We're in Merida today. Yesterday, we went to the beach at Progresso for a bit of mid-trip R&R. On this trip, we discussed the extent to which tourism is a form of imperialism, and we discussed some existential philosophy as it relates to authenticity and tourism. This is some heady stuff, but, yet again, the students impressed me with their eagerness to engage and in their ability to wrestle with and grasp complicated material. Good times (at least from my perspective)!

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Today, we have a free day to get caught up on laundry and to explore the city. Also, let's be honest, we all need a free day to get some space from one another as we prepare for the second half of our trip (with some significant travel days in the van).

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We are moving into my favorite part of the trip -- the time to discuss New Age/spiritual tourism and its fascination with the Mayan Calendar. I am not a New Age traveler myself. However, I study this phenomenon, so this is an opportunity for my scholarship to combine with pedagogy. For any of you who are wondering what gets a college professor excited, this is one of those things!

Hasta luego....