On the Way to Wal-Mart

I hate to admit it but one of our first stops in Merida was Wal-Mart. No place keeps such long hours, has so much stuff, and makes it easy for a gringa to find a mop, a mixing bowl, food, and flip flops all in one place. We'd tried a closer local market, but it was late and other than tired, dusty papaya there was little to be had.

Wal-mart is on Paseo Montejo, a broad boulevard shaded by overarching trees with monumental statuary marking major intersections. It's Merida's answer to Mexico City's Paseo de la Reforma. The street is lined by turn-of-the-century mansions, shops, and restaurants and presently a sculpture show by Mexican and Japanese artists.

Even the fire hydrant replicates the sculptural Mayan curves of a work of art.