"Hot Town Summer in the City"

The pilot announced we would enter the glide path in four minutes. Soon, coastal villages could be seen, glowing in the darkness. As we descended he told us it was 9:30pm, and the temp on the ground was 91ºF / 34ºC ( which actually doesn't correlate; 34 is 93, but who's counting: hot is hot).

This is my first encounter with Merida's famous summer season (April & May) before the cooling rains of June arrive. The heat was a bit of relief, really, after such a long cold winter in Buffalo, which had rudely hung on into spring. But sleeping was a bit challenged by minor inconveniences. My room was right on the sidewalk, with a streetlight above it. I wanted to sleep al nudo. (The locals sleep in hammocks to minimize bed sweating; but that wasn't an option.) So I had to trick out the curtain to enable privacy while still allowing breeze to enter. And I propped open the door to let it flow thru the room, while still retaining decency. There was a/c, but I certainly was not going to use it. The heat felt good.

The traffic was not going to be dealt with so readily. At times it sounded as though vehicles were racing past at 60mph / 100kph. The street is narrow, and Centro Historico is choc-a-bloc with housing built wall-to-wall. I had to tune it out, which was soon done. I awoke to the gentle cooing of mourning doves, refreshed.

A walk to the food court at Santiago plaza rewarded me with a tasty breakfast: torta de pollo — pulled chicken on a bun with salad and chilled tea.

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