Walking Around in Mérida, México

I was walking down the street today for about 15 minutes and accidentally got two locals' WhatsApp numbers along the way. They could both tell from my quick gait alone that I was a foreigner (I'm a nationally ranked speed walker, what can I say). Upon learning that I also spoke some Spanish, their interest was quickly peaked. 

The first one was a college student from a different city but studying in Merida for the year. He was very friendly but talked extremely fast so I don't have much else to tell you about him. 

The second stranger was an older gentleman who told me I walked like a rocket and asked me where I was in a hurry to. I explained that I was booking it to a Starbucks to finish my workday. He shook his head dramatically and pointed to a nearby cafe that apparently had much better ambiance, food, etc. (spoiler alert: it did). 

He then proceeded to point out his very own restaurant (a mixture of Italian, vegan, and vegetarian cuisine), told me about his travels all throughout Europe, and then advised me to watch my stomach -- wait, what??!?

As a young 20-something in a crop top and shorts, I first anxiously thought he was going to give me a moral clothing lecture, scold my skin exposure, or say some other patriarchal jargon. Yet, upon seeing my very confused face he quickly elaborated that he wasn't talking about my shirt. 

Rather, he said I was carrying a heavy emotion. As it turns out, during one of his many trips abroad, Antonio (which I soon learned was his name), practiced teaching how to read energies, chakras, and the like. And apparently, my stomach chakra was filled with deep emotion and needed some severe TLC. 

But since the only heavy thing I felt in my stomach was the oatmeal from breakfast 5 hours ago, I quickly thanked him and headed to the cafe to order more food.