vampyresheep

After another breakfast at Don Toribio restaurant (we discovered this wonderful restaurant near our hotel the morning before), we got an Uber to the start of Reforma to make the most of car-free Sunday mornings and see the alibrijes on display along the street.  This time we had a far nicer Uber driver, who first complimented me on my Spanish and then chatted with me for the entire journey, dropping us off at the best spot to start our walk.

We didn’t realise just how many alibrijes there were on display!  So colourful and cute, lining both sides of the street.  In addition, for the first part of our walk there were giant Catrina models, followed by Mexicraneos (giant brightly painted skulls).   I took so many photos.

My original plan was to walk up to the Anthropology museum, mainly to find the stall where I purchased some delicious esquites last time.  (esquites are sweetcorn, off the cob and warmed in a broth of herbs and spices, served in a polystyrene cup and topped with mayonnaise and cheese. Delicious!)  However, instead we took the wrong route and ended up in Chapultepec Park.  Not a problem, it was a lovely day and we decided to spend some time in the park instead.  Firstly I dragged Rob onto the land train – this was a fun way to rest our feet whilst getting a quick tour of the park.   After this, we retraced some of the train route to the beautiful Fuente del Quijote and then on to the boating lakes.  I purchased some Dorilocos – had to be done, as I was too ill last time we were here to face this local snack (Not sure I will try it again! Doritos covered in chilli/chamoy sauce, peanuts, grated carrot, jicama and jelly sweets) and we sat next to the quiet lake enjoying the beautiful day and getting bothered by cute squirrels.

Finally made it to the Anthropology museum and just sat outside with esquites, watching the Voladores.  Didn’t do the museum itself as we had visited it last time we were here and just wanted to sit outside in the sunshine, knowing we were soon to return to cold, rainy UK.

Walked back up the Reforma to see the rest of the alibrijes and continued our walk to the Popular Art museum – a longer walk than we thought!  So glad we finally made it here though, as its probably my favourite museum that I have visited in Mexico, folk art, creativity and historic artefacts, right up my street.  Too tired to walk any more, we got an Uber back the short distance to our hotel.

That evening, we went back to Café Bizarro in Roma district.  It was a lot quieter than Friday night and for some reason they seemed to have run out of practically everything on the drinks menu, but the music was great and it was perfect to spend our last evening in our favourite place in CDMX.

Photos part 1 – Reforma, Chapultepec park and many alibrijes https://vampyresheep.smugmug.com/Holidays/2022-Mexico/11-06-Chapultepec-Reforma-and-Popular-Art-Museum

Part 2: Popular Art museum and Café Bizarro https://vampyresheep.smugmug.com/Holidays/2022-Mexico/11-06-Sun-part-2-Popular-Art-Museum-Cafe-Bizarro/

At just after 5am, we were picked up by Tanya and Ralph of Go Well Tours to take us to Aztompa cemetery.  We’d spoken online about my experience last time, that I felt uncomfortable being there at night with the coachloads of tourists, many of whom paid little respect to where they were, and Tanya suggested it would be better to go there for the sunrise, so here we were!

We got there just as sun was breaking, so got to experience this beautiful place, memorials adorned with massive candles in the dusk and then in more detail as it got lighter.  Many local residents had completed their vigils and were leaving for the day, and those who still remained had evidently been at the mezcal all night.  It was friendly and jovial, and a lovely way to experience this beautiful cemetery.

Tanya had prepared breakfast, and we sat on the steps at the cemetery entrance with our delicious morning picnic.  We then got back into the van to continue uphill to Aztompa archaeological site.  Not as complete or as well known as the neighbouring Monte Alban, it benefited however in the lack of visitors and stunning views of the hills around and Oaxaca below.  It truly was a special experience.

We were dropped back to our hotels, Rob and I saying our goodbyes to Tanya and Ralph, talking about whether we will be back a third time.  We spent a couple of hours at the hotel, Rob snoozing on one of the pool loungers and me going for a swim.

For the evening, we knew the main comparsa was going from Jalatlalco that evening but it turned out to be later than I thought, so instead, Rob and I popped to Jalatlalco for a late lunch at La Terraza del Copal and then a wander around the pretty streets, stopping for icecream of course.  We returned to our hotel early evening to apply some Dia De Muertos face make up.   As the hairdresser next to our hotel wasn’t doing make-up this year and I was slightly overwhelmed by all the options in town, I had instead bought all the makeup at market the day before and now had to work out how to apply it.

Headed into town to meet with Doreen and Kevin, Doreen was getting her face done by one of the street artists.  Once again a tad confused by the comparsa routes – one of our epic fails this time round was missing most of the ad-hoc parades we loved so much last time – we decided to go the safe option of heading to the Plaza de la Danza to watch the performance and then follow them when dancers and giant statues set off to parade.  This worked at least, we got a fantastic view and it was great to see, even if it was one of the big, organised events.  We followed the parade to the Zocalo, where the crowds got too much and we set off our respective ways to our hotels, with Rob and I deciding on a late night cocktail at Gozobi first.  Not such a great experience this time, as the service was pretty terrible when the place was more crowded.

Photos Aztompa https://vampyresheep.smugmug.com/Holidays/2022-Mexico/11-01-Aztompa-Jalatlalco-Plaza-de-la-Danza

Jalatlalco and Plaza de la Danza https://vampyresheep.smugmug.com/Holidays/2022-Mexico/11-01-Tues-part-2-Jalatlalco-Plaza-de-la-Danza

We had breakfast at the hotel, located on a pretty sun terrace overlooking the pool.  Rob was feeling a lot better but my stomach was really bad (maybe shouldn’t have had a spicy dish last night when I was already feeling a tad fragile).  However we had booked a cycle ride for that day, so I just had to hope I would make it.

Met with our guide, Ivan, a few blocks south of our hotel.  There were 5 of us all together and once he selected suitable bikes for us all, we started off on the bumpy streets of Oaxaca to the cycle path which would take us to Tule.  It was about 10km to get there and once we got used to the bikes, it was an enjoyable way to travel through the suburbs of Oaxaca.  Tule is a pretty little town/village famous for having the widest tree in the world.  On arrival, we parked up the bikes and went to see the tree – more interesting than I expected, a fascinating old plant with so many interesting formations.  We had lunch at the local market and then set off for the bike ride back.  Although the return route was slightly downhill, a combination of tiredness, sore bum (partly from stomach problems and partly from a bike seat akin to a razor blade!) and everyone else eager to get back, did make the journey very tough and uncomfortable for me.  I guess I could have stopped, but pride wouldn’t let me be the fat unfit one of the group that was holding everyone else up, so I struggled on close to tears at one point. 

When we got back, decided we needed to treat ourselves to icecream, so headed to the Merced Market.  Couldn’t find any icecream there but eventually came across a roadside vendor where we had a cup full of the most delicious tuna icecream.  (tuna icecream isn’t fish, it’s the fruit from the nopal cactus, aka prickly pear, and is officially the tastiest thing on earth).  Headed back to hotel but a combo of getting confused by the grid street system and icecream vendor not quite on the corner shown on the map, I managed to mis-navigate us several blocks in the wrong direction, on a day when the temperature was reaching 28c!  By the time we got back to our hotel, the pool was just what the doctor ordered and we spent the afternoon either in or beside the water.

In the evening we headed to Gozobi rooftop bar, where we’d enjoyed a lovely sunset drink last time, and this time decided to have a meal aswell.  The food was fantastic, they had a wonderful range of artesan beers and we had a great view of the parades passing along the street below.  The sunset was pretty awesome too.

Photos https://vampyresheep.smugmug.com/Holidays/2022-Mexico/10-28-Tule-cycle-ride-and-Oaxaca

Today has been spent at home, wondering whether I have jetlag or just a bit tired, doing all the laundry and finding homes for my many, many purchases made during the past two weeks in Mexico.
I did intend to write up a diary of events each evening, to post on here but having fun and sightseeing got in the way and I have yet to get past two days!  So until that happens, here is a quick recollection of my thoughts of the trip.  In summary, Mexico exceeded my expectations and more, i am in love with the country!

Despite my having longed to visit Mexico for many, many, many years, I did have some trepidation about going as the media is quick to pick up on all the bad news and portrays the country as a dangerous place to visit.  Whenever I mentioned to someone that I was going to Mexico City, the response was usually raised eyes and a sharp intake of breath, as if I was heading to a war zone!
The reality couldn't be further from the truth, at least in the places we visited.  Its a big country, some parts have serious issues of drug crime etc but would a newcomer to the UK see a description of say, Bradford, and think the whole country is like that?  Of course not!  And the same follows for a country considerably larger.

Of the places we visited.  We loved Oaxaca and was very sad to leave.  The atmosphere of Dia de Los Muertos may have enhanced our experience but its a city which loves to celebrate, is full of charm, so much to visit in the outlying areas, surrounded by beautiful mountains, that I'm sure it would be wonderful any time of year.    We were slightly disappointed by Puebla.  I'd been told it was such a beautiful city and whilst it had many stunning buildings (more heritage sites than any city in the Americas apparently) but it just felt like a busy modern European city.  Neighbouring Cholula however was gorgeous, and we wished we'd stayed there instead, being more Mexican and chilled out (with the worlds biggest pyramid buried under a mountain at its centre, complete with a church plonked on top!).
Coyoacan, on the suburbs of Mexico City, was wonderful. Admittedly very touristy but it was a beautiful place with a relaxed friendly vibe.  After 3 days there, our first impression of centra CDMX was "meh", disappointed to be finishing our stay there; however our opinion soon changed.  Firstly after visiting El Real Under, probably the friendliest goth club in the world and then heading into the Zocalo (city centre) itself - it may be an ugly, polluted, loud, frenetic city but it has a heart and the Zocalo is where this heart is and from which the entire city eminates.  We could only see a small fraction of what the city had to offer and were left wanting more.

(of the 2500 photos I took on Mexico, I have no idea why I picked this one as one of the highlights! ;-) )

Dia de Los Muertos was the most incredible and moving experience. Work colleagues thought it was something morbid, but people have a lot to learn! I love how the Mexican people use this time to think of their loved ones, not in mourning, but in celebration and fond recollections of their lives. The altars decorated with items personal to that person, an opened bottle of beer, a cigarette, really brought home the personal element. Wandering around the cemeteries, day and night, to see families gather, drink and dine in the company of loved ones both alive and passed on, made me long for such a tradition in this country. And then there was the party element, parades and costumes intended to remind us all that rich or poor, death comes to us all and is the great equaliser - we're all the same underneath!

We saw many attractions of course, but the big impact on me was Monte Alban. Set in a stunning location high up above Oaxaca (the Zapotecs literally flattened the summit of a mountain to build their temple in this prime location), sitting at the top of the south pyramid, looking down on the site with turkey vultures flying all around was an otherwordly experience I will never forget.

The food - well, before going a few people bizarrely told me not to build my hopes up as they found it disappointing. I can only assume they didn't dine in the same places as us! We had a mix of cuisine, from posh restaurants, local cafes, bar food, markets, street food and pretty much all of it was delicious, and so different to Mexican food at home. My favourite meal had to be the tuna in green mole sauce, from El Corazon el Maguey in Coyoacan. It was not a cheap place but the restaurant's ambience and decor were second to none and the food absolutely delicious - was so tempted to go back there the next day for the same again! Icecream, or nieves, in Oaxaca was addictive - particularly the tuna (prickly pear) flavour - and we were slightly disappointed to discover it was particular to that area, resorting back to regular icecream when we moved further north.

Snacks however, well they were just disturbing! I don't get the obsession of chamoy, which just tasted like a slightly spicy tomato ketchup and most snacks were salty and strong tasting. The one exception was Esquites - sweetcorn kernels cooked in chili, then served with mayonaise, chili powder and cheese on top - just wow! Why did I wait until the last day to try this!

The people we met were friendly and helpful, whilst being somewhat reserved and polite.  If there were any issues, I couldn't imagine we would have any problems finding someone to help us.  In Oaxaca, a fair bit of English was spoken as they were accustomed to American tourists, although they truly appreciated any attempt to speak Spanish and I feel that my year of lessons were of great benefit.  In Puebla, Spanish was most definately needed, as whilst it is a very touristy city, most are Mexican nationals - I was very impressed that I managed to book our bus tickets to Mexico City entirely in Spanish!

Everywhere we went was surprisingly clean.  the country has serious infrastructure issues but the population generally have pride in where they live and of course care for their own health and I felt the standard of cleanliness was so much higher than I see in the UK; even the most basic public conveniences in the local markets were spotlessly clean and pong-free.  We were slightly disconcerted about having to put all our loo paper in an open bin rather than down the pan, particularly in our hotel room, but doing so keeps their drainage clear and surprisingly didn't make the rooms smelly.
Environmental concerns sadly don't factor greatly however.  There is some rudimentary attempt to recycle but so much single use plastic is used - when it comes down to it, its more hygenic for them to serve food on disposable plastic than washing dishes in non-potable water.

there is a massive divide between rich and poor - and of course us tourists being considered amongst the rich people, so I am fully aware that we had a sheltered experience during our time there, a high police presence ensuring that tourist areas are kept safe.  However our limited experience of the poorer sections of society, when visiting the villages outside of Oaxaca, revealed mostly a simpler pace of life and a strong sense of community. the "favela" style housing crammed up the hillsides of Oaxaca was fascinating and I was intrigued about the grander villas which cropped up amongst the more basic shack-like properties.  I was told that when boys reached a certain age, they were given/loaned a plot of land, which they would gradually build on when they had the money to do so, a few walls, maybe a better roof etc as the years went on.  The grander properties were of those who earned more but instead of moving to a better area, they stayed within their community and just improved their homes!

We traveled with handluggage only, which was such a freeing experience but we still managed to pack unneccessary clothes!  I was told to take layers, it was winter there and would be chilly at night.  Not by British standards!  We had two weeks of glorious summer, just one rainy day and a couple of evening showers, so we wore our summery clothes to death and barely touched the jackets and warmer layers.

I wasn't sure how to dress for the Dia de Los Muertos events and got a bit of abuse on Trip Advisor for daring to ask whether tourists dress up in the spirit of the event, and as a consequence got very worried we would have issues over how we dress and seriously toned down my attire, taking hardly any skull adorned clothing with me.  It turned out I had nothing to worry about.  People we spoke to welcomed creativity, Rob had so many compliments over his blingy jacket, as I did over my costume jewellery.  The hairdresser next to our hotel offered a face-painting service and us hitting the town dressed the part was welcomed by locals, performers and fellow tourists alike.  It was such an ice-breaker and we had so much fun on the night we dressed up and joined in on the parades! 

It is with some irony that some twat on facebook (someone I know in real life, who apparently didn't know where I was at the time?) decided to play the "cultural appropriation" card when I posted a photo of us dressed up.  However he got so much abuse from friends defending me - why should one middle class white dude (hypocritically with dreadlocks himself!) be offended by our attire, when it was welcomed by all the Mexicans we met with during our time there - that he was well and truly put in his place.

Cost of living.  We spent shitloads of money.  Restaurants were more expensive than expected, particularly with the expectation in tourist areas to tip like an American (which I have since read is not welcomed by many Mexican residents, as it has become an expectation that many people cannot afford) but as we became braver with the cuisine, we found cheaper places to dine and mostly the food was way better than in the swankier establishents. 
Arts and crafts however, were so much cheaper than expected.  As a consequence I spent a lot of money on many beautiful things, where possible from the makers themselves.  We may have travelled out with hand luggage, but came home with two checked in cases and four items of hand luggage!

After two short but cram-packed weeks, we have come home longing for more, feeling we have only scratched the surface of this vibrant and history filled country.  On the way home we were seriously discussing the viability of a return trip in a couple of years time, so we'll see what the future brings.