Hunting for tourists in Merida or "Hello, Money!"

Friends, this article will be a little different. There will be no artistic narration of the dignity and sights of the city, because Merida (Merida) did not seem too interesting and rich in decent objects. But you will learn what a walk in the center of Merida can turn around how much «Best Mexican Hats» And why in Merida will never be the Mayan festival.

A few words about the city still say. The center has location with squares, several parks, a couple of churches, markets, a variety of shops and restaurants – Single tourist beam. Multicolored streets are also available, although not so colorful, as in Campeche, San Miguel or Oaxaca.

For a very compact historical center, ordinary streets and outskirts stretch similar to the village. Nothing special.

Lay out some photos to have an idea what kind of city is if there is a desire or need to look here. We in Merida were only due to the desire to visit the Ushmal Pyramids nearby.

What clearly distinguishes Merida from previous visited towns, so this is the wrong desire of the residents to make money on tourists. Here, it seems, the visit for the most part belongs as just to objects with wallets. Every step is trying to sell something, lure to the store, overlap. Ce La V! This is Yucatan. We are getting closer and closer to cancun. Oh, we don’t love all this, and who loves.

In such situations, I remember with Andrews seen once in the Vietnam of graffiti, on which the inscription was concerned «Hello, Money!» («Hi, money!»). In my opinion, this phrase best reflects the essence of relations tourist-local resident. Praise the universe that this concerns only cities spoiled by the same tourists, and such a little in Mexico.

Walk in the center of Merida

Our first and last walk through Center Merida turned into an attraction «Unobtrusively engaging tourist purchase». Several times the local started with us the dialogues that ended with us in any super-duper the best store where things are sold, which is no longer anywhere — not only in Merida, but in general on all white light.

Meeting №1. Stand in the middle of a small area, Andrews is taking a button for the camera to get another masterpiece.

• good day! Where are you from?
• From Russia.
• Uuu, far from. Spanish speak?
• A little.
• O! – Following this interjections begins to tell us about local attractions. – This park is not the main, the main thing there, through one block, and this church is not the main, main – Cathedral, he is there, where and the park. And also there is a market, more precisely two – tourist and for local. You know, local Maya make great pieces from Sizal. Well, you heard that this. So, here is one cooperative, where they make the best hats and hammocks. Hats make in caves, at a depth of 3 meters. There is wet, so they are elastic. Then with them you can do anything, although twist and put in my pocket. Cooperative is called tit, if you buy something, then only there! Yes, by the way, today the week begins dedicated to the Mayan festival, at nine in the evening there will be a performance. All stores for a whole week will be closed, so you can only buy something today. At five pm, everything closes.
• Yeah, thank you!

Hmm, interesting manner of advertising. Maybe he receives commissions for each tourist… Although, and it does not seem, it probably just decided to recommend.

Meeting number 2. Stand opposite the Cathedral, we look at the GPS, deciding where to go on.

Suddenly, a mexican sitting next to border turns to us:

• What are looking for? Here is the main tourist street, there is there the market. Where are you from? – Questions fall as out of the horns of abundance.
• From Russia.
• Aaa, far. Moscow, Saint Petersburg? How many hours by plane to here?
• Fourteen.
• Coldly?
• No, now as much as here.
• Truth?
• Yeah.
• Oh, tomorrow the festival begins, all stores will be closed. You for a long time in Merida?
• For a couple more days we will.
• There is one store there, there are the best goods. There is a piece of handle, I will write address?
• No, unfortunately, there is no. Yes, we do not need anything, thanks!
• Not-not, let’s go, show.
• Thank you, we still do not need anything, we just walk.

• Not, let’s go, here quite not far.

I do not want to offend a peasant, we swing behind him. He tells the whole road about cool hammocks, hats and shirts from Sizal and the same festival. Maybe something interesting, but at nine in the evening we are unlikely to go to the center from their outskirts.

While he did, I remembered that I thought myself in the near future a hat to buy. Let’s see what will be offered.

Come to the shop, such as in the center of Merida a great set. I wonder what they differ from each other?

The peasant evaporates, and we go inside. Shirts, Embroidered Poncho, Cape, Tunic, Hats, Decorations – Standard Tourist Store Set.

To the question of what we are looking for, answer: «Hats». A fun seller takes us into a room and presents a few hats. I measure one, second, then the eyes come across a pretty yellow. Liked.

• What is the price?
• 900 pesos.

«Wow! Well, the prices do you! NOTE, it is expensive», – I think I am about myself.

• See what quality is good. She does not mind, – turns the hat and so, and so. – Made manually. Such hats are made in the caves…
• Yes yes we know. Thank you, expensive.

We go naturally with nothing. Painfully tourist prices. Surely actually these hats are much cheaper.

Meeting number 3. Pepper in GPS again, standing at the intersection of some streets in the center.

The guy who spends next to the green light of the traffic light, asks:

• What are looking for?
• Just look where we.
• First day in Merida?
• Yes.
• Where?
• From Russia.
• For a long time in Mexico?
• For half a year.
• Ltd., very long.
• And where in the vicinity were? And in selestung went already?
• No, maybe tomorrow or the day after tomorrow we will go.
• Yes, there is flamingos, very beautiful. Now there are thousands there may be!
• We have only been in Ushmale.
• Ahh, in ushmale is also very beautiful. Tourists usually do not often visit Merida, all Americans in Acapulco or Cancun, and other tourists are not too much. You know how can Kankun call? «Gringolandia»! Because all tourists there, there are sooo a lot there. And you only travel or Guatemala also in the plans, something else?
• No, so far only in Mexico.
• Well, good travel you. Bye!

Fuh, well, at least this store did not drag. It is strange that the tour in the selestun did not suggest.

«Gringolandia», means! Funny))

Meet number 4. We knew a little at the crossroads, looking at the cute courtyard.

Suddenly a man standing at the door waving our hand, showing a sign «Come go, go». Of course, go.

• This is university. Come on, take pictures.

We pass, he follows us.

• Where are you from?
• From Russia, – Once every day I answer the choir.
• Wow, far and cold.
• No now there is heat.
• But in winter it is cold! And a lot of vodka! We have – Tequila, you have – vodka. I know.

And where he knows everything?

• Go through, pass.

After a short inspection, we go to the exit.

• Tomorrow Maja festival begins in Merida. Whole week will be shops will not work. You have already seen? Probably the central square, the cathedral. You know, the 60th street for tourists. They all go there, and in parallel 62nd – no one, although there is also a lot of interesting things. You have already been on the market? There are two markets: one for tourists, another for local, Maya market. There is a good store, let’s write a piece of paper, I will write the name.

We already have advertising pieces by that time it typed, so I stretch one of them to him, let him write if he could be so calmer.

• Here, there is a market, called ixchel, at the intersection of the 62nd and 57th streets. There are things that manually make Maya in the surrounding small towns and villages. The material from which they all do it is called henequen (Eugene), almost like beer Haineken)) from it makes hammocks, hats, shirts. You know how such hats are called?
• No, do not know.
• Hipi Hapa (Hipi-Hapa). This is not the same as Panama Hut. Panama Hat – it’s for gringo, for the Americans, and you – not the Americans, so I tell you all this. Hipi-Hap – very good and high-quality. They are doing in Senot, deep underground. When the hat is woven, water is dialing into it, then dried, then the water is screwed again and dried again. So it becomes elastic. More such hats absorb sweat and protect it different from the heat, the head always remains cold.
• And how much time is such a hat?
• Forty-forty five days.
• Wow!
• Yes, this is a long process. And the material from which all this is made, scares mosquitoes. Yeah! We are therefore sleeping in Hammakes from Eden. Mosquitoes don’t bite us))
• Great, thanks for the useful information.
• I tell you that, because you are not Americans, you are Europeans – That’s different. For Americans – Panama Hat! You know how many Americans in Cancun? We even HIP «Gringoladland» Call. Here in Playa del Carmen and Tulum them are less. And in Cancun – Full, everything is very expensive there therefore. Well, for us, Mexicans, expensive. Like this.
• thanks!
• Nice to meet you!
• Mutually! Goodbye!

Yes, Americans are clearly disliked here. For the first time, come across such an explicit expression of dislike. Apparently, on Yucatan, they were completely local.

It was still surprised that all these comrades we encountered on a good English. That’s what crowd tourists do. Want to live, be able to ripe. Seen tourists here – The main source of earnings. As they say, «Love, do not love, and it is necessary».

We go with Andrews in the Ixchel voiced store, look for praised things. You know how many hats are there «Hippie Hap»? From 1300 to 2500 pesos. And shirts? 1300 Peso. Such here are inhuman price tags.

Justice for the sake of notice that one of our permanent readers, Elena, spoke of a certain hat, which she bought once in Mexico and which serves her faith and the truth for 15 years, and, without changing his properties. Probably this is one of those hats that is sold here. If so, then she, of course, is worth their money.

So in Merida at every step, tourists are hijacked to stay in the store. More than once we were stopped in the middle of the street to imagine a restaurant’s business card, completely ignoring failures. For the first time in Mexico, collided with such. To be honest, this behavior is a little annoying, because it is almost impossible to get out of the benevolers in a polite form, and I don’t want to tear. How to do, if you do not want to waste time on unnecessary sites and trips to useless shopping stores? Ignore? What do you do in such situations?

Citizens tourists travelers! Attention attention!

Only I put a point in my article about Merida, as decided to look into the blog Mila Demenkova, read about her impressions from this city. I often go to her. And what I read there? Turns out, There is no Mayan festival in Merida! It’s all a lie and provocation in order to convince tourists to quickly run shopping (and better, apparently, to go to the specifically voiced) and buy local hand-made at overpriced prices. Mile told all the same, only in the other month! A festival «held every year at the same time» and T.D. and T.NS. Imagine? Who would have thought, because we have several people so confidently broadcast about this colorful event, and the same thing. They have that the training on this topic is held?

So you will be in Merida, do not listen to any Mayan festival, and even more so, do not try to find this sight on the streets.

Here’s another: curious, what noodle hang these meridians «Businessmen» On the ears of Americans that do not like that.

On the other hand, if you think about, many tourists themselves are to blame for the fact that local people relate to visitors. Well, tell me where to take respect to the lady, walking through the streets of a foreign country in this form?

Despite everything, pleasant walks on Merida, dear readers!

Sheboldasik and Andrews (a beautiful place for the photo of the conversations did not have time).

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