Mexico City: Episode 3

I went with Abel's sister and parents to visit some family on the other side of town.  It was another apartment and FULL of people; I guess there were 4 aunts and all their children... you just sit wherever there's room.  :)  Everyone was really nice and made sure I had plenty to eat.  There were tacos of chicharon (dried pig skin), avocado, cactus and salsa, and a vegetable and chicken stew that fed everyone.  I cleaned my plate -would be impolite not to- and regretted having eaten so much the next day.  My body is clearly not used to that amount of sodium in my diet.  ..It's now a running joke with Abel's mom to not feed me chicharon- she's always double-checking that I have enough fruits and vegetables.. bless her.

Before heading home, we dropped off Mariana and Abel's mother at the bus station so they could visit some family for Easter vacation.  Abel and I were supposed to go after a scheduled photo shoot on Sunday, but stayed instead to take photos of another girl. 

On the way back to our side of the city, we drove through some crazy weather.  It had been warm and sunny all week long, but out of nowhere came a sleet storm.  Ice was hailing down on the car roof and piling up in the road.  People were driving with their hazard lights on and making small wakes in the water that was quickly rising.  Amazing.  I tried to take some photos, but I'm afraid they aren't very good... I guess you can sense the mild panic in them.

It was SLEETING!

..the rising waters

Abel working hard to keep the windows clear-

Mexico City: Episode 2

I have already experienced so much food here in Mexico City- funny that it seems so much more than in Playa. 

One of the taco stands by the street-

Limes are a staple in Mexico.

Abel and I have eaten at the local market a few times.  It is about a 20 minute walk from the apartment and has whatever you could need.  We bought a liter of fresh-squeezed orange juice for 10 pesos!  I have never had orange juice so fresh... they don't make it until you order it, and it is practically squeezed straight into your cup- Delicious!  We've eaten tacos off plates covered in plastic (cuts down on the cleaning and less waste than a paper plate), had piles of cut fruit covered in honey and muesli, quesadillas shaped like hot dog buns and even sampled some sesos... brains.  Abel's shady description of these particular fried quesadillas reminded me of the first time I tried rattle snake... my father tried to pass it off as fish.  Well... I guess I still prefer brains to pig skin.  It really wasn't so bad- salty, yes- it was just the thought that discouraged swallowing the stuff.

Check out the plastic-wrapped plate..

Mexico CIty: Episode 1

Today was my first full day in Mexico City.  I gotta say- I like it.  Well, of course I do.  I'm staying on the South side con mi amorsito corazon... he tells me it's the place of the upper-middle class.

Abel driving me from the airport-

...some cereal treats we bought from a vendor passing car to car

We spent the day consuming tacos and catching up on some much needed sleep... Hey- before you judge, know that I have been sleep-deprived for the majority of last week completing several photo projects before my flight out of the country!  (Nice to have a day off, no?)

We picked up his younger cousin from school (They were let out early, because it was the last day before their two-week Easter vacation), exchanged some money at the bank and walked a bit around the mall near Abel's apartment.  It is nice- 3 stories and it appears to be the same as any other mall found in the states- even some of the same stores.

Windows down. Music off.

The past few days I've been driving to work with my windows down and the music turned completely off.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE music, but there is something nice about feeling connected to your surroundings: listening to the sounds of your atmosphere.

I remember about a year ago I went through this phase where I did the same thing; I would turn the music off, roll the windows down, and just listen to the tires on the pavement.  The sound of the air rushing into the car almost reminded me of the beach.  For a moment I could convince myself it was so close- just out of view...

My favorite beach... Ala Moana

I could even convince myself the wind and the tires were the sound of waves crashing consistently against the side of the ship... I could imagine the walks I took on the promenade deck- the days spent smelling sea air.  I could almost smell the sea air over the smog... almost.

Houston skyline

Weather Weenie

So... today after zumba (and a bite to eat with my mom and Aunt Maisie) I found myself rushing to the car with my jacket zipped up and my hood thrown recklessly over the top of my head.  I jumped in the car and turned the heat up... I was just a touch surprised when I looked at the temperature... 73 degrees outside.  Oye- how could I ever survive in Canada?

...I'm going to say it had something to do with the workout... my body was still adjusting.  ..I clearly belong in a tropical climate.