city at night

city at night

Sunday, January 12, 2014

My new home

I am settled into the house that I am renting for the next twelve days.  It is located in the neighborhood of Santiago, a few blocks from the Plaza de Santiago, and maybe a fifteen minute walk from downtown.


 
You'll notice that the house is extremely narrow.  That is not unusual for properties in Mérida.  Often large lots would be divided and divided again as property was passed on from one generation of the family to the next. 

The house is narrow but long.  You can see how each room opens to the next.  This is a traditional layout which promotes cross ventillation.  In the days before air conditioning, homes had to be designed to be cool in the fierce tropical heat.  The high ceilings also keep the house cool.  Today is a hot, sunny day, but with the ceiling fans turned on, the house is very comfortable.  I don't think that I will have to use the air conditioning very much.

                                    From the front parlor, you go on to the first bedroom...

 And that opens onto the second bedroom.  The only drawback to this layout is that a person sleeping the first bedroom has to pass through the second bedroom to go to the bathroom.

At the back of the house is a modern and well-equipped kitchen and dining area.

The bathroom is off of the kitchen.  When the house was built, the kitchen and bathroom would have been located in outbuildings in the back yard.

                                          An outdoor sitting area is behind the kitchen.

The long, narrow back yard is filled with tropical foliage.

The back yard includes a small dipping pool which I have already tried out.
It's time for me to take a siesta now.
Hasta luego. 

7 comments:

  1. What a perfect little house. You might be right about the AC. We rented a long, narrow house once. The ceiling fan was running by the back door, which was just mosquito screens and iron bars, and I could have sworn the AC was on. It's surprising how cross ventilation works. At least to someone who is used to blocking "drafts."

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    1. I turned the fans off last night when I went out for dinner. When I returned the house was rather stuffy. I turned the AC on for a couple hours and then turned it off before I went to bed. I had just the fan on in my room, and I slept comfortably. Today is supposed to be hot, but the forecast for the next couple days calls for cooler temps, so there should be no need for AC. The owner seemed to make a big deal about how expensive electricity is, so I don't want to use it any more than necessary.

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  2. Wow, that looks like a very cute little house. Perfect for a week or two's stay. It looks well-located. I'm dying to read future posts. I have some very fond memories of Mérida.

    Saludos,

    Kim G
    Boston, MA
    Where we're wondering how you've written SO many posts and still managed to get out and about.

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    1. It is a very cute house. I just wish it were a little closer to the main plaza and the main street. The 20 minute walk is starting to get to me. (We went downtown twice today so that's 2 hours of walking PLUS all the walking we did while sightseeing.

      I wonder about how I am able to post so much also. After a full day of sightseeing today, I am just too tired to post tonight.
      Saludos y buenas noches,
      Bill

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    2. I guess I was really tired last night. 20 minutes times 4 is not 2 hours... it's 80 minutes. I don't want you to think my math skills are that bad! Still, we put in a lot of walking yesterday.

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    3. Just be glad you're not a retired math teacher, or that harmless little slip could have caused BIG problems, LOL... Saludos.

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    4. Yes, if Nancy were still here, she would not have let me hear the end of that, since she is a retired math teacher. LOL Saludos.

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