Tips for living in Mérida + Transportation

Below is from a guide written by Maeve Stewart, a Mérida Fulbright ETA for 2016-2017.

I found it super helpful so have asked for her permission to share here. Hope you could make good use of it!

-Vyoleta

P.S. Here is a sheet of Mérida Bus Transportation compiled by me.

First of all, congratulations on receiving a Fulbright grant, you should be very excited for your upcoming year! Mérida is a laid back and incredibly safe little city. You will most certainly learn to love its colors, culture, delicious food (make sure you get a torta de cochinita asap), and you will quickly learn to handle the insane heat! It is easy to navigate the city, odd numbered streets run east to west while even numbered streets run north to south.

Arrival

Upon arriving I stayed with Angela Gamboa in her house in Altabrisa for a few days to get used to everything in Mérida. She toured me around and helped with finding apartments. I then stayed in Hostel Nomadas for a few days to get to know the Centro Histórico. The hostel is great and located smack dab in the middle of the city. There are several different classes you can take and they’ve got good recommendations on different neighborhoods and what you should do. Plus, they’ve got a great pool. Book ahead of time just to be safe.

http://www.nomadastravel.com/

Housing

I ended up finding an apartment in Santiago, a colonia right outside the Centro Histórico. It is month to month and typically rented to students. I ended up staying here my whole time, but you could easily just stay for a month while buying more time to find something more permanent. While houses in the North were nicer, I preferred a shorter commute and enjoyed sleeping in a hammock. It is walking distance from several different markets, main bus stops, and lots of great food. I met a great group of international and Mexican friends through this housing.

Casa Cielo

547 55A x 68 y 70

Rosanna: +529999700326

M$2300 a month

Apartment Search

Use these two websites for your apartment search:

http://www.compartodepa.com.mx/

http://www.vivanuncios.com.mx/

Pick up a newspaper at the OXXO
Find a neighborhood where you want to live and just walk around, you’ll find a lot of “se renta” signs with numbers to whatsapp

Phone

Everyone uses Whatsapp!
Pick up a SIM card at a local telcel for M$150
Pay as you go, no need for a phone plan – pay M$200 at an OXXO then text PA200 to 5050 and you’ll have unlimited whatspp/facebook and 200 minutes for the month.

Transportation

I found the buses a bit difficult to navigate at first, as there are no marked bus stops. People are generally super helpful, so don’t be afraid to ask where a bus stop is or how to get somewhere.

Most camiones (buses) and combis (little vans) start and end their routes in the centro
M$7 for a ride and M$3 once you get your student card
http://merida.transpublico.com/ shows the different bus routes
From the centro you can take the 50 or the 46 to UTM, they stop on calle 67 between 58 and 60
Just yell “baja” to get off at whatever corner you feel like

Travel

Mérida is a bit isolated from the rest of México, leaving the Yucatán requires long bus rides or expensive flights.

Airlines: Volaris, Interjet, Vivaaerobus, AeroMexico

The airport in Mérida only has direct flights through DF, Guadalajara, and Monterrey. To get anywhere else you must fly through one of these places. To avoid super expensive flights, buy ahead of time. There are also a lot of deals you can sign up for on the airline flights.
I always used http://kayak.com.mx/ to compare prices

Buses: ADO stations are the way to go

There are three stations in Mérida: Fiesta Americana, CAME centro (calle 70 No. 555) and Altabrisa
Next to UTM in the Aki supermarket there is an ADO booth, or you can just go to the stations to buy tickets
There are often deals online and 50% discount during SEP vacation time
Traveling within the Yucatán is incredibly safe, be careful taking longer bus rides (my bus to Chiapas was overnight and robbed)
http://www.ado.com.mx/ado/index.jsp

Social Life

I met a lot of different friends through living in my international student housing. I was able to quickly get into a pretty fun student crowd. I’m sure you’ve heard this a lot, but don’t be afraid to put yourself out there! Living abroad can definitely be lonely and hard. Ask people out for coffee, drinks, dinner…whatever! Make sure you take the time to get to know the teachers and your students as well.

Bars/Cantinas

La Mezcaleria – free beginner salsa classes every Wednesday at 8
Mala Vida – around the corner from Casa Cielo
Jaguar House – electronic music
Mambo Café – if you’re into dancing
Cantinas: El cardenal, La Negrita, Mayan Pub

Cafes

Cafeteria Montejo
Café al Punto de Cielo
Cairo Café – doubles as a movie theaters

Plazas (Basically giant malls):

Plaza Altabrisa – has a nice movie theater with recent American films
Gran Plaza
Plaza de las Americas

Resources

Mérida English Library – English/Spanish exchange every Monday, nice to meet people and brush up on Spanish

Yucatán Living http://www.yucatanliving.com/ - Calendar of cultural events going on in Mérida, there are always a lot!

SEJUVE - Secretaría de Juventud offers free classes (salsa, crossfit, language, guitar etc) make sure you go ASAP as the classes fill up quickly.

Movy Mérida – Youth organization that organizes different affordable trips around the Yucatán. https://www.facebook.com/movy.merida.5?fref=ts

Medical

If you have any medical problems you can pop into your closest pharmacy (they’re everywhere) for a quick M$30 consult. If you’re looking for something more specific I recommend Star Médico which is in Altabrisa, especially if you need to do any lab tests for stomach problems.

Good luck with your upcoming year! It will fly by. Feel free to contact me with any logistical questions or questions about Mérida in general. My email is mkstew92@gmail.com

*Be sure to pack lots of light cotton clothes, it is REALLY hot here and you will sweat a LOT.