Imagine Mérida

Becoming Expats in the Yucatán

Archives for August 2011

What were they searching for when they found this blog

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One benefit of having a blog is getting a look-see under the dashboard. The stats there are a barometer of sorts. What are people thinking, what are they interested in?

Every day I get a few hits that came from search-engine queries. I can’t tell who entered these search terms, but I can see what was asked.

Without doing anything in particular to goose my SEO, I see lots of interest in Mérida real estate prices, crime, gay life, La Pianista, Sarteneja and La Cochera. At one point, I posted an item wishing for a live Mérida cam. Ever since, I have snagged search-engine queries looking for one. What’s odd is how many people search “imagine merida” rather than just typing in “imaginemerida.com.” “Washington Post” gets me hits because one of my first posts was a story that newspaper published about Mérida. I get my share of House Hunters queries as well. And isn’t it interesting how many people are searching for skyscrapers in Mérida.

Continue to see hits from last 30 days.

How to get a free trip to Mérida, all expenses paid

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On one of my flights back from Mérida to Houston, the gate at the airport was almost dominated by a bunch of executives who were in high spirits despite the early hour.

Who are they and why are they so happy, I wondered.

I struck up some small-talk with one of the more approachable. “Is this a group?” I inquired.

I learned that they were publishing executives who had just enjoyed a long weekend at the Fiesta Americana. Make that a free long weekend at the Fiesta Americana. The smart traveler finds a way to get their employer to pay for it.

What I want to know now is, who sent them to Mérida instead of Tulum or Cancún? It would be very easy to arrange a conference at the beach, or to Vegas or Disney World, but those destinations are so aggressively touristy, it’s tough to get anything done. Believe me, I’ve been to conferences to those more decadent destinations, and those morning sessions are tough with a hangover. The smart money goes to Mérida, which is a culturally rich trip for your attendees without the more lurid temptations (even at Disney).

So how do I get my trade group to select Mérida for its 2013 conference? We mainly have our annual workshop in the 48 states, but every few years we select an international destination. Mexico City has been discussed, but I think everyone who knows me where I’d rather go.

Approaching the million-dollar mark on Calle 54

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A new listing has tongues wagging. Las Sirenas, a highly polished three-bedroom rental on Calle 54, is going for nearly a million bucks. Are we testing the limits of the market here? It’s not that large, but it’s centrally located and expertly designed top to bottom, with a harmonious mixture of contemporary and rustic details. But it’s competing with lots of beautiful properties priced in the $350,000 range.

If you want to kick the tires, you can rent it first for an off-season rate of $1,900 USD a week. I’ve heard from more than one admirer, and I agree, that the design is a knockout, one of the more tasteful, comprehensive and cohesive. It was designed and rebuilt by architect Fernando Ancona, who designed the mall at Altabrisa and the mod Audi dealership. “…This luxurious casa has been carefully furnished in classic Mexican style with lovely pieces of antique furniture and works of art by local artists,” says Tierra Yucatan. He carved out extra rooms by bisecting part of the space horizontally. You’re left with lower ceilings, losing drama, but gaining intimate spaces and three en suite bedrooms — a tradeoff to consider.

I have come to like casas like this that have a front and rear property, creating a central courtyard. This exposes more rooms to light and air, and makes the pool area feel more private. It took a while for me to come around to the idea of having to go outside to travel from one room to another. I’m finally embracing the elements — after all, what am I moving here for if not to enjoy the sun and air?

Looking at the Google Street View, one sees Las Sirenas’ facade before a fairly recent overhaul. It wasn’t so bad before, but now look. What’s new: Some beautiful trim work (note the uplights embedded in the sidewalk), as well as a garage. Knowing I’ll be wanting one installed, I tend to notice which other properties manage to succeed in adding space for their car.

Homes in the million-dollar range aren’t new to the Centro, but usually they are hotels and hacienda-style properties. It’s fun to browse the top tier of Mérida real estate and scoff at what appears to be a wishful thinking on the part of the seller. This one seems different, though, and tests not just the marketplace but the power of good design.

(Update: Five months after this writing, I notice it’s now listed at $895,00.) 

The things that keep a future expat up at night

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I gave up trying to sleep around 2.

With a stomach full of Chinese food and a head full of thoughts, who can sleep?

What am I thinking about? Randomness.

I wonder if anyone commented on the blog? … Is it worth it to ship a $200 end table I spent six months shopping for? … I wonder who’s on Skype right now (in fact there was someone from Mérida, and we had a nice chat) … are high rises safe there? … Can I break my habit of snoozing in front of the TV in a place where electric rates climb based on usage … if I were in Mérida now would I be awake? … If my house sale doesn’t go through, should I be happy or sad …

I wonder if there’s anything new property listings online … has Sipse posted today’s news yet? … Was spending three hours on Rosetta Stone yesterday productive or will I forget how to say “I like the blue shoe more than the red shoe” in Spanish today? … Me gusto el zapato verde mas que el zapato roja. No? Azul, isn’t it? …  Why do I keep getting one and five mixed up? Uno and cinco don’t even sound alike … Do Rosetta Stone scores stay on my permanent record, the one my mother always warned me about? …

At what point did I stop looking for houses within walking distance to the Merida English Library? … Whatever triggered that dream about Hyacinth Bucket tripping on the sidewalks, looking for an estate house on the Paseo de Montejo? … If I watch “Before Night Falls” again, will I recognize anything? … Should I design something in metalwork or display the house numbers in tile? …

Will Hennessy’s be passé by the time we’re settled? … If I join the Mérida bloggers group, will there be a period of hazing? … If Google Translate ever starts charging, I’ll be broke. … Whom do I call to resume direct flights from LaGuardia Airport? … Would a guayabera make me look fat? … If I turn on the computer and post on my blog, will it help me sleep? …

Happy Birthday, Google pushpin map

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Where would I be without my interactive Google map, which last week turned one year old. That’s a full year of personalizing my web map with virtual color-coded pushpins, linked from my browser’s toolbar. This exercise was invaluable in helping get the lay of the land of a place I’ve spent 25 days in. After reducing a series of Yucatan Today maps to shreds, I decided to go high-tech.

Over time, it has grown, now including the Red Light district (note the ! in a red triangle) to the south, the beloved Wayan’e busy taco stand to the north, where the burger-and-shake icon (the icon choice is limited) in Itzimná. There is also every House Hunter house I could locate, and 80 percent of all the se vendes that we’ve been shown in person. Centro is a small place, but it’s easy to get mentally turned around when your real estate agent zips up and down and sideways along one-way streets. Early on we would be marching through a house with no idea where we were in relation to anything. After viewing a home, we’d dash to the nearest corner and look right and left, trying to get our bearings, while the agent quietly fretted about missing our next appointment.

The best part of the map is that every street in the Centro has been photographed by the winding Google Street View car, so I can drag that orange man you see in the upper left, and check out any street — even stroll the block. This is why I even surprised myself when I counted only 25 days of actual, as opposed to virtual, presence in Mérida.

The map keeps alive memories of our first encounters with Mérida properties. Last year seems so long ago — we were babes in the woods. As will happen when you’re exploring new relationships, I had a mad crush on one particular property early on in our search. But in time, as our sophistication grew we started to see fatal flaws, and we realized that some appealing characteristics weren’t as unique as we first thought. We knew we’d have to develop a critical eye to make a smart choice, and not just go all gooey for some pretty exposed beams.

Now that we’ve found a house, I use the house to mark restaurants I want to visit, and I still like to explore neighborhoods, especially when a new property listing appears (yes, I’m already ready to do this again). Or sometimes, I just take a leisurely stroll.

Learning the language any which way I can

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I’ve written before how I’m using Spanish-language television as a substitute for the immersion I would get if I were in Mexico all the time. I have my choice of shows, but I’m afraid I’m getting addicted to that nutty morning variety show Hoy.

Rosetta Stone gets awfully tedious sometimes, and the scenarios set up to teach you are pretty stilted. I’m still convinced that they’re pranking me when they instruct me to reply “encantado de conocerlo” at every introduction. My Spanish-speaking friends here laugh when I say it. Maybe it’s because I can’t help saying it without accompanying it with a sweeping, grandiose bow that would get my ass kicked in San Juan.

Hoy is nothing like anything in Yucatán, but at least it’s Mexican. Not that it reflects anything I’ve seen in Mexican culture either. It’s really a chaotic world of its own, residing on a set that resembles a hacienda-themed casino in Atlantic City. Wikipedia claims it’s based on the Today show, but I never see Today’s female anchors in evening wear first thing in the morning. (Well, maybe Kathie Lee and Hoda.) They sing, dance and play, don costumes and wigs, and are having a lot more fun than their counterparts in 30 Rockefeller Center.

There are 14 hosts, or conductores, appearing seven or eight at a time in rotation. They share celebrity gossip, conduct cooking segments, play party games and perform school-room sketches. They also provide soap opera roundups. (I wonder if telenoveles are suffering the same declines as soaps are in the U.S. One of our neighbors was a long-time star of “As the World Turns.” She hasn’t worked since it was canceled last year.)

Am I learning Spanish? Slowly. It’s more precise to say I’m developing an ear for the language, doing the best I can to immerse myself  a couple hours each morning. Hoy is generous with its graphics, so what’s said is often literally spelled out for me on the screen. Every day when they play Charades, idioms (ya ves, amor prohibido, no quiero saber...) that they mime are written on the screen. (Some sayings give me pause: mátenme porque me muero, or kill me because I’m dying. That’s an expression?) Cooking instructions that correspond with their kitchen segments are also written out, perhaps heading off some future embarrassment in which I confuse lechuga and pechuga.

When they interview a TV actor, they caption it with something like: Diego Olivera: Nos platico sobre su papel in ‘Amorcito Corazon.’  Podremos verlo dando vida a un sexy personaje. I type it into Google Translate, and see the meaning: Diego Olivera: We talk about his role in ‘Sweetheart Heart.’ We see giving life to a sexy character. The simple act of typing words out as I see them must have some value. The next caption appears: No le llama la atencion desnudarse en calendarios. Translation: Draws attention not naked in calendars. Hmmm? My technique will get me just so far, it seems.

When I say a Spanish word, I notice it rolls off my tongue a little more easily. I’m told it sounds more authentic. Meanwhile, I’m having fun watching Hoy instead of Today.