I arrived in Merida while it was still light. While on the bus I realized I had not written down Daniel’s address so I’d need Internet. That turned out to be a very pleasant surprise! In the bus station I asked a man for help asking for a McDonalds or such for Internet. The woman who worked there replied in excellent English that there is no need to Burger King or MD because the downtown was all Internet – gratis. And it was only 4 blocks down and 4 blocks to the left. I enjoyed the walk, buying a real Mexican ice cream pop (paleta) to eat as I walked. I got chocolate this time, but the fruit pops are the true prize in Mexico. (Good thing I had my bottle of water to wash my hand after. I was covered in drips on this dry hot and humid day.)
Close to the square I got Internet so I launched WhatsApp on my iPhone and told Daniel I was in the way. He resent the address and said I may arrive anytime so to go enjoy the area a while first. I also asked about a bus instead of cab and he told me what bus to get.
“Downtown” per the woman in the ADO station turned out to be the town square and it is magnificent. I arrived at last light, the most perfect time. The sky and the lights of the buildings were magical. I took a few panoramic photos, some regular shots, and then a video to capture the sounds of the parrots. And as I turned off my video the church bells chimed so I did another. Soon it was dark. Time to head to Daniel’s.
One helpful man and 4 more easy blocks walk I knew another bit of downtown, a statue, and I was in the bus. First on, with a wait to depart, My nice driver and I “talked” and I knew he would tell me where to get off.
Indeed, the driver did tell me. He pointed straight and to the right. “Right” is a word I knew. The next day I learned “straight ahead” because it had come up twice so I wanted to be sure I had that correct in my head.
The bus let me out at a nice looking outdoor restaurant so I sat and had a couple of Tacos el Pastor. In Cancun these were 12 pesos. Here they were just 6 and when I requested “sin Cilantro” (without Cilantro), I didn’t get just meat, but got the onions and slices of the amazing local pineapple. Two tacos later, 12 pesos + 5 for a tip, I was full, happy, and excited to arrive at Daniel’s and meet him.
Happily his home is a short block from that restaurant so I knew I would return to it. (I did, the next day and the next.)
Daniel is great. He was also hosting two other women that night. We all talked. I got to create a user account on his Mac and work a bit. Together he and I solved my mail on the iPhone problems and on his Mac I fixed the rest of my theft-caused mail issues. It was such a relief to have mail, to be able to delete mail, and to be able to actually use my iPhone for email again.