Veracruz or Merida? (safety, parking, best time, park)

[jammeing]

Hi folks.....Which one of these cities are more interesting in terms of a. friendliness of people, b. climate, c. urban development, d. job prospects teaching English, e. safety and security? A frequent traveler. Thanks.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by jammeing

Hi folks.....Which one of these cities are more interesting in terms of a. friendliness of people, b. climate, c. urban development, d. job prospects teaching English, e. safety and security? A frequent traveler. Thanks.

I've heard rave reviews about Merida. For one thing, it seems to be a predominantly Mayan town, or at least, there's a strong Mayan cultural influence, so women feel safer there. People are gentler and more respectful. The climate is great, with the possible exception of hurricane season. But the same could hold true for Veracruz. As for teaching English, do you have a TESOL degree or certificate?

I would prefer Merida because of its proximity to MANY Mayan ruins and coral reefs for snorkeling. But that's just me.

[tvdxer]

I've been to Merida before.

a. The people are friendly, if not a bit more reserved than other Mexicans. Certainly friendlier than the "Vallasoletanos" (residents of Valladolid, Yucatan). They tend to be highly religious (Catholic) and conservative.
b. Hot, very hot.
c. Excellent. Merida is a safe city with a homicide rate that is low even for a US city of its size. The city has a very picturesque walkable center oriented around a park with free events every week.
e. As I said, the homicide rate is comparable to safer U.S. cities. The North side of town has a better reputation than the South.

Some pictures from Merida (taken by me):


Merida, Yucatan Technology Complex by tvdxer, on Flickr


Merida, University of Yucatan by tvdxer, on Flickr


Merida, Typical Park Scene by tvdxer, on Flickr


Merida, Traffic Circle on the Paseo del Montejo by tvdxer, on Flickr


Merida, Parking Garge with the Virgin Mary by tvdxer, on Flickr


Merida, Central Park and Church by tvdxer, on Flickr


Passage to Heaven by tvdxer, on Flickr

[Willy702]

Very pretty place, but just reading some July weather reports on days when it doesn't rain are downright scary with heat indexes above 50C/123F! My visit was in late February and the heat was pretty hard to tolerate even then. As shown in the pictures I found it almost comical people were carrying around sweaters. But sure enough after sunset and it got down around 26-27C you would see sweaters and jackets on people.

[Ruth4Truth]

Best time to go is between October and February. It's a nice, breezy 72-75 degrees at that time.

[tvdxer]

Ruth4Truth, I think your climate figures are a little bit cool, highs of 72-75F, while possible in Merida, are rare and generally occur on cloudy or rainy days. The best time to visit Merida is in December or January, when temperatures are at their lowest (with typical highs around 80F).

I visited in March too and mid-day the sun angle and temperatures were a bit too hot for my liking (around 85-90F), except the day I arrived, which was absolutely gorgeous (80F and cloudy). I do agree that the sun makes it a lot worse, and when the sun goes down it's a lot better. In fact, breezy and 80F never felt so good

[UrbanLuis]

Great pics tvdxer. Merida looks beautiful.

[Collective]

Both are beautiful, but the surroundings of the city of Veracruz are full of violence, which is not the case of the state of Yucatán, where Mérida is located.