Las Grutas de la Estrella

We stayed home this Semana Santa, and we've been enjoying the silence of the city, driving around town without traffic, and eating at some of the restaurants we've been wanting to try.

Yesterday, we took a short venture out of the city to the Grutas de la Estrella caves, about 2 hours southeast of Mexico City. They are near the spa resort town of Ixtapan de la Sal, where even a Marriott resides. Named for its resemblance to a star, the Grutas are not well-known nor written up in guide books, though I really think they should be.

The estrella-like entrance to the cave

With your entrance fee, you receive a 40-minute guided tour. I was amazed, as usual (by the caves, not the guide). No matter how many times I go, I am always taken aback by how beautifully rocks can form. Since Nevado de Toluca is nearby, I'm assuming these caves are a result of volcanic activity. And, these caves were used during pre-hispanic times and as a hiding spot during the Revolution. We didn't take the 3-4 spelunking tour, but we might go back to do it. Part of the spelunking tour requires that you jump in a pool of water, and we weren't dressed or prepared.

I don't know why the government doesn't do more to regulate this, but nearly all the natural wonders of Mexico are teeming with entrepreneurs. Maybe I'm a nature purist, but I find that sope and gordita vendors at the entrance to a cave distracting. This is one of nature's most amazing feats, something you only get to see a few times -- maybe even once -- in your life.

Getting there by car: From Mexico City, take Autopista 15 to Toluca. Go south on Autopista 55 toward Ixtapan de la Sal. In Ixtapan, take the turn-off to Tonatico. In Tonatico, follow the signs to the Grutas.

Toll: 129 pesos; Entrance fee: 20 pesos, 200 pesos more for spelunking tour

For a list of other caves in Mexico, go here.

Fake Beaches

Everyone says to stay home during Semana Santa because the roads to get anywhere you'd like to go become like giant parking lots. I was thinking that maybe if we left and returned on an off-day, we could avoid the traffic, but who am I kidding? Ten million other people are thinking the same thing.

So our idea this year is to stay in Mexico City for the 4-day weekend but find a pool or rooftop terrace to enjoy the weather. Perhaps better than that, we can enjoy the city when everyone else is on vacation.

Alas, Mayor Ebrard had been thinking upon these very things, too. If you're too poor to afford a beach vacation in Cancun or Acapulco or you can't imagine spending one more second on the road but have a hankering for the beach, you might enjoy the city's artificial beaches at your municipal pool. That's right, sand, palm trees, and beach chairs right here in the city!

These playas artificiales aren't exactly the serene beach setting you dream about in your head, but how serene could the beaches be this time of year? Honestly, the scene at these artificial beaches looks a bit scary to me. It looks like the experience in the city, with everyone fighting for a small space, be that on the street, subway, or sidewalk. As much as I want to be on the beach this Semana Santa, I think we're going to let everyone else left in the city enjoy this Ebrardian "Vamos a la Playa" campaign.

Where to find the nine artificial beaches: La Alameda Norte (Azcapotzalco), Deportivo Vida Sana (Coyoacán), Balneario Popular San Juan de Aragón (Gustavo A. Madero), Ex balneario Olímpico (Iztacalco), El Centro Deportivo Casa Popular (La Magdalena Contreras), Bosque de Tláhuac (Tláhuac), Centro Deportivo Villa Olímpica (Tlalpan), Alameda Oriente (Venustiano Carranza), and Deportivo Emilio Sáenz Ibarra (Iztapalapa).

There are just so many things in this picture that frighten me.

Showers of Pickled Pork Skins & Beer

The government just seized control of Mexico's energy firm, Luz y Fuerza del Centro, so before we go dark (something tells me to keep the candles near), I wanted to post some interesting sights from the Mexico/El Salvador game on Saturday.

I didn't see this on any fútbol highlights, but thirty seconds into the first half, men with fire extinguishers started spraying the goal to expel the swarm of bees that had attacked the field. That was quick, genius thinking until the bees just moved to another side of the field. After a wild five-minute chase, I think the bees just gave in and flew off on their own.

Then, later, goal after freakin' goal, the law of gravity was beginning to wear my patience thin. Beer was flying all over -- mostly down on our heads and faces -- from the balcony above. I mean, people came prepared with ponchos for protection against the aforementioned barbaric activity. After the game, my hair felt like I had styled it with Elmer's glue. And, oh the smell...

I suppose throwing beer is better than throwing punches

And, finally, one of the strangest foods I've ever encountered in Mexico -- pickled pork skin called cueritos. If you like salty, gummy substances, you might like this, but if you don't, you're stuck with an entire cupful. So what does a naughty foreigner do with a cupful of pickled pork skins? He throws it up in the air at the next goal. Someone got a beer and cuerito facial that day.

That portion of cuerito is about 200% too big

I prefer my pork skin deep fried

Huasca de Ocampo

I'm always ready to hop in the car on the weekends and see what's outside Mexico City, but Nick usually wants to chill in DF. You see, there's a mountain of difference between being the passenger (me) and being the driver in Mexico (always Nick because I'm too chicken). As a passenger, I can gaze lovingly at the mountains or gawk at what everyone's selling on the side of the road. Nick, on the other hand, focuses his attention on avoiding an accident while trying to feign interest in my "Ooh, we should stop and buy some of those mangoes they're selling" or "You don't want to stop and grab something to eat here?" comments. So, on the rare occasion that Nick suggests we go somewhere, I know it's a much needed vacation.

On my mental list of places to visit I put Huasca de Ocampo in Hidalgo state as a lovely day trip destination. I read about it once in some obscure publication, and the pictures of waterfalls enchanted me. AND, per my obsession with Pueblo Mágicos, I was very excited to visit Huasca, Mexico's first designated Pueblo Mágico and also close to Real del Monte, another Pueblo Mágico. Since Huasca is a one-with-nature kind of place, we booked a cabin, packed our bug spray and were off.

Amazingly, Huasca is still so undeveloped that we had to take an unpaved road for approximately 5 kilometers before reaching our cabin. Upon rolling into our cozy weekend home, El Huariche, we got giddy about having the chance to fish, sit on green grass, see the stars, and not hear a single unnatural sound.

The road to Huasca de Ocampo

The first thing we did was fish, but after two hours, we lost our patience. Nick did catch some things but nothing edible. Just a plastic cup and two branches. :) My brother -- the most prolific fisherman I know -- would have been embarrassed by my technique and our use of Serrano ham as bait. For the rest of the day, we picnicked on a patch of green grass and relaxed with our books. Grass is one thing I miss A LOT living in a land of concrete.

Our 'lil cabaña Mariposa

We're renting this tree house next time. 'Cuz how many times in your life do you get the chance?

Fishing made me realize I have the patience of a 10-year-old.

If it's there, why not light it?

The next day, we went to the Primas de Basálticos to see the famed waterfalls and unique rock formations. It was one of the most amazing geological phenomena I have ever seen! Cut down into a canyon are columns of polygon-shaped basalt flows that look like they were chiseled by hand and then placed side-by-side. Thanks to Wiki, I learned that this is a very rare geological phenomenon called Columnar Jointed Basalt.

I looked down and almost didn't make it across.

Photography tip #1: Slowing your camera's shutter speed can make you look like a pro. :)

And, on the way out, we swung by Real del Monte to preview our next road trip. Remnants of old mining equipment still dot the town, and the colorful town square reminded me of what Guanajuato might have looked like before the tourist/expat invasion. Pastes were everywhere, so we stuffed ourselves with these butter bombs, and happily made our way back to our crazy city lives.

Our next road trip -- Real del Monte, Hidalgo

When In Enemy Territory, Wear Your Colors Timidly OR ELSE...

After a few naughty fingers, evil stares, and a threat to beat us up after the game, we're ALIVE!! And all this maliciousness brought on by wearing a USA jersey at the game. We had some hesitation, er, fear, that wearing a USA jersey in a sea of Mexican green might bring on some undesired attention, but our Brooklyn-blooded-I-have-NO-fear friends were expecting us to bleed red, white, and blue along with them. So we compromised and stashed our jerseys in my bag until we reached our seats. You know, 'cuz if there was ever a time to be low-profile, this day was it.

Once we reached our **UH-MAZING** seats (thanks to super fan, Dwight, who vigilently stood in line at Ticketmaster for us), we donned our jerseys and Dwight proudly hung up the American flag. It just so happened that we were fortified by a large cement wall -- aka the beer retaining wall -- and barbed wire, and the people in our section seemed somewhat more civilized than the average beer-throwing, taunting young gun. All turned out to be very good things once we realized that we were not in good company.

One day we will show this to our children and advise them that branding your colors on enemy territory might get you beaten up.

There were taunts like, "Yankee go home" and "America sucks," and every time the Mexican team scored a goal, people physically turned their bodies and launched all their anger and pent-up George Bush hatred towards us to suck up. The odds were 6 to 120,000.

Well, the game didn't go well (now we know why: Donovan has AH1N1) , and when Mexico made the second goal in the final minutes of the match, we quickly untied the flag, took off our jerseys, and filed out of the stadium as fast as we could. One young 'un in particular really wanted to fight us, and at that point, we decided to lay down our American pride and walk out with lowered heads. Disappointing. Exhilirating. A once in a lifetime experience.

Here are a few more pictures of the game:

Estadio Azteca seats nearly 120,000 riled up Mexican fans.

The starting line-up

Per Mexican machismo, the pretty girl parade during half-time

This bad boy enjoyed turning around and flinging the finger at us.

Todos Santos

I admit that I'm a sucker for the "Pueblo Mágico" tourism program, a sort of domestic UNESCO World Heritage designation by the Mexican government. Local and state governments apply for the designation, and if the Tourism Secretary deems a pueblo to be of historical, cultural, or ecological worthiness (with other strings attached), then the pueblo goes up on a distinguished list. Definitely a tourist trap and money-making endeavor, but I'd like to think good people are behind this who truly believe in sharing and preservation. 

Last week, while in Cabo, Amy and I took a 1-hour bus ride up the Pacific coast to Todos Santos, one of the 35 Pueblos Mágicos. With the Pacific Ocean on the left and open land on the right, this could have been anywhere. Then, the pueblitos appear; first Los Cerritos, then Pescadero, and finally Todos Santos. I was very tempted to haul myself off the bus at Los Cerritos after catching a glimpse of the deserted surf beaches. Aahhh... for another time, I thought.

Todos Santos was unlike the other Pueblo Mágicos I've been to. It is sleepy beach town meets San Miguel de Allende. There are both surfers and expats walking the streets, seafood restaurants lining the highway, and art galleries along the main street, Calle Jaurez. Todos Santos is home to the Hotel California, and while Don Henley and the Eagles claim to affiliation with the hotel, I think they like to keep up the mystique. Apparently, a man named Antonio "El Chino" Wong Tobasco opened the Hotel California in 1950, and he was known to sell Chinese food in his restaurant. Chop suey, perhaps?

Calle Jaurez, where most of the art galleries are and the Hotel California

Jill Logan's gallery 

Exterior of the Hotel  California

Mango trees everywhere in Baja California Sur

Cabo: Mexico's Poshest Vacation Destination

Greetings from Cabo San Lucas! A friend from the States booked us a vacation through her timeshare, and I assumed it was going to be a condominium complex with a quiet beach and an older crowd. Unbeknownst to us, our timeshare is part of Cabo's poshest seen-and-be-seen hotel, the ME Cabo on Médano Beach. According to Frommer's, the ME Cabo has "VIP teepees, and the live DJ music keeps the party here going day and night. If you've come to Cabo to party, this is your place." Imagine how we felt--our country-bumpkin selves--showing up amongst life's primped and plastic specimen. (Yes, that's Terrell Owens, former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver, strolling the grounds.) But, I can't complain. We open our curtains in the morning and stare at the Pacific Ocean from bed! 

The weekend has passed, and the partiers have mostly gone home. We are here for the rest of the week, and so far, we've planted ourselves on the beach, snorkeled and kayaked. Later this week, we're going on a bus adventure to Todos Santos, a Pueblo Mágico about 1 hour northwest of Los Cabos on the western shore. Amy's never been on a Mexican bus, so I feel obliged to share this unique experience with her.

Cabo is undergoing an LA-ification, and Californians have brought their price tags with them. (There's me in the photo going after my beloved mango, which ended up costing me 50 pesos.) Lunch and dinners run 200 pesos on the cheap, and taxis are 100 pesos for a hop into town. I heard some long-time Cabo vacationers lament that it's been changing a lot recently, but that is the case in many beach towns across Mexico. For a more secluded and lower-priced vacation, locals recommend La Paz. 

FINALLY!! Summer Vacation

It's SUMMMMMERRRR!!! It came a little later than usual, not just because Mexican kids are in school until the beginning of July, but swine flu pushed the closing of school back one week. So, as I sit here on my first official day of summer, I'm pleased by the blank palate in front of me. And I'm really trying to make the most of it because, who knows, this blank palate may not be so blank next summer :). 

One of the major differences about this summer is that I'm now married. That makes it harder to jet-set off by myself without feeling bad or lonely without my husband (and also my bestest friend and travel companion). Without a care in the world, I used to fly out to faraway places the week school was out and stay out until the last possible week. Oh, the joys of youth, singleness, and paid summers off. 

The second major difference is that, instead of two, I'm down to one month of summer vacay. I know, pobrecita me! For the one month, I've come up with some tentative plans:

• Do some schoolwork ('cuz I can never get it fully off my mind). I have a grand plan of making big songbooks of annoying, but great, ESL songs. And perhaps learn to the play the guitar well enough to make merry music in the classroom.

• Prepare an ESL training seminar about teaching English through the usual (songs, poetry, games) but also through the use of amazing children's literature as a springboard to writing. Schooling here is still very traditional and textbook-heavy. 

• Travel un poco. I can't be here in Mexico and not hit up the beach or Oaxaca. In 2007, I arranged to be in Oaxaca for the summer, learn more about the indigenous arts, and study Spanish. Then, the love bug bit me, and I cancelled those plans and followed my love to wherever he was. So now's my chance, and I'm hoping to go to Guelaguetza. Know of any other exciting festivals in July and August?

• Study Spanish. I've felt a lag in my Spanish, as communicating with children can be rife with repetition and command forms, i.e. Hazlo! Dámelo! Escuchame! I need to work on preterite vs. imperfect, future hypotheticals, and general fluency. 

• Read, run, cook, and be crafty cool. Take a look at Etsy and be acquainted with some of the coolest crafters ever born.
  

Oh, and by the way, we completed the "My Life Project" this week, and the kids were very proud of their work. I did take digital photos of the prints to show you, but the images were erased off my camera. I learned a thing or two about giving cameras to kids who have a questionable sense of responsibility, but the final products were fantastic and worth it!

I Heart Guanajuato!!

It's always San Miguel de Allende this and San Miguel de Allende that within the expat community, but why aren't more people talking about Guanajuato? I'm just back from a short trip out there, and I have been completely won over. 

Guanajuato--the entire town--is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Designated so in 1988, it means that the town is subject to strict building regulations--a plus if you're looking to find a piece of Old World Spain in the new world. There are very few streets where cars can even fit (and, trust me, they do try hard in impossibly narrow places), which leaves Guanajuato an enchanting maze of cobblestone alleys called callejones. The streets are so up and down that you are forced to be fit. And forced to be lost. In fact, from the moment I stepped out of the taxi in town, I was lost. But, later you realize that "lost" sightseeing is part of Guanajuato's charm. There are hidden alleys, plazas, theaters, and quaint homes, many of which are marked by their famous inhabitants:

"Here was born the famous composer Chucho Elizarraraz"

Pita, from Casa de Pita, welcomed me into her home on Callejón Cabecita, just steps from one of the main theaters. She partitioned the home of her childhood into five guestrooms and renovated each one with ceramic tiles from Santa Rosa and Dolores Hidalgo. If you're obsessed like me or even just appreciate traditional pottery, this place is lovely eye candy. And next to her "office" is an easel, where she's currently working on a Frida Kahlo piece. Ahhh... don't we all wish we could dabble in our hobbies at work?

Pita serves you a delicious breakfast right at her kitchen table (although, that's a  picture of mine)

Here's what the view looks like from just about any hill you walk up. This was taken while walking up to the Pípila statue, a hero from the Mexican war of Independence. 

Guanajuato is like a natural stairmaster machine--at no moment will you be walking on a flat surface. Can you imagine what it would take to move in to or out of a house in this town? I saw two guys each carrying three garrafones of water on their back without looking like they were going to pass out. I was having a hard time putting one foot in front of the other. 

Guanajuato's most famous potter, Gorky Gonzalez, has a workshop in town, and if you want to see well-done examples of the traditional Mayólica style, you should go. I'm a little "heavier" now with some new pieces of pottery, and when I have more time, I'm trekking up to Santa Rosa and Dolores Hidalgo to visit the workshops and learn their techniques. There's also an English-language bookstore called "Donkey Jote" across from the Diego Rivera Museum (Pocitos #30), and Colleen from Wisconsin lovingly lugs each and every book down from the US. Again, I couldn't help myself and added just a smidge more to my collection of children's books. 

And so, with my first solo journey within Mexico over, I am indebted to all the kind souls I met along the way. Thanks to Pita, her sister Pila, Kathleen from Chicago, and Oscar and his new bride, Guinevere, from Montreal; to shopkeeper Pancho (who I accidentally called 'Ancho') for keeping me hydrated with an assortment of sugary drinks; and, to Guanajuato...I'll be back.

Wow, that IS a nice home you've got there!!

Our lease is up soon, and we've been snooping around the neighborhood for somewhere else to live. Perhaps somewhere...cheaper? quieter? But, HOLY COW!!, the first place we saw just one block away was over $1 million dollars!! Look what you can get for a mere $243,000 in Patzcuaro. Not just an apartment, a 3-bedroom house! Oh, one day, I'm hoping to have a dream hacienda such as this... 

By the way, if you, too, dream of owning a hacienda or want to feel like you live in one, I recommend going to Fonart (for those of you here in Mexico City) for Talavera, handcarved wooden furniture, tapestries, and pottery. I've been to three different stores, and the one on Avenida Patriotismo is the largest and has the best selection. If you're always taking your guests to the crap Ciudadela Market for their souvenirs, considering just going to Fonart. 

A few things on my wishlist:

Talavera from Puebla

A handcarved comedor

Cerámicas from Michoacán

Cinépolis VIP

Rewind my life back about a month, and every Thursday or Friday I was asked, "What do you want to do this weekend?" (aka "You wanna go to that movie theater Luis told us about?") 

Soo... the thing is, Nick REALLY likes movies. And the boy really likes to drink, too. So when our friend, Luis, told us about a place he likes to go where you can do both, Nick was really excited to go. Because, you know, there are just some things in your past American life that you wish you had here, and the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin was one of those places. You could drink Shiners, eat fried pickles, and watch both new and classic movies. And sometimes have Michael Jackson sing-a-longs on the big screen. 

Now fast forward to last weekend, and we made it to that movie theater: the Cinépolis VIP!! I can't really explain to you how VIP it is, except that it was one of the most surreal experiences of my life, having felt like I stepped into the space pod of luxury. We reclined in our leather loveseat, propped up our feet, ate sushi, and drank beers. Everything short of a martini.

The ticket price? A lavish 115 pesos ($9 and nearly three times the price of a regular movie ticket) per person! And, in the end, I was so captivated by the throws of luxury that I didn't even pay attention to the movie. It's truly, truly, truly an absurd price to pay in such a poverty stricken country, but it is one of the finest displays of what private sector/individuals/this country can do if they put their mind to it. 

Apparently, this concept is so popular that the tickets sell out. Buy online here, have the reservation/receipt texted to your phone, show the text to the ticket collector, and you're in. 

Cinépolis VIP: Located at your nearest mega mall

THE BAR!!!

THE LOUNGE!!!

THE THEATER!!!

Probably not good for digestion to throw down some beers and eat while laying at a 145 degree angle

Tequisquiapan, Querétaro

Last weekend we went puebleando-ing (pueblo-hopping) to Tequisquiapan, a small town located in Querétaro state and about 2.5 from Mexico City. Tequis is well-known for its wine and cheese production, and every year, they host the national wine and cheese festival. So, of course, we had to check this out! 

At the turn-off for Tequis is a small town called San Juan Del Rio. San Juan Del Rio doesn't seem to have that much to offer a puebloando-er like myself, but one thing that might be of interest to a tourist, and maybe a Mexican, too, is the slice of America you get while traveling through to get to Tequis. It is so blatantly unnatural that I'm sure it makes everyone kind of go, "Whoa, where are we?!?!" So what is this bit of America in San Juan Del Rio?

I give San Juan Del Rio the distinction of having THE nicest road I've ever seen in Mexico. It's paved beautifully, not a single pothole, fashionable street lamps, modern traffic signals, green grass medians, and flat sidewalks. Even just one of these amenities might draw a notice, so you can imagine how the sight of ALL of these might alter your sensibilities. There are an unusual number of multi-national factories along this stretch of road, so who bribed who to have this road installed is anybody's guess. 

Right about where the nice road ends, Tequis welcomes you with its own nice windy, cobblestone streets. The Zócalo has a magnificent church, and there are cheese shops or artisan stalls on nearly every street. If woven baskets are your thing, this is the place to enhance your collection. Unlike other pueblos, Tequis' Zócalo is blocked off the car traffic, which means the young 'uns aren't driving by at a snail's pace and blasting their reggatón while you're trying to have a peaceful lunch or coffee on the plaza. I like that. A lot.

So we came here for the wine and cheese festival, but I wouldn't recommend it to those actually interested in trying new wines and cheeses. It was so disappointing that I actually don't have that much to write about it except that this festival was an ode to the infamous, low-budget Riunite Lambrusco. It was kind of fun, or more like funny, watching everyone drink Riunite. If you're really interested in trying the area's wine and cheese, there are some wineries and cheese producers that open their facilities to tours. 

The festival was a bust, but the town's a gem, and you're always guaranteed an adventure when you go puebloando-ing. AND, driving conditions/skills are looking brighter, and we managed to only get in like 5 near-death accidents on the highway!