Jan 5

On Saturday almost all of us made our way back to our meeting place without a problem…almost all of us. When we finally had everyone there, we climbed onto the bus and headed for Dzibilchaltún (we challenge you to pronounce that!) a Mayan archeological site. The name means: writing on flat or smooth stones. It is famous for the discovery of many stelae covered with elaborate carvings of Mayan warriors. We saw our Mayan pyramids, roads and ceremonial plazas and also for the observatory called the palace of the seven dolls. There is also a cenote (a deep natural well connected to an underground river) there with crystal clear water in which we were able to swim…with the fish. We thought of all the parents and friends that were in colder climates…
After our swim we headed to the town of Progreso for lunch in a seafood restaurant. Many were brave and ate fish or gambas (jumbo shrimp) stuffed with crab, or cheese stuffed something or other or something with shark, some ordered tacos or nachos Mexican style, a few others got chicken Pibil (Yucatán style, wrapped in banana leaves) and then there was the one steak and the chicken cooked in ways that didn’t seem too threatening (…we won’t mention the few cheeseburgers which is something akin to ordering coffee in a Chinese restaurant in the States). All in all the food is always an adventure.
We spent an hour or so relaxing on the beach but unfortunately it was windy and even a bit too cool for the most adamant sunbathers.
Our last adventure of the day was trying to find our way. The streets were darker than before and they were busy because this is the weekend when Merida celebrates its 466th anniversary. There were tons of people downtown, streets were closed, and stages and rows of folding chairs had been set up at several corners of the main plaza. Later in the evening there was folk dance, an official opening ceremony, and a concert (do any of you parents remember the name Armando Manzanero? He grew up in Merida). But meanwhile students had to remember where to catch their buses and where to get off—always easier by day than by night. Eventually we all made our way home after a tiring but fascinating and satisfying day.