merida on $10 a day: my sleep-deprived survival guide
okay, so i just stumbled out of a 12-hour overnight bus from cancun into merida with a backpack that smells like regret, cheap shampoo, and possibly a faint hint of despair. the heat hit me like a damp towel the second i stepped off the bus-i checked my phone and it's 30.01 degrees but feels like 31.06, which is basically the same but with extra sweat. humidity's at 50%, which sounds low but trust me, it's enough to make your hair look like you fought a cloud and lost. hope you like that kind of thing.
i'm here on a student budget, which means i'm sleeping in a hostel that costs less than my morning coffee back home. actually, i haven't had coffee yet because i'm broke, but you get the idea. the hostel is called 'casa del viajero' on calle 62, which according to a local i met at the mercado, 'is where the magic happens on friday nights.' i'll believe it when i see it, but for now it's quiet except for the ac unit that sounds like a dying llama.
the location is kinda perfect-close to the centro but far enough that the tour groups aren't constantly bumping into you with their selfie sticks. i spent the first hour just walking in circles because the streets are a maze of pastel houses, cracking walls, and stray dogs that look more regal than i'll ever feel. one of those dogs followed me for three blocks like it had a vendetta.
i heard from a drunk australian (or maybe new zealander? who knows) at the hostel bar that "the cenotes are closed on mondays, mate. everyone knows that." note to self: don't book cenote tour for monday. also, that guy was definitely not australian but whatever, the advice might be gold.
drunk australian at the hostel bar: "the cenotes are closed on mondays, mate. everyone knows that."
so i've been exploring. i'm on a strict $20 a day budget. that includes food, transport, and the occasional emergency taco. i found this insane list of cheap eats on a blog that basically saved my life-shoutout to the anonymous merida food hacker who posted it. i'll save you the search: mercado santa ana has a stall with the best cochinita pibil torta for 30 pesos. that's like $1.50. i'm not even mad.
if you get bored, the ancient mayan ruins at chichen itza are a quick bus ride away-like two hours if you catch the early ado. but honestly, merida itself has enough crumbling churches, street performers, and random plazas to keep you busy for days. i spent an entire afternoon just people-watching in the plaza grande, and the only thing more fascinating than the architecture was the guy trying to sell magic beans to tourists.
and if you exhaust the city's cheap eats, the pink lakes of las coloradas are only a colectivo hop away, though i heard the bus doesn't run after dark. good thing i'm nocturnal. i might try to hitchhike, but my spanish is limited to 'dos cervezas por favor' and '¿donde está el baño?'.
i've been taking notes on the 'overheard' tips from locals and fellow travelers:
old lady selling tortillas at the mercado: "the best cochinita pibil is at the mercado, not the fancy restaurants. and it's half the price. also, get there before noon or it's gone."
she was right, by the way. i had the best torta of my life at mercado santa ana for like 30 pesos. that's like $1.50. i'm not even mad.
i'm writing this from a park bench because my hostel's ac broke and it's basically an oven inside. the humidity here is no joke-i feel like i'm marinating in my own juices. but there's something about the sweat that makes the cheap beer taste better. i just got a liter of xx for 25 pesos. that's like $1.25. deal of the century.
if you're planning a trip, check out these resources i stumbled upon:
- hostelworld for the cheapest beds (i got mine for $8 a night)
- tripadvisor's merida forum for real-time gossip and wacky questions
- yelp merida to avoid tourist traps (though sometimes the tourist traps are the only ones open late)
- this blog post by a random traveler that has a map of all the free water refill spots
anyway, i'm gonna go hunt for some agua fresca before i evaporate. hope your travels are less sweaty. maybe.
You might also be interested in:
- https://votoris.com/post/okc-schools-arent-perfectheres-where-the-real-magic-and-chaos-happens
- https://votoris.com/post/cape-town-chaos-rain-rhinos-and-really-bad-coffee
- https://votoris.com/post/remote-work-in-ar-rmd-digital-nomad-life-or-just-a-desert-mirage
- https://votoris.com/post/how-oslo-drips-through-a-sweating-browser-tab
- https://votoris.com/post/the-local-food-scene-in-chengdu-what-the-residents-actually-eat-and-how-much-it-costs-to-live-here-2