Mexico

I've been back from Mexico for two full weeks now and feel like I really should file a little report about my experiences. However.............the trip was so amazing I don't know what to write. Plus, I'm now getting back into my normal life and it's not as vivid as it was 14 days ago.

I loved every minute of the trip, from the moment I landed and was greated by Syvart, and his friend Oswaldo, with chocolate skulls in celebration of Dia de Muertes, to my last glimpse of Syvart leaning against a post in the subway while our train took Taylor and me away to the aiport.

Mexico City was more than I ever dreamed. It has sky scrapers; and it has plastic tarps on the sidewalk serving as make-shift stores. It has beautiful public parks and squares; and it has men squatting in the back of garbage trucks sorting through the garbage. It has men and women, dressed for success, marching down the street talking on their cell phones; it has young and old women dressed in village skirts and shawls asking for money. Beautiful restaurants with wonderful food are everywhere, and so are stalls selling food made right there - without the benefit of running water. The architecture can be amazing - both the old and the new; but there are also cement block hovels where people are living. I guess I should say the country is filled with contrasts.

I never felt afraid, and people smiled back when I smiled. Everyone seemed to greet us and smiled when we responded. I got pretty good at "Buenos dias," "Buenos tardes," and "Buenos naches."

It seems that we were busy every minute in Mexico City. We first went to the Reforma area to view the altars to the dead and the huge papier maches monsters that were ready to go on parade for Dia de Muertes. We went to the Zocolo several times, saw the huge cathedral there and the government buildings, and more altars built to honor the dead. We walked through Zona Rosa. We spent a day at the Museo de Antropoligia and took the bus to the pyramids at Teotihuacan. We actually managed to climb the Pyramid of the Sun. That was plenty of stairs, and we just looked at the Pyramid of the Moon. Taylor went to the church where Syvart practices the organ (I was inconvenienced by my intestines and stayed home). We went to the Ballet Folklorica. In addition to all of this, we had multiple amazing meals and spent time with Syvart and his friends. We even managed to fit in an election evening party with tequilla, sushi and various other snacks. Syvart, Sara and Azania joined us for this event in our room at the Red Tree House.

In addition to Mexico City, we spent 4 days in Queretaro and 1 day in Puebla. Both cities (population over 1 million) are more manageable than Mexico City. We walked everywhere, while in Mexico City we also took cabs and the subway. Both cities seem to be organized around a series of squares where people meet one another, take a break from the hectic traffic and celebrate the holidays. Something seems to be going on in the squares pretty much all of the time. On one side of the square is usually a huge church and the other 4 sides will have shops fronted by sidewalk cafes. These squares seem to be the hub of the neighborhoods. Such a wonderful concept, I wish I could find a town in the U.S. that still used this plan. I suppose we are all too busy driving around in our cars to sit around in a public park or sidewalk cafe.

So this is a brief overview of the best trip we've taken in a long time. It doesn't do justice to the experiences we had. This goes to show what a difficult job it is to be a travel writer. After rereading this I feel like I've taken all the color right out of the trip. In any case, we look forward to exploring more of Mexico, and I hope I can learn a little Spanish in the meantime.