Cynthia:  Our initial impressions of Mérida were quite positive—tons to do, friendly people, low cost of living. After two weeks exploring the city, has any of that changed for you?

Edd:  Not really. We’ve been so busy every day and there’s still a lot we didn’t get to do. Sadly all the museums remain closed because of COVID. We were really looking forward to visiting several of them.

C:  Let’s get the “elephant in the room” out of the way. The weather…

E:  Oof. No amount of forewarning prepared us for the heat in Mérida. We couldn’t bear stepping outside in the afternoons.

C:  Well, we were there during the hottest time of the year. Plus our bodies are attuned to a temperate climate after 11 years in Cuenca.

E:  Yeah, but as an expat candidly admitted, “Mérida has three seasons—hot, hotter, and hottest!”

C:  So true. It’s easy to understand why the city has such a vibrant nightlife with so many rooftop bars and restaurants. We thoroughly enjoyed the pleasant, breezy evenings, an...

We were thrilled to be invited to spend a night at The Diplomat Boutique Hotel, Tripadvisor’s #1 rated hotel in Mérida, Mexico.

Our stay confirmed why owners Sara and Neil have earned that lofty designation through flawless attention to detail in everything from design to service.

We were welcomed as old friends by Sara and escorted to our spacious poolside suite, The Paramount. With its tasteful furnishings, 20-foot ceilings and elegant bathroom, we immediately knew this was going to be an exceptional experience.

The Diplomat has an honor system bar with a variety of craft beers and wines, plus a complimentary tequila station. Wow, right?

After a relaxing afternoon at the pool and a lovely dinner out,

a tequila nightcap was the perfect ending to a wonderful day in this beautiful oasis.

Morning coffee and tea service was available in the lovely dining space next to the pool before our included breakfast. We were impressed they offered Baileys and sparkling win...

After months of preparation our global adventure finally began last week when we departed for our first stop—Mérida, Mexico.

Why Mérida? Capital of the state of Yucatán, it’s a vibrant city of about one million residents with a rich Mayan and colonial heritage.

Several factors have made Mérida an increasingly popular expat destination:

• Easy access to and from the States 
• Proximity to the beach (less than an hour’s drive)
• Boatloads of culture 
• Central location for exploring lots of surrounding UNESCO-designated archaeological sites, including Chichén Itzá, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World

And the low cost of living that we’ll report on at every location we visit.

In the Mérida airport we got Mexican pesos from an ATM to pay for the taxi ride to our Airbnb rental.

After using the US dollar in Ecuador all these years it felt weird to be handling foreign currency. Fortunately, the conversion is simple—one peso roughly equals a nickel.

During this initial trip we’...