Days 46-52: Mexico City! part 6/6

Day 51: The Finish Line

Saturday, February 21, 2015

Saturday was my last full day in Mexico City and I wanted to spend the day enjoying life in a big city. So, naturally, I slept until about noon. At one of the hostel restaurants downtown I had a delicious two-course brunch. First I ate a breakfast soup and then had a brownie sundae. I washed it all down with a glass of orange juice and loved every bite.

the best ice cream in the world

Afterwards we searched for a local nail salon. We were directed to a block that had warehouses full of salon chairs, foot baths, nail polish, and other nail equipment. Only one nail salon was open but even that one was full of salon equipment! We didn’t end up getting our nails done that day, but we did explore the area. For about 5 blocks in every direction people were outside selling various goods, but mostly clothes and shoes. There were literally blocks and blocks of clothes being sold outside and the streets were crowded with people.  We finally found our way back to the historic center, or centro historico, which is where we spent most of our free time during the week and could easily navigate the streets. Since we were in a major city we did major city things: shop and eat. Forever 21, MAC, Starbucks, and Krispy Kreme donuts entertained us for the entire day until we were ready for dinner.

city streets

Condesa y Roma is a neighborhood in the city known for its delicious food and boutique shops. It is easily accessible by the metro, however it was so unbelievably crowded that nearly everyone was sweating from the heat.  We walked a while and saw dozens of great looking restaurants serving all types of food before deciding to eat at a small Italian restaurant. My pasta and wine were muy rico and accompanied by great conversation, which was the perfect way to end evening.

Day 52: The Return

Sunday, February 22, 2015

On this final day I spent my time walking around the historic center, which allowed me to explore Mexico City’s diverse architecture before heading back on the bus. DF’s architectural styles span over 2000 years and include influences from a number of continents. I loved seeing a building with tiles from Pueba (a state in Mexico known for its tiles) contrasted with buildings built in the New Spanish Baroque style.

Mexico City is very large-both in terms of physical size and population-and just like many other large cities, it has a pollution problem. Due to the air quality my allergies really gave me a run for my money this past week, and some people even had visible films of dirt on their skin at the end of the day. The pollution did result in sunsets and sunrises that were breathtakingly beautiful, albeit foreboding.

That evening we headed to the bus station for our trip back to Oaxaca. World War Z and Escape Plan were the two movies they played on the bus (in Spanish, of course) so it was a bit difficult to sleep. But fear not, the second I got back to my homestay I slept very well before the next day’s adventures.

Day 37: Horseback Riding and New Friends

Three girls from my program and I went horseback riding in Latuvi on Saturday! Latuvi is a town about an hour and a half outside of the city. We drove through the mountains (per usual at this point) and were happy to learn that the intense twists and turns the driver warned us about were nothing in a van as compared to a giant bus. The stable has five horses for guided tours. We got to choose which one to ride. I chose a dark brown horse with a black tail named Negro.

d’awww!

More than ten years ago I rode a horse with my Girl Scouts troop. We were in an enclosed area and walked in a circle for a little while, I’m pretty sure we fed them hay from our hands, as well. It was a very fun, exciting, and calm experience.

Horseback riding in Latuvi was nothing like that.

The horses seemed a lot bigger when I was in elementary school, but I could clearly see over the horses during this trip. That frightened me. I was scared that the horses weren’t big enough to safely carry us through the mountains! After lots of encouraging words from friends and the stable owners, in both Spanish and English, and a few woosahhs, I finally got on the horse. Before heading towards the trail we took many cute pictures, and then our journey began!

horseback riding in Latuvi! at the stable

Riding the horses through the mountain trail scared most of us at first and the horses reacted to our tension by not responding to the ‘vamos’ or ‘alto’ commands. My horse didn’t like the feeling of the saddle and constantly stopped to stretch his legs. Carlos, one of the men that works at the stable and is in charge of breaking in the horses, guided two of our horses. That was very helpful. By taking our focus off of navigating the horses, we could work on finding a comfortable seating position, admiring the view, asking Carlos lots of questions about his experiences working with horses, and taking selfies. We rode for about 45 minutes to an hour, passing other farms, goats, and horses. Branches of a river ran through the land. We looked up and saw a clear blue sky. To the left and right were cacti, trees, bushes, and vegetation in all stages of life. Eventually, we arrived at a part of the trail that would lead us down the mountain to a waterfall.

passed this on our way to the waterfall while climbing the mountain in Latuvi

Negro and his friends were left on the mountain trail because the route to the waterfall was not fit for a horse…no if, and, buts about it. leaves fell off of the trees and made the dirt path slippery. The trees and bushes were not cut so we were truly one with nature as we climbed, slipped, and slided down the steep mountain path. Twice we crossed streams of water by hopping over rocks. Thrice we crossed logs to get to the other side of the path. At one point Carlos stopped to refill his water bottle from the water that ran through the mountain. It was the same water that was purified and bottled into what we drank that day.

passed this on our way to the waterfall while climbing the mountain in Latuvi

About 30 minutes later, the sound of water rushing quickly through layers of smooth rocks was heard. The gang and I sat on rocks just a few meters from the water and took in the view. Although this was called a waterfall, it was actually many streams of water than ran through a series of oddly placed rocks. (Placed by nature, of course.) The force of the water caused erosion and some of the rocks had notable shapes, especially one rock that literally had a large hole eroded right into its core.

the waterfall-like stream

The journey back to the paved mountain path was quicker and smoother, though equally slippery. Our horses were waiting next to giant lumps of fertilizer that they crafted while we were gone. Getting on the horses this time was much easier. It seemed as though all of our fears lessened and the horses were calmer. They responded to ‘vamos’ and ‘alto’ more readily than before. Many times the horses walked right on the edge of the path, which overlooked rocks and branches multiple feet down. One horse, named Chapuline, was very adamant about being first in line and would bite others when they tried to walk ahead of him. I felt more confident about riding and guided Negro without Carlos’ help on the way back. By the time we arrived at the stable it was time for comida. I think comida came at the perfect time. Negro and I had bonded just the perfect amount and we both were ready for food.

The stable is owned by a family so we ate a home-cooked meal for comida. Jamaica, potato and vegetable soup, a delicious meat, salad, and a banana for desert. Que rico!

On the drive back to Oaxaca we stopped by McDonald’s. It was a bit pricey compared to how affordable McDonald’s is in The States, but it was still a taste of home and quite tasty.

That night I went to a house party with my host sister and her intercambio. People shouted, «respect the mezcal,» as they sipped the drink and complimented its potency. Mezcal is a popular Oaxacan drink made from agave. (A few days later I went to a mezcal distillery where we learned how the drink is made. Look out for that post soon!) We went to a nearby restaurant and ate tacos with a girl we met at the party. She only spoke Spanish and we were able to communicate just fine. Our language skills are improving!

It wouldn’t be a weekend in Oaxaca if we didn’t end at least one night at Txalaparta. So we ended the night with a few dances at Txalaparta before passing out for a few hours before our trip to Tlacolula the next morning. Guess what?

Tlacolula is a market. Surprise!

Days 22-24: Huatulco

my weekend in one photo

Huatulco is in the town of La Crucecita, on the Pacific coast of Oaxaca. It is about an 8 hour bus ride from Oaxaca de Juarez, Oaxaca. The bus ride itself was an adventure.

Eight hours riding on a bus through the mountains of Oaxaca. Full speed. Lots of rocks, lots of twists, lots of turns. I’m 5’8″ so the seats were also pretty small for me, but probably fine for the average Oaxaqueno, since the people are shorter here than in the States. (I am constantly reminded of how tall I am after having anything more than a five minute conversation with a Oaxaqueno.)  We were all rolling around in our seats and bouncing up and down throughout the trip. Some wise young lads took dramamine, or a pill that combats motion sickness by knocking you out.

Before the bus left, an employee of ADO (the bus company) walked onto the bus and filmed everyone’s face. I got on the bus in middle of his little movie and shrieked, quickly pulling my laptop in front of my face. (It was 10 o’clock at night and I was more prepared to sleep for eight hours than to star in a movie.) Fun fact: Some places record the passengers on their buses before the bus leaves in case of a missing persons case, or in case an image surfaces of a wanted person. I didn’t know that, but at least everyone got a good laugh.

We arrived at the Huatulco station early in the morning and took cabs to La Luz de Luna, a beautiful villa off of La Playa Arrocita. The grounds keeper let us in and we slept soundly in beautiful bedrooms furnished with wooden chests and drawers, white sheets and curtains, large windows, and air conditioning. Oaxaca City has dry heat, but the coast is humid. Take a minute and reflect on how happy the discovery of air conditioning made us.

our honeymoon suite-esque bedroom

The next morning we headed to the beach. I stopped near the edge of the mountain (our villa was near the top of a mountain) to view the Pacific Ocean. As you can see in the pictures, the view is comparable to any view you’d see in a pamphlet for paradise.

I must say that the entire weekend was surreal. In the midst of such a peaceful environment, I was finally still and took the opportunity to reflect on where I was, where I came from, and what may lay ahead of me. I could hardly grasp the extent of how fortunate I am. A loving family, a world-class education, great friends and loved ones, international travel, health, mentors, a home I can always go back to, I could go on and on…and I am grateful to God, my family, and my loved ones for guiding and supporting me every day of my life. Anything is possible, yet here I am.

He carries me.

We walked down to the beach for breakfast. We ate shrimp, octopus, guacamole, and other dishes that feature delicious coastal Oaxacan cuisine. After applying liberal amounts of sunscreen and taking really cute brunch photos we headed into the water.

The beach was clean. I think that is an important fact. Unlike the ‘beaches’ off of Lake Michigan in Chicago, there weren’t cigarette butts, wrappers, or forgotten socks in the sand. The tides were mild and created a beautiful succession of foamy white water near the coast that became a deep, yet bright blue farther out into sea.

With the help of snorkels and goggles I saw some beautiful blue fish and various sea shells. Later on I rode a jet ski (for the first time ever!) It was exhilarating and a lot easier than I expected. That evening the gang went to Chadraui (the equivalent of Walmart) and bought groceries for dinner and breakfast. One of our travel buddies is now Mom because she spearheaded the villa reservations, communicated all of our needs with the villa owners, cooked us dinner and breakfast, and ensured that we were all present and well.

peace.

We had pasta for dinner, ice cream for dessert, and ended the night with a few drinks by the pool and a bunch of early 2000s jams on repeat. Very college, I know.

piscina

The next morning we ate eggs and pancakes for breakfast and drank mimosas before heading back to the beach. This time a group of us rode on a banana floaty connected to a speed boat. The drivers flipped us over three times, and we got some great pics! We drank coconut water from a fresh coconut and then ate the coconut flavored with a bit of lime and sea salt. All in all, it was yet another super relaxing day at the beach.

Our last few hours were spent by the pool. We went into town for a seafood dinner and everyone ordered delicious and photogenic meals. I got a seafood platter in a pineapple, another chica got a lobster smothered in tequila, and one chica got a cooked fish-eyeballs, skeleton, everything included.

dinner!

I took the motion sickness pills for the bus ride back and slept like a baby 80% of the time. The other 20% of the time I spent trying to fit a 5’8″ body into a 5’3″ space.

Upon our arrival in Oaxaca de Juarez, everyone bee lined to a cab. My roommate and I fell asleep the second we shut our doors and didn’t resurface until about 4 p.m.

Best. Weekend. Yet.