We still don’t know too much about Merida. For our first 4 days, the city has been celebrating Carnaval. Most of the storefronts have been closed and replaced with impromptu coolers of cold Coca-Colas for sale or fluorescent pink hand-written signs advertising clean bathrooms for 5 pesos and up.
Half of our meals have been enjoyed from the stands lining the entire several mile parade routes. We decided not to try one of the hundreds of stands selling cut-up deep-fried hot dogs paired with french fries, but we couldn’t resist the Styrofoam cup of corn kernels smothered in crema, grated cheese, and chili sauce. We particularly enjoyed the brochetes – skewers of marinaded meat, onions, and peppers with dollops of a spicy tomato salsa fresh off the grill. The biggest and most impressive tents along the parades were dedicated to the competition between Sol and Corona doling out loud music and cans of beer and micheladas. Judging from the stumbling patrons, Sol is winning the battle in Merida.
Sunday’s parade started at high noon in sweltering 90+ degree heat with little shade available. Even still, the entire route was jam-packed with friendly, sweating, cheering, costumed revelers on the rented chairs, temporary bleachers, or just crowding every available space with a view. Cara bought a hat. We lasted most of the multi-hour procession being pelted with: free cookies, candy, and cups; loud music and entertainers marching or on floats in fantastical costumes or just gyrating in skimpy bikinis. With a few themed costume changes, this parade was repeated daily.
We expect the people of Merida to go back to their normal activities today, but we expect some of our Carnaval observations to remain.
- There will be music significantly louder than we like.
- All the available shade will be crowded when the sun is high.
- People will smile and say “Buenas Tardes” everywhere we go.
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