This is my fourth time to visit Merida, and the most relaxing comfortable. I´m finally becoming accustomed to the difference in cultures and have begun to revel in the newness. I even stopped noticing the constant speed bumps that mark the city. With a big move coming in September, I have 5 months to get my life ready in Seattle and be prepared for a final move here.
My last day in Seattle was beautiful and warm. I got some use in my new camera by taking shots from the 39th floor of the Seattle Municipal Tower where I´m working for the City of Seattle. The beautiful Smith Tower is below me. Once the tallest building West of the Mississippi, I sit on a daily basis above it´s Chinese Ballroom.
Working with the City as a temp has been a pretty good experience. My hope is that I can temp when I need to come back to Seattle, or run out of money in Merida. Of course a job in Merida is preferred, but for that I must learn spanish…
This trip is my first time going alone - not having Chema there to pick me up from the airport. Since I fly into Cancun for cheaper prices (and more options of flights) I have to take a bus or drive 4 hours across the penninsula to reach Merida. I had hoped to rent a car (pretty good prices for a week rental - about $80) but the added insurace costs made this not feasible. Instead I took a bus with minimal problems. It´s amazing I made it since I was at the Airport trying to get to the bus terminal in downtown Cancun and kept saying to the bus drivers ‘aeropuerto´ when what I meant was ´bus terminal´. I was sitting at the airport asking to be taken to the airport. OOPS. I showed them my ticket and they figured out what I was wanting. Guess I´d better get on those spanish classes and quick. Despite my problems, it is pretty easy and cheap to catch a bus from Cancun to Merida. The buses are clean, quiet and fast and cost around $228 pesos (or $21USD) plus a $35 peso shuttle to the bus terminal.
The bus ride was decent, half of it was spent with no nextdoor neighbors. I slept a little, read a little and tried to watch a Korean movie with spanish subtitles. Eventually the sun began to get lower in the sky and I saw an amazing sunset. The sun was a perfect circle of orange glowing neon. I can understand why indigenous cultures would have a sungod with Suns like that. It seemed like it was going to burn out of the sky.
I was glad to reach Merida with 16 hours of traveling under my belt. Hopefully I can find faster ways to get there with more practice.
