I was beginning to wonder why we were lingering in Mérida, but then the dancing started outside the Minicipal Palace. It started with some live music and dancers in traditional Yucatán dress, which means fancy white shirts and hats for the men.

The music, and in fact the food too has now taken on a more Caribbean flavour. This normal Sunday event, where streets are closed to all except cyclists and pedestrians continued into the afternoon, with dancers from other parts of Mexico bringing their own dress style and music to the party. The energy of some of the performers was astonishing.

The entertainment continued into the evening with live music in the street, and many of the restaurants. This was a great introduction to the Yucatán peninsula, which is a semi-autonomous region that has fought for independence, and a great way to begin our last few days and last few miles across the country.