Mérida and Puerto Progreso

On Wednesday I set off alone from Valladolid to Mérida, the capital of the region. At 7 am I was already leaving the hostel, after eating some fruit and having a coffee and with a sandwich for the road. The trip took 2h30 and cost 150 pesos and, on arriving, I went to Mérida's main square, where I'd seen there was the Hostal Zócalo.

The hostal is in an old building facing Mérida's main square, with some balconies in the first-floor cafeteria that looked out over the stage they were setting up to kick off the Carnival celebrations that night. After negotiating a private room, to see if later that night I could make up some of the sleep lost on the journey, I went to put my things in the room and started my tour of Mérida. Still in the morning I took a short stroll around the centre, around Mérida's main square.

At lunchtime I went to a small local restaurant for a breaded fillet and chatted with a local couple who advised me to go to Puerto Progreso. After lunch I took a walk along the Paseo de Montejo, an avenue lined with big mansions, and headed, as recommended, to Puerto Progreso, which is a little over half an hour by bus from the centre and the trip cost 23 pesos each way.

Cruise ships that sail to the Bahamas and Miami also stop at that port. It has a seafront promenade with small souvenir businesses, bars and a beach where I spent the rest of the afternoon.

In the evening I watched the start of the Mérida Carnival festivities, the presentation of the various carnival kings and queens and the concert by the Colombian music group “Sonora Dinamita”. Then I went to eat a pizza and went to Cantina Balam for a beer and to call it a night.