Puebla

The bus ride from Mexico City was quick and easy.  You can hop on right from the terminal and be in Puebla two hours later.  I was offered snacks and a drink and headphones for the movie while on the bus.  It was a dubbed version of "The Game Plan" with The Rock.  I watched part of it, fell asleep, looked out the window and read for awhile.  There was traffic headed back into the city and then there was traffic going into Puebla.  I arrived around 7pm and took a taxi to the hotel.  Brett and Sarai were off to her aunt's place for dinner in a nearby city.  So I was alone for dinner, and after relaxing in the hotel, I headed to the zocalo.  It was dark and there were people everywhere on this balmy night.  People were dancing and singing, there was a group of clowns/performers near the glorious cathedral with packs of onlookers wrapped around.  I glanced around for awhile, but I was really hungry and eventually stumbled upon a pizzeria.  I had read about a couple vegetarian places but wasn't sure where they were and didn't want to go searching for them after dark.  The pizzeria was about half full and it was hot inside.  There were two large openings to the busy street outside, but it was still warm inside.  I ordered spaghetti and a glass of red wine.  There was a young couple nearby who seemed to very popular as scores of passerbys walked in and greeted them. After I finished my dinner, the young man came over to me and asked if I needed anything else, in Spanish. I ordered sparkling water and tiramisu. He wore glasses, like I was wearing, had a beard, like I was wearing and like nearly all the other young guys in the restaurant. He asked where I was from and I replied, “Los Angeles,” and he told me to enjoy my stay in Puebla. I read that the city was fairly older or more commonly known as being conservative and formal, as far as places in Mexico anyway. I also seemed to think everyone there was friendly. After dinner I sat in the zocalo for awhile and watched the people pass by. Brett had sent me a text message to say that he and Sarai were staying with her family tonight but that they would come by and say hi. The stopped by the hotel around 11 and we walked back down to the zocalo for a drink. Everything was closing, so we had water and juice from a store and sat on the green benches under the overgrown trees. It was real neat for me to meet up with them in Mexico. I don't think I have ever traveled out of the country with family so this was a first and we began to share stories about all the things we had done so far. Brett had been eating lots of meat and his in-laws were always cooking and roasting something for him. Sarai was wanting my to practice my Spanish and quiz me about all the things I wanted to see and do while in Puebla. It was already late at this point, so we quickly decided to meet tomorrow morning and visit the nearby town of Cholula to see a partially buried temple. We said goodbye for the night and I was quickly asleep just after midnight.
Next day was Monday and I had a quick breakfast down in the hotel lobby. I had free internet in the hotel so I surfed and checked all my e-mail while waiting for them. They picked me up and we headed over to Cholula (yes, its the same name as the hot sauce). It was bright and warm that day and we had some stop and go traffic which quickly brought us to the temple. A nearby museum gave a brief history of the area and had some murals, tools, and art from way back when. The pyramid was reported to by the widest at its base and was built a long time ago by the Olmecs and then the Aztecs and then the Spanish came along and didn't like it. There are two stories as to how it was buried, despite its size. One theory says the locals themselves began to bury it when they saw the Spanish approaching so as to preserve it. The other theory says the Spaniards made them cover the temple with dirt and then build a Catholic church atop the pyramid. Either way, its quite a sight and now there are tunnels you can walk through that reveal parts of the pyramid that are well preserved. I hadn't toured any pyramids, so this was a nice treat. It was damp and cool inside, not exactly cold, but more comfortable than the bright and blazing sun hovering above us outside. We were in the tropics and around 7000 feet so it was quickly obvious that I forgot sunblock as my neck and arms began to redden when outside. We walked around the exposed sections of the pyramid. There were tablet of narration in Spanish, English and Nahua (one of the local dialects that is passed down from the Aztecs). The whole tour took about two hours and we were getting hungry for lunch, but first we had to climb to the top to see the cathedral and surrounding views. It didn't seem that far, but it sure felt far away from walking up the hill. Along the way were locals selling juices, water, nectarines and fried chapulines (grasshoppers I think). While I wanted to try them, none looked very fresh and so I passed on that opportunity. From the top we had great views of the surrounding parched countryside. Sarai's uncle said this was the hottest time of year and before the Summer rains arrived. It was clear by gazing at the yellow grass and brown dirt spread below us. Cholula is also known for having 365 churches, supposedly one for everyday of the year, or every saint so that the Aztecs had no choice but to convert to Catholicism and visit a church everyday. I doubted there were that many churches, but there seemed to be on every block. After visiting the quaint hilltop church we headed to the zocalo for lunch and relaxed for awhile, talking about what they had seen so far. Sarai's uncle also told us more stories about the area and filled us in on the histories. He also suggested we could visit the battle sites that are celebrated on Cinco de Mayo. Before leaving Cholulua we also visited a monastery with a large and empty plaza in front of the yellow church. There was a large solitary tree occupying the plaza with welcoming shade spread below it and just a few people relaxing under the heavy branches. Nearby, but still on the same grounds was a library and a few paintings. We were only allowed to see a few things and had to leave because everyone was heading to lunch. After that, Brett and Sarai looked around for a good deal to exchange dollars to pesos, but there weren't any good deals to be found. I sat outside and watched people go by as I clinged to the side of the building trying to stay out of the suns relentless rays. I read that all the university students from Puebla like to come to Cholula for the restaurants and bars, but nothing looked very attractive to me and quickly wrote it off as a place I wouldn't go to school. (As an ongoing fantasy, I think of studying abroad for a master's degree or maybe another bachelor's.)
Then it was onto the battle sites. Along the way we passed a great fountain of China Poblana. She's a local woman from the 1800s who was a servant to a wealthy couple and who became a symbol of beauty and sophistication for those with less money. So the fountain occupies the middle of a large roundabout and Sarai's uncle (who was driving) made an illegal left turn so that we could get a better look at the fountain. He was quickly pulled over by the police. We stayed in the car as he was questioned on the nearby sidewalk. It might sound sort of scary but I've been pulled over in other countries before, although never when I was the driver (okay there was that one time I was riding the motor scooter in Mauritius). The policeman wanted to charge a fine for the illegal left turn and take Sarai's uncle's license away. Turns out he is from another state, so that would be the collateral to ensure he appeared the following day to pay the fine. This didn't sit well with any of us, and it was a harmless move anyway. Sarai got out of the car and began to talk to the officer. Brett and I stayed put and wondered what would happen. She ended up working our magic and when she returned to the car she told us to thank the officer. We eagerly did so and when the officer left we asked what happened. Basically she spoke to the officer about how we weren't from Puebla, it was a harmless mistake and we never intended to break the law. Also, this was our only driver and we were just in Puebla for a couple days and she didn't want things to look bad for two gringos from the States. “You exploilted our skin color?” I asked. Yes, she did and I congratulated her on a good job. Its not often I get to be exploited in a good way, so this was quite amusing. And then we were on our way to the battle sites. Atop a hill with good views of Puebla, we found large monuments and walled garrisons that were the original sight of the Cinco de Mayo battle. It was a good spot with a nice breeze and great vistas to la Malinche and Popocatapetl volcanoes. Unfortunately, we were too late to visit the grounds as they had closed for the day. The Cinco de Mayo battle was a last stand by the Mexicans to block an invasion of the French, namely Napolean III, despite the fast that they had already taken Mexico City. More to the story says that the Mexicans were resigned to defeat when the locals (Aztecs and Olmecs) rallied to help the Mexicans defeat the advancing French. Please don't quote me on this history, its just what I've heard and I can't verify all of it, but it sounds like a good story anyway, right?
Back in Puebla, we walked around town and sampled some of the local candies, made from sweet potatoes and various other flavors. They were quite tasty and sound healthier since they are made from sweet potatoes. I really like how many cities organize shopping districts. For example, all the candy stores are lined up on one street, while the stationary stores are on another and then across town are other stores, like the optometrists. Brett and Sarai went shopping for clothes at a mall and as I sat outside, a young local started talking to me about Puebla and asked where I was from. He wanted to practice his English and wasn't as receptive to my broken Spanish. After that we headed to dinner in an old building that was actually brought to Puebla from France, where it was deconstructed, only to be reassembled in Puebla. It had great stained glass fixtures inside and wall to ceiling viewing windows facing the street. After dinner, Brett and Sarai decided to stay at the hotel and went to get their things at her uncle's place. I told them to hurry so we could swing by the hotel bar before it closed. We each had a drink and talked about what to do tomorrow. Brett was excited to sleep in a bed with a hard mattress, watch cable TV and generally relax for awhile.
Brett slept in late and Sarai and I had breakfast down in the lobby. It was a buffet and I ate a lot. We had decided to visit more of Puebla rather than go exploring the countryside with her uncle. He was nice enough to drive us anywhere, but I didn't like the idea of sitting in a car for three of four hours one way to see a waterfall or mountain. So went to visit a museum that had antiques from colonial days and portraits of the Mexican governors. There was a garage with two old horse-drawn carriages, too. After, we went to visit another convent, this one came with a free tour of the grounds. It was divided into the seven regions of Puebla state and was conducted entirely in Spanish. Luckily, Sarai was there to fill in the gaps and make sense of it all. On the same grounds, was a gift shop with local handmade wares which seemed nice enough but we didn't buy anything. At this point my calves were aching, my stomach was grumbling and I was becoming irritable. I convinced the other two to walk across town to La Zanahoria, the local vegetarian restaurant. It was worth it! There was a popular inner courtyard where we sat and ate lunch. I had a veggie mole dish with fake meat and veggie soup, along with a giant green squash wrapped in cheese and breaded. Everything was very tasty and I was happy to be at a restaurant where I could order anything off the menu. They also had a local store where they sold handmade fake meats (chorizo, carne asada, etc). Back at the hotel, Sarai went to get her hair done, Brett watched TV and I went swimming in the rooftop pool and lay out for awhile in the sun. After awhile, we realized Sarai wasn't back and it was getting late, so Brett phoned her. Her uncle wasn't doing well and had a fever, so she was going to stay with him for awhile and we should get dinner on our own. We walked down to the pizzeria I had had dinner my first night in Puebla but it was closed so we ended up at an Italian place facing the zocalo. It was after 10 when we returned and Sarai was coming back to the hotel, but her uncle wouldn't be able to drive us to the airport in Mexico City tomorrow. I checked online and found we could take the same bus back to the airport tomorrow afternoon. We could make arrangements tomorrow. In the meantime, the rooftop bar was still open and so we popped in for another late drink and chatted before heading to bed. When I asked if they were ready to go home, Brett said he missed his sons and Sarai was happy to see her family in Mexico but was also excite to go home and see the kids.
Last day in Mexico, I walked back to the stores of handmade crafts and azulejos (painted tiles) but didn't find anything. Since, I don't really collect any souvenirs, it was easy to pass by without finding anything striking to me. I decided I would buy some locally roasted coffee beans at a place just down the street from the hotel. As I passed the hotel, I saw a small child doubles over and when I got closer I realized he was vomiting all over the sidewalk. Then the kid ahead of him started t vomit, too. Oh boy, I thought, there is a third kid ahead of them. Sure enough, he spewed pink chunks all over the sidewalk too. I held my breath and didn't look down, although I could see their mother comforting the distressed kids. Having lost my appetite and sense of smell from that experience, I tried ordering coffee beans in Spanish and did an okay job. I didn't entirely understand everything, but I did find out the beans are roasted on site and are from trees here in Puebla. Back at the hotel I showered and packed as Brett and Sarai were ready to go. We hopped in a taxi to the bus station and were quickly on our way to Mexico City. It wasn't full and I recognized a couple people I had seen the day before at the museum. The movie was “The Namesake” dubbed in Spanish. The highways weren't chocked with cars and we arrived at the airport in just about two hours. We checked in and had lunch. At the boarding gate, we all ended up with seats in first class and relaxed on the flight home. With a strong headwind, I had plenty of time to work on some crosswords, listen to music, chat with the flight attendants and look out the window. The trip was over before I knew it and I was quickly thinking about what had happened and realized that although we hadn't done all that much together, we shared some great stories and carried on with fun conversations. I know I had a good time and I think everyone else did, too.

Mexico City 2009

Last Friday I finally convinced Michael to take a chance and go to Mexico City with me. I know several people are thinking its very dangerous there and its a bad place to go, but I've been there before and had a great, safe time. Plus, the capital is getting better and the current mayor is still doing a great job cleaning things up.
We ended up sitting in first class leaving LAX and landed in Mexico City three hours later. The flight was smooth except some bumps at the end. Even better, the customs hall was completely empty and we breezed through immigration. I had forgotten how much Mexico loves Easter and the capital virtually shuts down for over a week. The taxi ride was quick as the streets were wide open and I began to realize that many things would be closed. I booked a room at the Sheraton on Paseo la Reforma, the main boulevard running through the financial district, and overlooking the golden angel monument. This ended up being a great spot because we could walk to lots of things and it we had a great view from the 22nd floor. It was already after six in the evening when we arrived and so we headed out for a walk. It was warm and breezy on the quiet streets and it seemed the tourists were out numbering the locals 2-to-1. If you remember my ill-fated walk on a windy day in Maputo when I lost my contact, you'll be happy to know that I found this contact on the streets of Mexico City after it flew out with dust. So it was a nice change to be able to find this one and see instead of having it lost forever on some street in Southeast Africa. I had read about a good vegetarian restaurant nearby, but it was unfortunately closing when we arrived, so we ended up at another small cafe nearby. I'm getting much better at remembering my vegetables in Spanish and am comfortable asking for modified meals to ensure they are meat-free. We ended up calling it an early night. Good thing I found "Los Simpsons" on the TV right away and watched a few episodes dubbed in Spanish.
On Saturday morning we ventured out to one of the many many Starbucks around town and then over to the same vegetarian restaurant that was closing the night before. They have regular Mexican dishes without the meat or with soy-based substitutes. If it sounds boring and bland, you would be wrong because everything was really tasty. And since I love Mexican food, this was great that I could order anything and not have to worry about the cook sneaking meat into the dish. After breakfast we hoped on the Metro, which was still running every three minutes and still pretty crowded, to the center of town. We visited the large church on the zocalo and walked around the old town. Michael commented how it reminded him of Brussels with great old buildings and people walking everywhere. I wanted to see if there was anything being performed at the Palacio de Bellas Artes, like the symphony or opera, but there was nothing to see that night. We were still treated to a tour of the building which has several large murals, including a couple by Diego Rivera. One of them was a remake of what he created for the Rockefellers in New York City 80 years ago; they claimed it was too socialist and possibly communist. I don't know what they were thinking they would get from Rivera, but they hated it and had it destroyed. Luckily, he recreated it for Mexico City and its quite a sight to see. Then it was onto the area of Condesa which is a little more affluent. We had a great fixed price lunch at a sidewalk cafe which ended up filling up with hipsters before we were finished. Nearby was a great park with dogs everywhere (clean ones, running around with their masters) and kids running around and playing in fountains of water. There were tall trees all around and families strolling around. We had a cup of coffee and lounged around for awhile. One thing I noticed is that walking around Mexico City is tiring. Its a big city and its about 7000 feet in elevation. From there, we ended up walking all the way back to the hotel through the area of Roma, which usually has some great antique shops and bookstores, but everything was closed. Earlier in the day, we had stopped by a nice antique gallery with several good things to see. Of course I didn't buy anything, but it was nice to browse anyway. We went swimming on the hotel's rooftop pool and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. From up there, we saw a huge parade pass down the boulevard. For dinner, we went back to the same vegetarian restaurant and had another good meal. There were some other places I wanted to try but seeing as how at least half the places I wanted to visit were closed, I thought it best to stay near the hotel. Walking along the boulevard (La Reforma) again at sunset, there were flowers and plants and herbs for sale in covered stalls that ran for two or three large city blocks. Also, there were police everywhere, including several on segway scooters.
Sunday morning La Reforma was closed to traffic and completely open for bicycles and joggers. It seemed despite the holiday, everyone was taking full advantage. There is also a program to offer bikes for free to people who don't have them, and there are several spots along La Reforma where you can pick one up, unfortunately the wait was at least an hour. Also, there are several stations set up wot help you fix your bike if it needs a tune-up; its all free. We walked to the main park, Chapultepec, which has grand paths and statues everywhere. There are lakes where you can rent row boats or paddle boats and it seemed everyone was out enjoying the warm holiday. Unfortunately all the museums were closed, so there wasn't much else to do and we didn't really have time to go to any other part of town. So we did some more window shopping in the nearby Zona Rosa, had some coffee and relaxed. Again, all the recommended places to buy coffee beans were closed so that was out of the question.
In the afternoon we headed to the airport because Michael had to fly home and work on Monday. I was going to catch a bus to Puebla to meet my brother Brett and sister-in-law Sarai. Conveniently, there is a bus from the airport to Puebla, or rather several buses, one leaves about every 30 minutes. I was sorry the weekend was so short but it was a real eye-opener for Michael, at least. Mexico City seems to always get a bad rap, but its getting cleaner and safer all the time. I can't so as much for the rest of Mexico and the current drug war that is going on; I don't know much about that. But Mexico City is a great big chaotic place with lots of great food and amazing museums scattered all over. I'd be happy to go back again and spend more time relaxing in its European glow. A three hour flight is much better then 11 hours to Paris, plus Paris is about five times as expensive.
So I sad good bye to Michael and wished him a free upgrade to first class as I got on my bus for the two hour ride to Puebla. I was sad he couldn't go, but glad he made it this far. And I was also excited to see my brother in another country. What a treat to combine my love of travel with the chance to share it with family.
More on that later...