About the cap. Sergey forgot it by the pool at our simple hotel in Progreso (there are no other kinds there) two days ago. The first day he asked everyone (nobody there speaks English), and on the second day, the valet (using gestures) asked me if my husband had found his cap. I must say, the Real Madrid cap constantly attracted attention. Today, when we checked out of the hotel, they returned the cap to him! A miracle!
I think: “Don Pedro was not happy that guests were losing their caps.”
Today, in my perfect plan, was the Maya Museum. It is new in Merida, and everyone praises it. Located in the modern part of the city with a “vine-inspired” design, but for some reason, it was closed (apparently due to electricity issues).
Nearby, there is also a beautiful park and a new station for the Maya Train – the high-speed train from Cancun to Merida (started in 2020, launched in 2023). It has 34 stations and moves at an average speed of 160 km/h. We don’t have anything like this in Canada… Interestingly, the Mexicans ordered the train car design from the French but built everything themselves. The construction cost $30B (it increased by 2.5 times, for 1500 km). For comparison, the Eglinton Light Train (Toronto) has cost $10B so far (19 km).
To pass the time before our flight, we went to the zoo – in a completely different part of the city (so we practically drove through all of Merida!). The zoo is old, judging by the benches, it was probably opened “during the imperial regime.” But it’s free! It’s part of an even bigger park that has SO many things for children – pools, statues, trains… A wonderful park for family recreation!
And now we are in Mexico City. The temperature is +25°C – paradise! We were getting tired of +35°C. Yes… a city of 20 million is not like driving through the jungles of Yucatán… Traffic jams everywhere, six lanes wide, completely blocked. It feels like a time machine! The wild ’90s. Stalls along all the dark streets, shady characters, crazy driving… My tourists got a bit discouraged. Although Mexico City is considered one of the safest cities for families and a great place to raise children. I think tomorrow, in daylight, things will feel much better.
