Today is the eve of the historic arrival of the three Kings...you know, the ones who reportedly showed up at the manger in Bethlehem, after following The Star? Bearing gifts of gold, frankinscence and myrhh. Well, dear reader, you might not celebrate this event at your house, but let me tell you, the city of Merida celebrates it in a big way. There is cake for everyone! The big hotels, who are clustered in the same area in town, all bake these pretty fruit cakes you see pictured here. We all buy a ticket for 25 pesos, which entitles us to a pretty big chunk of this cake. The money raised is given to those in need, in some of the villages close by. So, bearing gifts is the entire theme, and people get to have some fun at the same time.
Turns out that a good portion of the city showed up for the party. The cakes were spread out over a long city block (think cross-town Manhatten), and around the corner. One two sides! Politicians made speeches (mercifully short), people were thanked, and the music was loud. Stuart and I got there early enough to beat the crowd, so we walked the entire length of the cake, both sides, and I chose the portion that looked the best to me. Then, we waited until they started cutting, and jumped in. The kids cutting, the families eating and dancing, meeting and laughing, everyone was having fun! Aren't the pictures great?!? The Fiesta Americana also had some amazing carved watermelons decorating their section of the tables.
The computer seems to be not having a good day, and I'm not sure from one minute to the next if it is going to work. There is an internet cafe around the corner, but it sure isn't the same as sitting down at my own kitchen table.
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