The Museo del Arte Popular - as it is actually called - is quite cute, but to be honest very small. I was lured in by this round jug with all the great decorations, but unfortunately there's not much more behind it. The museum is incredibly small - I think it has two rooms? - and although it's quite nice and cute in itself, it's not something you should go out for to see it. At least in my opinion. If you're in the area of course, but otherwise it's not a must-go.
There is a railway museum in Mérida! I mean, how cool is that! :D I'm not a railway fan in that sense, but old, run-down or even well-preserved carriages or driver's cabins or so... that's really cool to my mind. I only found out about the existence of this museum quite late, but I was really impressed. I saw a black locomotive, rusty old trains, you could see the inside of a train and even a cabin from the inside and of course the oldest train ever of Mexico. Really cool! And on top of that, there was a small exhibition with a library in one of the trains. A museum within a museum, so to speak. Very cool. Go or not go? I wouldn't put it on my priority list, but it's high on the list of things to do if you still have some time 😊
Zoo Animaya is connected to Zoo Centenario, but I consider it separately. Disclaimer: My post about this zoo is not intended to be judgemental, but completely opinion-free and neutral. I am not describing an opinion here, but what I have experienced. Which is mostly driven by curiosity. For me, Zoo Centenario was more like a zoo as I know it from home. With differences, of course, but still with certain similarities. Animaya reminded me more of a big elephant area or something like that, but I was there at feeding time. So that could also be the reason. I associate Animaya with a single large big area where a Jeep comes in, distributes food, humans and animals greet each other, there are pats and food. Once I had absorbed the whole scene, I finally left and left the subject of a zoo in a Latin American country behind me. Go or not go? I think that's up to you. :-)
Mérida is one of THE cities in Mexico, or Yucatán, which has a lot of really beautiful cenotes in its surroundings. Knowing this, I picked out a few that I really wanted to see beforehand and then got a group together to visit the cenotes. Because if there's one thing I've learnt from my experiences in Valladolid, it's that it's better to go to cenotes with a group. Apart from that, during my research it quickly became clear that almost all the cenotes were too far out and too far apart, so I organised a tour guide for us. One of the few times I actually did go for guide. :D I gave him a few of my favourites and also said that I was particularly keen on cliff jumping - I confess I'm an adrenaline junkie - and that was it. I honestly confess that I can't remember how much we paid each, but it was reasonable. And the guy himself was really nice and very chill. He drove us to the individual cenotes in one of those funny things with a bike and a kind of settee in the front where we sat. And let me tell you, every single one was worth it :D - and yes, we jumped a lot and from really high up. It was mega! You absolutely have to do it when you're in Mérida! 😊 The cenotes we visited were (I honestly can't remember them all, but I'll do my best):
As so often during my time in Mérida, my experience of this holiday or whatever it was, was pure coincidence. When you're travelling, you - or at least I - regularly just go out and see what's going on. On this particular day, I got surprised twice. I don't even remember what I was actually doing, only that I was walking through the park and then saw the people there and heard the music. Well, a short time after I got there they started dancing and I stopped and postponed my actual plans for a bit :D I just find it really interesting. It's a very different kind of dance with a lot of footwork and a completely new choreography for me. Then the same thing in the evening. I just wanted to walk around the streets and voilà, a parade comes towards me. First a group of men playing guitars and then another in a carriage and women making themselves heard with their shoes - like tap dancing, basically. Only the Mexican way, of course. And this joy and pride.... Unbelievable. And very refreshing and captivating. I hope that you are surprised as often and experience as much as I did when you are in Mérida. It gave the whole thing a special touch and makes me think back to my time in Mérida in a very positive way.
Zoo ‘Centenario’ is a little further out of the centre due to its size etc. and my visit there was honestly pure curiosity about what zoos in Mexico are like and what animals you can see there. Because Europe and Mexico have pretty different vegetation and biodiversity, so I was genuinely curious. But first a disclaimer on the subject of zoos: This post is neither for nor against zoos, but is a neutral representation of what I have experienced. And I don't think it´s a shame to be curious about how - even potentially controversial - things are handled in other countries and cultures. And that's how I ended up at the zoo. So let me tell you about my experience and impression :D Of course, the whole thing is a bit further out of the city centre due to its size, which is why I took a bus to get there. The only thing that surprised me about the entrance was that I had to walk further in for the ticket office etc. than here in Cologne, for example. Right from the start, you walked into a kind of separate area. Inside there were animals, some as expected and some very big surprises. I had expected various birds, monkeys and things like turtles, snakes.... Etc. The difference to Europe was, of course, that the animals were more exotic and there was a bit more variety. In general, that was actually an aspect that surprised me. All kinds of different species. Really everything was represented. So they also had animals that I wouldn't have expected to find in Central America at all and that I would have associated more with the forest. And to be honest, I would have expected them to be in Europe rather than Mexico. To give you an example: I saw deer. Very cute, but also very unexpected. For me, the things that stuck in my mind the most were tigers and lions. Simply because they were much closer to the crowd than in Cologne. So the treatment of these big cats is very different in Mexico. At least in this case. Last but not least: yes or no? Personally, I was only there because I had time to spare and was simply curious. It's just interesting to see what it's like in such a different country to Europe. But apart from that, it's up to you. :D
Mexico loves Kumbia. And they live it out regularly. At least in Mérida. Here, the dance floor is regularly opened in the evenings when it is dark in front of the town hall and young and old dance together to the sounds of Mexican cumbia - indeed, the whole of Latin America has its own cumbia as I learned during my journey. The first time I saw this extremely sweet and heart-warming spectacle was, as it usually is the case, pure coincidence. I heard music and a short time later lots of people and then I stood there and had to smile. Simply because it's too cute. You should see older ladies or an older couple dancing to Kumbia. It warms your heart. Of course, the dance floor is also used for flirting and stuff like that, as I was able to observe. :D And I was also asked to dance. Of course, I couldn't resist :D So if you fancy a bit of pure Mexican culture, let the Mexicans show you how to dance cumbia and move your legs! 😊
The museum ‘El Gran Mundo Maya’ is basically the museum in Merida that provides the background to what the city wants to bring close to you: the Mayan culture. Personally, I'm not that much of a museum person and I don't really read through texts - please don't judge at this point, museums are not for everyone 😉 Despite a slight natural aversion to museums, I wanted to go in to see what it was like. Simply because it looked online as if it was also interesting for people who experience a museum more visually. And what can I say, I was right. Apart from the fact that the entrance to the museum is really impressive, you can also marvel at some really cool things inside and, even if you're not allowed to touch anything, you get a good impression of what the Maya worked with and how much labour, art and, above all, craftsmanship went into and is part of their culture. Very impressive! So I would definitely recommend it. And that as someone who doesn't like museums 😉 :D
The local market in Mérida is a normal Mexican market. With one exception: it was my first real Mexican market. It was the first market where I discovered these cute little fruit and vegetable towers for the first time, where I realised what you can buy at such a market and where I fell in love with Mexican markets. I'm serious. I was lost from the moment I entered this colourful and chaotic thing called market, completely overcrowded with people, food and other things, and wandered through the narrow, winding aisles for the first time, losing my orientation so quickly that I could almost hear it say goodbye to me at the entrance. In short: Mexican markets are colourful, crowded and huge at the same time. And there really is absolutely EVERYTHING. No matter what you want, you'll find it on a Mexican market. Promised. You can sometimes argue about the quality... but you'll find it :D Simply fascinating this shit 😉 😊 Love it! :D A hint: keep an eye on your things/valuables. It's a market and it will be obvious that you're foreigners, so just watch out a bit 😉 Apart from that, have fun! :D And yes, you will find household goods, shoes, clothes, animals, food of all kinds, stands to eat on the spot, tortillas, electrical stuff, jewellery.... What else is there? I don't know, but it will be there. One hundred percent. And if you ask me: you haven't been to Mexico if you haven't strolled through one of these markets! And if you really want to experience it, buy something, trade and then eat something :D
The Poktapok is - as I perceived it - a kind of game or ritual. There is a kind of dance at the beginning and at the end and inbetween the what I call ‘hip football’ or something like that is played. Except that the part where the ball has to go through is a little bit like Qudditch - for all the Harry Potter fans among you :D It's something I've never seen before, it's completely alien and yet it's fascinating. Especially because I really didn't believe that they could get the ball with their hips through a two or three metre high thing with a hole in it. I really had my doubts... The thing that deeply impressed me was the thing with the fire in the end. That was.... it was really cool. And yes, once again I walked into the whole thing completely unknowing. Just walk around the big park in Mérida in the evening and you'll never get bored :D Regarding the Poktapok: It's foreign and maybe a bit strange at first because it's so different to everything we - or at least I at the time - know, but I found it really interesting and cool and in the end it really impressed and captivated me.
