Carnaval en Veracruz!

Last weekend we went to Veracruz for Carnaval! Selene, Kim, Kristina and I left on a bus just after class on Thursday. The bus ride was very scenic, winding through mountains and valleys to reach sea level in Veracruz. It took about 5 hours in the bus, however I have heard in a car it is usually no more than a 3 hour drive. When we arrived we took a taxi to Hotel Nautico where we stayed for the next three nights. It was a quaint little hotel “resort” (as the sign mentions), but really there was nothing special about it. Our room was nice enough with plenty of room for the four of us. After checking in and putting down our bags we headed out to get some food. We stopped at a little restaurant very near by and had tamales, tostados and empenadas. After dinner we decided to check out the nightlife of Veracruz. We asked the front deskman for recommendations on where to go and he mentioned a place called Casona. So we caught a cab and headed down to the waterfront to go to the club. The taxi driver was very talkative and had lots of advice on how to be safe. He told us all about how dangerous it is to walk around at night and that when in clubs you should always keep your hand over the top of your drink so that no one can slip you drugs. He was nice enough but his redundant recommendations got a bit dull after a while. When we arrived at the club it didn’t look as if anything was going on. There was a group of young looking people like ourselves crowded outside, so we decided our best bet was to follow suit. We waited around for a while until some club officials came out and started admitting people. They only admitted people in small groups in small intervals. It was so frustrating, they just kept choosing people from the crowd and letting them push past everyone. People kept shoving ahead to get in, but there didn’t seem to be a method to which people they let in. Eventually we got in and were shown to a table, but since we didn’t plan on buying a whole bottle to drink, they told us we couldn’t have the table after all. Around 12:30 a band started playing cover songs of popular Mexican favorites. They were pretty good. We did our best to find a place to dance, but we always seemed to end up in the aisle-way where everyone wanted to get through. Our obvious “gringa” appearance was not ignored for long, and we soon had waves of creepy old guys asking us to dance. We did our best to ignore or deter their gropes and attention, but it seems we are unable to blend in no matter where we go. All in all we had a great time dancing, but I just wish we could dance without getting accosted for being white girls.
In the morning we walked towards the Zocalo to see what was going on. It was very windy and overcast without a sign of sun. We stopped for breakfast in a café and had Spanish eggs and lechero coffee. Veracruz is famous because it was established long ago as a port town for imports and exports. Thus coffee seems to be a stable good in most restaurants. The lecheros are sort of like a latte, except they serve you with just a shot of espresso in a tall glass cup first, and then a separate waiter comes over with a cast iron pot and pours the milk into the glass from high above the cup. They are very delicious, and fun to watch the art of pouring the milk. In the zocalo we explored the market a bit and walked along the boardwalk near the port. The ocean isn’t very pretty in Veracruz and smells like boats and fish. In the centro there was a huge stage set up with bleachers and lights for the Carnaval. Nothing much was going on during the day, but we were told there would be a big concert that night. We went back to our hotel to rest a little and ended up taking a nap. When we got up we made our way back to the centro. First however we stopped in at a famous café called La Parroquia, which is famous for its lecheros. We all had torta sandwiches and lecheros, while listening to the live band. They had a harpist and some marimbas, and a girl dressed in traditional garb doing a tap dance to the beat of the music. In the centro this time there were crowds of people. Street cart vendors were selling mustaches, fake eyelashes, wigs, masks and hotcakes. The bleachers in the center were already full of people who had gotten there early to get seats. We met up with some of our other friends from the Ibero who are intercambio students from other places. Justin and Casey are both from Boston College and then their friend Dwayne from Holland. We decided against trying to get into the center of things and instead we walked around to take in the crazy atmosphere. Justin and Casey bought mustaches, which was funny. So many people were dressed up in crazy outfits and there were lots of fabulously garbed Mexican transvestites. We waited around for a bit in the center to see the crowning of the queen of Carnaval. But we were so far away because of all the people that we really didn’t see much. Later we decided to grab a table and just hang out. It was so amusing just to sit and watch the craziness unfold around us. Every bar and street stand was selling huge jugs of beer for about 20 pesos (about 1 dollar). They also had beer mixed with chile, which sounds terrible to me. They started playing some of my favorite salsa songs, and I danced for a bit, which was really fun. Except then we attracted more unwanted attention. It was a bit better tonight however because we had Dwayne and Justin with us. Dwayne is over six feet tall and was probably the only black man in all of Veracruz, so his presence kept most people from bothering us. However he got lots of interest and questions, as everyone wanted to know where he was from and seemed to believe he was some sort of famous basketball or soccer player. Later in the night we went to a bar after things started winding down in the streets (this being at about 3:30 am). Everything was going fine until Selene used the bathroom and the toilet started overflowing. It really wasn’t her fault, but the owner of the bar came over and told her she had to pay to have it fixed. We decided it was best to leave before things got out of hand, so we all left the bar. Except I guess somehow we got split up as we were leaving. The bar owner wouldn’t let Selene leave because he said she had purposely broke the toilet and that she needed to pay 1000 pesos to have it fixed. Then the police showed up and continued to insist that she needed to pay. Not only did she not have 1000 pesos, it was absolutely ridiculous to accuse her of breaking it intentionally. Needless to say a lot of arguing ensued, which in the payment of 540 pesos before we were finally able to leave. Thus we did not make it back to our hotel until about 5 am.
We slept in until almost 1 the next day after our long escapade from the night before. We were all exhausted and famished. We went to a corner Torta shop themed with Pirates and had the best chicken milanesa tortas ever. They were only 15 pesos each for an amazing toasted sandwich with tomato, avocado, beans and breaded chicken on a crispy roll. We hung out most of the afternoon up until the parade. We walked to the boardwalk to try and get good seats to see the parade pass. It was kind of a shady deal to get seats in the bleachers that lined both sides of the streets. I’m not sure who we paid, but he showed us to our designated seats and drew smiley faces on our hands to prove we had paid. We were very early, but there was no lack of entertainment. Thousands of people were already filing into the bleachers on both sides, and vendors pushed their carts up and down the street in the middle. A large group of very young looking boys occupied the three rows of seats above our row, and began talking about us as soon as we sat down. After a few minutes they tapped Kim and I on the shoulder and started bombarding us with questions. None of them looked to be over the age of 15, but one boy showed us his ID and he was 18. It was still pretty funny though. They had so many questions, and would tap us again on the shoulder if we turned away to watch the street. One boy took special interest in Kim and would not leave her alone. When the parade started everyone crowded back into the bleachers. The parade consisted of tons of crazy adorned floats with dancing ladies and blaring music. Groups of dancing troops and police brigades paraded in between what must have been close to 50 different decorated floats. We were getting really hungry after the parade wound down, so we made our way back out to the street. Unfortunately our newly made friends (including Kim’s new admirer) were not so easily deterred. They followed us out as we tried to find some food. He forgot her name as soon as we had left, yet no more than 15 minutes later was trying to convince her that he could move to Puebla to be near her. She finally got him to leave by giving him a fake telephone number. Talk about perseverance. Anyway we walked back to the hotel. The others made plans to meet up with Justin, Dwayne and Casey afterward, but I was so exhausted I went to bed. They went back to the centro for a while, but apparently nothing new was going on and they came back not too long after.
The next morning we got up at 8 to get ready to catch our bus back to Puebla. Grabbed some snacks for the road and headed out. The bus ride was about the same length as before, lasting about 5 hours. We reached Puebla around 4 in the afternoon greeted by the sunshine that Veracruz had most defiantly lacked. Ah, good to be back again.

San Miguel de Allende

After Mexico City Kristina and I took a bus to San Miguel de Allende. The bus ride lasted about four and a half hours, and it was already dark by the time we arrived. From the bus station we took a taxi to arrive at our quaint little hostel named Hostel Alcatraz. We were given sheets and our keys and shown to our room, which we were to be sharing with three other girls. The entire hostel only has four bedrooms, each with 2 to 3 bunk beds. After settling in we went back downstairs to introduce ourselves to a group of other guests sitting in the kitchen. We met three guys from Canada and a man from Rhode Island. Also we met two of our bunkmates, two women from Holland. They gave us some advice on where to eat so we walked out to explore a bit and get some food after our long journey. It was a bit late and most everything looked closed, but there was a taco stand on the side of the street still serving up tacos. We each ordered some tacos. They were delicious, served with cilantro, fried onions, pineapple and cucumber. It was exactly what I needed after a long day of travels. When we got back we spent some time in the kitchen talking to the other guests before heading to bed early.
The next morning the weather finally decided to clear up and we were gifted clear skies and lots of sun. Our first mission was to find some breakfast so we began walking towards the centro to find a café. It defiantly wasn’t hard to find. We decided on a café which we later discovered was called “Billy’s Hotdogs,” however at the time we were enticed by the cute little outside patio with high walls covered in hanging flower arrangements. And the food did not disappoint. We ordered huevos rancheros and a hot beverage, which was served with a scone and strawberry jam. Perfect way to start out a day. Then, with no particular goals in mind, we began our exploration of San Miguel. It didn’t take long to realize that San Miguel is most definitely a popular retirement/vacation location for a large population of Americans. Every shop seemed to cater to the rich elderly American stereotype, and gringos seem to dominate the population of wandering people and those eating in each restaurant we saw. The beauty of every street corner and cobble stone street attests to the reason so many have chosen to return to San Miguel to live or vacation. Every corner presented a new photo opportunity, with the quaint little houses and beautiful cactus pot arrangements on every patio and rooftop. After a good long exploration on foot, we decided to take a taxi to view a real “tourist destination,” the botanical gardens. Located on the hilltop above the city the botanical gardens are not only amazing landscaped, but allow for a view of the entire valley of San Miguel below. We spent about two hours wandering around the beds of strange cactus species before returning to San Miguel to get some food. We ate in a cute little café/restaurant called Ten Ten Pie. I had a delicious torta and Kristina had enchiladas. Later that night we met a group of Chilean girls on school vacation who were taking a backpacking tour of Mexico. We spent the evening talking we them in Spanish about Chile and their travels so far. I found it much harder to understand their Spanish than the Spanish of the Mexicans. I had to pay close attention when they spoke or else I wasn’t able to catch what they said. We exchanged emails, and they mentioned that they might be passing through Puebla later this month. So maybe we will see them again.
Saturday morning was beautifully sunny again and we set out to get breakfast quite late. We ate in an organic café named “El Media Naranja.” I got an ordered a delicous vegetable omelet with toast and mango-pineapple jam. The jam was fantastic; I wish I knew where to buy it or how to make it. Next we decided to check out the Artisan Market, which consisted of rows and rows of artists stalls filled with hand made crafts and gifts. Attached to the Artisan Market was the vegetable marketplace with wonderful fresh fruits and veggies. We decided to buy some produce to make tacos for later that day. We also decided to try paddle-cactus, because we always seem to see it in all the marketplaces. It cost less than 50 pesos (5 dollars) to buy enough produce and ingredients (tortillas, beans ect) to make tacos for dinner that night and then again the next morning. Not to mention they were absolutely delicious. We bought mangos and avocados as well, which I must say were the best avocados and mangos I have ever eaten. Later that evening one of our roommates mentioned that there was a gallery anniversary party going on that night, so we decided to go. We invited another girl staying in the hostel who was from Belgium to come with us. I don’t know exactly what I was expecting but the gallery was enormous. Apparently it had been a warehouse that was converted into a combination of about 30 or more artists’ gallery space. It was packed with very well dressed Americans drinking free wine and eating chile-powder covered peanuts. It was fun to see all the pretentious artwork priced in U.S. dollars, but it was somehow very disheartening. I don’t think I would want to live in San Miguel and have to live around all sorts of well-to-do Americans who don’t speak a word of Spanish. We ran into some other guests from the hostel in the Art Gallery and made plans to hang out for the rest of the evening. We went to a fun bar with a sort of Irish Pub atmosphere. Danced until we were completely exhausted and then trudged back to our hostel to sleep.
Sunday morning we used the rest of our taco ingredients to make breakfast, and then made our way back to the bus station to catch a bus to Mexico City and then from Mexico City to Puebla. We made it back to Puebla around 6, after about 7 hours of travel in bus listening to loud action movies in Spanish. Long week of traveling, but it was all worth it.

Mexico D.F.

Here is the long overdue blog update related to my travels last week:

On Tuesday morning we left from the Ibero in a bus packed with all 20 Intercambio students and all our bags. After about a two-hour ride we arrived at in Teotihuacan, which was to be our first stop of our three-day educational trip to Mexico City. Teotihucan is the famous location of the two huge ancient pyramid ruins in Mexico. The pyramid of the sun and the pyramid of the moon are the biggest structures of the site. After a long tour of the surrounding structures and ancient remains, we climbed all the way to the top of the Pyramid of the Sun. It was a tough climb, but the view from the top was spectacular. (if you want to learn more about Teotihuacan visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teotihuacan)
The next stop on our culturally enriching adventure was the Basilica de la Guadalupe. We toured the interior of the original church commissioned by Juan Diego after his infamous encounter with the virgin of Guadalupe. Juxtaposed to the leaning remains of the beautiful old church is the new basilica in which you can view the original image of Guadalupe herself. The stark differences between the two churches built so close together is a bit disorienting. But it cannot be denied that both churches are exquisite. The original Basilica is so tilted that it looks as if a bit of thunder and some heavy rain might topple it over. The inside was full of scaffolding and sheets as we arrived during what must have been an intense interior renovation. By sheer luck we happened to be visiting the churches on the 2nd of February, which is the day that everyone who received a baby in the rosca cake last month brings baby Jesus dolls to the church. Everyone was carrying baskets with little dolls, or some with larger almost life-sized baby Jesus’. Last stop of the day was our hotel room to get some rest for the another day of educational adventures planned for Wednesday.
With Wednesday began a rain storm that didn’t let up for the rest of our trip. We trudged through the pouring rain to get to the Metro station, only to be nearly suffocated to death in the packed cars. Only half of us made it on the first train that passed because it was so full. The rest of us caught the next train just barely. I was wedged in between everyone and didn’t have anything to hang onto, and almost fell once had it not been for a guy next to me who reached out to grab my wrist. We all managed to escape the packed trains and emerge once again into the rainy world above. The first museum that we went to was the Trotsky museum. The museum is located in the house in which Trotsky took refuge to escape persecution by Stalin during the revolution in Russia. The museum included many photos and manuscripts, which documented the life and eventual assassination of Leon Trotsky. We even got a tour of the house. In the bedroom you can still see all the bullet holes in the walls, which remain as evidence of the first assassination attempt against Trotsky. Next we went to the Museum of Frida Kahlo. Unfortunately due to all the rain electricity was out in the whole area of the city in which both museums were located. Because of this we were unable to see some of the galleries of pictures of Frida. However it was worth it to tour the house and see her beautiful canopy bed with the mirror above. Also to see the many casts which Frida endured throughout her life of considerable suffering. The house itself is also very beautiful, painted bright blue with red trim around all windows and doors. After the Frida Musuem we took the metro again to get the zocalo of Mexico City. I honestly thought I was going to get trampled to death in the metro. It was so packed because of all the people trying to evade the rain that I could barely breath. Getting off was even harder than getting on. There was a very large man with an enormous belly standing in the train doors. I nearly didn’t make it out, but I managed to squeeze through. I’m so glad there are no Metros in Puebla. In the centro we visited another church and walked around the central plaza. We tried to get into the Palacio to see some of Diego Rivero’s murals, but it was closed for renovations and we were turned away. Kristina, Ruthanne and I left the rest of the group to do a bit more exploring in the centro. We went to a really cool used bookstore and I bought a copy of Robin Hood in Spanish. Then as were walking out this guy who had been in the shop when we were, handed me a book of short stories and poems by Mexican authors. He gave it to us as a gift. After the bookstore we decided to meet up with the others again at the Museum of Bellas Artes. Just as we were about to go inside a group of three Mexican girls stopped us and asked if they could interview us for a homework project for their English class. They videotaped us and asked us lots of questions in English about how we liked Mexico and what the United States is like. It was fun, and all three of the girls were really nice. I guess our English testimonials will appear in some classroom presentation in Mexico City. In the museum to Bellas Artes we finally got to see some murals de Diego Rivera. It was spectacular. Diego Rivera painted a mural in New York City for a commission, but it was destroyed because of its politically controversial material. Rivera recreated this same mural on the wall within the Museum de Bellas Artes. There are so many dimensions to the mural that it is impossible to take it all in. Rivera’s murals express so much social criticism and political indictment that it is hard to understand every dimension of his message. After Bellas Artes we walked back to the hotel to rest our feet after a long day of walking around. Then later that night Yessenia and I went Salsa dancing in a place called Mambo Café. It was really fun, but I was exhausted by the time we left around two. The taxi driver tried to make us pay 200 pesos (approx 18 dollars) to get back to our hotel, which was about 10 min away. So we bailed and hailed another cab and only paid 50 pesos. I guess the taxi driver thought we were gullible gringas who wouldn’t realize we were getting ripped off.
On the last day of the Mexico City trip we visited the Museum of Anthropology. The museum was huge! We spent nearly three hours touring the galleries of ancient statues and artifacts. There was so much to see that we could have been there for at least three more hours and not have been able to see everything. Much of what we got to see was found in and around the pyramids of Teotihuacan. I can’t even begin to describe all the intricate sculptures. It was almost too much to take in all at once, and extremely exhausting. The Museum of Anthropology marked the end of our class trip and we were released to do whatever we wanted until class again on Monday morning. Several students decided to stay in Mexico City for the weekend, while others headed to Guadalajara. Kristina and I made plans to visit the city of San Miguel de Allende located about 4 hours north of Mexico City.

Stay tuned for a details on the trip to San Miguel…