Merida is 'da bomb'!

Looking throughout the internet for some mention of the events a day ago, I typed Merida, Yucatan and bomb. Nothing appeared except some real estate sites declaring in that fake enthusiastic way that real estate ads do, that Merida was "da bomb".

In fact, there was a real bomb in Merida yesterday - or was it the day before? - two grenades were tossed into the local office of the Por Esto! newspaper here in Merida. Yes, Merida. Grenades. Sounds incredible, but it happened.

The narco violence that has been creeping steadily south for the last couple of years has reached Cancun; there have been at least 5 narco-related assasinations in the last few weeks. The governor of the state of Quintana Roo assures everyone that this is only narco-on-narco violence and that the general populace should not be alarmed. Yeah right. Unless you happen to be in the path of a stray bullet at the disco or in some supermarket or a hotel lobby.

Now that violence has finally reached Merida. The Por Esto! paper is a bold-headline newspaper that uses every opportunity to publish shocking and provoking reports that no other newspaper down here would touch. I have no idea if what they write is true or false; apparently they have pissed off someone with a violent streak and after a similar explosive incident at the Por Esto! offices in Cancun, it is Merida's turn.

Used to be you would read about all the violence up north and be thankful that you were in the Yucatan, donde no pasa nada. Well, it's time to reassess the situation.