Travel day number 2 started at 0230 and we left the hotel at 0330 for our short drive to the airport. BWI was pretty slow for a Sunday morning and we checked our bags and made our way through security without any wait. Our flight to Miami left on time and we arrived around 0830. Leg 2 down and one more flight to go!
Miami Airport was much busier when we arrived. We had a 3 hour layover so we spent time eating Subway and people watching.There are a lot of interesting people out there these days. As we were preparing ourselves for the final flight Joshua noticed a coule of guys who "looked like hunters" due to their camo hats and bags. He insisted we sit next too them so he could talk to them. An hour later he still hadn't talked to them but had eavsdropped enough to find out they were hunting turkey and that they were either from Alabama, Louisianna, or Georgia. I encouraged him to start a conversation with them and we learned that they were all avid hunters who had traveled a lot of places. One was from North Carolina, one from Georgia and the last was an outfitter in Kansas and Canada. It was nice to have an engaging conversation while we waited to board since the flight was delayed about 30 minutes.
After boarding our final flight we left Miami flew over the Keys and what appeared to be a cruise ship. Then across the Gulf of Mexico and hit land near Playa del Carmen.
We landed safely in Merida and prepared to go through customs. What should have been an easy process turned into quite the experience. Joy the drug sniffing dog detected Joshua's Subway sandwich that he had refused to eat on the plane in my bag. I then found myself flagged for inspection at the Agricultural counter. Joshua had to explain to someone who really spoke no english what a bow was and after his bag inspection the Subway sandwich was seized from my bag, weighed, and witten up in a report. Thankfully there was no penalty for the mistake.
Victor's (tomorrow's driver) son met us at the airport and made sure we safely boarded our shuttle to the hotel. It's facinating to see another city and country. For the most part whatever predetermined ideas and thoughts you have about it are generally inaccurate. The streets of Merida are lined with a combination of run down buildings and beautiful brightly colored houses with bright white iron gates. Every single buidling is cinder block or stucco and wood is used sparingly for windows and doors. There is a stark contrast to American cities like Pittsburgh or Philadelphia where there are safe middle and upper class areas and the more dangerous lower class. Here it is all mixed together and the streets are filled with the same variety of people. We passed a large park where there was a Carnival filled with families, vendors, and donkey rides.
The area surrounding the hotel is the same mishmash of old and new. Our room has a small balcony that looks out over a lot filled with beautiful trees. The weather is warm and humid but feels so amazing compared to the 30 degree days we left.
Dinner was at Chili's since we were starving and it was right next door to the hotel. There are so many "American" things that don't taste anything like they do in America.
First example, Heinz ketchup! Joshua used it but I was not a fan of the flavor. After dinner we walked across the street to a convenience store for drinks and breakfast to smuggle back into the hotel.
The bottom floor of the hotel is filled with a variety of shops. In one of them Joshua found a t-shirt that changes colors in the sun and I found a set of salt and pepper shakers I plan to pick up when we come back on Friday. As I'm writing this its 2000 here and Joshua is watching TV in Spanish and setting our alarms so we don't miss our 0715 ride in the morning!