Mexico City, Mexico
30 de Octubre, de 2009
Sometimes, the hardest part of a vacation is just getting out of town. I did, I´m glad, but it wasn´t easy. After a very tenuous start, I dropped down into Mexico City two nights ago--the 28th of October. I was exhausted, feeling more like a zombie than a human being. Three hours sleep the night before was not a good way to start this trip.
Still, when I got to my hotel the urge to get out onto the streets was too much. So, in search of a caffeine free Diet Coke, I set out. It was still early. The street stalls were still active. All my favorites: tropical fruit fresh from the lowlands; ice cream shops selling paletas de coco--coconut popsicles; the smells of Mexican fast food: empanadas, tacos, enchiladas. In five minutes I was in a sensual, urban overload. It was great to be back.
Then! Could it be? Could it be that the Universe conspired to put me in the same exact spot as a parade working its way down the steet! It had. I heard the music first--a wild frenzy of Aztec rhythms. A contingent of indigenous, dressed in full Aztez clothing, were dancing in unison, playing their drums, chanting something I couldn´t understand. And then, behind them...a larger group of people, most carrying statues of a saint. Kids dressed in robes that matched the honored saint. I´d arrived for the monthly Saint Jude Thaddeus feast day. What a way to start the real stay in Mexico.
I´d planned this trip to Mexico over a year ago. I wanted it to coincide with the
country´s celebration of the the Day of the Dead--el dia de los muertos--which is traditionally observed on November 1st and 2nd. A year ago, however, I had the good fortune to be teaching Spanish at Plattsburgh High School, so this trip got postponed until now.
This posting is not about my observations of the celebration. That will come later. This is but a prelude to let you know that I´ll be in Mexico for 27 days, with the first week in a city I have a great passion for--its capital, Mexico City. From here, I´ll had down to the coast, spend a few days in Acapulco, then head north to Ixtapa and back to Mexico City in mid November. On the 16th I fly to Cancun where I´ll reunite with local friends in Playa del Carmen and wrap up the trip with a long weeked on the beach in Tulum. I´ll return home just in time for Thanksgiving.
Life is good!
This has not been a good year for Mexico or its people. The global international financial crisis hit this country particularly hard. Drug cartels have been in the international press for months. Then, in April, Swine Flu put Mexico in the world´s hot seat. No one was coming. People canceled vacations. The capital shut down for two weeks. People were laid off. Things have only begun to improve ever so slightly.
Summer, which is usually the rainy season, was dry with no rain. Mexico City´s reservoir is at 30% and there are signs all over the place that ask for conservation. Speculation is that the city may be out of water by February, 2010. Couple all that with an increase in taxes and you´ve got a populace on the edge.
So, it´s a toss up. I could easily have given in to all the fears I heard from people or take advantage of few tourists, lower prices and a cool beans festival. Of course I chose the later!
Viva Mexico!
30 de Octubre, de 2009
Sometimes, the hardest part of a vacation is just getting out of town. I did, I´m glad, but it wasn´t easy. After a very tenuous start, I dropped down into Mexico City two nights ago--the 28th of October. I was exhausted, feeling more like a zombie than a human being. Three hours sleep the night before was not a good way to start this trip.
Still, when I got to my hotel the urge to get out onto the streets was too much. So, in search of a caffeine free Diet Coke, I set out. It was still early. The street stalls were still active. All my favorites: tropical fruit fresh from the lowlands; ice cream shops selling paletas de coco--coconut popsicles; the smells of Mexican fast food: empanadas, tacos, enchiladas. In five minutes I was in a sensual, urban overload. It was great to be back.
Then! Could it be? Could it be that the Universe conspired to put me in the same exact spot as a parade working its way down the steet! It had. I heard the music first--a wild frenzy of Aztec rhythms. A contingent of indigenous, dressed in full Aztez clothing, were dancing in unison, playing their drums, chanting something I couldn´t understand. And then, behind them...a larger group of people, most carrying statues of a saint. Kids dressed in robes that matched the honored saint. I´d arrived for the monthly Saint Jude Thaddeus feast day. What a way to start the real stay in Mexico.
I´d planned this trip to Mexico over a year ago. I wanted it to coincide with the
country´s celebration of the the Day of the Dead--el dia de los muertos--which is traditionally observed on November 1st and 2nd. A year ago, however, I had the good fortune to be teaching Spanish at Plattsburgh High School, so this trip got postponed until now.
This posting is not about my observations of the celebration. That will come later. This is but a prelude to let you know that I´ll be in Mexico for 27 days, with the first week in a city I have a great passion for--its capital, Mexico City. From here, I´ll had down to the coast, spend a few days in Acapulco, then head north to Ixtapa and back to Mexico City in mid November. On the 16th I fly to Cancun where I´ll reunite with local friends in Playa del Carmen and wrap up the trip with a long weeked on the beach in Tulum. I´ll return home just in time for Thanksgiving.
Life is good!
This has not been a good year for Mexico or its people. The global international financial crisis hit this country particularly hard. Drug cartels have been in the international press for months. Then, in April, Swine Flu put Mexico in the world´s hot seat. No one was coming. People canceled vacations. The capital shut down for two weeks. People were laid off. Things have only begun to improve ever so slightly.
Summer, which is usually the rainy season, was dry with no rain. Mexico City´s reservoir is at 30% and there are signs all over the place that ask for conservation. Speculation is that the city may be out of water by February, 2010. Couple all that with an increase in taxes and you´ve got a populace on the edge.
So, it´s a toss up. I could easily have given in to all the fears I heard from people or take advantage of few tourists, lower prices and a cool beans festival. Of course I chose the later!
Viva Mexico!
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