ate and talked…. And when we were done, Carolina gave us a lift to Noa’s house in her lovely brand new Toyota SUV. She lives not far from Noa, in an adjacent suburb.

 

We took the car and decided to drive to the coast to the port/beach town of Progreso. Al and I had been to Progreso 13 years ago and remembered it a one-street seedy town with a long beach and an empty road along the beach. We were is for a big surprise. Now, it’s a bustling place with a lovely Malecon full of restaurants and bars, new hotels along the beach and lots and lots of people. The beach is also much nicer, cleaner and more user-friendly. We walked on the beach, on the Malecon, had drinks and when the sun started to set, we drove back because it was very cold and windy.

Phil drove us back to Noa’s, said goodbye to Phil, and then Al and I took an Uber back to the hotel. The uber driver was female and she had additional safety features  -- she used a pin, and also had a camera in her car. Merida is a very safe city, the safest city in Mexico, but it’s always good to take precautions.

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