If you’re an American traveling outside of the United States it is common to hear –  “stay safe,” “watch out for dangerous people”, “protect your belongings,” etc. With the political climate in America and media hype about Mexico, the news has painted a picture that could be considered negative, to say the least. As we travel we have often wondered if that is complete hogwash.  After all, Merida is considered the Safest City in Mexico AND it has recently ranked as the SECOND SAFEST CITY IN ALL OF NORTH AMERICA, after Quebec City, Canada. Wow, grasp that. A surprise to some we are sure.

Safety While Traveling

Don’t get me wrong. As a couple traveling to foreign places you always have to be careful of your surroundings. Good common sense about using locks on bags, keeping a low profile on expensive luggage or camera equipment, not walking down dark, desolate alleys at night, carrying a whistle and even mace, sharing Uber rides with your significant other or family members when riding at night, and verifying the driver is the same person as their Uber profile, etc. These are all very important things to remember and practice.

What has been the most consistent for us, has been the level of safety we both feel here but more importantly – the utter welcoming and warm hospitality we feel from the people of Merida. People say they come for the weather and laidback lifestyle of the Yucatan but they stay because of the people.

The People of Merida

The people are just so unbelievably kind, gracious, inviting, welcoming, warm and caring. I don’t mean to generalize, but pretty much consistently, no matter where we go – the coffee shop around the corner, the delicious Mexican or Italian restaurant down the street, the super market, the hotel front desk person or owner, the store owner, the musician in between sets, the flamenco dancers after an amazing show, the artist selling his or her handcrafts or hand-drawn graphic tee shirts, the passing person on the street – everyone we’ve met is just so beyond kind and patient!

Learning the Language

Learning to speak Spanish has been one of our top goals, tied with immersing ourself in the local culture while we travel in Mexico and Latin America over the next two years. It is hard to really get to know people if you don’t speak their language. So we’ve been studying some (probably time to kick it up a notch), practicing and fumbling a LOT. Though some people from Merida speak a little English, I’d say more than half speak no English at all.  So often we are using our Google translate or doing our best to put together sentences (all in the present tense at this point, haha) to order our morning coffee, dinner, etc. Or seeing if we can substitute a dish for vegetarian (that one can take awhile!).

And no matter what the situation – we could be in the busiest restaurant with loud Cubano music blasting and it doesn’t matter. Whoever is waiting on us will always be so patient, friendly, smiling and ready to help us with whatever we need.  The more you try to speak the language, the better.  To show that you are trying, no matter how silly your accent is or how terrible your syntax is, the fact that you are trying your best goes so far here.

The Culture of Merida

We often like to walk around Centro Merida (the historical center of the city) at night, because that is when the weather cools down and hence when everyone comes out to have fun, maybe watch live music or dance Salsa, have a drink or two, catch up over late dinner, sit in the plaza and talk and people watch or just hang out.

For that reason we typically run into so many different and unexpected events happening around town – maybe a Mayan ball game happening in front of the main cathedral, a wedding letting out of an ancient looking church, older Mexican couples dancing to 1940’s Mexican music in Santiago park, a night bike ride commencing in Santa Ana Park, or just lots of truly amazing music pulsing through cantinas throughout Centro.

Wherever you go, you pass by people and they look you in the eye, and almost always say “Buenos noches” or “Buenos tardes” or “Buenos Dias” (depending on the time of day). These may be the most important phrases to learn as soon as you come here, other than “gracias,” “hasta luego” and “donde es el bano?” Because it’s at the heart of the ingrained warmth and welcoming kindness built right into the very cultural fabric of this place.  It’s the heart of the people here.  The acknowledgment of one another is what makes this place so special to us.

Why Merida Is Special

One night we went to get Italian at Dadaumpa, one of our favorites in Centro, housed in a beautiful colonial Spanish house with very high ceilings and gorgeous tiles on the floor. The place was packed that night, and we waited a little bit to get a table. As we were sat down a Canadian expat named Roosevelt walked in looking to eat dinner too. As there were no tables available we said to him, “Hey, why don’t you join us? We have an extra seat, why not?”

He happily sat down and we learned that he had been living in Merida for several months, taking Spanish classes everyday and checking out the real estate market for a fixer upper colonial house in Centro. His exam was the next day and he would be returning to Canada soon after, but was hoping to return to purchase a house this fall. He said, “you know why I want to live here? One reason only. It’s for the people.”

I couldn’t agree more. The people are what make Merida a truly wonderful and special place. So if you are planning to visit Mexico, or the Yucatan Peninsula, don’t forget to check out Merida! The people will have your heart!

The Food in Merida

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