Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Merida Pics

Just a few of the many photos taken around Merida.
I like black and white. With colours out of the way one can see to the bones of the structure. Shadow play. Form and function.

This was taken from a sidewalk cafe in one of the many little squares scattered around the central core of the town. Nice little restaurants. A church. An elegant theatre. Tourist office. Small shops. Sit all day sipping coffee and watching people being people. Two blocks from the Hotel San Juan where I stayed.

The courtyard of the Merida Museo de Arte Contemporaneo Ateneo de Yucatan (MACAY)




Sunday, November 12, 2006

A Bit More Mexico


My daughter is a shoe nut. Not the travelling daughter, the other one. When I was walking through the street market a block east of the Hotel Catedral in MC I couldn't help taking this picture. If she lived here, there would never be problem finding cute kid stuff...


I found it interesting that in Mexico City and Merida a whole block of shops would be devoted to one type of product. For example, I needed to buy a memory stick for my camera. Lo! and behold, there's a camera shop right across from the hotel. Well, they weren't too sure if they had the right brand so, Lo! and behold...there's another shop next door. They were very helpful, had the right memory stick, showed me how to put it into the adapter and then into the camera. Even accepted my Visa card without additional ID. Then went for a walk and Lo! and behold, there are about ten more shops, all selling cameras, film, add-ons, developing film, photocopying services and the same memory sticks for anywhere from 20% to 30% less than I paid.

So, my advice is to really not buy something from the first shop, because there is ALWAYS going to be another one next door, and next door, and, Lo! and behold...next door!

The beads? Well, if I'd had a large suitcase instead of just carry-on, it would be filled with beads from all the bead shops located about two blocks north and one block east. Fantastic!