Friday, June 06, 2008
Mexico City (again)
**Loyal Blog Checkers - This is the long lost final post from last summer's trip to Mexico that inexplicably was never posted. Also, check back soon for details of this summer's adventure.***
Our favorite taco vendor in Mexico City, Noe. We had visited him at the beginning of the trip, and he remembered us. "It's a miracle!" he said in Spanish as we approached him again.
Noe's amazing tacos (notice the pineapple...nice)
If you're reading this, you should get some sort of medal for still checking our sadly neglected blog. Sorry for the ridiculously long hiatus. Spread the word, though, because we are off in about two weeks for our next summer adventure. You'll have to tune in later to find out where to. Okay, back to Mexico...
We ended our adventure where we had begun...in bustling, cultural, cool Mexico City. We first went to the Museum of Anthropology, which was excellent! Outside the museum we saw these local indigenous guys that hang upside down from a pole and twirl around. It's an old custom of theirs. Erika remembered seeing them when she visited Mexico for the first time at age nine. Chapultepec Park (Mexico City's Central Park) was closing when we left the museum, but we could see the families and paddle boaters and viewed an interesting photography exhibit along the outside fence.
--Brent
The 10 ft. in diameter Sun Stone, which served as the Aztec calendar
The jade death-mask of Pakal, the Maya King from Palenque
The daring Totonac people performing the rite called "voladores" which has them spinning around this pole at 60 ft. high
A couple enjoys the serenity of Chapultapec Park
Brent admiring a photography exhibit along the entrance to the park
We hadn't drunk anything alcoholic our entire trip in Mexico (except many samples of mescal in Oaxaca), and we felt that our last night in Mexico was just the time to hit that bit of culture. So Brent took me to this very hole-in-the-wall pulqueria (a specific kind of Mexican drink) which was full of semi-drunk old men and a few not very upstanding women. I definitely felt out of place, but the talkative crowd welcomed us in heartily and Brent got a large jug filled with a neon green, anti-freeze looking lemon pulque. I just tried a sip. Brent was coaxed onto the small dance floor by a drunk, toothless woman with a cigarette in hand, and although several drunk old men tried to persuade me, I declined and told Brent I thought our time here was through. It was definitely a fun, unique and bizarre experience!
--Erika
Mercado de la Merced, a bustling line of stalls selling to mostly locals that led us to the pulqueria
Brent hoisting up his neon-colored pulque
The jovial locals who shared a drink with us
After much goading, Brent finally gave in to a quick dance
Erika's body language says, "Take the picture and let's get out of here."
The pulqueria was followed up with El Nivel, the first cantina in Mexico, which opened in 1872. It was right by the zocalo and had some good ambiance. No food, only some tequila here. By the sound of this, we might appear to be avid drinkers, but we're really not. Then we ate at the most amazing restaurant (rated top 5 in all of Mexico) called Cafe de Tacuba. Seriously the BEST chicken enchiladas Erika or I had ever had. Erika even said she didn't want to eat them because she didn't want them to be gone.
--Brent
The bustling scene at historic cantina, El Nivel
Enjoying the best enchiladas on the planet!
The next day-- which was our last day--we visited the Palacio de Bellas Artes in the morning, which contained the largest Frida Kahlo exhibit ever assembled to honor her 100th birthday. It really blew me away! It was a good thing we didn't wait too long to get there, because when we left, the line was backed up well outside the building.
So with backpacks and extra souvenir bag in hand, we somehow managed the crowded subways to the airport and flew back home to Texas again. I'm so glad we decided to take this last minute spontaneous trip! And of course, on the way home we were already planning our next Mexico adventure to Copper Canyon and Baja...but who knows where we will end up next!
--Erika
The stylish, art-deco interior of the Palacio de Bellas Artes, where the Frida exhibit was housed
The insanely long line as we left the museum
Goodbye, Mexico! We'll see you again!
