Category: Mexico

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.

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A Morning in Uxmal

by BOLT, posted in Merida, Mexico, Mexico, UNESCO world heritage sites, Uxmal, Yucatán

Uxmal is an ancient Maya city of the classical period located in present-day Mexico. It is considered one of the most important archaeological sites of Maya culture, along with Palenque, Chichen Itza and Calakmul in Mexico, Caracol and Xunantunich in Belize, and Tikal in Guatemala.

Uxmal is about one and a half hours drive from Merida. Today, cool and cloudy, was the perfect day for a visit.

I found Uxmal to be much less touristy than Chichen Itza, it’s also much smaller. Be prepared for walking and climbing some fairly challenging steps.

Uxmal is a beautiful place and a great uncomplicated way to spend a morning in the Yucatán. Thank you for reading our blog. Please reach out to us with any questions at boltraveling@gmail.com

Beautiful Campeche!

by BOLT, posted in Campeche, Merida, Mexico, Mexico, Travel

Campeche is one of the 31 states which make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Located about 2 hours from Merida, it’s a lovely drive. We enjoyed a day trip there and had a nice, relaxing time walking along the malecón and having a delicious lunch. I hope you enjoy these pictures from our day.

Mexico City Day 3/3

by BOLT, posted in Frida Kahlo Museum, Mexico, Mexico City

We visited the beautiful neighborhood of Coyoacán today. It was a lovely, quiet part of town. The Frida Kahlo Museum was truly the highlight of our visit. Frida and Diego lived there for many years. It was especially touching to see her art studio and the gardens are amazing!

Appointments are necessary for the museum so while we waited for our entry time we explored the neighborhood, including the breathtaking Italian Cultural Center and the whimsical exhibit there.

We go home to Merida in the morning. We have thoroughly enjoyed our brief stay in this fantastic city and will return soon.

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
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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.

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

5 Fun Things to do While Living in Merida

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

Having fun and finding beauty, even during a pandemic, is easy and affordable to do in and around Merida. Here are five suggestions.

1. Take a Walk
Merida is a great city for walking especially in the Centro or Paseo Montejo áreas.

2. Explore Mayan History and Culture
Chichen Itza is just one of many ancient Mayan heritage sites in the area. Get a good guide and learn more about this beautiful culture.

3. Visit a Cenote
If you do nothing else, visit at least one of these magical and sacred natural water filled sink holes.

4. Go Looking for Iguanas
These dragon like creatures are all over the city, especially in parks. I love trying to spot them as they are shy and blend in well with their surroundings.

5. Cool Off with a Day at the Beach or a Pool!
Merida is 🔥 HOT! There are lovely beaches less than 30 minutes away and many local hotels allow you to come swim, better yet…get an apartment with a pool!