All Aboard the Tequila Train!

The long-awaited trip to Guadalajara was this weekend! Jess and I hopped on a bus Friday morning and made the 6-hour trek to Guadalajara, Jalisco to do the tequila train and to have a Friendsgiving dinner. When we arrived on Friday, we got a tour of Kendra’s pad, where we stayed, and we walked around downtown Guadalajara a little bit but not before eating at La Chata. It’s one of the most famous restaurants in Guadalajara. The line was about 30 people long and it was a sit-down restaurant! Thankfully, the wait wasn’t too long. The food was delicious. I had the best horchata I’ve tried here in Mexico! When we got back to Kendra’s we met up with more people and headed to a bar for a little bit. It was nice to be reunited with fellow Fulbrighters! Needless the say, the night ended in street tacos.

Saturday was tequila train day! When we got to the station, they had complimentary pan dulce, juice, and hotchata and mariachi music while we waited to board the train. The train left at 11AM and got back around 8PM. When we boarded the Jose Cuervo Express, we were offered complimentary drinks the whole ride to Tequila, Jalisco. They served bottomless caballitos (tequila shots), palomas (tequila with Squirt), vampiros (tequila, Squirt, and sangrita), and frozen margaritas. We were on the train for about two hours to get to Tequila, admiring all the agave plants we passed on the way (what tequila is made from).

We were greeted in Tequila by a mariachi band! We went to a band shell where there were two small glasses of tequila, coffee beans, and the fibers of the tequila plant waiting for us at each seat. We learned how to drink tequila in a way that it doesn’t burn your throat as much. Then we toured the tequila distillery to see the process of making tequila, while rocking hairnets. Once the leaves are off the plants, they burn the root, take the liquid from burning it, and ferment it. Depending on how long the liquid is in the container for, that’s how the different kinds of tequila are made. There’s 5 different kinds and the longer it’s preserved for the darker the color and richer the taste. We were able to have samples along the way.

After the tour, we were given about an hour of free time to eat and walk around Tequila, which is a pueblo magico. There were street vendors selling jewelry, shirts, jams, everything. We found a seafood restaurant and I tried birria for the first time, which was recommended to me by my landlady. It’s beef in a thin sauce. It was good! When we returned to the distillery, we watched a man show us how they cut the leaves of the agave plant, listened to mariachi, and watched a folkloric dance. Then we boarded the train and headed back to Guadalajara (again, with unlimited tequila drinks). We even played bingo on the way back!

At night, we went to a salsa club called Gran Salon Corona! It’s like Mambo Café in Toluca expect better. The entrance fee was less, the music was better, there were dance performances throughout the night, and there were guys with shirts that said “dance with me” in Spanish! We stole some of their moves. There was even a raffle and we won!

Sunday was Friendsgiving! Once we started our day, we found a church in downtown Guadalajara to go to mass then we hunted for postcards for a good 30 minutes. Then we headed to Charllotte’s house for Friendsgiving! There were about 25 people in total from Fulbrighters and their Mexican friends to tutors and their families. We started the meal by going around the table saying was we are grateful for. It was great to be able to share our tradition with people who have never heard of or celebrated Thanksgiving before. They were very thankful for the invitation. It was potluck style so we had tons of delicious food. I made candied yams (for the first time) and they turned out pretty well taste-wise. I might have completely melted the marshmallows on top. Oops. We ate turkey, gravy, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, yams, salad, mini sandwiches, rolls, Oreo balls, pumpkin pie, apple crisp, Oreo pie, and more! It was nice to be able to celebrate with our American and Mexican family and friends.

Taxco: The Silver Capital

This weekend's destination was the silver capital of Mexico: Taxco! The plan was for about 6 of us to go to Malinalco but people couldn't go last minute so my travel partner, Bruno, and I set out for Taxco. It's only about a 2-hour drive from Toluca. The toll sysytem here is crazy compared to the states. I think a toll in the Chicagoland area is $1.50 and that's without an iPass. Here it can be as much as $250 pesos in one booth and you have to go through 6 booths to get to your destination. This is because there are toll roads and free roads. The toll roads are a lot safer and better paved. The route to Taxco wasn't too expensive though.

As soon as we arrived, we did the most important thing: looked for food. We found a nice place in downtown Taxco where we were able to sit on the roof. It had about 3 roofs. We sat on the highest one...after climbing more than 100 stairs. The view was beautiful. We were able to see all of Taxco and Santa Prisca (the main church) in the downtown area. All of the houses and buildings in Taxco are white with earth-tone red roofs. We shared a molcajete. It's a bowl made of black stone that's filled with different kinds of meats, onions, cheese, and cactus. It's devine. After linner (lunch/dinner), we found a hotel. It had a courtyard and an awesome view from the roof. Then we walked around a little bit and found out that the Feria Nacional de la Plata happening that weekend. They had a stage set up outside of the church and we got to see Alexander Acha perform his radio song "Te Amo"! After that, we found an antro to dance. where Bruno paid them to play salsa music. We took a taxi back to the hotel. All the taxis in Taxco are Volkswagon Beetles! And they don't have a passengar seat because it's easier for people to climb in back that way.

When we woke up on Sunday, we went to mass at Santa Prisca. It has all sorts of decorations behind the altar and on the walls. The picture does a better job explaining. Then we had brunch on a balcony of a restaurant that overlooks the zócoalo. There were performers taking part in a traditional Mexican dance right outside the restaurant so we were able to watch while we ate. Then we did what we came to do: buy silver! I love silver rings so I went home with two. I also bought some gifts for family and friends. It's really inexpensive for silver. I got a matching necklace and earring set of a mutli-colored daisy. We did some sight-seeing, had some ice cream, then hit the road back to Toluca.

Festival Internacional del Globo

PUENTE! (Three-day weekend!) Jess and I went dancing at Mambo Café Friday night with some teacher friends. It was a blast! We danced all night long. It was nice to have a Ladies Night. The first one we’ve had in Mexico!

And what better way to spend the rest of the three-day weekend than traveling? We went to Leon, Guanajuato for the Festival internacional del globo (international hot air balloon festival). We left early Saturday morning to get there around 2. The traffic was TERRIBLE. We pulled into the parking lot at 8:30PM but we also stopped for the delicious strawberries and cream pictured above, dinner and to buy the tickets. You had to buy tickets in advance and most people, including us, bought them at an Oxxo (gas station). Once we arrived, we unloaded the cars and set up a 12-person tent to camp! The festival was around a small lake so we set up the tent next to the water to get a good view of the balloons that would inflate on the other side of the lake. Once we set up camp, we walked to the other side of the lake to check out the festival. They had 3 stages with performers, a food area, and sidewalk vendors. We had some late night tacos. Nothing beats Mexican tacos. Not sure how I’ll survive once I’m back in the states. When we wandered back to the tent, we played cards, talked, sang and Jess played the guitar all until 4:30AM.

Two hours later we woke up to see the balloons take off Sunday morning. There were so many clever designs! There was a darth vador helmet, Spongebob Squarepants, a clock, Angry Birds, a whale, a bumblebee, and many more! We dragged ourselves over to the other side of the lake to watch them inflate and take off. They inflate so quickly! They stretch out the deflated balloon and lay it on its side and blow it up with a giant fan. Then they start the fire to make it rise! It all happens in less than 10 minutes. I thought it would take a lot longer. We had some traditional Mexican food for breakfast then bounced. Leon is known for their shoes so we HAD to stop at the mall. There’s an outlet mall with mostly shoe stores that we went to. I behaved and didn’t buy any. I only bought food. I’m not sure what that says about me… Anyway, my travel buddy, Bruno, and I headed to Guanajuato for the rest of the weekend. But not before rescuing Jess, Manual, Pepe, and Laura. Pepe’s car died. It was a good 12 hours trek home for them because they car they drove home in kept breaking down. When Bruno and I got to Guanajuato, we admired the beautiful view from the parking garage and found some food. We ate at a nice Italian restaurant that is in the heart of downtown Guanajuato. Then we went back to a bar we had been to before to dance! I wish people in the states danced like they do here. We danced salsa, cumbia and bachata. The bar closed pretty early because it was a Sunday night so we called it a day.

We got to sleep in on Monday because no one had to work due to Mexican Revolution Day. It’s celebrated as a 3-day weekend but really it’s on Thursday, November 20. Once we finally got going, we ate at a restaurant on a bridge! That was a first for me. It was a cute little bridge that people could walk under, over one of the side streets in the downtown area. Then we saw the Callejon del beso. It’s a stair that people kiss on because a woman sacrificed herself for her love when her father tried to kill the boyfriend. It happened across two balconies that are less than a foot apart. The father ended up stabbing his daughter and she fell onto the stair, where her boyfriend kissed her for the last time. Then we walked around downtown Guanajuato to see what the vendors had to offer. I bought a handful of flower crowns to prep for future EDCs. They even had a machine with pressed pesos! I didn’t even know those existed. After walking around for a while we headed back to Toluca to start the short week.

Halfway to EDC

Took another trip to the capital this weekend for Halfway to EDC! I love going to Mexico City, especially La Condesa. There’s so much diversity for one neighborhood and it’s just so cute! I feel so independent taking public transportation. I even knew where to go this time! I headed over to Julie and Anna’s apartment on Friday. Julie and I went for a walk around La Condesa and got fro-yo. Oh how I’ve missed fro-yo! Then Anna joined us and we got our butts kicked by a Crossfit class. It was in the garage of an apartment and the class fee included a protein shake. The moves weren’t even that difficult but I was sore for a good 5 days after. After our workout, we treated ourselves to sushi. And when I say treated, I mean TREATED. A roll of sushi was about $20USD. It was delicious though, and I would have expected nothing less! By the end of the night we were in a night club where there were about 7 dance circles with middle-aged people getting there groove on to 80s music. It was quite the sight. Then we somehow got into one of the best club in Mexico City by acting like we were non-Spanish speaking friends of a blogger from New York. I still don’t know how they believed us.

Saturday was the big day! We prepped by taking the subway system to the mall to see what we needed for the concert. The mall was a no-go so we headed over to some shops by the zócalo and low and behold, Forever 21 pulled though! We had the most delicious and largest tortas on the way home. Then we went to Halfway to EDC! Mexico wasn’t quite ready for EDC. There were no bejeweled bras or furry boots. We looked pretty crazy in our floral crowns and floral-print tops. There were strangers asking to take pictures with us. The awesome thing about EDC events is that they have music AND rides. For free. They even had an adult-size teeter-totter. One side of the event was for 20 and under and the other side was for 21+. The music was awesome. I even got to go to the VIP. Each table had their own server and bottle service. After the show, we used the same line to get into the same club as Friday night. The music was even better at the club Saturday night! I was surprised at the amount of English speakers. It was a lot of fun.

Sunday was a sleep recovery day. When we woke up, we had Domino’s pizza for breakfast. That was a first. Then I headed back to good old Toluca. But not before I bought my tickets to the REAL EDC in February!

Día de los Muertos

I was fortunate enough to spend Day of the Dead in MEXICO! One of my fellow Fulbrighters was kind enough to organize a trip for a group of us to go to Pátzcuaro, Michoacán. We heard this was the place to be so about 14 of us headed to Morelia, the capital of Michoacán on Friday. We stayed in Morelia for the weekend in a cute little hotel with free breakfast. Once everyone arrived on Friday, we were starved so we found a cool-looking restaurant. It was great catching up with people I hadn’t seen since orientation. We came from all over Mexico. We had some delicious food, divine wine, and chatted for hours. After dinner we found a beer festival near the hotel. I actually met someone who lived near Toluca and we had a mutual friend! Small world. We didn’t stay out too late because we know we were going to have a big day on Saturday!

As part of this planned trip, the hotel for two nights was included as well as transportation to and from Pátzcuaro Saturday night and a tour around the area. The planned activities didn’t start until the sunset, though. So in the morning we walked around downtown Morelia. They have a sweets MALL so I was in heaven. There was also an ofrendas (offerings or alters) contest. Families, schools, etc. set up alter to honor the souls of deceased loved ones. There were about 30 different ofrendas. Typical ofrendas have the following:

• Candles- Candles are lit to welcome the spirits back to their altars.

• Marigolds- These yellow-orange flowers, also called cempasúchitl, symbolize death. Their strong fragrance also helps lead the dead back to their altars. Marigold petals may also be sprinkled on the floor in front of the altar, or even sprinkled along a path from the altar to the front door, so that the spirit may find her way inside.

• Incense- Most commonly, copal incense, which is the dried aromatic resin from a tree native to Mexico. The scent is also said to guide the spirits back to their altars

• Salt- represents the continuance of life.

• Photo of the deceased- A framed photo of the dead person to whom the altar is dedicated, usually positioned in a prime spot on the altar.

• Pan de muerto- Also known as "bread of the dead", is a symbol of the departed.

• Sugar skulls- As symbols of death and the afterlife, sugar skulls are not only given as gifts to the living during Day of the Dead, they are also placed as offerings on the altar.

• Fresh fruit- whatever is in season oranges, bananas, etc.

• Other foods- Traditional Day of the Dead foods that you would find on altars include atole, mole, tamales, and tortillas. Altars also usually include the dead person's favorite foods, including modern foods like Rice Krispies or potato chips!

After that we headed back to the hotel to paint our faces and get ready for the real adventure! We looked up ideas on Pinterest for our faces and did them ourselves. They were all different and turned out really well!

We all loaded in a van and first stopped in a town called Tzintzuntzan. We toured a church and learned about a growing Jesus (due to the material he is made out of). Then we went to a cemetery. I could have stayed there for hours. Every grave was decorated differently yet brilliantly. One even had flowers mounted to something in the shape of a bicycle. We only spent about 20 minutes there before we had to move on. The next stop was Pátzcuaro. We hopped on a boat that took up to the island of Janitzio. We had traditional Mexican food for dinner then went to an outdoor theater production where there were native dances and even a “dance” that fishermen boats did on the water. After we got back to the mainland, we visited another cemetery in Pátzcuaro. It was about 2AM at this time. Not many people were in the cemetery but there were some who were singing, playing music, eating, etc. I don’t care if I’m the only person in the cemetery with a decorated grave in the US but on November 1^st every year after I pass, I better have a party at my grave site.