Bev & Terry's Travels in Mexico: Bienvenida Kim

We are anxiously awaiting Kim's arrival into Merida tonight around 9. The three of us are leaving on a bus tomorrow morning for Cancun to catch a ferry over to Isla Mujeres. Our plans are to be back in Merida Friday evening unless we decide to stay longer.

The Mayawawa says: "Bienvenida, Kim!"

Terry and I have had a nice several days....lots of walking and looking around Merida. Several spottings of Tim and his Ford truck out and about Merida. Tim's truck is probably THE #1 truck in Merida!

I am always reluctant to take pictures of people around town since I don't have a telephoto lens, but since this guy had a camera around his neck and was taking pictures of people, I decided it would be ok to take a picture of him. Later in the day we met up with him again, along with his female traveling companion, in The Bierhaus. It turns out they are Austrian. They wanted to know:

"Why are you drinking Mexican beer in a German bier haus?"

So, we want to know: "When you are in a Mexican bar with a name like The Bierhaus serving Mexican and German beers, and you are Americans conversing with a couple of Austrians, what are you supposed to be drinking?"

One-half of the Austrian Couple

Two of our 3 favorite wait staff at The Bierhaus -

Casildo and Saundra at The Bierhaus

We walked and walked Sunday during what is supposed to be a Sunday stroll down Paseo Montejo. When we got back to the house both of us were discussing that our feet were a little sore. Terry got on Google and clocked our route....we walked 10.7 kilometers! After we realized that, we both got super tired and decided to take a siesta.

This is the statue at the beginning of Paseo de Montejo.

Photos Taken While Walking in the Chembech area of Merida....on the East side of Centro....on last Thursday or Friday (I think it was)

We have spotted groups of people around Merida on several occasions that always make us curious. We have also seen them out in the outlying areas also, but to a lesser degree. The men all wear overalls and big western-style straw hats, and the women wear dresses, no make-up, very conservative hairstyles, and little kerchief-type things on their heads. We have seen them in the bus stations, usually when we are traveling second class. Not being brave enough to ask them "What is your story?", we had just assumed they were either doing missionary work or were possibly Amish and down here to buy woods for their furniture-making. Well, we found out they are Mennonites and have been living in rural settlements outside of Merida and Campeche since the early part of the century. It seems when they were looking for a country that would accept their beliefs and respect their wishes not to fight in wars, Mexico agreed to give them a place to call home. They speak an old world form of German, very few know any Spanish, have no alliance with the US, are self-sustaining and lead very secluded lives for the most part. They seem to lead lives somewhat like the Amish in the US. Also, it does seem that in some parts of Mexico they are more progressive than in others, ie, drive their own automobiles, etc.