Sotuta de Peón

Sotuta de Peón is a working plantation (hacienda in Spanish) just outside of Mérida.

The most adventurous day in Mérida

You could say that today was not the best of my days here in Mérida. Actually, far from it!  To start the day off I got on the bus to go to school and as I got off at my stop I realized that my phone was no longer in my pocket!  SO LAME!!  I got back on that same bus and it hadn't been turned on and it was nowhere to be seen which meant that someone snuck it right out of my pocket as I was sitting there or as I stood up.  It's obviously not very convenient but I just have to remind myself that it is a material item and can easily be replaced. Also I wasn't harmed in any way, shape, or form.  So all is good.  Another very lucky thing is that I just downloaded all my pictures onto my computer Saturday night so I only lost pictures from Sunday and Monday....so so lucky!  So I  might not be able to document the rest of my trip as much as I'd like because I have to depend on others to take pictures for me and then get them to me.

This afternoon was ward temple night so the guys and I thought it would be a great idea to show up and do a session with the members of the ward.  It was a great idea until it started raining as I was getting on the bus.  And let me just say that when it rains here, it REALLY RAINS!  I was soaked just from walking from my ouse to the street.  The lucky part is that the bus pulled up right as I got there so I didn't have to stand there and wait.  What wasn't so lucky is that the lady who sat next to me soaked me with the water from her pancho as took it off.  real cool amiga!  The bus took 45 minutes to get downtown which was about twice as long as normal.  So I get downtown and now I'm in a big hurry to get to the  temple.  Mind you, I don't have a phone to know what time it is or a watch because the battery died while I've been here...just my luck!

I walked as fast as I could in the direction of the temple.  The tricky thing around Mérida is that all of the buildings are the same height and they're so close together that you can't really see where anything is in the distance.  So I was  pretty sure where the temple was but I was not 100%.  So as I was on my wet adventure towards a destination that I was not sure of, I was getting splashed by EVERY SINGLE car, bus, and truck that passed me.  I was trying to laugh but really it was just to keep me from crying.  I finally came across a nice guy and he pointed me in the direction of "the big Mormon church with the gold guy on top".  Incase you were wondering, I was headed in the right direction, it was just a few blocks further than I remembered.

It's amazing how everything bad, sad, and worrisome can be erased by spending time in the Lord's house.  I love the temple!

But all those memories came rushing back as I had to put my wet clothes back on.

Then Profe was nice enough to take us all home since he was at the temple too.  But of course it couldn't go smoothly for us right?  We got a flat tire.  Which had to be changed in the rain!

All in all, an adventurous day in Mérida

Misa

We went to a Catholic mass today.  It was very interesting to see.  Unfortunately we didn't pick up the little pamphlet at the door with all the words and songs on it so we were the lost gringas the entire time.  Oh well!  I guess that's what we are here in Mexico.  There was a lot of reciting words and prayers.  I wasn't sure if it would be ok to join in or not if I did have the words.

Rachel and I did take pictures this night outside the church but they got taken along with my phone

Grutas in Calcehtok

Today wasn't my favorite excursion but pretty much everybody else loved it.  We went to a cave and explored.  We had to climb down into it on a ladder.  It was beautiful and pretty amazing.  It was really cool to know that the Mayans used it as a place of worship and a place to put offerings to their gods.  There was evidence of may ceramic pots and vases.

Most of the group went through a tiny little tunnel that takes 40 minutes to wiggle through.  I was the first to raise my hand saying that I was NOT going.  They had to wiggle through on their stomachs and there wasn't even enough room to army crawl through the small tunnel.

Also there were tons of bats.

All in all...not my favorite place!

Rachel, Profe, and me

The descent into Xibalba

Morning Stroll in Progreso

We usually only get to go to Progreso in the afternoon after classes but today we didn't have class and we didn't have an excursion so we all decided to go to the beach.  It's so nice in the morning because there's not as much wind.  A crazy wind starts up around 3pm and it's no fun to on the beach. 

I've said it before and I'll say it again...I love this place!!!

 As we were walking down the pier we ran into this cute little grandpa teaching his grandson to fish.  He let us take a swing at it and we actually caught some fish!  The people here are so nice and so willing to get to know us and show us their culture and ways of life.

 After our fishing adventure, we parked it on the beach under a palm hut enjoyed some fun drinks and a beautiful view.

Beauty

This city is so gorgeous! I'm so luck that I get to be here

Coco Loco in Progreso

Rachel and I got out of school early today so we planned to go straight from school to Progreso.  It was a very good plan, I must say.  All of the stores were open.  They're usually all closed by the time we get there because it's siesta time after school.  It's such a beautiful place.  It has a familiar beach-town feel about it.

Rachel had never had fresh coco water so we HAD to get one...right?  They lady went to town on it with her machete!  

If anything it was a fun experience and good photo-op since I don't really enjoy coconut water that much-or at all