Progreso, Yucatan, Mexico - our little town!

If you haven't been to Progreso, it's a little hard to describe, but it's very special!  The weather is gorgeous, the people are friendly, and you'll feel safe anywhere you go!  I think my most apt description would likely be to think of it as going back in time about 40 years, with almost all of the modern conveniences.  You'll never know what you'll see.

 

 

 

 

 Horse drawn carriage in Progreso - the fellow actually backed up to let us take a better picture!

 

Cold beer stores on almost every corner

 

Friends dropping by on horseback (Camilo - young electrician)

 

Iguana at the grocery store -  Vic calls them the local gopher or squirrel

 

Pinata store

 

Travelling salespeople

 

In the winter months Progreso's population is about 20,000, but come Semana Santa and Easter week (2 weeks of special family time holidays), the city's waterfront population swells immensely with the wealthy Meridanos, as they relax at their beautiful holiday homes.

But also in these months when it is cold and *snowy* - (oops, forgive me for using that 4 letter word!) up north, you'll find a large expat and snowbird population living here as well.

With the Cruise Ships dropping in twice a week, the souvenier markets expand to cater to the needs of the tourists. The regular every day markets open early. What time? No idea....(we've never gotten there early enough to know but we would suggest after 7) until 12 or 1 everything is open, but some shops begin closing after 12 and by after 1 the main market will be half closed. Fresh flowers, chickens, pescado frito, hardware stores etc. After that just tour calle 78 and 80 to find what you need.

If driving in Progreso the streets are mostly one way, especially in the downtown area. So be careful.  Generally we travel by bus, having found that the buses are extremely easy to use, very inexpensive, and it's a great way to get around just about anywhere.

The 3 main grocery stores are Bodega (Walmart), and Soriana Express located near the hwy entrance in to Progreso, and San Fransisco located on calle 80 in the centro (downtown), and they're lots of fun to visit and explore, and provide excellent food at amazing prices! We've left with full loads of groceries including wine, rum or beer, and come up with a bill of less than $50! I'm not looking forward to shopping at home again soon. 

Getting around Progreso is very easy, and we have spent much of our time here using just the local transit system, which is fast, efficient, and very inexpensive.  The local bus can be caught anywhere along calle (street) 27 or 29.  Calle 27's buses head east, and Calle 29's west.  Stand on the side of the street and hold up a hand if you see a white volkswagen type of van, or the city bus, and you'll get picked up.  It will cost you about 5.5 pesos (about 50cents), and this will get you into either Progreso (heading west from where we live), or Chicxulub (pronounced sheek shoe lube) (to the east of us).  You'll want to get off at either "la ultima parada" - the last stop before downtown, which is about calle 76, or at the end of the line (they are not supposed to stop downtown to avoid traffic jams), which is calle 82.  Buses and colectivos (the little vans) generally go by every 3 to 6 minutes, so you're rarely waiting for very long.

 

colectivo - also a popular and easy to catch mode of transportation

 

local bus

 

a local bus

 

Calle 29 sign - a corner downtown

If you want to head into Merida, where there is any number of types of entertainment, the ADO, the amazing first class buses they use for highway travel, will get you there and back for 29 pesos a person.  Very comfortable, much more efficient than driving yourself, and air conditioned.  You may even want a little sweater depending on the day.

Progreso has lots to offer itself, in addition to the Gulf and the long sandy beaches, including a very long boardwalk that will take you for several miles, from the east, right under the huge pier, to about 3km west of it. 

With the Cruise Ships dropping twice a week, the souvenier markets expand to cater to the needs of the tourists. The regular every day markets open early. What time? No idea....(we've never gotten there early enough to know but we would suggest after 7) until 12 or 1 everything is open, but some shops begin closing after 12 and by after 1 the main market will be half closed. Fresh flowers, chickens, pescado frito, hardware stores etc. After that just tour calle 78 and 80 to find what you need.

If driving in Progreso the streets are mostly one way, especially in the downtown area. So be careful. Mopeds will pass you on either side so if you're turning do not do so suddenly! It is normal especially to be passed on the right side at high speed, so look before you turn especially if you turn at the last second.

Driving is an anticipatory sport. Everyone anticipates what the others will do. Turn signals are optional except if you are a rookie at driving here or if there is a policia near by. Any excuse to ticket you may result in a small fee needing to be paid. On a two lane street do not get frustrated as whomever is up front sets the lanes. Anyone who honks is just letting you know they are there. Honking is not considered agressive like in North America.

Be prepared for drivers who stop to let people in or out of their cars and block a lane or the entire street. Of course there is no urgency to get everyone in or out of the car, just be patient. Remember, we are on Mexican time here. :)

You can also venture out from Progreso to so many different and amazing places, but I'll leave that for a further post!

Have a great day!

Hugs from Mexico