Six-week trip to Mexico (page 12 of 12)

I get her "offbeat" side better now. How can someone knowingly choose a religion that even the locals no longer practice (at least seriously) and that required human sacrifices and blood to appease the Gods.

Oh? That’s something new. Can you explain?

Just click on the link Michant posted a bit earlier. We learn that our fabulous fan of the "real" Mexico, despite being Protestant by birth, chose to embrace the Mayan polytheistic religion of her own free will.... yes, the very same one that practiced human sacrifices. Of course, I suspect it’s a watered-down version for Westerners craving spirituality.

I get her "eccentric" side better now. How can someone knowingly choose a religion that even the locals no longer practice (at least seriously) and that required human sacrifices and blood to appease the Gods.

Oh? That’s something new. Can you explain?

Just click on the link Michant posted a bit earlier. We learn that our fabulous fan of the "real" Mexico, despite being Protestant by birth, chose to embrace the Mayan polytheistic religion of her own free will.... yes, the same one that practiced human sacrifices. Of course, I suspect it’s a watered-down version for Westerners craving spirituality.

Oh, thanks! I missed that. Surprising, indeed. Now I understand your term "eccentric" better. Actually, it’s like joining a cult, with everything that entails: abandoning common sense and critical thinking, blindness, and rejection of anything different, among other things. I’m going to shock some people, I’m sure, but I really find this search for a new identity ridiculous: "meeting" with shamans, tattoos, etc. To me, it almost immediately screams a deep personal void.

I got it all wrong because I'm tattooed and married by a shaman

From Cholula to Mexico City – Speedy Gonzales! Final Moments Before Returning to Europe

We take the bus from the SuperRapidos company to return to the capital. No, I’m not making it up—it’s really the name of the company, and as proof, I’ll even show you the ticket. It’s so nice I should think about framing it. 😉 As decoration, it could come in handy (in certain places). It would be part of our Mexican memorabilia.

The trip to Mexico City is 120 km and costs us 292 pesos for two. Departure at 10:15, arrival at the TAPO bus station at 13:45. Three and a half hours—giving us an average speed of 35 km/h. We’re pretty used to slow transport, with our trips to India (and sometimes Thailand), but this feels long. Plus, there isn’t really much traffic on the road…

We pass through Río Frío de Juárez, a small town located at high altitude at the entrance of the pass crossing the volcanic range, on the border between the state of Puebla and Mexico City. This is the normal route, the one Cortés preferred not to take to avoid Aztec ambushes—it was a different time. The high-altitude tropical forests are lush and green, refreshing. The descent into the Valley of Mexico is interesting. You can see small volcanoes everywhere on both sides of the autopista.

Our hotel, once again, is in the historic center, just a stone’s throw from the Alameda Central. Everything we could want for our last days in Mexico is within easy reach. We have one thing on our minds now: finding a few more interesting little things to buy before returning to Europe.

The next morning, we don’t hesitate to walk 2 km to check out what we can find at the FONART store on Avenida Paseo de la Reforma. There isn’t much of a selection, and it’s rather expensive. We leave the store empty-handed. To make up for this disappointment, we come across a nice-looking restaurant on our way, on Calle General Prim, Bamboleo. It’s noon, and walking works up an appetite—everyone knows that! I order the « puntas de res en salsa de chipotle ». Y chooses the « pollo a la parilla »—when I tell her it must be the Mexican equivalent of Thai « gài yâang », she doesn’t hesitate—I’ve said it before, there’s nothing more conservative and less adventurous than Thais when it comes to food! 😐 Since we’re the only customers in this fairly large and well-decorated room, we get attentive service. The food is excellent. The « tortillas tostadas » deserve a special mention—they’re among the best we’ve had on our entire trip. Well-fed and happy, with a bill of 500 pesos, including the tip—they earned it. 🙂

A kilometer further on, we arrive at the Mercado De Artesanías La Ciudadela. This is actually the best place we’ve found for these last-minute purchases. You can find everything, often of good quality, and it’s not too expensive. As almost everywhere, you can haggle—for us, it’s second nature. We leave the market loaded with a cotton hammock, a half-cotton, half-linen blanket, two shawls, and I don’t even know what else.

In the evening, we make another little discovery: a restaurant-bar on the street just behind the Museo Nacional del Arte, called « Barriga Llena ». A very friendly name: « Full Belly ». We eat delicious quesadillas « barrigas », grilled right in front of us. They also serve « cerveza de barril »—perfect, bring us two big ones! All of this is really good, and there’s a nice atmosphere, with several cheerful customers around us. We also get very friendly service from a young and pretty Indigenous woman. 😎 It’s clearly a family business because her mother comes to chat with us a little later—a very beautiful woman as well. The bill is modest: 170 pesos for two. Paying 8 € for an excellent experience—it’s worth the trip, right? 🙂 Okay, I get it, some might prefer a more conventional and complete meal elsewhere…

The last morning has arrived. We take a taxi to the airport—220 pesos. There isn’t much to see in the Duty-Free area. But we find some cute and inexpensive « sarapes » and T-shirts in a little shop called « Mexico Lovers ». Since we still have some pesos left, we take another little stroll in the liquids section. 😉 It’s the mezcal aisle that attracts us the most. I show Y the big, white « gusanos » at the bottom of some bottles: she nearly faints in horror. 🏴‍☠️ I’d told her several times, but you know, Thais can be pretty stubborn, and if something doesn’t concern them directly, they tend to politely pretend to be interested while it actually goes right over their heads… The young saleswoman and I, on the other hand, have a good laugh.

In the end, we settle on bottles of mezcal « Pelotón de la Muerte », which are on sale. Admit it, « Peloton de la Mort » is a pretty unusual name for a drink! 😉 There are no « gusanos » at the bottom, and the skull replacing the « o » on the blood-red label doesn’t scare Y off. We’ve seen plenty of skulls in 6 weeks!

Boarding time arrives. Adiós México! We definitely plan to come back because you’re one of the coolest countries we’ve ever had the chance to visit. 😎😎😎

Hello Georges,

Adiós México! We definitely plan to return

Me too, since it’s been fifty years since I last set foot there! It’s bound to be a different country today! 😉

In the meantime, a huge thank you for this high-quality travel journal that kept us hooked for nearly six months! And it’s just as well, because that duration gave your journal some longevity—it didn’t get buried too quickly under the pile of redundant Yucatán stories.

You managed to show us the many facets of the «real Mexico» through your polished writing, well-researched historical pages, culinary experiences, and more. A rarity among travel journals and an enormous effort! I’ll say it again—it’s a refreshing change from the same old Maya Peninsula. 🙂

Okay, I don’t necessarily share all your viewpoints (wouldn’t have it any other way! 😉 😛), but that doesn’t matter. What does matter is that you’ve helped me see my future Mexican project more clearly. It was initially planned for next winter, but it might end up being postponed indefinitely—or until the cows come home—since we’re not ready to get back on a plane anytime soon!

You’ve reinforced my belief (and our habit) that traveling slowly is key, so I’ve planned a five-week itinerary. One week in Mexico City and the surrounding area, a week in the so-called colonial cities north of Mexico City (Guanajuato, San Miguel, and Querétaro), then the Sierra Gorda and Huasteca Potosina by rental car (no other way to do it) from Querétaro to San Luis Potosí over eight days. From there, we’ll take a bus to Zacatecas for a few days, then fly to Oaxaca for a week before returning to Mexico City. So we won’t be going to Puebla or Chiapas. You have to make choices, and you’ve convinced me to prioritize Oaxaca.

Until better days... 😐

Best,

Michel

Hi Georges,

Adiós México! We definitely plan to come back

Me too, since it’s been fifty years since I last set foot there! It’s bound to be a different country today! 😉

In the meantime, a huge thank you for this high-quality travel journal that kept us hooked for nearly six months! And it’s just as well, because this length gave your journal some staying power—it didn’t get buried too quickly under the pile of redundant Yucatán stories.

You managed to show us the many facets of the "real Mexico" through your polished writing, well-researched historical insights, culinary experiences, and more. A rarity among travel journals and a massive effort! I’ll say it again—it’s a refreshing change from the same old Maya Peninsula. 🙂

Okay, I don’t necessarily share all your views (as if I would! 😉 😛), but that’s not the point. What matters is that you’ve helped me see my future Mexican project more clearly. It was initially planned for next winter, but it might end up being postponed indefinitely, since we’re not ready to get back on a plane anytime soon!

You’ve reinforced my belief (and our habit) that traveling slowly is the way to go, so I’ve planned a five-week itinerary. One week in Mexico City and the surrounding area, a week in the so-called colonial cities north of Mexico City (Guanajuato, San Miguel, and Querétaro), then the Sierra Gorda and Huasteca Potosina by rental car (no other way to do it) from Querétaro to San Luis Potosí over eight days. From there, we’ll take a bus to Zacatecas for a few days, then fly to Oaxaca, where we’ll stay for a week before returning to Mexico City. So we won’t be going to Puebla or Chiapas. You have to make choices, and you’ve convinced me to prioritize Oaxaca.

Until better days... 😐

Best,

Michel

For me, it’s been 38 years! But I’d only been to the Yucatán and Quintana Roo, on my way to Central America.

Thanks for your kind words. Yes, it’s true—writing a good travel journal takes real effort, but it benefits me in many ways too.

Oaxaca, great choice. How could you "avoid" Oaxaca, anyway? Waiting until the Greek calends... I hope the chance to take more great trips comes sooner!

Hasta luego!

Hi Georges, Just a quick note to say your travel journal was super helpful for our visit to Mexico City and then the colonial towns in winter 2023. A huge *muchas gracias* to you both.