On Sundays, Mérida's Plaza Grande is turned over for a street market with entertainment. It was an easy walk to get there, across one block and turn right onto Calle 60 then keep walking. What immediately caught our attention in Calle 60 was that it had been closed off to cars. Only bicycles were given freedom to ride up and down the road with the luxury of traffic wardens holding cars back at the intersections. It was only after forgetting about the vast variety of cycles - tandems, tri-cycles, souped up choppers with boom-boxes and some normal bicycles - we noticed that the road was beautifully paved with cobblestones and the buildings looking good. This was the colonial splendour that Mérida boasted.

We went into Casa de Montejo, the house of the Spanish 'founder' of Mérida in 1542 - a very grand building with very elegant old furniture. Across the plaza was the Palacio del Gobierno with huge painted murals of Merida's history on the walls and views across the plaza from the first floor. On the third side of the plaza was the Cathedral. As David walked through the main doors, he kept his eyes up, looking forward to avoid the gaze of the beggars on the floor - this backfired somewhat when he fell down the down hole for locking the huge doors and landing on his face...and yes, he did swear. We took that as a sign not to join the service and made a hasty retreat to the safety of the streets.

A few blocks further down the road was the indoor market, Mercado Lucas de Galvez, which was a sprawling mass of stalls and vendors spread across a a number of interconnecting buildings. The air inside was very still and hot but there was a real vibrancy to the place with all the colours of the wares and hustle & bustle around the food stalls.

Earlier in the day, we had been told there was going to be a special performance by Yucatan locals at 1pm back in the plaza, so we headed back a little early to secure good seats in the shade. It was a re-enactment of a Mestizo wedding with all the music and dancing that are an intrinsic part of the whole ceremony. It was great to watch, starting off quite slow and somber before increasing in tempo and gusto with each new dance. After watching, we decided that it would be awesome fun to attend a real wedding especially once 'cerveza' and tequila were added into the mix.

During siesta time, we walked the length of Paseo Montejo - a boulevard built by the rich merchants of Mérida. This was where the true splendour of colonial houses were, still in pristine condition set back from the tree lined street. At the top end of the boulevard was the Monument to the Fatherland.

We had a quick swim in the pool to cool off before our cooking class. We had seen the menu of Mayan fish with annatto, cabbage salad & tortillas and decided on a cheap dinner again.

It turns out you can't buy beer after 5pm on a Sunday in Mérida so we decided to go to a pub instead. There was a pub one block up from the hostel on the street corner. La Negrita had swing doors like a wild west saloon and there was a noisy buzz chaos coming out onto the street. We paused for a bit just outside before David pushed through the doors not knowing what to expect. Certainly not what we imagined - yes, it was noisy and bit chaotic but it was 'La hora Feliz' (Happy Hour). We ordered some beer at the bar and wandered through the various adjoining rooms before finding seats in a beer garden at the rear. There were Birthday celebrations at the large table next to ours and we were invited to take a slice of the birthday cake (which was very nice).