How to Do Meridia? Please Help-We Leave in 3 Weeks

[adamsmom]

Where is the WalMart I keep hearing about? Anybody have an address or intersection? I have a map...

[hdawson]

Walmart is out Paseo Montejo. Any cab driver will know where. It is probably not as large as you're used to but very nice and busy.

[Abear2]

Thank you Yucatan Today... I appreciate all the information.

[YucatanToday]

There is a division of Walmart, called Bodega Aurrera, in Progreso. It's on the north-bound highway into Progreso, just north of the Pemex(gas) station on the coast road. If you wanted to visit, you could easily take a taxi from the main square in downtown Progreso.

[adamsmom]

Thanks! I think it would be interesting to see.

[hdawson]

The Walmart in Merida is much more attractive than most of those in the US. More upscale I guess. Also it has underground parking with escalators. The shopping cart wheels lock when you start down the escalator with the carts. There's also a real nice MacDonalds close by. When I stopped for lunch, I ordered at the counter like at home but then was told to pick a table and my order was delivered to me when prepared. Nice touch.

[adamsmom]

Cool! We will have to check it out for sure. Would you say it was within walking distance of the bus stop or downtown? Or would we need to take a cab?

[hdawson]

You certainly CAN walk. It's not a great distance. But, with your limited time, I would use a cab. Paseo Mongejo is a beautful European styled blvd.

 

Upscale.

[adamsmom]

Thanks for your help, HDawson! We found the bus station in Progreso this time and took the ride into Merida. The others in our group were very surprised at how cheap it was! I didn't realize there would be so much traffic coming into Merida, but I guess I should have guessed since it is a big city. And the bus kept stopping to let people off. We got off at the station, and walked around to the plazas and cathedrals and such. Very cool! Then we had lunch at a little place on the main plaza. We did some shopping, but found that it was all the same stuff that we saw at the other ports, even in the so-called Mayan handicraft place that FOUR people directed us to. (We decided that the economy of Merida must depend on that particular store.;)) As we were leaving on the bus to return to Progreso, we spotted a couple of places that had tons of soccer jerseys. (The teens in our group collect them.) We would have found them if we had gone left out of the bus station instead of right. Oh well, I told them they needed to be sure to come back sometime and visit there!

 

We walked down Paseo Montejo some--a beautiful street! We decided against taking the cab to the WalMart store, since we needed to get back to the bus station in order to be back in Progreso in time to board the ship. It turned out that we got back just in time.

 

It was quite an adventure, and off the beaten crowded-with-cruise-passengers path.

[hdawson]

Glad you had such a good time visiting Merida. I love that place.