Farm Dover: Mérida: South of the Border, Down Mexico Way

Sometimes waiting for spring to arrive at Farm Dover just seems too hard. Looking out the kitchen window, all I see are shades of brown against a gray sky. I long for some color and some sunshine. And that's when Ed says: "Let's go to Mérida."

That's exactly what we did. Last week, we closed the farm gate and headed to the Yucatán Peninsula. A week of sunny days, spicy foods, and amazing sights was just what we needed.

While most people would head straight for the beaches of Tulum or Cancún, we chose to spend the week in Mérida, the capital city of the Mexican state of Yucatán, known for its rich Mayan culture and colonial heritage.

Most mornings we got up early, before the day heated up, and set out to explore the neighborhood and find a cup of coffee. Our hotel, Casa Azul, served a full breakfast in the courtyard until noon, so we would return for a late morning desayuno, followed by an hour or two reading under the umbrella at the pool, just outside our bedroom door. (The hotel only had eight rooms; for the entire week, we had the pool to ourselves.)

We spent much of the week strolling the beautiful main boulevard called Paseo de Montejo, visiting museums, winding our way thru the local markets, people watching in the Plaza Grande and seeking out places to experience the Yucatecan cuisine.

We ventured out of the city only twice: Once on a tour to visit Chichen Itzá, one of the New 7 Wonders of the World, and once on our own to walk the beach and have dinner in Progreso, a port city about 30 minutes from Mérida.

Our day at Chichen Itzá began with a very early morning pickup so that we could arrive at this Mayan ruin before the crowd swelled and the sun grew hot. Our English-speaking guide made a huge difference in our understanding of this pre-Columbian city and of the remarkable peoples who lived there.

Come mid-morning, we left the bulging crowds and moved on to one of the Yucatán Peninsula's 10,000 centotes, water-filled sinkholes that are naturally formed by the collapse of limestone. We descended by stone steps some 150 feet to the water. With a couple of big splashes we found ourselves floating around a most-beautiful natural pool with lush vines hanging from the trees at the top and small springs cascading down on our heads.

A handful of other people were there and we watched in amazement as some of them jumped from high platforms or dropped from ropes into the cool, clear water.

Our last stop of the day was at Izamal, an important archaeological site of the Pre-Columbian Maya civilization. It is known as the Yellow City (most of its buildings are painted yellow) and also as The City of Hills (that are actually the remains of ancient temple pyramids).

A 16th-century Spanish colonial city was founded atop the existing Maya one. Rather than tear down the Mayan city, the Spanish placed a small Christian temple atop the great pyramid and built a large Franciscan Monastery atop the acropolis.

It was a good week. Plenty of time to see the sights; but also plenty of time to just lounge at the pool or linger at the table. We felt safe the entire time we were there. Everyone we met was friendly and helpful. Ed got to practice his Spanish.

We often sat a spell in one of the many distinctive S-shaped sillas confidentes (confidant chairs)

And sure enough, when we got back to Farm Dover, the maple trees were budding; the plum trees were in full bloom and the daffodils were waving their cheerful heads. Yes, spring was on its way.

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