Puebla April 2024

We returned to Mexico because it was a refreshing experience. Mexico has much more variety than we give it credit for in the US. The stereotype for my generation was the sombrero and desert or the beaches in Acapulco. Now I'm finding that there are so many options. We tried to stay away from the tourist spots. This visit I'm 600 straight days into learning Spanish, so I'm definitely twice as ready to speak and listen.

Mexico is both a big country and varied in climate, geology and cultures. We are travelers who like a bit of adventure beyond tourist resorts. We like our luxury but we also want to experience the cultural of our locale. We will spend money on exciting things but save a lot of money by foregoing what may be usual. This trip we didn't have enough researched ahead of time. We were surprised by the water shortage a month ahead and afterwards found out about the volcano erupting in February, 2024.

The luxuries we enjoyed were good food out at restaurants all the time - no cooking. We enjoyed a hot springs for a day, but not the massage we planned but never did. This time I was able to do more. I did not have altitude sickness. But we did notice that the altitude took its' toll. We were tired. We walked to the elevator and were out of breath.

Our return

This guy kind of took over this whole bench just when I needed a rest. I was out very early, so there weren't many people on the street. I did come across school children lining up for school and workers waiting for their buses. 0967

This sidewalk was worn very smooth from many feet over many decades. This looks like stone. I went out for an early morning walk to get the best light on my pictures. The daytime sun can wash away the beautiful colors. I found an interesting avenue that is closed to car traffic north of the town square. There were many beautiful statues in the same style features in the streets. I ended up in the town square where I happened on a tour bus. THIS was the tourist spot. I found a great, colorful, brightly decorated restaurant to eat in. I called Karen and gave my location. She Ubered over and we met.

Respecting the Culture

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This building allowed people to put their bicycles inside. What a wonderful place. I didn't notice if they were locked. They had a HUGE foyer that had space for maybe 4 bicycles total. I'm pro bike and so are they. 7113

This is a view of Mexico City traffic at about 2pm near where we stayed. 7146

This is a map of pollution for the Mexico City/Puebla area. Puebla is the area we visited for a while. Good choice! 7055

One of the bedrooms had this wood beam ceiling (supported by iron bars) 7139

I love the tile patterns and the contrast with the shower curtain. Very high energy. 7140

There was a long table that probably seats 12 people if the chairs were smaller. There were only 2 bedrooms so I'm not sure where the other people were coming from. The table was made from an old wooden door. Clearly this is a rehab building from a historic building attached to a large public school. 7142

This is a decorative glass table in the AirBnB. Solid glass. In an AirBnB. Just.Waiting.To.Break. No rubber feet or cushions for sliding it around. Just glass. 7143

The living room area was open to the kitchen. It had a stone wall on one side and interesting arched ceilings. 7144

The drought caused water shortage which were managed by a water use schedule. 4904

We have had wonderful experiences here in Ciudad de Mexico. We had a long conversation at the local bakery with a woman practicing her English and we practiced our Spanish. She has a daughter living in NYC who works long hours. Sounded like she missed her daughter. She reached out to us. It was a wonderful meeting for us all. This is what makes travel beautiful.

We also met a French guy living in Mexico. He was our waiter at a pizza place called Mezza Mezza in the San Rafael neighborhood. So, to recap, we met a Spanish speaking French man serving Italian pizzas.

So many Asian Indians, other Asian, Jewish people even. I was amazed at how many Asians were in Mexico City, even Puebla. We saw signs of Jewish people there as well, but very few Black people. There was an apartment down the hall that had a constant group of 4 or more Asian men playing cards around their dining room table with the door open. We saw an Indian Asian man conducting a transaction of about 2400 pesos which is about $300. I figured he was cashing his check. If he worked 40 hours, he was making about $7 an hour. Do you think he worked more?

Sun Factor

The sun is intense here even if it is not hot all the time. The temperatures range from a daily high of about 75 degrees Fahrenheit to a low in the mid 50s. The intensity of the sun is strong because of the proximity to the equator. So it's nice to have the constant cloud cover of the threatening rains. We're much closer to the equator, say at the range of Haiti or Puerto Rico, but the 7500 foot elevation tempers that full sun feel. If there is no cloud cover the sun quickly becomes intense.

Pandemic Pandemonium

For two and a half years I've mostly existed inside my apartment. I'm a social person and my perspective is now very different. I have been afraid and pandemic fear is what drives my isolation. Planning and undertaking this overseas trip has been a challenge. Even as the time of departure approached it was almost unbelievable. I wasn't excited like I used to be. Fear took a lot of that away. I am out of the habit of travel. Travel seemed like just a lot of work. Fear drove me to over plan this trip. We did lots of research on every aspect - with reading blogs and watching YouTubes. Now I've got the chance to regain that enjoyment of the adventure. I want to enjoy the serendipity again. I want to enjoy meeting people and seeing new places and exploring cultures. We have so much planned but I don't want it to be all busy. This is also a special kind of downtime.

I've also learned something about myself in this pandemic. And I've changed. I'm examining what motivates me now. My fundamental perspective has changed. Before I was fearless. My often shared quote was /a little sarcastically/ "what could possibly go wrong?". I would then laugh. Now I'm better at imagining what could go wrong. I worry now like no other time. I really want the old me back. I don't know if that is possible. My core has changed or adapted. I didn't know such a change was possible. I wasn't trying to change.

Travel at this time

I don't mean to have a bad Altitude, but...

it's worth mentioning the altitude again. 7500 feet of altitude has less oxygen. It took me three days to adjust in the most basic way. I have not had this much trouble in previous high altitude environments, but I wasn't 65 then either. After three days I feel good but now I've got to get back in shape. I don't have a bike to ride so the last day or so I take the stairs up five flights to get exercise. We walk a lot in the city too. After a little bit of exercise I'm pretty winded.