For a while now one or two friends have joked that my life has morphed into a permanent holiday. And what’s more, that I take holidays within holidays.
Well, the recent trip to Mexico isn’t exactly going to do my side of the argument any favours. That side being, of course, that I work from home. I just move house a lot.
So how did I end up commuting 10 hours to Mexico in the middle of a lap of South America?
If you’ve been following my journey you’ll know that I met my girlfriend Laura here in Brazil a couple of months ago. She’d already planned a holiday (for people with real jobs) long ago with 2 Argentinian friends, Andres and Claudia, and so invited me along.
Why not? I thought. It would be great to go on holiday with Laura, Mexico counts as Latin America and I’d heard they have some funky ruins and good hats. So off we went.
Lessons learned
When I travel to a new country I try not to have too many preconceptions of what it’ll be like. However, I was kind of hoping to learn about ancient Mexican cultures, listen to Mariachis, eat spicy food and work out what the difference is between the English and Argentinians.
And strangely, even though we’d be in a different country altogether, the last point was one of the things that most peaked my curiosity.
What actually happened though was rather different. Yes, I learned about countless ancient Mexican cultures, listened to even more countless Mariachis, and heavily edited the entry for the word ‘spicy’ in my mental dictionary after unceremoniously vomiting in the bushes behind some sacred ground.
As for the difference between the English and Argentinians, I quickly learned that they (at least the three I was with) were polite, punctual, witty and enjoyed midafternoon tea and cake. Upon realising that, I abandoned all hope of discovering any major cultural differences.
What I wasn’t expecting at all, however, was to unearth some ruins in my own personality, as well as discover some uncomfortable truths about the way I operate operate on my travels.
This definitely wasn’t on my small well-organised list of preconceptions. It’s also the excuse for taking 3 weeks to write this article. Self-discovery can be a real pain in the bum.
Anyway, before I bore you too much with my self-development prattlings, let’s take a peak at what lay in wait in Mexico.
Ancient Civilizations
If you’re a fan of ancient civilizations and vast ruins, Mexico truly is an Alice in Wonderland of historical sites, with marvels around every corner and a very confusing set of characters.
Andres lived in Mexico a while back and had a busy itinerary worked out that ensured we’d see the most important sites in and around Mexico City.
It also challenged my stereotype that asking Latinos (or Andalusians) what they’re doing two weekends from now is like asking what’s going to happen next in Game of Thrones. Nobody knows.
Templo Mayor
Actually getting to the historical sites involves a fair bit of travel, so we started local. Right in the center of Mexico City you have the Templo Mayor, one of the principle Aztec temples.
The site is huge, measuring 100 x 80 meters. It’s great fun weaving your way around the outdoor corridors, marveling at sculptures of Aztec Gods and being told off for sitting where you shouldn’t.
Tula
Next up was a 2 hour bus ride to Tula, the capital of the Toltec empire. It was the first time I’ve ever seen a pyramid, topped with imposing columns shaped as Toltec warriors staring into the distance at the encroaching storm.
Tula was also where I learned the hard way that you can’t eat the soup in a local Mexican canteen without potential consequences.
After my stomach decided to mirror the storm that hit by sharing my indigestible lunch with the Toltec wildlife, I then spent an agonising 2 hour bus ride back praying for mercy whilst relentlessly punishing the toilet.
4 days it took to recover. Never again will I eat spicy bean and meat soup.
Teotihuacan
I saw a few things in Mexico that took my breath away, but of all the archeological sites, none more so than Teotihuacan.
Most well-known for the colossal sun and moon pyramids, I hadn’t realised that Teotihuacan was a city, not just a cluster of ruins. It’s vast and takes a long time to get around the whole site, especially when your group is rationing half a pack of biscuits and some Mentos.
The history of the place is so confusing, especially when presented by a guide who spoke in a mind-numbingly boring monotone, that I had to look it up again on Wikipedia.
I’m still not that clear, to be honest, but what I’ll always remember is that when the Aztecs later discovered the ruins, they thought that the Gods had created the universe at the site.
Best of all though is the fact that you’re allowed to clamber up the impossibly steep steps on your hands and knees and soak up the stunning views from the top of both pyramids.
Thank you Mexico for your liberal attitude towards protecting archeological sites. Love it.
Mexico City
We spent a lot of the 2 weeks inside Mexico City itself. You might think that’s excessive when there are tourist meccas like Cancun to visit, but even 2 weeks isn’t enough time to see everything.
It’s a vast, densely populated and very noisy city. Perhaps it wasn’t such a shock coming from Sao Paolo as both cities have a population of over 20 million. But if you come straight from a sleepy English village you might have a bit of a meltdown.
As well as some immensely beautiful colonial buildings to explore, there are no less than 153 museums in the city, each one packed full of wonders. And my favourite without doubt was the museo de arte popular.
Mexico is renowned for high quality folk art and handcrafts, and the museum is like walking into a shared psychedelic dream. Words can’t really describe the visionary creativity on display here, so maybe a few photos will do the trick.
The historical center of Mexico City is probably the grandest I’ve seen so far in Latin America. There’s just so much to see and do, you can literally wander off in any direction and find something that grabs your attention. Add to that the urge to try the fabled Mexican food and drink, and you’ll never be short of entertainment.
Xochimilco
A fun fact about Mexico City is that it was once a lake. The Aztecs created islands to build on and dams to control the water levels, with an extensive canal system for transportation. That’s why you see so many building sinking to one side nowadays.
Later, after considering moving the entire city due to flooding problems, the Spanish decided instead to drain the entire lake.
A neigborhood on the outskirts though -Xochimilco -still has an extensive canal system and around 2000 brightly-painted boats which groups hire for the day. It’s the typically colourful Mexican version of Venice, an endlessly crazy game of slow floating bumper-cars, and, well, just such a happy place to be.
Locals in little wooden canoes drift along, selling their handicrafts and filling the air with the aromas of the snacks they cook on make-shift ovens.
And there are more Mariachias than you could possibly imagine. They’ll float right alongside you and for a small fee serenade your boat with their cheerful music. It’s just amazing.
Mexican Food
Ah, Mexican food. How I loved and feared you in equal measures. Eating out in Mexico City is at times an eye-watering game of culinary Russian roulette. If it clicks, you’re rewarded by food that’s delicious, exciting and a visual feast. But once in a while, it ruthlessly blasts your insides from top to bottom. Literally.
Helpfully, the waiter often brings you 4 dishes of salsa and gives them a danger ranking from ‘ok’ to ‘be very careful.’ And while we would bravely put a tentative dab of the fabled black sauce on the tongue, the chiseled old Mexican sat at the next table would pour it on like gravy.
Chili for breakfast. Chili in your beer. Chili on supposedly refreshing sliced fruit on a scorching hot day. Mexicans clearly have Teflon written into their DNA.
Magical San Miguel de Allende
A 4 hour bus ride from Mexico City takes you to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of San Miguel de Allende. It’s a small city known for surprisingly well-preserved Colonial Spanish architecture and a place we all instantly fell in love with.
After a few days rejoicing in the romantic charm of the place Laura and I just didn’t want to leave.
During the trip I think I might have gotten a bit of a name for myself for not really liking churches that much. However, there’s no denying that the focal point of the city, the Gaudi-inspired disneyland-style church adds a certain charm and beauty.
Surrounded by tranquil plazas with perfectly sculpted square trees, restaurants with great food and relaxing bars where Mariachis entertain you late into the evening, it’s the perfect recipe for the kind of place you could get lost in for weeks, or as the 20% expat population attests to – years.
In case you think I’ve finally gone soft on religion though, here’s a photo of my favourite religious reference. Ever.
For those that don’t speak Spanish, this guy sells sweets called ‘Pedos de Monja’, which means monk farts. And just to clear up any doubt that it’s a language thing, there’s a drawing of a little smiling poo on the packet with the catchphrase “better in than out”.
Thank you San Miguel de Allende for your great sense of humour and the best laugh I’ve had in a long time.
Lessons learned
So, back to my earlier point of unintentionally learning a few things about myself along the way. When you travel extensively, I think there comes a point when you kind of get complacent about the amazing journey you’re on and stop noticing all the lessons, both large and small, that the world and other cultures constantly have to offer.
The trip to Mexico, and subsequent weeks reflecting on it, taught me a few things. Some are potentially important and others perhaps a bit frivolous, but all the same they mean something to me. By sharing them now, maybe they’ll stick in the head instead of getting lost in the next wind of complacency.
I’ve become a little too independent
In the last 6 months I’ve been in England, Spain, Colombia, Aruba, Curacao, Suriname, Brazil and Mexico. And for a lot of that time I did what I wanted, when I wanted and how I wanted.
Travelling is like a never-ending decision making process that you go through unconsciously a lot of the time when alone. When you’re not on your own, that just doesn’t work any more.
I realised in Mexico that you can’t just say to travel companions “I don’t want to do that,” and get away with it. You actually have to provide a reason. And if your reason is rubbish, selfish or doesn’t make sense, you look a bit silly.
After months of travelling alone and working from home, it was healthy to be reminded that we’re supposed to be social beings.
I can be grumpy and complain a lot
For all my general positivity and enthusiasm I kind of already knew I have a grump side too. For 2 years my friends in Spain told me I complain too much about the toilets (some of them are really bad) and back home in England I might have definitely heard similar criticisms once or twice a lot.
At times in Mexico I took my grumpiness to a whole new level, finely-tuning my complaining skills and entering into a one-man war with the hotel staff, taxi drivers and the entire male population who act like they’ve never seen a pretty woman before.
To be fair, some of the hotel staff were pretty off at times and they did start major construction work with no warning on the room opposite, using power tools and hammering from 9am to 7pm.
We changed rooms twice during the stay and when they finally ran out of ideas for appeasing me, gruffly said “you can leave if you want.”
As for the financially dyslexic taxi drivers, my favourite moment was being quoted $1000 US dollars (no mistake with the amount of zeros) to drive us 4 hours to the coast, pay for his hotel and food for 3 days, and then drive us back. Hmmm…
In the end, the answer to my at times self-defeating complaining came in the form of a simple comparison between Latinos and Europeans. Or me at least.
I have high expectations whereas people from this part of the world are more used to things not being so perfect. They accept problems and chaos as part of the exotically unpredictable nature of Latin America and just don’t let things bother them so much.
And on top of that, there’s a difference between speaking your mind in a passionate way and, well, just being a bit rude.
It was a good lesson to learn.
Other stuff
Those two were perhaps the most important lessons to learn and will involve a little self-work to deal with. But there were some others to join the mix:
- I can’t take photos.
- I can’t take chili.
- I’m moved by things I never knew, like modern ballet. I only went because the others wanted to, but ended up holding back tears in the darkness, hoping I’d get them under control before the lights came back on.
- The older I get, the less tolerant I seem to be of visiting churches or going shopping if I don’t want to buy anything.
- I can’t remember historical facts. After 2 weeks of history lessons, the only name I remember is Tlaloc, the Aztec god of rain. I had to look up everything else I wrote in this article (apart from your name, Laura).
- I’ve become addicted to collecting things again. Difficult when travelling, but I’ve found a way.
On the move again
After nearly 3 months here it looks like my time in Brazil has come to an end, at least for now. Laura needs more treatment, which is going to take some time, so has decided to go home to Argentina to be with her family for the duration.
We took the difficult, but hopefully right decision, to meet there in a few weeks so she has time with her family and I can clear my mind a little before being there for her too.
Tomorrow I’m heading to Asuncion, Paraguay and will spend 10 days there. Winter is setting in here in the South of South America, which is weird for me since it’s May.
At the same time though, I’d forgotten how cosy it is to cuddle in bed listening to the cold rain drumming on the windows.
Thank you!
As a final note I’d like to say a massive thanks to Andres, Claudia and Laura for agreeing to let me tag along on their holiday. I couldn’t have hoped for more friendly and well-natured travel companions. See you in Argentina one day.
Jellyfish Rock 