Muchos Mehico

"Cervesa, dos, si, muchos gracias." This is a very common phrase for a couple Australian's in Mexico.

   Mexican immigration consists of one question as you hand your passport over, "How long are you here?" We reply with three weeks, we receive a stamp and off we go.
   Inside the terminal we eventually receive some pesos from the 6th ATM that we tried. This was the same for others, it seems some ATMs work, some don't. Organising a SIM card is seamless, $20AUD for three weeks and 2gb of data. We find some food then head to the taxis to make our way to our accommodation.

   We both enjoyed the street sellers, particularly the fellow walking between cars selling mini Groot pot plant holders. Day of the Dead activities were still heavily about, we landed on the 3rd of Nov. Plenty of street art work and sculptures. Hard to miss the pedestrians wearing skull facepaint. Luckily, near our hotel was a Day of the Dead ride through the streets organised in the evening. They blocked off some major roads and allowed people to dress up and cycle in the evening. A lot of fun watching as we walked the streets and sampled the food vendors.
   We both felt we needed to tune our stomachs into the new cuisine. We sampled the following; 5 tacos for $2AUD, 10 chicken wings for $2AUD, one churros for 35cents, and a corn cob drizzled in mayo, rolled in cheese and sprinkled with chilli powder for $1AUD. All were delicious and our stomachs handled it like professionals.

   There were thousands of people about the streets, all enjoying the Saturday evening festivities, music, markets and dancing. A lot of families and children about and we never felt unsafe with police on every corner relaxing and watching the fun.
   A wonderful introduction to this very different country and it gave us a lot of familiar memories to Kuala Lumpur in crazy chaos and just go with the flow feel to it.

   In the morning we took a Sunday stroll through a few city squares and the Mayoral Palace. Again, city streets were closed off to a running and cycling event. Great to see with minimal traffic and plenty of people out and being active. We made our way into one of the subway stations. Some heavy brainwork to organise a ticket and where to go, when the lady in the booth spoke no english and was also on the phone. While we would have liked to view the network map prior to purchasing a ticket but alas it was inside the gates.
   We got there in the end, boarded and made our way North to the Bus Station. The subway felt very similar to the NYC subway. A little hot, people minding their own business while vendors tried to sell you a lolly for 10peso.

   We thought it might be useful to grab our Monday ticket for the pyramids now, so we didnt have to line up the next day. Ends up the line when we arrived on Sunday was well over an hour wait. Changed our mind and said we'd just wing it tomorrow.
   Back down into the city, a nice cafe and coffee then stroll through the park and towards the National Anthropology Museum. Sunday afternoon, a lot of families about, there was little visibility of the turned off water crisis. In some venues they had buckets of water you needed to tip into the toilet to allow them to flush. There was plenty of bottled water at each corner store.
   The museum was free on Sundays, it made it a little busier but still a lot of fun walking through the rooms detailing the thousands of years of central american history.

   Making our way back towards the hotel, we noticed the street dogs make themselves at home. Including some that at first you may perceive to be a stray, then notice a collar, but not on a leash. At one stage Jamie was certain that a small dog following us was a stray. After a block, we then heard an owner calling far in the distance, off scurried the little terrier back to its true owner.
   We enjoyed the public transport system, a combination of bus and train, 0.35AUD cents each time you wanted to ride it. We ended up purchasing a card we could tap on with.
   That evening we decided to sit down at a restaurant. Ordering involved a lot of gesturing and pointing, sure enough they came back with food and beer, perfect. We learnt of a famous singer as they had his video clips playing on every television screen. El Chapo, appeared to us as a middle aged moustached man that preyed on women. After a little googling of one of his songs and translating the lyrics it was confirmed.

   The following day, breakfast tacos from the street almost won us over. Instead we opted for a bakery and chose pastries instead. We were missing vegetables so agreed one of our next meals will need to consist of something other than tacos, tamales or pastry.
   We headed back up to the North bus station to find our Teotihuacan pyramid bus. Our decison paid off as the line held only 10 people in it this time. In a moments notice we had bought a return ticket on the next bus heading to the pyramids. We waited at the gate and asked each other a few confirmation questions. 'We did say Pyramids, didn't we?' and 'They did say gate tres, didn't they?' Sure enouugh, if you just go with the flow, it works out. We boarded the comfortable bus and began making our way out of the city towards Teotihuacan.

   Another strange moment was 15 minutes into our drive we pull over and a gentleman wearing an Adidas tracksuit boards the bus holding a small Panasonic Handycam. He walks down the centre of the bus pointing the camera in the face of each passenger. Jamie and I look at each other to check how we feel about this. No one else seems to be paying much attention. He points it in our face then finishes filming everyone, then exits the bus and we drive off. A quick google and we learn that for safety and insurance reasons they video each passenger in case something happens. A little unnerving at first, but we're familiar with it now. Just go with the flow.

   TheTeotituacan pyramids were wonderful, easy to walk around and explore with helpful signs at each section. We climbed to the top of the Templar de Sol and Templar de Luna, overtaking many puffing tourists. Our canyon climbing paid off and we arrived at the top barely breaking a sweat despite the steps being three times as high as normal steps. We overheard a lady say, "But I thought the people who built these were short!?" Being 6 Foot+ was also helpful.

   Despite the crowds, the experience was actually rather ambient due partly to the incredible scale of the surrounds and partly to the dozens of vendors playing whistles and weird horns that sounded like cougars growling. We imagined ourselves in ancient Mexico surroundeed by exotic birds and cougars rather than tourists.

   We made good time around the ruins, despite Jamie regrettably entering into a conversation with a New Yorker who was dying to tell her all about the New York water system and the Cubans who cut one leg off cows so they walked around with only three.

   The vendors were considerably polite, a simple, 'No Gracias', and they would go to the next person. A predator figurine captured Ian's eye but the thought of carrying it around for the remainder of the trip turned him away. Jamie spotted some obsidian glass strapped to become blades. We thought if Jon Snow ran out of mining Dragon Glass he could easily borrow some from here.
   Overall, an experience we greatly appreciated and enjoyed our time.

   Waiting beside the catcus for our bus ride home, we momentarily discussed which side to sit on and enjoy the view back into the city. As the bus turned up, it looked remarkably different to the comfortable one we caught out in the morning. This one had a few million miles on the clock and we wondered when the cracked windscreen occured. We climbed aboard, not a spare seat in sight, so we held on in the middle as the driver took off.
   'Maybe the bus would stop shortly and some people would exit?' We thought at the hopeful idea of getting a seat. No, we remained standing for the hour back into Mexico City. At least the driver didn't dawdle, he had the engine  thumping as he swerved in and out of lanes. Those of us standing held on with both arms and just took each ditch as it came.
   A look at each other and we could read both minds, a cerveza was in order if we made it back.

   A snack on the street when we arrived back in CDMX, we caught the train back into the city and went for a wander through a flea market and a library. Some beer, noodles and icecream and we were happy.
   Observations include; no locals wore shorts, or had beards and everyone had closed toe shoes. Public affection was also very common, with couples on the train or in the street kissing and cuddling each other unabashedly. We didn't mind, you just go with the flow. We are also aware we receive a lot of stares, from kids to adults, a long stare as Jamie walks by and then another look at Ian.

   The following morning we had ham, cheese and jalapenos croissants for breakfast. We found a barber willing to trim Ian's hair. Jamie quickly learnt some Spanish and sneakily discussed trimming the beard with the hairdresser. Ian sat nervously in the chair as the hair dresser went about her business. She even brought a razor out at one stage and shaved some areas that had never been shaved before. Behind the ear!
   Surviving the ordeal Ian was happy to tip her an extra $2AUD.
Another observation while walking the streets, whistling is common. Not wolf whistling, but a tune or a melody. Sometimes from children and then adults. We would smile while in the subway and notice there is someone whistling as they walk.

   To the East Autobus and we had a ticket to Puebla. We even acquired the second trip for a few days time which was going to take us from Puebla to Oaxaca. (In hindsight, we didn't actually want to do this, after some research and plotting of dates we may have skipped Oaxaca. To save time for some other places, it also meant getting out of Oaxaca would be tough with our limited days in Mexico. Alas, we did it and now would enjoy some time in this area before taking a particularly long bus journey. But we'll talk about that when it comes.)
   5 Peso to use a clean toilet at the bus station. Make sure to grab your toilet paper on the way in as it is not in your cubicle. Also be mindful of the very limited space in the cubicle, you can leave your backpack on, but make sure the straps dont dangle down into the toilet. Just saying. You don't want a pooey backpack.

   A comfortable and relatively short bus ride to Puebla, with time enough to watch the Dark Tower in Spanish, we headed to our first Mexican Airbnb. Any doubts on safety in Mexico were forgotton when our Uber driver, who had told us all about Puebla on the way to our accommodation went and rang the bell to our Airbnb and waited until we were safely inside. The people here we were finding had an unexpected kindness to them. Our Airbnb host was much the same and our room tucked up the back of the old Casa felt safe and comfortable.

   At three minutes past the hour, the bells began. Pueblas clock was slightly different to Googles. Turns out the beautiful  church at the back of the Casa not only provided a great backdrop to photos of our accommodation, but it gave a fitting ambience to our stay in Puebla which has hundreds of churches, with it tolling bells.

   We wander around our area, quickly apparent it is the auto parts and mechanics suburb. A stop at an Oxxo ( the local minimart) to stock our fridge for breakfast for a few days.

   Dinner at a mexican restaurant which looked and tasted great but which our stomaches regretted for a few days after. At the time Ian described the dinner as the best tacos he'd had on his journey so far. Maybe that was a forewarning for him. It was a difficult night.

   We wandered into town the next days, marvelling at the beautiful square full of people and art and vendors selling everything a tourist could ever want. Puebla's churches were ancient, and internally lavish with gold and ornamentation, a stark contrast to many of the external building facades. We sat and watched some restoration workers erecting scaffolding high up to the roof, swaying precariously.

   We attempt unsuccessfully to calm our disgruntled stomachs with nachos and juice in a university cafe overlooking a pedestrian street and listening to the university choir sing in the courtyard. Idyllic, mostly.

   We begin walking toward an outer suburb renowned for its street art and are hailed by a passerby.
'Where you from, France?' We had had a few guesses from strangers at where we were from. America? England? are common. France, not usually the first guess. It always begins this way and usually ends wiith them trying to sell you something. This chap however was apparently just a wellwisher, recommending we visit the old subway and the fort. We give our thanks and adios.

   The street murals turned out to be well worth the visit. A suburb once renowned for its poor safety and dodgy characters was transformed from broken buildings and grass infested cars to a living gallery. From here we walked up the hill to the fort where there was a park and much needed shade. Back to the Casa past the Chinese Princess statue, a statue of the princess that was apparently brought to Mexico to marry the prince and in doing so apparently brought with her the iconic dress so often seen on women here, with big broad colourful skirts and headdresses.

   After much Mexican food, we thought another cuisine might be called for. So we ordered a pizza, watched a movie and had an early night. Sometimes travellers just need a little holiday from travelling.