Rosalba's Halloween Party/Around Merida

On Sunday, we checked out the weekend mercado in town. There had to be a hundred vendors-- everything from tequila to crepes to Panama hats, but alas none of our bank cards would cooperate and we were unable to purchase any of these fun items. Still, we got to check out (briefly) the concert held just across from the main plaza, which mostly consisted of groups of teenagers lip-synching popular music. And we ate some pivi, the traditional Day of the Dead dish consisting of a corn-based dough stuffed with chicken (which I accidently called pipi at first LOL)

Later that evening, we returned to Rosalba's to find the outside patio covered in skeletons, cobwebs, fake tombstones and black paper. Inside, Rosalba and Andrea (her granddaughter) were preparing “finger” food for the guests. In addition to cupcakes decorated like eyeballs and hotdogs transformed into chopped fingers (almond slices for the nails), there were marshmallow skulls. Sara and I made our own callabeza with beans, prepared by Rosalba, and some grated cheese.

We transformed Rosalba into a zombi with a bit of green, white and black paint (which Sara searched for all over town in the rain!!) We checked with her like six times in Spanish to confirm that she was ok with us ripping up her jeans and smearing red meat-seasoning on her old t-shirt. Sara turned me into an eskeleto for about an hour and a half before I couldn't take it any longer and had to wash off all of the paint.

These chicas really know how to celebrate Halloween (three days in a row!). Friends of Rosaltoner stopped by for a few hours of tequila and karaoke, and we got to watch Rosalba get sauced enough to sing sappy Spanish love songs. We hung out with some cool young people that night, the youngest of which were Andrea and her friend Kenia, whom taught us how to play “Papa Caliente.”

Monday was mostly recupperating and hanging out in El Centro (Again? Rosalba asked). We joined her later that night for (yet another) cultural program held in the main plaza. We ate peanuts and watched traditional dancers pull off some pretty incredible performances—including a cool Maypole kind of dance (with streamers). Most impressive, though was the baila where young men and women danced with trays on their heads, balancing beer bottles and glasses of water. One of the young men spun in crazy-fast circles, and all of the water splashed onto the pavement, but niether the tray nor the glasses fell off. Ridiculous! Then, we went back and played a bit of Wii with Andrea. I apparently can't do digital archery very well!

I led Sara on a Terrible Tour of Merida on Tuesday (never been there before, knew nothing about the architecture, could only guess at the monuments—but it was gratis!). After touring multiple churches and mercados, we made our way up to Parque de los Americas, which honors each country of the Americas.