¡CUETZALAN!

Before heading to the small pueblo of Cuetzalan, I had heard many great things about it, especially from my Latin American Culture teacher here in Puebla. I heard that it was 'magical' and 'beautiful'. So on the 3 and a half hour bus ride there I had some pretty high expectations, and after visiting this town in the clouds, I can confirm that it is indeed beautiful and even magical.

Getting to Cuetzalan was a bit of an ordeal; its about 2 hours just to the base of the mountain range and about another hour and half climbing the mountain on narrow roads with sheer cliffs on the side and all that good stuff. It almost became laughable at how high we ascended into the air without stopping, we were seriously in the clouds.

The town itself is pretty tiny, but totally cool. The first Catholic church wasn't built until nearly the twentieth century, so the town has really maintained its indigenous heritage and most of the people still speak Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs. Although many of the younger generations only speak Spanish and wear 'modern' clothes (there's still about a 20 year lag in style), the older members still wear the traditional clothes and the many of the women walk around barefoot.

In fact, the hotel my friend and I stayed in was ran by Nahua women who still speak the language and wear the traditional dress of their people, they even make their own soap! Hotel Taselotzin was the name and was super comfortable and cheap (about $11 a night). If you ever go to Cuetzalan, I recommend that you stay there.

I also managed to go to one of the many caves and caverns that surround the town, it was called 'los corales' for the coral-like rock formations inside.

 

Besides the caves (grutas), Cuetzalan also has a quirky night scene and food to offer its traveler. I tried a regional wine of the area known as yolixpa, and it tasted so good I decided to buy it. Even though its made from herbs, its really sweet. Cuetzalan is a cool place and I can't wait to go back.

I'm enchanted...

¡CULTURE SHOCK!

This blog post is about all things culture shock, a term used to refer to cultural and societal happenings that may 'shock' travelers in a foreign country.

To be honest, I haven't really been incredibly 'shocked' by anything here... Just, amused. Haha. Having grown up in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood in Vegas my whole life, I pretty much know Mexican culture and some of the intricacies that go with it. So let me just give you a brief list of some of things that have 'shocked' me while I've been living and studying here in Mexico:

- DON'T FLUSH THE TOILET PAPER
Yeah, thats what I said, just deal with it! The sewer system here in Mexico is not the greatest in the least. Its so bad in fact that most people should not and do not flush their toilet paper when they are finished answering the call of nature. Thus and henceforth, the majority of the public toilets here have garbage cans on the side of the toilet for your leisure. Also, most of the toilet paper brands have 'scented' toilet paper to make your business just a little less unpleasant. It has been a learning experience for me, and I still do ocassionally drops pieces of toilet paper in the toilet at my peril.

- DON'T DRINK THE WATER
Most of you are probably thinking that this is a 'duh' moment, and very much is, BUT this means so much more in my everyday life that I had first anticipated. This means no complimentary water in the restaurants, you can only buy the water in bottles. This also means that all glasses and silverware needs to be completely dried off before you can use it. So you can't simply wash out a cup and immediately drink out of it unless you have a (clean) dish towel handy. It also means no public fountains ANYWHERE. So sad...

- TRACK SUITS
No, I am not living in Wes Anderson's 'Royal Tannenbuams'. Track suits (or 'pants' as the Mexicans call them) are everywhere. What especially funny is that VERY non-athletic people wear them; grandmothers, the morbidly obese, babies and the middle-aged. People even mix-and-match track suits, it really is quite the phenomenon. I really need to get a track suit soon so that I can blend and be further enculturated into Mexican society.

- THE DRIVING, OH THE DRIVING
Have you ever seen a bat fly out of hell? Neither have I, but I'm fairly certain that it is equatable to driving here in Mexico. I would never drive a car out here because I just know that I would immediately my life or the lives of others. Many drivers do not obey traffic lights and lane dividers. Cross intersections at your own danger because a green or red light mean nothing to some people. And its not just small personal cars that wreak havoc on the roadway, the bus drivers are the worse! I have to commute to school because I live almost 5-miles away from my university and must take the bus at least 2 times a day. Each time is a harrowing experience and I always have a dose a adrenaline and thrill to start off and end my days. Because of the dangerousness of their driving, many bus drivers here have various religious paraphernalia adorning their vehicles which are usually pimped out in some way (like skull clutch handles and black lights). Its funny when the bus driver cuts off three drivers while running red light as Jesus and Mary sway below the review mirror.

- NECK BRACES?
What the eff. Neck braces are an epidemic here in Mexico. Me and my friend count track suits and neck braces everyday here because of the great profusion of them that invade our everyday lives. I initially thought that I was going insane when I began noticing the said presence of neck braces until one night in a Cholula bar and I saw two different women with two different groups BOTH rocking neck braces. This led me to further inquire about neck braces with my (host) family members and faculty at my school. Most of them said that Mexico has many car accidents and as a consequence many people wear neck braces. I found two faults with this argument, first, I have rarely seen car accidents here, less than in Vegas actually, and second, people in the United States only wear neck braces when they are on death's door usually. I've seen couples making out with at least one partner wearing a neck brace, so they musn't be TOO injured now, could they? Thats when I inquired about the aforementioned neck brace epidemic with my Spanish professor Noé Blancas Blancas and he gave the best answer I have thus found:
"The doctors here in Mexico like to slap neck braces on anything; if you tweak your back while picking up an M&M, you get a neck brace. Neck braces are also a sign of lujo (luxury). Poblanos are very proud people and if you have money, people like show it off, sometimes even by wearing neck braces which are a bit expensive here in Mexico." Sometimes I see too many neck braces and I just freak out laughing, but now I don't feel too bad because many of them have probably brought it on themselves by choosing to wear something (ridiculous) that they don't need.

- DID I MENTION THE KISSING?
Oh yes, people like to makeout here in Puebla. People of ALL ages (regretably). Although most of them are young high school students, many of them are also middle-aged couples, and that is just weird. Now usually I don't have a problem with seeing people making out, but there is something about the making out here thats different... Its just so... PASSIONATE. Its not like a little goodbye, but a drawn out farewell that lasts for almost an hour (I've counted before in a park). Its like their doing it with their clothes on and they're doing it in front of everyone! Very strange indeed...

- TIGHTY WHITEY - PANTS
In addition to the abundance of neck braces, there is also an explosion of white pants here (why do I notice these things?). I guess it complements the neck brace if you're wearing a white one (oh yes, they come in many colors). I guess its just a fashion thing, but strange nonetheless.

That's all I can think of right now, I'll make sure to add amendments and additional commentary in the months to come.

¡LA CIUDAD DE MÉXICO!



¡Hola bloglings! I'm still have the time of my life here in Puebla as I gear up for a weekend in Cuetzalan, Mexico. I want to share with you all now a post about my weekend trip to one of the largest cities in the world, Mexico City, Mexico!

Flying into Mexico from the United States in August to start my study abroad was an ethereal experience as I descended into the moonlit clouds and discovered a vast expanse of lights and life down below in el valle del méxico. What I saw that night was Mexico City and the towns and cities that surround it. It was like a cornucopia of vitality and I knew that I'd have to visit the city before long. I know that Mexico City has gotten a really bad wrap and many people have horror stories, but it was an awesome experience for me and I can't wait to visit the city again.

Two bad things I've hear about Mexico City is the crime and the pollution, both of which I did not encounter in my visit. A storm system had just left Mexico City and the skies were clear and blue and I didn't even see a hint of smog. Crime-wise, I wasn't robbed, acosted or kidnapped, not even a good ol' fashioned carjacking.

Is it bad for me to feel a little disappointed that I didn't even see a fist fight or mugging while there?

Anyway, the city is beautiful and GINORMOUS (yes, capslock is necessary) and beautiful and colorful. The only problem I had with the city was the long distance between things. I stayed with some American friends in a youth hostel by the zocalo (or main town square) where the colonial cathedral and the remains of the imperial Aztec city of Tenochtitlan, known today as el Templo Mayor (older temple). Everything else, such as Chapultepec Park and the 'Angel' of Mexico City are hecka far and required subway trains and lots of walking.

Mexico City is pretty much the latino equivalent to New York City and I can't wait to visit it again!

I sent far too much time (and pictures) in the two museums that I had the chance to visit, the museum of Templo Mayor and the National Museum of Anthropology near Chapultepec Park.

There's a really cool neighborhood in Mexico City known as 'La Condesa' that I really liked:

And I still have many places that I want to visit. I'm going back in the beginning of December to see Norah Jones live in concert in the national auditorium there and also to see the pyramides of Teotihucán. I CAN'T WAIT. :D

¡Las festividades bicentenarias continuadas!

--- EL CONCIERTO DE LILA DOWNS

So a few days after the bicentennial in Puebla, the city hosted a concert series to also help mark the bicentenario of Mexico's independence. Some of my friends and I had heard about Lila Downs in different ways, but all agreed that she's cool stuff so we decided to descend upon the zócalo once again to this Mexican cantante in action.

Lila Downs actually has a real cool story; she was born and raised in the United States but then went to Mexico as a singer. She primarily sings in Spanish, but also sings in English and Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecas and a few million still speak the language here in Mexico nowadays.

The show was a lot more packed than I had anticipated and I had to settle for standing in the mass of people off to the side of the seats.

She performed and awesome show and everyone was happy that they went. :D You should google her or something...

MY NEXT POST IS ABOUT MEXICO CITY... HOLLER.

EL BICENTENARIO DE LA INDEPENDENCIA DE MEXICO

Hello friends!!! This blog is about all things BICENTENARIO! As may or may not know, Mexico recently celebrated 200 years of independence from Spain. This year also marks the 100 year anniversary of the Mexican Revolution in which the entire system of government was shaken up and the REAL Mexicans finally took hold of office. Needless to say, it was a momentous occasion celebrated all around the nation and even the world (New York lit up the Empire State Building with the national colors of Mexico, green, white and red). 200 years after Mexico's independence, I believe that the country has finally found its place in the world as standards of living increase, as does cultural awareness.

It was an awesome event and I am so happy to have been a part of it.

The weather started off terrible (about 2 hours of heavy rain) but by the time the evening approached, it all dried out and we were able to enjoy the festivities.

In addition to the music and theatre acts that were going on in the zócalo on the main stage, there was also TONS of food, mountains of it actually... A giant food fair was mixed in with gaudy mexican independence souvenirs. I ate like a king and the food that left me with the greatest impression were the fried bananas with whipped cream and cajeta (goat-milk caramel). MMMmmmm.

Around 10:30PM, the govenor came out and gave the grito (the shout), ¡viva méxico, viva la independencia, viva méxico... etc! And then there was FIREWORKS. Tons and tons. Car alarms were going off all over the place and sparks and ashes sprayed the crowd below. The news the next day stated that there were 20k people in the zócalo for the grito and fireworks.

Definitely an unforgettable experience.