Category: African American

BOLT’s Top 5 Things To Do When Visiting Merida

by BOLT, posted in African American, Black, Lesbian, Long term travel, Merida, Mexico, Mexico, Travel

We’ve been blessed with lots of visitors lately and were so proud to show them our beautiful city. So, it’s time for a top 5 list of what we suggest you see when visiting Merida.

El Zócalo

1. El Zócalo

Also known as la Plaza Grande or Grand Plaza el zócalo is a must visit site. It’s a great spot for picture taking, it’s surrounded by historic colonial buildings and an ancient cathedral. There are lots of art galleries and street vendors in the area. At night el zócalo comes alive with music, light shows and a variety of activities.

Musica en el Zócalo!
El Museo del Mundo Maya

2. El Museo del Mundo Maya

The Maya World Museum is a striking, modern Mayan cultural museum with many exhibits of art, handicrafts & history. It’s a great place to spend a cool air conditioned afternoon on a hot Merida day.

Maya Museum Exhibit

3. Biciruta on Sunday Morning!

Rent a bike and enjoy a ride down historic Paseo Montejo. The street is closed to car traffic on Sunday mornings and full of bikers, skaters, folks walking their dogs, babies in strollers and more. It’s a lovely way to take in Merida’s main street with beautiful old mansions and monuments.

Monumento de la Patria
Look for the pink umbrella!

4. Free Walking Tour

Every day at 10 am there is a great walking tour which starts at Parque Santa Lucia. You will tour central Merida, see lots of historic buildings and thoroughly enjoy a brief history lesson.

Cathedral de Merida

5. Take a Day Trip

With so much to see and do you may not want to leave Merida. However, at least one trip out of town shouldn’t be missed. You can visit the closest beach town or Progresso, spend a day at one of the many cenotes or visit the pyramids at the World Heritage Sites of Chichen Itza or Uxmal.

Yucatan Cenote
Uxmal

If you are planning a visit to Merida, please let us know. We’ll be proud and honored to show you our beautiful home city.

Advertisement

A visit to the Fez (Fes) Medina

by BOLT, posted in African American, Fez Morocco, Lesbian, Long term travel, Medina of Fez, Morocco, retirement, Travel, UNESCO world heritage sites, walking

The medina (walled city) in Fez is the oldest and largest one in Morocco. We spent over 6 hours there today, exploring the narrow streets, admiring the beautiful goods for sale and enjoying a day amidst the hustle and bustle of a Saturday in Fez. Everyone was very friendly although some of the sellers were a little pushy. Our guide, Mohammed, was very informative about this UNESCO world heritage site, built in the 9th century.

We visited the ancient Jewish quarter of the Medina. There is a rich history of Judaism in Morroco, although sadly not very many Jews remain.

The medina is home to the oldest university in the world. It is an indescribable feeling to stand in such an ancient place.

We entered the medina through the famous Blue Gate. You can see that the exiting side is green.

Another highlight, although quite smelly, was a visit to the tannery. There, over 600 families ply their centuries old craft of turning goat, cow and camel hide into leather goods. Although smelly, the view from the top was awesome!

We also saw the river that used to divide the medina into 2 sections (Spanish and Tunisian) but is now connected by a bridge.

A visit to the medina of Fez is a must if you are here. Be sure to have good walking shoes and water. Have questions about our visit to Fez? Please email us at boltraveling@gmail.com

15 Best Things To Do in Merida Mexico 2022: Guide & Tips

by BOLT, posted in African American, Black, cenotes, Long term travel, Merida, Mexico, Mexico, Santa Barbara Cenote, Yucatán, Mexico, Travel

This is a pretty good article about visiting Merida. Living here means we can take our time and visit ALL the things.

https://www.roamingaroundtheworld.com/top-5-things-to-do-in-merida-mexico/

So far we have taken the walking tour which was great. We really enjoyed Pok Ta Pok and I wrote a short blog about it.

We have visited and biked Paseo Montejo as well as several of the plazas.

We’ve enjoyed several day trips, most memorably Chichén Itza and the Santa Barbara Cenotes.

Everything else on the list we are still looking forward to. We will proceed with caution as COVID is still s very real and present danger!

This is an example of what under $500 USD can get in Merida, Mexico! We are very happy in our new place.

by BOLT, posted in African American, Black, Long term travel, Merida, Mexico, Mexico, Old, retirement
Site icon
This is an example of what under $500 USD can get in Merida, Mexico! We are very happy in our new place.

Celebrating A Year in Merida!

by BOLT, posted in African American, Black, Lesbian, Merida, Mexico, Mexico

We have really come to love this city! A year passed by really quickly! Lots of good adventures, wonderful new friends made and just another wonderful year for Black Old Lesbians Traveling!

Pok Ta Pok!

by BOLT, posted in African American, Black, Merida, Mexico, Mexico, Yucatán

Pok-Ta–Pok is an ancient Mayan ball game, that was played thousands of years ago as part of a sacred, sacrificial ceremony, pitting good against evil. The general belief is that the ball, five pounds of solid rubber, could only be hit with forearms and thighs. The goal of the game was to maneuver the ball through a stone hoop extending from a wall. It is said that the winner of the game was sacrificed, supposedly a high honor.

Pok-Ta-Pok ball courts can still be found at Mayan archeological sites, such as Chichen Itza, and Uxmal.

You can now experience this ancient game right here in Merida.

The show is held Wednesdays at 8 p.m, in front of the Merida Cathedral in Centro.

Entrance is free but assigned seating is limited. We had a great, safe time!

While Covid infections are on the rise here in Merida it is important to find outdoor, socially distanced and masked events to attend. We’d love to hear your suggestions.

About a year ago I started a Saturday morning walking group. I think 4 people came. Look at us now!

by BOLT, posted in African American, Merida, Mexico, walking
Site icon
About a year ago I started a Saturday morning walking group. I think 4 people came. Look at us now!

BOLT Top 5: Reasons Why We Like Cruising

by BOLT, posted in African American, Black, cruising, generational, Long term travel, Ocean, retirement, Travel, WOC, Women

Cruising is very special for Kathy and I. We met on a cruise. When we were working cruising was a great way to vacation. We started our lives of retirement and travel with a 30 day cruise. We know that cruising is not for everyone. It’s not the best way to immerse yourself in a locale. You usually spend less than a day in port. It’s not the cheapest way to travel. But for us, it’s one of our favorite ways to go. Here’s our top 5 reasons why.

1. Ease of Travel

Rather then changing hotels several times,check in, check out, lug suitcases around, etc, when you cruise you check in once and are set for the length of the vacation. On our last cruise we visited 3 countries and a total of 9 ports. Cruising made that so much easier.

2. Meals

Cruise ships have amazing food! There is a huge variety of selections and dining options. Unless you choose to dine at the “specialty restaurants” all your meals are included in the price of the cruise.

3. The Ports

Cruising is a great way to see places you might not normally visit. You will visit many exotic places on most cruises. You can choose one of the many shore excursions offered by the cruise lines or just get off the ship and explore on your own.

4. Group Gatherings

Cruises are such an awesome way to get a group together. With a minimum of planning you can have a wonderful family vacation, class reunion or simply a gathering of friends.

5. Value

Cruising is not the least expensive way to travel but when you add up all of the above we think you get very good value for your travel dollar, especially if you put in some effort to research bargains.

How about you? We’d love to hear your thoughts on cruising. Contact us at boltraveling@gmail.com

Celebrating 14 Years of Love and Travel!

by BOLT, posted in African American, queer, Travel, WOC, Women

Whether by plane, cruise ship, RV, train or car Kathy and I love to travel! This month we look back over our 14 years of travel. We hope you enjoy these pictures of some of the places we’ve visited.

Belize
Zanzibar
Whale Watching Baja California Sur, México
Vietnam
Bali
Vietnam
Beijing China
Hawaii
Grand Canyon, Arizona
The Great Wall of China
Family Cruise 2019
South Africa
Merida Mexico
Chichen Itza
Selma to Montgomery Alabama
Yee Ping, Chiang Mai Thailand
Chiang Mai Thailand
Ensenada, Baja California México
Our RV, Winnie
Niagara Falls NY
Canada
Singapore
Tanzania
Malaysia
Malaysia
Ha Long Bay Vietnam
The Mouth of the Mississippi River, Minnesota

A BOLT MUST: A HOME WITH A POOL

by BOLT, posted in African American, generational, Lesbian, Long term travel, Merida, Mexico, Mexico, Old, retirement, self care, staying healthy, swimming, water exercise, WOC, Women
Our old home in Da Nang, Vietnam

Water is my happy place and because of me, we choose to live in smaller apartments that have pools. I came to accept this about myself after our first 6 months here in Merida. We had a lovely 2 bedroom home but no pool. I became a “pool beggar”, visiting friends with pools frequently. Now we are in a much smaller place and I love my daily time in the pool.

Our Shared Pool here in Merida

There are so many benefits to swimming and exercising in the water. Including:

  • Water supports the body, putting less stress on your joints and muscles.
  • Working out in water helps build strength.
  • Water pressure helps put less strain on the heart by moving blood around the body.
  • The impact of gravity is less in the water allowing a greater range of motion.
  • It keeps your heart rate up but takes some of the impact stress off your body.
  • It builds endurance, muscle strength and cardiovascular fitness
  • It helps maintain a healthy weight, healthy heart and lungs.
  • It tones muscles and builds strength.
  • It provides an all-over body workout, as nearly all of your muscles are used during swimming.
  • Swimming or water exercise are relaxing and peaceful, alleviating stress
    improving coordination, balance and posture,
    improving flexibility, and
    providing good low-impact therapy for some injuries and conditions.
  • Especially here in very hot Merida having time in the water provids a pleasant way to cool down on a hot day.
Pools are great for spending time with friends.

For more information about the value of water exercise visit https://pin.it/5bVVSOE

I’d love to hear about your “must haves” in finding the home that is right for you. Please feel free to share in the comments section. If you have any questions please contact us at boltraveling@gmail.com