As a young woman in my mid-20’s I’m always a little apprehensive about travelling alone. Even though my trip to Mexico was with a tour group, I knew that during our free time I’d be tempted to head out on my own – not to mention, during the weeks prior to my trip, Mexico had been in the headlines. I admit, I was a little nervous.
For the week we were in Mexico we spent our time in the beautiful city of Merida. I’ve been to several gorgeous places throughout the world, but this city was really special. The people in the city really made me feel at home.
The first night I headed to downtown Merida by myself I ran into really nice people. I’m always afraid that walking around with a digital SLR camera will make me a target for theft, but in Merida it became an invitation for locals to approach me and ask where I was from. After several long conversations, I was given specific instructions on where I should spend my next few days. I was told to visit the regular tourist spots: Chichen Itza, swim in a Cenotes and visit a Hacienda. Those were all expected, but the one place that surprised me was Port Progresso: the beach the locals visit when they want to escape the heat. It was on our itinerary and after that night I was excited for our day at the beach.
Beyond places to visit, many of the conversations I had included where I should go to get the best Tequila. Several people suggested some local stores, but the one place that most people suggested was – surprisingly enough – Walmart. I must say one of the funniest things about going to Mexico is being able to serve family and friends shots of Tequila and tell them it was bought at Walmart. The look on their face is priceless. I’m glad I got the suggestion, after doing some comparison shopping; I noticed you can purchase the same local Tequila from Walmart without having to pay the inflated ‘tourist prices’ found at the local stores.
After I finished taking photos and talking to the locals I grabbed a cab to head back to my hotel. Several people in my tour group mentioned that most cab drivers in Merida know some English and that I should survive not knowing any Spanish as long as I have the name of my hotel. I must have gotten the one cab driver in Merida who didn’t follow this rule. However he was just as nice as everyone else I had met that night and was determined to find out how to get to get me back safely. After driving down what seemed to me to be a randomly selected road he asked three other cab drivers, while still diving of course, and was able to find proper directions. One thing I found hilarious is that he spoke almost no English, except for using the word ‘beautiful’ to describe my face.
I’ve honestly never felt safer in a foreign place than when I was in Merida. It really felt like home.
If you’re planning on going to Mexico, or anywhere by yourself, try to think of the different situations you might be alone in, and might need to know how to speak the native tongue. Even though I eventually made it back to my hotel safely, it could have gone differently. Looking back, I should have brought the hotel’s business card, or written directions with me before I ventured out for the night. Phrases like “Necesito llegar a …”, which means “I need to get to ….” or even “¿Usted sabe donde está el…” when translated means “Do you know where the…is?” would have come in very handy that night.
Learn from my mistake, plan ahead and stay safe.