Merida Makes the NY Times

[Lucky]

With the advent of sophisticated travelers like Tomcal and floridarob, the NY Times jumps on the Merida bandwagon with a lengthy feature piece in today's Travel section:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/25/travel/shaped-by-meridas-artistic-soul.html

The article is the front page, featured piece for today's section, and is chock full of pictures and valuable information. Did floridarob and Tomcal know that they were pioneers in the new Merida? Or is it because of them that Merida has a new Merida?

 

[Riobard]

This kind of article is what partially prompted me and co-traveller kin to visit for a month recently. Though I already knew to expect some tarnish and don't have sycophant leanings, having done extensive research and eyes wide open. The NYT piece is glossy but unbalanced. You know those lip-service negatives buried within the hyperbole? They are considerably more pronounced than the article will concede.

We enjoyed many aspects of our stay, and some further afield options, but will not return. Defensive expat loyalists, predominantly aged opposite-sex couples co-mingling over canasta and oohing and aahing over their cashing in and absence of gratuity expectations be damned. Best approach: nod politely, try not to nod off. 

If you don't gush, you have not seen the real Mérida, apparently. (Fuck off) One old  die-hard chap down the road from our place, actually minutes from #1 boutique hotel Diplomat, lamented the mosquito bites but chastized us for having dared to eat Italian over Yucatecan our first night. He got progressively jittery over our next few weeks as I recounted having had dengue twice. He routinely yelled at his service maid for sloppiness in screen closure. I love to play with fundamentalists. 

Tequila shots with our next-door neighbours sitting around their cockfight and fighter-pitbull pens, commiserating over the overrun of kitchen ant colonies, doesn't cut it? 

I can name half a dozen Mexican locales more magical. That said, it rates equally with Ottawa in safety, though much higher pollution index and lower overal QOL index. 

Progreso north shore is underwhelming.

We dressed up regularly and got into Apoala on our fourth attempt, even willing to split up if that helped secure seating  ... they reserve for wealthy repeaters but otherwise you takes your chances. I think they felt sorry for us. We tried again subsequently a few times, but only because it was not inconvenient to queue and 'bid' pleadingly along with other riffraff of our ilk, and there were a few other backups nearby, where slathering our Aedes Egypti welts with hydrocortisone and breathing in dense vehicular carbon emissions at the Santa Lucia Park location were less necessary. 

I had considerable elective time on my own at night. One word: laughable. Mind you, I am spoiled with unlimited access to CSW applicants elsewhere where it's warm. 

I urge you, do make it a must if only for the typical tourism; come to your own conclusions. Don't just pay attention to a few old fools, myself included. 

Edited March 3, 2019 by Riobard

[BenjaminNicholas]

Merida is lovely.  That's the exact word I'd use to describe it...  As would my grandmother.

I'm a bigger fan of San Miguel de Allende.  

Edited March 3, 2019 by BenjaminNicholas

[Riobard]

That is one of the handful of places I also took a greater shine to. 

[Riobard]

Shot these at Mérida's San Ildefonso Cathedral and one of the Mayan archeol sites (a notable ground-level cenote)

Edited March 4, 2019 by Riobard

[floridarob]

17 hours ago, Riobard said:

I had considerable elective time on my own at night. One word: laughable. Mind you, I am spoiled with unlimited access to CSW applicants elsewhere where it's warm.

What other bars/restaurants did you go to ??
Cruising in the plaza grande at all??
Most people don't have money for a smart phone, so the apps are hit or miss....have to do it old school style, street cruising, malls, supermarkets.....invite someone for a beer, if they accept they know whats up....if they turn it down, they also know whats up, lol
Or there is the sauna on the outskirts of town, ciber cafes and the ficheros (guys that work for tips at bars) that work at several bars....

CSW..??  

[Riobard]

Commercial Sex Worker.

Yeah, I half-committedly explored the usual suspect venues. Had many Grindr offers responding to my 'generous old fart ad', reached out to a few non-CSWs with props. Sometimes got a gracias but no opening. Otherwise, tappers not my types. They seemed to be seeking validation that they fit my strict bill. A few photos evidently fraudulent and inconsistent with pics I requested after my attention obtained.

I spotted a few older gringos that dressed and tatted like 20 year old skaters accompanied by young twinks that dressed like their grandpapis. Few ... sure that is not the norm

Circumstances, duration, other priorities likely cock-blocked some. And the inner circle, well, not sure it's my thing even if admitted. Curious though. And I pay very very very well if I get fixated. 

My memorable bar story is a stripper, not the newer venue, average-ish but standing out among the basic high school assembly nerdy looking trade balancing on a square-ft apiece of drinks bar. No VIP curtaining a strip of linoleum. We sort of set a date for following his late show. The fee was gringo-based high end. I was ambivalent. I tested his mettle by offering him drinks and some modest cash (by my standards, not local) to sit and play mild footsies for a half hour.  What else did he have to do? Patrons mostly kids who likely blew their week's earnings on entrada. He agreed but spent 20 draggy unpaid non-seductive minutes texting me back and forth about how there were umpteen reasons why I should give him this sit-with-me tip upfront. Epic fail. No fuckin' way I wasn't going to ghost him. He got nothin' ... txted me for a few days with sweaty gym pics and his coordinates. Even if he were to be safe, I lack respect for pathetic business models.

Big head: 1 .... little head: 0

I had had one of the hot October guest strippers for a song in Europe a little while back. 

The important thing is readers here get the gist of the scene and the naturally occurring variants of experience. Will the playbook fit preferences, fluency, status, experience, etc? That is the rub ('n tug, or not).

 

[floridarob]

Not sure if you answered my question or was just a general comment about sex workers...??

[Riobard]

1 hour ago, floridarob said:

Not sure if you answered my question or was just a general comment about sex workers...??

Do you want to continue, Rob, with someone on the sidelines still down in the muck here indulging in his narcissistic rage? I cannot completely tease out your intent. If you are well-integrated in the scene there, as I believe you are, I am not sure where you are going with this. 

This is playing out consistently with my reluctance to report, other than in PM mode, as I stated a few weeks ago. A few readers commented a few ways on about that being witholding or unfortunate. So, guys, now you know.

Whoever does not now grasp the sick dynamics that can unfold on this forum, and its impact, are not worth my time. 

I think you are a tolerable, jovial, and harmless tease, perhaps, Rob, but no way near a sick stalker.

I had wanted to confirm my impressions or suspicions of a certain grandiose personality, based on repeated patterns of commentary aimed at gratuitous provocation, but now I think I inadvertently triggered some real emojional damage. 

Therefore, nobody will be able to freely engage with me without the spectre of a sad troll and said troll's minions hovering over the content. I realize that this can occur on an anonymous board such as BT. That is a tradeoff we all endure.

I do contribute to other more personal social media regarding my travels. It is no skin off my ass if I report sexlessly in places where sickos can be summarily shut down. Not that they seem to be evident there. 

Folks here can live and survive with the content that currently exists related to places I visit and on which my life does not depend on sharing impressions. 

So, Rob, take a stab at answering my question if you like. I thought I had covered the bases as well as possible. Maybe you felt personally offended that I implied Mérida was not the perfect cat's meow of gratification for everyone that follows info here. 

You wanted some very detailed specifics. Freely tell us more specifically your experiences in Mérida. Have you actually shared a story other than quipping with a buddy about the intersection of dates you might have there? How about you step up to the plate. I had overall a few hours. You live there.

 

Edited March 5, 2019 by Riobard

[floridarob]

4 hours ago, Riobard said:

So, Rob, take a stab at answering my question if you like. I thought I had covered the bases as well as possible. Maybe you felt personally offended that I implied Mérida was not the perfect cat's meow of gratification for everyone that follows info here. 

You wanted some very detailed specifics. Freely tell us more specifically your experiences in Mérida. Have you actually shared a story other than quipping with a buddy about the intersection of dates you might have there? How about you step up to the plate. I had overall a few hours. You live there.

You're just weird....and if you knew me, I don't get offended.

[Riobard]

6 hours ago, floridarob said:

You're just weird....and if you knew me, I don't get offended.

So you didn't quite like my contribution to someone's thread, took the time out to ask me some questions and add a little vague info that has been provided on the forum already time and time again, mocked my attempt to satisfy your inquiry, expected I'd just lie back submissively as you smugly squeezed out a deuce on my face, disavowed any tendency whatsoever to get riled because you can apparently roll with anything, and then again have the audacity - the grandiose gall - to snottily describe my character offensively when that is the hallmark of someone being himself offended. 

And you're NOT weird? 

I do know you, from your words here ... do not worry that you need to shape my understanding of you. You are easy to read. 

[floridarob]

My eyes usually glaze over reading your posts, you might think you contribute much here.....confusion ....definitely.

But yeah, you're just weird....let's do a poll. 

[Riobard]

I like the poll idea. A head count of assholes works for me.

So far, one asshole; one head up it. 

[Lucky]

The Latin Forum was once the best. It wasn't full of negativity, name calling, personal attacks. Do we want to see it continue to degrade? I don't.

Edited March 6, 2019 by Lucky

[Riobard]

It isn't generally or consistently bad. In three years I have seen the ups and downs as pretty much the same. 

A few bad apples and a few imperfect bad apple-bobbers trying to reorganize the tank.

All weather systems move on.

Temporary push-back when insulted can look hostile, and sometimes requires the same terms of engagement used by the provocateur, but often helps raise appreciation of what is possible.

A recent round has learned me much, perhaps more knowledge of others than I require, and shaped the degree to which I wish to participate in the central mission of info-sharing.