When we first decided to include Mexico in this trip we
really didn’t know too much about the country. We knew of course where it was
geographically, and that it was the land of Sombreros, Corona and Tequila. But
in all seriousness the things we did know was that there were some amazing
beaches (definitely confirmed that part), some awesome Mayan Pyramids (little
did we realise just how awesome they were) and some great tasty and spicy food
(although we soon found out that the Australian version of a taco is somewhat
different to the real Mexican one.)
However our main reason for choosing to come to Mexico at
this point in our trip was because my youngest sister, Erica was studying in
Mexico City for a semester and we thought what a good excuse to combine a new
country we know really nothing about with a visit to family!
So we arrived into Mexico in the week preceding Easter as
that was when Erica would get her week long school break so could spend some
time exploring the country with us. As she had already finished up a few days
earlier than we arrived we agreed to meet her someway south of Mexico in a town
called Villahermosa and from there we would travel together to Palenque. Well
it all went smoothly, we arrived in Mexico City, transferred to our domestic
flight, arrived in Villahermosa and took a taxi to our hotel and then after
just 5 hours sleep we were up and taking another taxi to the bus station to
meet up with Erica, her housemate in Mexico city, Solene from France, along
with Solene’s sister Loriane and her boyfriend Alan who were also visiting
Mexico at the same time as us. So it was a bit of a sisterly reunion all round.
Our time in Mexico was originally going to be just a couple
of weeks, then three weeks and eventually we decided on a full month as Erica
convinced us that there was just too much to see to make it any shorter than
that. Even then we actually only visited Southern Mexico and saw nothing
further north of Mexico City. But for a first time tourist to Mexico we think
we made a good selection on destinations. Whilst with Erica we visited
Palenque, and stayed in basic cabins in the middle of the jungle with monkeys
swinging through the trees and also went to San Cristobal de los Casas for an
amazing cultural experience. Then we headed to the Pacific coast and the small
backpackers town of Zipolite and from there to Oaxaca, the capital of the
famous Mexican Mole sauce and Mezcal. Then it was time to visit Erica at her
current home in Mexico city as well as a quick visit to a lovely little village
outside of Mexico city called Taxco. This was all just in the first two weeks
of our stay and we saw and did so much that I am just going to share with you a
few of our highlights from each destination.
Firstly Palenque – well our favourite spot has to be the
Mayan Pyramids, dotted throughout the jungle, it made for a magnificent
setting, all the better as it was our first of many Pyramid visits and a great
way to be inspired by the work of these amazing people from centuries ago. But
we also made it to a beautiful swimming spot with clear blue crystal waters
called appropriately “Agua Azul” or in English “Blue Water.” Highly original
names there but hey, to be honest we’ve found that with most of our trip. It’s
amusing to say the least.
San Cristobal de Los Casas is a beautiful old town set in
the southern Mexican mountains and is famous for its more laid back lifestyle
and colonial buildings. Also, a big plus for Erica, its Vegetarian food. We
actually enjoyed some fabulous vegetarian food and Mexican food in general
whilst we were in San Cristobal. It was our first taste of a Mexican taco and
definitely not the best but it introduced us to a new understanding of a taco.
Made with simply meat in a soft tortilla and topped with raw onion, lime juice,
coriander and hot sauce of your choice. Very tasty bundles of eating pleasure. But
perhaps our highlight of our stay in San Cristobal was when we took a local
minibus out to a nearby village, San Juan Chamula, famed for its local
craftsmen who still wear the traditional dress of woollen skirts for women and
woollen ponchos for men. It was fantastic to see this, especially as it was
Easter so there were celebrations happening in the street and the local
“Zapatistas” who are the freedom fighting clan in the area, were parading in
the street, weapons and all. It was really exciting to see. There were also
some rituals happening at the front of their church however we felt rude
getting too close to a religious ritual, especially at Easter so we just
watched from afar.
It was in San Cristobal that we parted ways with Erica,
Solene, Loriane and Alan and we went on our way to Zipolite. Our days in
Zipolite were literally just spend lazing on the beach swimming and drinking
beer by day and enjoying a big seafood lunch in the late afternoon before
chilling out with a couple more beers in the evening. This was of course
besides my bout of food poisoning which was definitely not a highlight so won’t
be explained any further. The beach at Zipolite was incredibly rough with a
huge rip so we had to be careful when swimming but it was totally worth it as
the place itself was so chilled out. A great backpackers destination plus we
stayed at a hostel with the most lovely owner who even let us use a beach
umbrella and cooler box for free. Definitely a big bonus.
From Zipolite it was time to travel back inland to Oaxaca
and I can’t go without mentioning the amazing bus ride. We decided to take a
minibus as it was the cheapest and quickest option. But that also meant it was
a very narrow and winding mountain road as the other bigger buses travel around
the mountain instead of over it. But it made for a beautiful, if cramped trip.
As I mentioned earlier Oaxaca is famous for its food and
drink. In particular its Mexican Mole which is a particular type of savoury
sauce poured over meat which comes in many flavours, the most famous including
chocolate within the recipe! The drink Oaxaca is famous for is the Mexican
Mezcal, which comes from the Agave plant. Many foreigners have never heard of
Mezcal and simply have heard of Tequila. Well, we found out that Tequila is
simply a type of Mezcal from a particular type of Agave plant in one area of
Mexico. Many people in Mexico much prefer the taste of Mezcal and it is made in
many different flavours including different fruits, coffee and spices. Our
Oaxacan highlight was definitely the food. Tegan completed a cooking course.
Those that know him well will also know how much he loves to cook and when we
read that Oaxaca was one of the best places to learn Mexican cooking we decided
it couldn’t be passed up. So he enjoyed a private cooking class with a chef at
a local restaurant where they got to plan a 4 course menu, shop at the local
market, cook and then eat it for lunch. It of course included a traditional Mexican
Mole sauce for main meal and a glass of Mezcal. If you’re keen to sample the
goods from his newly found Mexican cooking skills hit him up when we get home,
oh yeah and don’t tell him I told you that.
From Oaxaca it was on to Mexico city and a brief stay at
Erica’s current home which she shares with four other exchange students, all
from France! I think she feels a bit like she should be learning French rather
than Spanish sometimes. When we arrived at Erica’s my other sister Sonja had
also arrived in Mexico the previous day. So it was another sisterly reunion
with a big house party that night to top it all off.
Whilst we were staying with Erica for a couple of nights we
really loved our evening visit to the Xochimilco canals in Southern Mexico City
together with Erica’s housemates. We had a great night in long boats called
“Trajineros” gliding down the canals whilst enjoying a few Sunday afternoon
beers. There are even Mariachis (a traditionally dressed Mexican band who play
and sing for you if you pay them to) who had their own boats and when someone
flagged them down they’d just attach their boat to yours and play for you. It
was great to watch. There were also floating sales people selling everything
from teddy bears to roasted corn and hot tamales. The landscape was also
surreal as Mexico City is just so huge and busy everywhere you go but out on
the water you would never even know you were in one of the biggest capital
cities in the world. It was just so peaceful. Two hours of that for just $20! A
well worthwhile spend, particularly considering that was split between 7 of us
on the boat together.
After a couple of nights spent at Erica’s place we decided
to give them all a bit of space as let’s face it 8 people in one house is
pretty damn hectic! So we headed off for the small town of Taxco just two hours
south of Mexico City by bus. It was recommended to us by both Erica and her
housemates as a great place to see close to Mexico City and is known in Mexico
as a “Magical Town” or in Spanish, Puebla Magica. Really this just refers to a
beautiful quaint town, generally colonial in architecture and a great place for
a weekend getaway, or in our case, a mid week getaway. We really enjoyed
wandering the streets of this gorgeous place, taking the gondola for a great
view above the town and sampling some more fantastic Mexican food. Here we had
a yummy Pozole, a type of Mexican soup filled with meat, white corn and other
yummy veggies topped with avocado and a type of pork crackling called
Chicharron. We also had Tacos Dorado which are crispy shelled taco tubes
stuffed with spicy chicken and then topped with lettuce, tomato, cheese, sour
cream and avocado. Simply delicious!
One thing we especially enjoyed during our time in Taxco was
a visit to some caves close by. These caves were absolutely massive, we’d never
been in caves that big before. We had to take a guided tour in Spanish which
was pretty useless to us, as let’s face it, whilst our Spanish has definitely
got better we are NOT at the stage where we can actually understand sentences.
But still we got a few of the jokes the guide made and had a laugh along with
everyone else. What we really loved was that the structures inside the cave we
just so huge and so amazing to look at. We walked for two kilometres inside the
cave and at some points the roof was as high as 70m. They had even built an
auditorium where they told us they sometimes hold music performances and in the
past have hosted people like Pavarotti, Domingo, Andrea Boccelli and many
others. Then he went on to proudly mention that this year they would be hosting
Lady Gaga, we just thought, hmm wouldn’t have quite put her in the league with
everyone else you just mentioned, but hey…
From Taxco it was an adventure back to Mexico City, with
having to just trust that a bus was going to eventually arrive by the side of
the road in the middle of nowhere to take us where we needed to go. Ahh the
joys of travelling! 45 minutes later than the time we were told it would arrive
it eventually did. We love Mexican time.
This time we stayed in the middle of the city where we got to visit the Templo
Mayor. Sonja came into the city as well and we all went there together. Templo
Mayor is basically an Aztec temple which was found just 30 years ago when they
were doing some renovations on a building in the city centre. They were digging
up the floor when suddenly construction workers came upon a huge Aztec
calendar. It was decided that this must be of significance and the Mexican
government decided to tear down 13 buildings, many that the Spanish had built
on top of this ancient Temple. They are now still uncovering this temple but
the public are now able to wander in amongst the ruins of what is now left of
this place that is quite literally next to the central square in Mexico City. A
truly unique experience.
I’m going to leave it there for now and we will continue on
our Mexican adventure in our next blog when we headed off to the Yucatan
Peninsula.
