What Will We Do Once We Are Allowed Out?

I asked my family what they want to do once we’re allowed to return to adventuring in Yucatán. My kids’ immediate answers weren’t that surprising.

My son wants to go straight to his beloved Flip Out and my daughter wants to go rock climbing in Parque Poniente. I pushed and reminded them that we’ll be able to leave Mérida and explore. This is what I got:

My six-year-old daughter would like to start with a trip to Chuburná Puerto, a beach where both kids love nothing more than to run up and down the shore, jump in and out of the water, and bury each other in the sand. Once we’ve exhausted ourselves, we get back in the car and head into Chuburná or Chelem for lunch at one of the many excellent restaurants.

The eight-year-old of course, can’t help but add his opinion to his sister’s beach day: he would like to stop in Progreso to play on the new Malecón from 5 pm. We all love dusk on the Malecón. We grab Esquites (trying to remember to take our own cups instead of using the Styrofoam ones that are usually handed out) and Marquesitas, and enjoy the changing light in this beautiful spot. The six-year-old gets 10/10 for her social-distancing return to our adventuring life.

I asked the eight-year-old for his opinions too. He’s looking forward to exploring an archaeological site. Mayapán is his favorite site to visit from Mérida. Thank goodness he picked a nice, close, and empty site for our first adventure! This day involves taking a picnic lunch. We’ll fill the icebox with cold drinks and ice. The kids love chucking ice at each other after a few hours of running and jumping around the buildings at Mayapán. The kids run and climb while my husband and I sit, chat, and listen to the birds. If we have time after lunch, the boy child would like to go to a cenote. There are a number of wild cenotes in this area and to be honest, for our initial return to the world, this suits me better than visiting some of the busier and better-known cenotes. The eight-year-old also gets 10/10 for coming up with a social-distancing possible day.

As for me, I’m greedier. I don’t just want a day. I want a freaking road trip, please. I want to go to Río Lagartos and San Felipe to take boat trips on the Ría. I want to feel the sun on my skin and the wind in my hair. I want to ask tour guides one million annoying questions, marvel at the stupendous natural world that I’ve been so desperately missing whilst being good and staying home. I want to say hi to the crocodiles and the buzzards. I want to walk through the mangroves and see the grasshoppers, I won’t even complain about the mosquitos, I promise.

And as for my husband, well, he’ll just do as he’s told!