Of adventures in Mexico...

This was posted elsewhere back in November, but I am moving it partially because I will be returning to Mexico this Saturday for a week in Puerto Vallarta with Ale and hope to have a new adventure to write about soon. I am so excited I can barely contain myself. I feel like I am five again waiting for Santa Claus to arrive. This week has certainly crept by almost unbearably slow.




Of adventures in Mexico...
11/04/2005 06:02 p.m.
I have never been good at this journaling thing, but I wanted to get my trip down in writing. I just got back last night from a much needed vacation to Mexico. It was truly a wonderful experience and best of all I got to meet Ale who is just a wonderful person which is a distinct understatement given her hospitality and charm.

I flew into Guadalajara Saturday via Dallas Fort Worth airport which was honestly one of the easiest trips I have ever had traveling out of the country. Everything was on time and smooth which set the tone for the trip early on. After a quick nap at the hotel, I called Ale and she left work to come to the hotel. After chatting for a bit in the hotel, we decided to head out for a bite to eat since I really hadn't eaten that day other than some small airline snacks. We walked around for a bit until we ended up at Sanbourne's where I had some chicken enchiladas that were quite tasty (the picture is from some enchilada's that Ale made at home another time...not from the restaurant). After dinner, a group came in singing that was reminiscent of Karaoke quality and quickly ran us off. After meandering a bit more chatting, I walked Ale to the bus stop (just a short walk that couldn't have been more than 10 miles..heh...not really but it was a bit further than I first expected) and returned to the hotel to get some much needed rest before Sunday's adventures.

We met up Sunday in the late morning and headed out to walk to where we could catch the bus to the market in Tonala which is only there on Sundays. The market was huge from my perspective although I understand it is called the "little market". The stalls were packed tightly together with cloth strung from stall to stall providing some shade but being the bright person I am I did not wear a hat and had a rather nice sunburn by the end of the day that I am currently peeling from (joy of joys). The variety of goods from obviously homemade to quasi-commercial was impressive and the various food stalls interspersed throughout made for a sensory smorgasbord of sight and sound. The market was very busy and the press of so many people did become a bit oppressive after a while and I think we were both really ready to get going after a couple of hours and we decided to look for a restaurant. Coming upon the bus stop before we found a place that was appealing, we decided to head back to Guadalajara and found a restaurant in downtown that was quiet tasty in its variety on the buffet. Afterwards, we wandered around seeing the sights. The old architecture was particularly neat to me and in this area there were street performers and various stalls were set up here and there. I got drug into a mime act for a moment which was a bit more attention than I was seeking, but it was entertaining. There is also a legend there that if you are headed South on Warlock Avenue and someone asks you the time and your respond that will be the time you will die (not day or year or anything) which Ale was nice enough to explain to me AFTER asking me the time. Such a nice thing and now I will spend the rest of my life getting really nervous around 4:51. Heh. We took a double-decker bus tour later that evening which was a welcome respite from all the walking and the weather was so nice sitting in the open air portion of the bus. I swear we must have walked 20 miles or more that day. My legs are still sore which is a rather sad statement about me in general (note to self...must start exercising more!). After getting directions to her work since Ale had to work a half day Monday morning, we took her home in a taxi and I headed back to collapse in exhaustion although it had been a very nice day and walking is certainly the best way to get to know any city.

I slept in a little Monday before making arrangements to rent a car which they were nice enough to deliver to the hotel. After making a dry run to Ale's office just to make sure I could find it, I went back to the hotel to load up and check out. I picked up Ale at 2:00 and we headed out for Morelia which was about a four hour drive. The open country side was very nice and the autopista (interstate) had very light traffic so we were flying down the road (massacring many, many bugs along the way as the windshield attested). In Morelia, we met up with a college friend of Ale's, Adriana, who had gotten us a discount on a couple of rooms at a very nice Holiday Inn Express. The hotel was laid out kind of weird though and I had to keep asking where my cheese was since I felt like a mouse in a maze. We headed out to dinner at Tacopolis with Adriana, her boyfriend, and another lady. We ordered a few different kinds of tacos and it was interesting to note the differences (and superiority) compared to Taco Hell's varieties that run amok in the US. We also stopped at the store for some munchies for the rooms and after taking a poll of what was the best Tequila in the store settled on a bottle of 1800 Anejo which was very smooth and tasty being 100% Agave unlike many of the "regular" varieties available here that are actually 49% grain alcohol which is part of the reason for tequila's notoriety for bad hangovers. A couple of shots later it was time for bed still being tired from all the walking the day before and then the drive down.

Tuesday we walked around downtown Morelia seeing the sights in the afternoon. Again, the old architecture was very nice and the Cathedral in particular was very interesting being open so we could walk through it. Regretfully, the pictures I took inside were all too dark and didn't come out. In the plaza next to the cathedral was also a very cool arrangement for Dia los Muertos of flower petal designs that covered a significant amount of ground. The designs were elaborate and impressive in their layout. We stopped in a nice candy shop and I tried a sugary rose petal that was interesting in flavor and texture. We also stopped in a little shop and picked up some Gazpacho's that were essentially various chopped fruits with a little juice, cheese and Chile powder which was quite tasty. With food in hand, we headed back to the car and went to pick up Adriana, Adrian, and Paola to head to Patzcuaro an hour or so away for the actual Dia los Muertos celebration. We detoured up the side of a mountain to an overlook that allowed us an impressive view of the lake and city of Patzcuaro. It was a bit windy though and my less well insulated friends were quickly cold so we headed on down to the city. The atmosphere in downtown was very festive with a number of stalls selling Dia los Muertos items and food. There were a couple of people twirling fire batons to a conga drum but the press of the crowd was too much to get a good look. After walking around a little, we decided to head to the lake docks which prompted a good conversation on the pronunciation of dock since I thought they said duck. After finding a parking spot, I chatted with Adrian a bit in my poor excuse for Spanish, but in the ever reminded fact that it is a small world it turned out his father used to work for the same company I did. The festivities were in full swing on the docks with plenty of revelers and we decided to take a boat ride out to a tall island that had a number of shops and a whole bunch of steps (Oi, my poor legs). The boat was full of "happy" people and they sang all of the 20 minutes or so it took to get there complete with chants of "otra" (another) each time a song would end. The laughter and festiveness was certainly infectious. Being the driver, I had opted out of drinking anything up until the island but Adrian convinced me that I had to at least try a glass of Pulque (pul-k) which was a fermented fruit drink that dated back to the Aztecs and was drank by the priests and warriors. It was an interesting drink that really was tasty although regretfully I think that is what unhinged my stomach a little the next day. Thankfully, that passed after only a day (no pun intended) so it really wasn't that big of a deal. I also had forgotten to take my meds that day so combined with the steep climb up the island and just generally being worn out I was starting to feel bad and we had to start making our way back a little early (after midnight) which prompted more jokes about me being an abuelo (grandfather) that had started a few days before with me whining about my poor legs from walking so much. It is tough getting old ;)

After sleeping late and having breakfast, we headed back to Guadalajara for my last night. Returning the rental car was a bit painful in that I had forgotten to fill up the car before we got back to the hotel and decided not to worry about it figuring it would only cost a little extra for them to fill it up like it does in most places. I found out too late my assumption was wrong and it cost me 4 times as much (a tad over a hundred dollars for a tank of gas!!), but I was just too tired to argue with them about it. We took a taxi to a really cool small restaurant that night called La Noche Azul (the blue night) where we had shrimp and filet fondue and then some really good chocolate fondue with various fruits and sweet bread. The restaurant was mostly lit with candles and had cool murals on all the walls. There was a neat candle lamp that Ale pointed out to me with the candle set in a star that was protruding a little which cast interesting shadows on the half moon portion that made up the rest of the candle. I was a bit sad heading back to the hotel knowing that it was my last night and the fun was running out, but I crashed rather quickly.

Thursday morning Ale joined me one last time for a late breakfast and then we bid rather sad farewells after such a fun and wonderful week. The flight home was uneventful and seemed twice as long as coming both from sheer exhaustion and not wanting to get back to my normal routines after having such a great time for a week with such wonderful company. It is hard to fully express just what a great week I had and I am certainly eternally indebted to Ale for her hospitality and kindness in showing me around Mexico as it was certainly a far superior trip compared to a typical tourist trap vacation.