Happy New Year from Merida. Sitting contently in the hammock is Fidel, the charcoal poodle who belongs to the owners of our hostel. Clearly he is a Mexican dog and a very cute one at that!We had a great night last night to see in the New Year starting with a meal of fresh pasta, some good red wine and even better company (our friends Kate and Adam) and later we sat at a bar and listened to live Mexican salsa as the locals jived on the street outside. It was the kind of scene I always imagined experiencing in Latin America. Mexicans appear very comfortable with their body shapes and no matter what size or form, they let it all hang out as they sway their hips and shake their asses. Larna swirled on the street with one of the locals. Even the oldies have great rhythmn. There was a guy hanging onto a walking stick and even he was doing the moves.
Merida is the capital of the Yucatan region and full of old colonial buildings, heaps of atmosphere, colour and life. Yesterday afternoon we walked down Paseo Montejo, a shady boulevard with overhanging trees with grand old mansions and amazing bronze sculptures of mythical Mexican creatures lining the road. 
There was a hotel along the route called "La Conquistador" and it made me wonder how the local Mayans feel about this given that the Spanish conquerers were extremely cruel to the local people when they ruled Mexico and the Yucatan. Yesterday we visited an old palace on the square with giant murals depicting the cruelty met out to the Mayans by the Spanish. One showed a Mayan rebel being quartered with hot pokers.
A highlight of the last few days was a visit to a "cenote" just outside Vallodolid. A cenote is an underground limestone cave filled with fresh, incredibly clear water and limestone drippings (not sure if the correct term is stalactite or stalagmite) coming down from the ceiling. The water was surprisingly warm.Tomorrow we will be moving on from Merida making our way South through the Yucatan to Palenka to visit more ruins, this time set in the jungle. We have long, overnight bus ride ahead of us and a couple more after that - Mexico is a big place!
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