Mexico, Arrrrrribba!

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First of all, apologies for the tardiness in writing this blog. Before we left I imagined us having loads of time to write missives from various parts of the world, but we have actually been very busy. Either that or the old adage applies in reverse that if you want something done give it to a busy person!

The first week we were here we were browsing the front pages of the papers in the UK on the internet when we came across the headline of the Daily Express ´Hotter than Mexico´. First of all I had never seen Mexico used as a weather comparison before we came out here and secondly we didn´t travel half way round the world for you lot to get better weather than us! We were not amused!

Anyway, we arrived in Cancun on Monday 23rd and spent a few days there. It was nice to recover from our gruelling 24 hour travel (including hours of delays at Mexico City) but it wasn´t really our kind of place. Very glitzy, lots of big hotels and quite expensive. Even so, it was good to be able to park ourselves on a beach for a few days. Our hotel wasn´t on the beach so we sat on the loungers at a very expensive hotel. We were chilling out there completely unnoticed until Bruce decided to go for a ´mooch´ and make it completely clear that he didn´t know the place which resulted in us being ordered off the premises. Which is a shame because he was just about to suggest a cocktail at their very fetching pool bar!

We then went to Isla Mujeres, which is a tiny island just off the coast of Cancun. We´ve never really done the whole tropical holiday thing (unless Lanzarote counts!) so we were a bit overwhelmed by the white powdery sand and the bath water temperature turquoise sea. We absolutely fell in love with the place. Although it is still touristy it is a bit more like Mexican tourism and there aren´t that many hotels so a lot of the tourists are day trippers and it has a really nice atmosphere in the evening. One of our best evenings was spent watching the locals playing basketball in the public square. People mainly get around the island by moped, golf cart, or pedal bike. We hired bikes on the first day and cycled to a beach club and then toured the island on a golf cart the following day including a visit to a turtle farm. Our favourite beach was Playa Norte, where the sea was so warm and you could walk in it for kilometres and only be waist deep. It was also the perfect place to watch the sunset.

On the Sunday we travelled to Playa Del Carmen for our homestay and Spanish course. The place we were staying at was a few blocks from the beach and Isabel our ´Mexican Mama´ was lovely. We soon settled in to a fairly hectic routine of classes from 9 until 2 p.m., lunch, sunbathing and swim on the beach, back for dinner including an hour of talking Spanish with Isabel, homework then bar and maybe nightclub in the evening. The school was gorgeous and we were taught in classes of no more than four people in little cabanas. We did an initial test to determine our level of Spanish and I was fairly perturbed that I was put in beginners (or ´tonto´class as Bruce calls it) and he was put in intermediate, despite us having had the same amount of Spanish lessons previously. We met a great group of English people who we went out with most nights, our favourite places being Deseo a rooftop bar with swimming pool and jacuzzi which did the amost amazing strawberry dacquiris. We also went to the wonderfully cheesy Blue Parrot, a nightclub with a dancefloor on the beach where we salsa´d very badly, frequently until dawn. I´d like to say it was just like being young again but as I never did that kind of thing when I was younger I am definitely making up for it now!

We made a few trips while we were there including to a natural lagoon where we snorkeled and saw lots of iridiscent fish and to the most gorgeous beach called Akumal where we also went snorkelling and Bruce saw turtles and manta rays. We also travelled to a place called Tulum which has Mayan ruins on a beach side setting. We arrived the night before and didn t have accommodation so we found a place with cabanas on the beach. I think the word cabana is actually a bit of a romantic description because it was really just a hut with a double bed in it. We were right on the beach so it was a great location but when we walked in two hermit crabs followed us in. We then saw a cockroach on the bed so started to feel a bit uncomfortable with the situation. The bed was also really tiny, even I had a problem stretching my legs out and the mosquito net made us roasting hot. We did not get a lot of sleep that night! It was worth it the following day though when we walked along the beach to the ruins. There were miles of sandy beach and sea and hardly anyone on them. We didn t really appreciate the ruins because it was about 40 degrees and there was no shade but the best thing was that they towered above the beach so we went down and swam in the sea. We didn t have any of our stuff to change in to but it was so hot we dried off within about 10 minutes of getting out of the sea.

We re loving the food here. I was worried how we would cope with the transition from ´Old El Paso´ to proper Mexican fare but we have been fine! The fruit and vegetables here are so fresh they taste completely different to the ones in England. It really makes you realise the difference the food miles make. The guacomole is amazing, the avocados are so ripe and the salsa is really nice, more of a bruschetta consistency than the liquid stuff that we have at home and they always put fresh coriander in it, which is my favourite herb. We have tried mole, which is a traditional sauce with chocolate in it served with chicken and we have sampled lots of fajitas, tacos, enchiladas, quesidilas etc. They put lime with everything, so far we ve had it with watermelon, in salad dressings, soup and even with chips. It is so versatile I will definitely be using it lots more in my cooking when I get back. We are eating loads of fresh fruit at the moment because it is so cheap and you can also get a bucket of smoothie for about a pound!

By the end of the course our Spanish had definitely improved but we are still a bit frustrated with not being able to understand and speak more. I have, however, developed fluent Spanglish, which consists of peppering my English with Spanish words and gesticulating wildly. Bruce is much better at speaking Spanish but it takes him so long to think of the words that the person he is talking to is normally asleep by the time he s finished the sentence! If we have enough funds we are going to investigate getting some more Spanish lessons in Argentina.

We arrived in Mexico City on Monday and it couldn t have been more of a contrast to the whole beach thing. I think our perception has been clouded a bit by all the safety warnings, but we are becoming more comfortable the longer we stay here (although still being very careful parents!). In some ways I really dislike it; it is smelly, polluted, dirty, sprawling and chaotic. In other ways I love it; it is edgy, exciting, creative and the magnitude of the place is breathe taking, especially against the backdrop of the mountains surrounding it. We have done a lot of walking, through most of the main districts, soaking up the atmosphere. You cannot walk for long without seeing a beautiful church or a modern building, the architecture here is amazing and they re not afraid to try something different, maybe because the skyline is not as protected as other cities.

They are not as used to tourists here as the other major cities, most of the tourists seem to be Mexican, so sometimes they are quite shocked when they hear our accent and it is quite refreshing to be in a place that is not so jaded. When we went on the open top tourist bus lots of the locals were waving at us. There is nothing they like more here than a good protest and while on the open top bus we saw a particular protest where everyone was either naked or semi naked, many of them dancing in the fountains! Apparently it was a protest about land reform by farmers so I´m not exactly sure where the lack of clothes came in to the equation!

It is really cheap here so we have been able to afford a decent hotel, just off the Zocalo, which is the main square and the third largest in the world. The food is also pretty cheap so we have had some really nice meals, including at a place called Opera, which has remained pretty much the same for a hundred years and has a bullethole made by the revolutionary Pancho Villa in the ceiling. I m glad we are used to London because it is pretty hectic here, especially the traffic. Some of the junctions here make Picadilly Circus seem like a village roundabout.

A few days ago we went to a place called Teotiuacan, which has remains of the Aztec civilisation. One of the pyramids here is the third highest in the world. It´s hard to believe that the two of the three biggest pyramids in the world are in Mexico! It was exhausting climbing the steps to the top of it, especially as we are noticing the difference anyway being at altitude but it was worth it.

Last night we met up with a couple who we were introduced to through Cardiac Science, who I used to work with. They have been absolutely amazing - they have had their family doctor on 24 hour call in case I have any problems in Mexico! We had such a wonderful night. They took us to a traditional Mexican restaurant and ordered lots of different dishes and talked to us all about their lives in Mexico. Bruce also sampled some top quality tequilas! They also arranged for some mariachis to serenade us at the dinner table. On Sunday, we are planning to do the house that Frida Kahlo and Diego Riviera lived in and to a place south of the City with gondolas on canals which is supposed to be like Venice (although knowing Mexico City it will probably be more like Venice on LSD!) They have arranged for a driver that they employ to drive us in their car for the day so we can get around easily which is absolutely fantastic. I cannot tell you how friendly and hospitable the Mexicans are.

Next week we are planning to head out of Mexico City and spend a week in some colonial villages on the outskirts including Taxo, which is renowned for silver. We may make it to Acupulco if travel fatigue doesn´t set in.

I think this is more than enough for now! I probably should have included an executive summary for you busy people, although if you ve got this far you are probably our parents!

Hope you´re all well and would love to hear from you.

Helena y Brucio

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Comments

[Vicky M]

Ola!
Loving the blog - I definitely read through to the end (and I don't think I'm one of your parents!) Feel better for having had a good dose of classic Helen/Bruce humour and loveliness via words, pictures and captions! Looks like you're having a wonderful time. Keep the posts coming. Lots of love Vickyxx

[Hackansnapper]

Where is everybody?
Feel free to comment people! Bruce