VINTAGE VENTURES: I write my travel journals to look back and remember our ventures. A secondary reason is to allow me to organize all my trip photos. I have thousands of photos. Organizing them into a cohesive story makes sense.

We returned to the ocean. The beach at the town of Progreso, 30 miles north, is where Merida goes to swim.

DAY 12 – Wednesday, February 14, 2018

PROGRESO BEACH

It had been close to a week since we left the luscious Tulum beaches. It was time to revisit the ocean. We knew that the Progreso beach wasn’t going to measure up to the Mayan Riviera, but it was still supposed to be nice, especially if you avoided the days that the cruise ships docked at Progreso. But first, breakfast.

Our second Airbnb breakfast topped yesterday's excellent breakfast. We got the same rich espresso and cream and incredible OJ. The fruit plate was filled with perfect papaya slices (which we dipped in the OJ – a trick we learned in Hawaii), cantaloupe, watermelon, and banana, plus yogurt, oatmeal, and biscuits on the side. The main course was the most delicious Dagwood sandwich I ever ate - Mexican ham, cheese, cucumber, shredded carrots, Dijon mustard, and spinach leaves on whole wheat bread. I could get used to this breakfast thing.

Satiated, we caught a metro bus to the Progreso bus station. A round-trip ticket for two to Progreso costs a mere 76 pesos ($4.80 US). Progreso was bigger than I thought, and the bus station in Progreso was a few blocks away from the coast, so it took a little bit to get our bearings. The oceanfront at Progreso is very shallow for a long way out. They built a 2-mile-long bridge straight out to a platform in waters deep enough for ships. At first, we ended up on the left side of that bridge, where there was a small cleanup crew picking up trash. This area obviously was where the Carnival festival had been held the day before. The beach area was OK but a bit on the funky side, so we decided to go on the other side of the bridge. Sure enough, that led to a very nice huge public beach.

Wanda dragged along her sun-tent, but the wind was howling. There was no way that tent could be anchored down, so we rented a palapa, one of those big tropical umbrellas shading two chaise lounges. The air was hot, the water was warm, the sand was nice, and the waves were gentle. It was terrific, and we would have loved it even more if we hadn’t been so spoiled by the best beach we had ever stepped foot on just the week before in Tulum. Still, in the 90-degree sun, we took full advantage.

After we got our fill of the ocean, we roamed the streets. Progreso is a typical beach town with its tiki bars and outdoor seafood restaurants. There was a miniature version of the Merida crazy market – lots of booths, lots of people, but only one square block under a roof. We tried a mango paleta with chili – definitely not our favorite. 

I had read about a beach restaurant, Eladios, which specialized in free tapas when you order drinks. So, at suppertime, we found Eladios and ordered a beer and a margarita. The waiter kept bringing us all these free Mexican dishes. These weren’t snacks; they were meals – tamales, tacos, enchiladas, refried beans, you name it, and it kept coming. Feeling guilty, we ordered another round of drinks, and I tried the famous Yucatán Sopa de Lima (lime soup). Stuffed, we walked out with a bill of about $10 US and a pretty good buzz.

It felt good to return to the ocean.

Most of the beach was uncrowded. This section was the only stretch with any people. I suspect that yesterday's Carnival celebration was wall-to-wall people.

The wind was blowing too hard to set up our sun-tent. The sun, clocking in at 92º, required shade. We settled on a grass-roof palapa.

Downtown Progreso was vibrant.

Above: Eladios Restaurant was even better than the glowing reviews we read.

Below: Eladios Inside.

When we returned to Merida in the evening, it was Ash Wednesday, and the Cathedral at Plaza Grande was holding services. We went inside to check it out. Built in 1562, it was a typical European-style cathedral on the outside but very plain on the inside. As we walked back to the Airbnb, we peeked inside several different churches and chapels, all very old and interesting.

We always return to Plaza Grande, Merida's hub.

Merida, and Mexico as a whole, is religiously observant. Being Ash Wednesday, all the churches and chapels were holding services. Above is the interior of Catedral de San Ildefonso, located adjacent to Plaza Grande. Built in 1562, it is the oldest church in the Western Hemisphere mainland.

Above and below: Smaller churches holding Ash Wednesday services.

Dave and Wanda

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