PHOTO GALLERY ONE (Arrival, Progreso, Family)

PHOTO GALLERY TWO (Family Reunion)

PHOTO GALLERY THREE (Mayan Ruins, Museum)

PHOTO GALLERY FOUR (Merida, Anthropology Museum, Dances)

PHOTO GALLERY FIVE (Progreso Malecon)
Arrival

My sister-in-law had arranged for a driver to pick us up from the airport. We're staying in a very small town called Puerto Progreso, whose claim to fame is the longest pier on the planet. Good thing we had a driver, too, as I was pretty much totally lost within just a few minutes of leaving the aeropuerto. Merida has roundabouts that connect to other roundabouts. It was also nice to be able to ride and look around a bit, even though it was late at night. American industry has really made an appearance here. Lots of typical US fast-food joints, Sam's Club, Home Depot, etc. I was surprised to see a really beautiful Mercedes-Benz dealership. All in all Merida is a very cosmopolitan city.

Progreso, however, is a much more typical Mexican village. Most definitely NOT very cosmopolitan. It's a small town, and it drives home the fact that there is a very clear line between the haves and have-nots in Mexico. Folks are either poor, or they are not. But no matter the financial situation, they make the best of it. I can't help but think about what the town could be if the Mexican government were not so corrupt. People in the USA complain about how “evil” their government is, but they should spend a couple months in a place like Progreso. You don't work, you don't eat. There's no such thing as government subsidies. People in the USA don't have any idea how well-off they are compared to this place.

The Hotel

Anyway, back to the travelogue. The hotel that we're staying at in Progreso is called Hotel Isadore. Named after a hurricane that swept the area clean a few years back, the current owners picked it up at a fire sale and turned it into a nice little hotel. It used to be a residence of one of the more affluent citizens of Progreso, so the layout is pretty nice. It's like staying in someone's home. The rooms are cheap by US standards, though my in-laws were a bit scandalized by what we're paying (equivalent to $48US, plus another $10US for use of the A/C). The people here are so laid-back, we didn't even see someone who could tell us what we were paying until around three days after we arrived. Of course, much of this might be because it's pretty much the only hotel in the area.
Hotel Isadora, Puerto Progreso, Mexico
The room is fairly large, and has an attached enclosed patio. Though it's really been too hot to think about using the patio much. It is nice having breakfast out by the pool each morning. It's generally nice and cool, and after we track down the cook we can order pretty much anything we want. I actually think they probably wouldn't even mind if we just cooked it ourself.

There's a nice-looking courtyard surrounding the pool, and one evening I decided to give the pool a go. Since I'm pretty paranoid about the local water due to the previous unpleasant experience this was a big step. Now, the pool probably dates to around when the home was built, so it's absolutely not heated. A fact I discovered when I took the first step. I think the Mexican Navy must use it for hypothermia testing. I was feeling like a Titanic survivor in no time, trying to catch my breath from the water. You could probably generate power based on the temperature difference between the water and the air above. Fortunately I hit the stage of hypothermia where you start feeling warm and so stayed in for a few more minutes.

On a technological note, it's interesting that the hotel has high-speed Internet. Which I was supremely grateful for, since now I can avoid withdrawal symptoms. But it sure makes me think – Progreso is pretty much at the end of nowhere, and here I am surfing the Internet like I was sitting at my desk back home.

Day One

We spent the first day with Rocio's family, which was an experience for me since I speak very little Spanish. I try, and I usually understand much more than I can speak, but you get a small room packed with a fire-code violations worth of people, all talking at once at the top of their voice, and my Spanish goes south very quickly. I was quickly out of my depth and just resorted to sitting in the corner and watching. Which is pretty much what I do in social situations at home, anyway.

We finished the day hoping to hit the hotel's modest bar and share a drink with Rocio's brother. We walked back to the hotel only to find that it was closed for the evening. Not the bar, the whole place. Front door was locked, all the lights were off. Fortunately, they gave us a
Street in Puerto Progreso, Mexico
key. I just didn't realize this was why they gave us a key. There was nobody to be found in the hotel at all. Totally empty. This is a level of trust you'd never find in the USA. We obviously skipped the drinks but shared out some of the gifts we had brought for the family.

An observation on getting around town. Mostly, we've been walking, but there are buses and taxis as well. The locals drive everything from mopeds to late-60's vintage cars to clunky 70's era Japanese cars to current SUV's. The one commonality is they all drive them like they're trying to make pole at the Indy 500. And there's no seat-belt laws here, in fact you're lucky if the taxi even has them. And I was fascinated by the family of four who buzzed by me on a moped one evening. Dad driving, kid one standing up on the seat behind him, mom behind kid one, holding a very small kid two. And I have no doubt that on their way back home they'd have bags of groceries or something hanging all over.
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Text and Photographs Copyright ©2006 by Michael Hanson, All Rights Reserved.