September 14-19, 2022

Wing and a Prayer

We arrived in Selcuk from Bergama on a wing and a prayer.  But we were not trusting in divine intervention, rather we were putting all our faith in the Turkish taxi driver.  

Our hotelier called the taxi service. After our taxi arrived and we loaded in, the hotelier explained to the taxi driver where we wanted to go, but the taxi driver seemed to have his own idea of what was best.  After a somewhat intense exchange in Turkish, the taxi driver prevailed.  

Cross Your Fingers

The hotelier looked at us, already sitting in the back seat of the taxi with our backpacks secured in the trunk and said, “He knows where to go”. 

Ok, then.  Let’s do this!

No Buses For You

A few days before, we had checked the bus service online ourselves, only to find that there were NO buses (apparently) from Bergama, where we had spent the past four nights, to Selcuk, our intended destination.  So, we decided if we could just get to Izmir, the second largest city in Turkey (just behind Istanbul), we should be ok.  After all, Izmir is about halfway to Selcuk and has an enormous bus station.  

It seemed like a good plan, but the bus website once again disappointed us with the news that there are NO buses from Izmir to Selcuk.  How can that be?

No Problem (He Says)

With our frustrations mounting, we checked with the hotel owner, and he assured us there was no problem getting to Izmir.  He said there are buses from Bergama to Izmir every 40 minutes.  We weren’t sure why the bus website didn’t have this information too. 

And so it began, the “travel by trust” approach was set in motion.  

Ultimately there was either divine intervention involved or some very good luck.  Our taxi driver zipped us to a part of Bergama we hadn’t been to (which was a little worrisome….where are we going???).  

Need Some Help?

After a quick ten minute drive, he dropped us in front of a bustling tiny bus station outpost storefront.  I waited out front while Steve went in.  A nice Turkish guy in his 20’s followed Steve in because he could tell we likely needed help (gotta love it – the Turkish people are so very kind).  

We’re All Set

Steve was already at the counter and said “Izmir for two”.  That’s all that was needed and he promptly emerged back outside with our tickets.  Steve had it handled without any trouble at all.

The Dolmus

Steve pointed to the Mercedes van that held up to 15 passengers parked right in front of us at the curb. These shared vans are called Dolmus (mini-bus) and are very common in Turkey.

The Dolmus van collects passengers going to the same destination, and when the driver feels the van is full enough, they set-off.  

Steve pointed at the van, “That’s our van and it leaves in 15 minutes”.  We couldn’t have timed it better. 

Welcome to Izmir

A couple of hours later we pulled into the huge Izmir bus station, disembarked, and had lunch at an outdoor cafe. I felt confident in my lunch order, but to my great alarm Steve realized I had ordered liver (after we checked my Turkish food notes on my phone).

Rushing up to the waiter to make a quick change, I only hoped that he understood what I was saying (he spoke virtually no English).  Once again, our luck stayed true and I didn’t end up with liver for my lunch.  Thank Allah.

Selcuk Bound

Our next bus, to our final destination of Selcuk, was also a Dolmus. We had hoped for a regular size bus, like we had ridden from Edremit to Bergama the week before.  The buses in Turkey are almost like flying on a first class flight.

The Big Bus

The seats on the big bus are spacious and comfy with individual screens (but all in Turkish). There’s a bus attendant (like a flight attendant) that serves snacks and drinks as you cruise to your destination. The snacks aren’t too deluxe, but you can choose what you want from a large tray of snacks, so I’d say they are better than the usual plane fare of peanuts or pretzels. 

Alas, we were on another Dolmus, with no treats or perks, but we were happy just to be aboard and on our way. 

Sitting in the Dolmus heading to Selcuk, it finally dawned on us that the Dolmus’s don’t really adhere to a firm schedule, so don’t show up on the bus websites. No wonder we had so many difficulties trying to plan the next leg of our journey. Mystery solved. 

Şirince

At our host’s suggestion, we hopped aboard a Dolmus heading to Şirince early on our first morning in Selcuk.  Şirince is up in the hills about a 15 minute drive from Selcuk. 

Historically speaking, it had once been a thriving Greek enclave. I had the impression it was going to be like Solvang, an “authentic” Danish town in southern California that is a bit too cutsie and extremely touristy.

It’s Hot In Here

We were sitting in the Dolmus in the large Selcuk parking lot, waiting for the van to fill up with riders. It was mid-morning, but already in the 80’s and growing warmer by the minute.

We were starting to sweat, being in the far back of the stifling van, when a young woman started chatting with us. I didn’t get her name, so I’ll call her Aiyla, the number one Turkish baby-girl name on the internet.

Aiyla seemed perfectly comfortable (i.e. not sweaty), even though she was wearing black yoga pants and a clingy, long-sleeve black top. I, on the other hand, was wearing the most minimal and lightweight clothing I felt was acceptable for a 61 year old foreigner. 

Ankara University 

Aiyla was a university student in Ankara (the capital of Turkey), studying how to teach English to foreigners.

We were the first Americans she had ever met. 

America

Her first question, out of the gate, was, “How do you like America?” Hmmm…that’s kind of a big, open-ended question, and not one I’d ever had to answer. 

The first thing that pops into my head is politics, but I know I shouldn’t go there.  After stumbling around a bit (what to say…what to say?), I finally said, “Well, I like it a lot, in general.”  Way to commit.  

Knowing that was a lame answer, my mind jumps to what I feel is the most pressing issue in my world (yes, it’s politics), but I still tried to keep things general. I say,  “There’s a lot of problems in our country and the people are very divided.”

Her reply was spot on. “Yes, just like in my country.  Things are bubbling and boiling”.  Perfect.  So if I’m asked again I’ll have my reply ready, courtesy of the woman from Ankara.  

Yes indeed, things in America are bubbling and boiling. Thank you, Aiyla.

A Day in Şirince

We spent a lovely day in Şirince, climbing the steep stone walkways lined by stores selling souvenirs, local wine, more souvenirs, and more local wine.  It was quite a touristy town, and deservedly so.  It was charming and picturesque.  It was better than Solvang, in my book.

Manti Heaven

We ate lunch at a wonderful, family owned restaurant at the very top of the hill with a stunning view of the town and mountains beyond (that was recommended by our host). 

I had Turkish Manti and it was marvelous.  Manti is made of very tiny, doughy, ravioli-like pasta, with chili oil sauce, garlic, and topped with yogurt.  I wasn’t sure about having yogurt on top of my dish, but it tasted like the richest, thickest sour cream ever and won my heart (and endorsement).

I was in foodie heaven.  

Avoid the Crowds

We’d intentionally gone to Şirince on a weekday, as our host says the weekend is absolutely packed with tourists.

We also avoided Ephesus on the weekend for the same reason, although cruise ship tour groups come in droves on any day of the week.  

Ephesus

Ephesus is why all tourists, and Turkish people alike, come to the Anatolian area.  It’s one of Turkey’s biggest hitters, one of its best-preserved archaeological sites, and one of its most important historic sites.

Way Back

The beginnings of the city date back to the 11th century B.C.  Ephesus survived multiple attacks and changed hands many times between conquerors. The Greeks, the Romans, the Persians and the Byzantines all had their time controlling the city and contributed to its creation. 

It’s a Big Place

Ephesus was a thriving metropolis with a library, multiple squares, stores, temples, beautiful sculptures, public baths, dwellings, a 24,000 seat amphitheater, and more.

The amount of solid marble in every column and stair is mind-boggling. The sheer magnitude of the city, the architecture, and the gleam of the stone pathways weaving their way through the city are simply breathtaking. 

Name-Dropping

Imagine Julius Caesar, Cleopatra and Mark Antony, Alexander the Great, Apostle Paul, St. John the Evangelist, and Emperor Augustus walking the very paths we were on.  Wowza.

The Terrace Houses

As a part of our Ephesus adventure, we elected to tour The Terrace Houses too, homes of the rich and famous. These upscale homes of the day were built into the side of the hill and served the elite of the city. Each home was expansive, from 1,000 up to 6,000 square feet in size. 

Frescoes

Many of the rooms had hand-painted frescoes that were still visible on the walls of these luxury homes.

But what I found most impressive were the mosaic floor coverings. Each room appeared to have its own large rug in its own pattern and colors. 

Religion Too

Throughout history, Ephesus was also a hub of early Christian evangelism and remains an important Christian pilgrimage destination. Mary, the mother of Jesus, is thought to have spent her last years in Ephesus with Saint John. 

The Almond Cookie Incident 

We took a well-deserved break from walking in the blazing sun through the streets of Ephesus. We sat on some rocks in a tiny spot of shade just to one side of The Library of Celsus (the main event).  Unfortunately the only shade to be had was in a designated smoking area. 

We had purchased water and a tiny tin of thumb-sized almond cookies. The sitting area was small, and there was another tourist, a 30-something man, sitting right there with us. So, to be hospitable, I offered the chap a cookie. 

Mr. Healthy

He declined, saying “No thanks, I don’t eat sugar,” in what I felt was a somewhat judgmental tone, while taking a huge drag off his cigarette. His loss. Glad to see he’s so health conscious.

The Old Quarter

The old quarter of Selçuk retains much of its traditional Turkish culture. That includes lots of smokers smoking. Maybe they also avoid sugar, I don’t know. 

Selcuk is definitely a step-up in it’s ability to host tourists in comparison to Bergama (which had it’s own charm). The old quarter is set up for people who are ready to spend money in the many shops and restaurants. That being said, the food costs were quite low.

The town and people are just lovely and welcoming. It’s very walkable, as long as you’re watching out for slippery rocks or the occasional missing part of the sidewalk. 

Hookah Bars and More

There are beautiful green spaces, parks, and lovely black and white tiles woven into patterns on the wide walkways in town. Near our hotel are well tended ivy-arched walkways, about six of them, lined with shops, hookah bars, beautiful mosques with their minarets, and small, family-run restaurants. 

What a Bargain

The food costs are low. Our average lunch for two costs around $5 and our average dinner is $8-10. It helps our pocketbook that it’s unusual to find alcohol here (99% Muslim country), so for most meals we’re drinking sparkling water, which is just fine with me. 

Steve does miss having a beer, especially in this heat (90’s), so has splurged a few times when beer is on the menu. 😂

The Tractors of Selcuk

Selcuk’s a farming town full of farmers and their tractors. Walking through the neighborhoods we see tractors parked everywhere. 

The farmers own orchards full of olive and orange trees, pomegranates and more outside of town, but they all live in the town. 

The Work Day

Because it’s so hot during summer, which lasts through October, the farmers start their day very early, as early as 4 AM. Their day then ends before the real heat of the afternoon, usually by noon.  When their day is done their drink of choice is cay (Turkish tea).  

Mens Cafes

So there they sit, all the farmers and farm workers, from noon into the late evening, taking up every chair at the “Mens Cafes”.  The men socialize for hours and hours.

Tiles Anyone?

As the men enjoy themselves, drinking their tea and chain smoking, their primary game of choice is a game using tiles. These large tiles, maybe 3” square, are analogous to our playing cards. 

They use a long wooden tray, like the one used in Scrabble, but much larger, to hold their tiles. The trays about a foot long and keeps their tiles easily visible, but private. No cramped hands from holding a bunch of cards. Ingenious.

No Women Allowed (Basically)

But wait just a minute. What about the women, I asked our host? When do they get social time? He said women are not banned from these cafes, but it’s customary that only men participate. 

Labor Intensive

I pictured the women at home all day and late into the evening, tending children, cooking, cleaning, and doing laundry. Geez, that sucks. Patriarchy at its finest. 

But our host assured me, with a little laugh, that the women tend to kick the men out of the house so they can hang out with their girlfriends all day. He said they have elaborate tea parties and gossip, eat cakes, and have a great time.

That sounds a little unrealistic to me.  I can’t imagine the women are partying the day away. Someone’s still doing all the household chores and tending the kids, and I doubt it’s the men. Just saying.

Around Town

While the women may be tucked away at home (hopefully enjoying themselves as much as their counterparts are), we enjoyed visiting several other historical sites around town. 

Ayasuluk Hill

The town is dominated by Ayasuluk Hill, which is itself a part of Ephesus UNESCO World Heritage Site. There’s a Mosque dating back to 1375, Isa Bey, and St. John’s Basilica (church), with its beautiful views of the town and interesting ruins. 

Then there’s the Grand Fortress (castle) that sits atop the hill. We had an incredible view of the castle from our hotel room. Day and night it was an amazing site. 

I never get used to looking up and seeing a real castle atop a hill. Surreal.

WINS

Baklava

The Strays

I’ve mentioned the strays in my previous post, but just want to reiterate how heartwarming it is to see how the Turkish care for these animals. 

All stray dogs are captured, vaccinated, neutered/spayed by the municipality, and marked with an ear tag.

If a dog is reported as mean, it is taken off the street and they try to find someone to adopt it. If they cannot, it is euthanized. 

Every stray dog and cat we saw (and there are a ton), looked healthy and fairly well fed. We saw feeding “centers” around town and water out on street corners. 

And 95% of the dogs and cats seemed very sweet and friendly. Most of the cats beg from afar (at least a few feet away), and the dogs never beg (which is strange). 

LOSSES

The Turkish seem to only use the bottom sheet and a lightweight, rough coverlet as bedding, at least in the mid level budget accommodations we inhabit. They did have a gorgeous, heavy, locally made wool blanket though, in case we got chilly in the night. 

Terrible internet in Selcuk. Very tough time putting together a blog, editing photos, downloading anything, etc.  Enough said.

Next Stop: Samos, in the Greek Isles

Would You Please Repeat That?

It’s exciting to be in Bergama, our first stop in Turkey!

Bergama is famous for its Akropolis. Turns out the Turkish people pronounce the word Akropolis, which is also spelled Acropolis, very differently than people from the USA do. So when the Turks say Akropolis, it’s virtually unrecognizable (to us). 

The Akropolis is the main event here in Bergama, so not understanding this one key word in conversation makes basic communication here quite the challenge and often rather comical. 

Our friendly hotel host innocently asks us, “Will you be visiting the Ak&#X@*%??s”  Well, hmmmm…..maybe we will, if we had any idea what you said.  

Eventually we figured out how the Turkish people are pronouncing Akropolis, and a huge weight is lifted (talk about an ah-ha moment), but we still have to contend with the zillion other Turkish words that we cannot even attempt to pronounce or decipher. 

It Should Have Been Easy

It’s just so disappointing because we thought pronouncing Akropolis was a no brainer. Come on, at least that one word should be a given.  Just goes to show us that we really have no clue here in Turkey, and really no business trying to speak Turkish.

And it sure doesn’t help that our hotel is the Akropolis Guest House.  It’s a miracle we even got here.

Bus Terminal from Hell

Speaking of our arrival, things went smoothly until we hit the Bergama Otogan Terminal. It seemed strange that out of a full busload of travelers we were the only two people to exit at the Bergama terminal, after all, it’s a fairly large city of over 100,000 people.  

It turns out that Google has almost 600 reviews of the Bergama bus terminal, with the average rating of 2.8.  Here are just a few of those reviews from the past month, all translated from Turkish. 

Turkish Reviews

One star: “This place is a nightmare” 
Three stars: “We felt like we were in a horror movie. No security, no attendants, strange noises coming from the rooftops.” 
One star: “Unfortunately, it is an abandoned transit route where you land in the creepy evening, like the zombie crossing left from the abandoned town.” 
One star: “Free space to shoot horror movies.” 
Two stars: “It is a place that Allah forgot.”

And lastly, not exactly sure what this one means, but it doesn’t sound good…. 
One star: “The owl has landed, it is playing the ruins, It is falling”

I think you get the idea.

We got off the bus and the bus quickly pulled away and there we stood.  The station is five miles out of town, just off a freeway, in the middle of nowhere.  It was 5 pm on a Saturday and we were literally the only people there.  Not a car in the parking lot.  No other buses.  No people at all.  Nothing. Just a big, cavernous, empty, hollow building.

Let’s Look Inside

Steve opened the door for me into the rather new and modern looking terminal with high ceilings,  and my first thought was that something was wrong here.  It was eerily reminiscent of the twilight zone.  Everything looked clean, quiet, and completely devoid of people.  Like it was a place untouched by man.  

I slowly scanned the entire building from left to right, searching for any sign of life.  Not a soul to be had.  Not a worker or a patron.

The Turkish Flag

We walked through the station and out the other door, to another empty parking lot and a Turkish flag flapping in the wind. All we needed was just one taxi, just one.

The app I had downloaded back home, that was supposed to help in this very situation, BikTasi, came up empty. Sorry, no taxi’s available for you!

Muret, to the Rescue

Muret, the owner of our hotel in Bergama, answered my desperate call (not exaggerating), and spoke passable English.  He was more than happy to send a taxi to rescue us.

Thankfully I didn’t have to pronounce Akropolis during our conversation or we’d probably still be stranded at that Allah-forsaken station.

The Tour Guides

The next day we finished our hike around the Pergamon Akropolis, an ancient hilltop civilization, and had stopped for a cool drink at a cafe before heading back into the town below. 

Two local middle-aged tour guides (men) sitting in the next table started chatting with us and learned we were from the U.S. Shortly, a third tour guide approached and they kissed on the cheeks in greeting. 

To Kiss or not to Kiss

“It’s ok”, kisser #1 explained to us, “This is how we greet each other in Turkey.  We have known each other since childhood” (as if we were concerned by their display of affection). 

Another man at the table (non-kisser) decided to explain further, “It’s ok, they are both married and have children”, followed by their laughter (again, as if we were worried). 

Kisser #1 then said, “Oh, they are from America.  I’m sure they know a lot of gay couples who are married and have children.”  And they all had a good laugh. It was kind of awkward.  I thought to myself, actually I don’t know a lot of gay, married couples that have children….just a few.  🙂  

No Politics

We knew better than to discuss politics or offer any social commentary while in Turkey, so we just chuckled and decided it was time to go. 

The Teleferik

Before our definitely not-gay encounter at the cafe, we took the very modern Teleferik (like an enclosed lift on a cable) up to Pergamon Acropolis. Walking through the typical residential buildings in town and suddenly coming apon the modern Teleferik was a striking contrast.

It was a smooth 5 minute ride up the very steep hillside.   

The Ruins of Pergamon

The ruins of Pergamon, built in the 2nd century BC, are located at the crossroads between Europe and the Middle East, in the Aegean Region of Turkey.  Pergamon was a rich and powerful ancient Greek city high on a hill (Akropolis means “high city”) and became an important cultural, scientific, and political center. Its location is ideal, on a large mesa with sweeping views in all directions.  Not a bad spot to build.  Location, location, location. 

After the Greeks came the Romans, followed by the Ottomans. Every subsequent civilization added and enhanced the city, expanding, beautifying, and ultimately creating a great monument to urban planning and design. 

The really big draws at Pergamon are the remnants of the great temples and dramatic amphitheater.  The library that once housed 200,000 volumes, the Great Altar of Pergamon, a three-terraced gym, and a 10,000 seat theater were all set into the sloping terrain surrounded by an extensive city wall.

Are You OK?

One of the world’s first full-service health clinics, founded in the fourth century BC, was built down the road from the Akropolis.  Over the next centuries, it became one of the best-known healing centers of the ancient world, second in importance only to Epidaurus in Greece and was also the world’s first psychiatric hospital.

Asklepion and the Akropolis were connected by a vaulted road nearly ½ mile long.  At the beginning of the road stood a large arched gate, where potential patients were stopped and assessed before entering. 

The patients were examined by the priest doctors (Asklepiads).  It was important to keep favorable statistics for the clinic, so those about to die or pregnant were turned away (wow!).

Above the gate was the inscription, “The Death is Forbidden to Enter in Asklepeieion as Respect to Gods”.  

Our modern day symbol of medicine, the snake and staff, comes from the Greek God of medicine, Asklepios.  That’s pretty cool.

The Town

Bergama is a typical Turkish town and not particularly touristy. A town where you see a tractor or two pulling through the town carrying their produce for sale. A town where you see the occasional horse drawn buggy.

There are a few hotels, but they aren’t blanketing the place. Mostly just regular Turks going about their business and not many tourists. But we’d occasionally see a tourist couple with that distinctive tourist look (like us).

Here’s the look: khaki shorts, sandals or Birkenstocks, sunglasses, sun hat or visor, carrying small backpack or fanny pack, looking around and sometimes pointing.

The Cat

Bergama is full of stray cats and dogs. But there was one cat in particular, that we called Monty (because she looked so much like a tabby cat we once had, Montgomery- Monty for short).

Unlike in Morocco, where there are also tons of stray cats, the cats (and dogs) in Turkey are well-taken care of by the neighborhood and local restaurants that keep water and food out for them. They generally look well-fed and are so friendly.

So, back to Monty, the tabby cat. Monty was always waiting for us at our favorite restaurant in town, Akasya Park Coffee Kitchen, usually lounging on a soft bench cushion.

The restaurant had all outdoor seating, which works really well if you’re a stray cat, like Monty. Here are a few shots, in sequence, as Monty stealthily tries to figure a way to get to Steve’s curry dinner.

WINS

Turkish Breakfast

What a feast!  It’s like Spanish Tapas, but Turkish and at breakfast.  Lots of tiny plates with a huge variety of delights!  Fruit, eggs, fresh bread, two kinds of olives, coffee (or tea), butter and honey, fresh jams, crepes, fried pastries filled with a mild cheese, local cheese, and more cheese.  And always fresh tomatoes and cucumber slices (see Losses for more).

Fizzy Water

I desperately wanted soda water for our hotel refrigerator. The 2-liter sugar laden soda bottles are easily accessible, but I couldn’t find any plain soda water at the markets. 

At the third market we searched, I finally found a worker who handed us a 6-pack of very tiny, 6.5 oz bottles of “minera” water.  I used my hands to indicate we wanted a larger bottle, but he replied, in broken English, “This is the way the Turkish people drink their mineral water”.  So be it.

LOSSES

Hotel Rules

“No washing of clothes in your room” is listed as the #1 Hotel rule at the Akropolis Guest House.  What?  That’s how I roll. We travel light and rely on hand washing.  And it’s been very hot (high 90’s), and we’ve been very active, so sorry, but I have to wash out at least my underclothes. 

Thankfully my clothes dry very quickly, so it’s like it never happened, right? Shhhh…don’t tell on me.

Tomatoes & Cucumbers

Turkey is the land of fresh tomatoes and cucumbers.  So far, salads mostly consist of a little lettuce with fresh tomatoes and cucumber slices piled high. 

In an ironic twist of fate, the only two vegetables I’m not fond of are tomatoes and cucumbers.  I actually like the taste of tomatoes, it’s just the consistency I can’t deal with (so I like ketchup, tomato sauce, etc).  But cucumbers are not my thing and never have been. Luckily Steve is more than happy to eat my share.

Next Stop: Selcuk

A Dog’s World

Roma Norte is a special place, especially if you’re a dog.  Here, the dogs certainly have it all.  Before arriving I’d heard that Roma Norte was a dog-lovers paradise, and I can confirm that it’s true.  Everywhere you look there’s a dog on a leash with a happy owner tagging along.  

And I guess one dog is not enough for most folks here, since the majority of dogs seem to come in multiples of 2, 3, 4, or even 5. Seriously, everywhere you look there are dogs, dogs, dogs of every size, shape, and color.

And, when you have such a dog-centric neighborhood, many restaurants put out a water bowl, and sometimes you need “no-pee” signs too.

Mexico City

Speaking of multiples, Mexico City is an enormous city of 21 million people, made up of a whopping 350 neighborhoods.  Roma is just one of those many neighborhoods. 

We’d already spent nearly a week in the Centro Historico neighborhood of Mexico City, and are so pleased to now be spending nearly a week in Roma Norte (the north end of Roma) in Mexico City. 

Roaming Roma (and Condesa)

Our first day in our new neighborhood we walked to beautiful local plazas and parks. We meandered from plaza to park, in and out of the neighboring La Condesa neighborhood, that abuts Roma Norte. 

Parque Mexico

Our ultimate destination one bright & sunny morning was Parque Mexico in the Cuauhtémoc neighborhood, about a 20 minute walk from our Roma Norte apartment.

The park covers a sprawling 22 acres. It’s a leafy, urban park known for its art deco architecture, a walking path, playground & fenced dog park.

We arrived on a Saturday morning and the park was packed with families enjoying time together. There’s a huge patio area surrounded by bright pink bougainvillea that is actively used by joggers, people practicing boxing, weight lifters, and tons of skateboarders of all ages. Not a bad setting to get a workout. Not bad at all.

The Cafe Culture

Roma Norte is an upscale, suburban, colonial neighborhood.  It’s also foodie heaven.  So many coffee shops, fresh bread & pastry cafes, and restaurants of every persuasion with local and international options.

Most establishments have lovely sidewalk café tables, and many have extra outdoor seating decks built due to Covid too.  There’s at least two or three charming places to eat or drink on every block in the Roma.

Large, stately trees line every wide and spacious street, providing shade and a sense of permanence and stature. 

And every few blocks is a captivating plaza, with a splendid statue or trickling fountain as its centerpiece. 

Roma is very hip and trendy.  It’s not hard to find gluten free and vegan options, in fact two exceptional vegan restaurants are within a 2-4 minute walk from our apartment.  

There’s plenty of colorful street murals, corner flower stands, and bicyclers tooling along on the uncrowded streets.

Museo Nacional de Historia Castillo de Chapultepec

We decided to expand our wandering circle a bit wider, and ended up high on a hill exploring the Museo Nacional de Historia Castillo de Chapultepec (or the Chapultepec Castle), about a 20 minute Uber ride from Roma Norte.

Such an impressive palace. The grounds were immaculate, coifed just so. The grandeur was breathtaking.

The deep green foliage, red & yellow flowers, and perfectly shaped round ficus trees painted a stunning picture. 

The expansive patios paved with black and white checkered marble was a lovely contrast to the palace exterior.

The views down to Mexico City below at this beautiful palace perched atop a hill were unforgettable.

The Holy City of Teotihuacan

One early morning we took a tour to the Pyramids of Teotihuacan with our tour guide Francisco, starting out at 7 am from our Roma apartment. Teotihuacan is about 45 minutes northeast of Mexico City.

A Bit of History

Teotihuacan was built between the 1st and 7th centuries A.D, and, believe me, the wow factor is definitely still in full force. Scholars estimate that the Teotihuacan civilization lasted about 750 years, from 150 AD until 900 AD.

The Mystery Builders

It’s still unknown who built this incredible and once thriving city that may have held as many as 200,000 people at its peak. Francisco explained that if they could recover items from a tomb it would give scientists great information as to the people that lived here.

LiDAR, Measure & Map

Current day archeologists use a high-tech method called LiDAR that allow them to measure and map objects and structures that remain hidden underground. LiDAR directs hundreds of thousands of pulses of light toward the ground (from space). Very cool.

This breakthrough technology has allowed archeologists to identify the city layout and find any tunnels and tombs deep inside the Pyramids.

Raiders of the Found Ark

Scientists located a tomb in the first Pyramid we climbed, but unfortunately it had been raided, so all the goodies were gone. Just like Indiana Jones….but real life.

A Long Way to Go

Current day excavation didn’t start until 1905, just over one hundred years ago. The city is currently only 10% recovered, but Archeologists continue to work to uncover more of the city and continue to learn more about this ancient civilization.

Francisco pointed to gently sloping mounds of ground just outside the site area we walked. All those mounds, small and large, that frankly looked like normal fluctuations in the terrain to my untrained eye, are more city to be uncovered and explored. The civilization covered eight square miles and was the largest city anywhere in the Western Hemisphere before the fourteenth century.

Naming Rights

The Aztecs found the city in the 1400s and named it Teotihuacan, meaning the place where the gods were created. Then they named the Pyramids, Pyramid of the Sun and Pyramid of the Moon. Sure sounds like they were as impressed as I am. Not sure how they could have given higher honors than the gods, the sun, and the moon.

Third Largest is still Bragging Rights

The Pyramid of the Sun is the largest structure in the ancient city of Teotihuacan, Mexico, and one of the largest buildings of its kind on the Western Hemisphere. It’s 738 feet across and 246 feet high, making it the third largest Pyramid in the world. Pictures just don’t do it justice. It’s pretty darn mammoth.

Praise the Gods

At the point that the Aztecs came along, the city had been abandoned for centuries. There’s still a lot of speculation surrounding the actual use of the Pyramids and their functions, but archeologists have found a lot of evidence of human and animal sacrifice, even child sacrifice. I guess it was priority number one to keep the gods happy, and you gotta do, what you gotta do (ugh).

What a Place

Apart from the pyramids, Teotihuacan is also anthropologically significant for its complex, multi-family residential compounds, its vibrant, well-preserved murals, its significant trade with other cities, and its diversity. There’s evidence that people from all over Mexico came to live in Teotihuacan over it’s estimated 750 year tenure.

All Are Welcome

Some speculate that a huge wave of immigrants came to the city because of a large volcanic eruption near Puebla. The dates of the known eruption and the growth of Teotihuacan coincide.

Hmmm…speaking of Puebla’s volcano…that sounds pretty serious. I guess that El Popo means business (see Puebla post).

WINS

We walked over 100 miles this month alone (to April 25th). That’s over 239,110 steps!

We are both NEGATIVE!! (on our Covid Antigen test taken this morning at the private medical facility about 5 minutes away). So we can fly to the USA!

Spending almost 6 weeks in Mexico, exploring, learning, and enjoying this beautiful country!

LOSSES

The only loss I can think of is that this is our last location on this trip! So sad!

Oh, Puebla. How I wish I had a few more days to really get to know you. 

We barely dipped our toe into the pool of Puebla, but I’m glad we did (there’s no pool or ocean here in Puebla – just to be clear – we are in the middle of Mexico). 

It’s been like a quick sampler, and we’ve liked what we’ve seen. We liked it a lot. 

We had 3 nights, 2.5 days to explore and we packed in as much as we could. 

Starting From Scratch

Turns out Puebla is the only major Mexican city that the Spanish didn’t build on top of an existing pre-Columbian settlement.  Puebla could be called Mexico’s only true Colonial city. 

When the Spanish established the city of Puebla in 1531, it became a stopping point between Mexico’s most important cities at the time, the port city of Veracruz and the central city of Mexico City.

Colonial Architecture for the Win

Puebla has an abundance of colonial architecture. Ornate wrought iron balcony railings call to me on practically every street. 

Symmetry abounds in the mostly two-story structures.  There are plenty of domes and Moorish influence to be seen, along with soft arches, carved wooden doors, dark wooden beams, stucco walls, and, of course, bright interior courtyards full of lush green plants. 

The Zocalo de Puebla (main plaza) is as lovely as can be with tall trees and gorgeous landscaping, all surrounding a huge trickling fountain.  There’s also two huge, stark white fingers reaching out about to touch. It’s quite the photo op.

Puebla was a land of riches and the city reflected the wealth.

The Spanish used an orderly grid system for the city’s layout. It’s flat and predictable. 

The Walking Tour

It’s easy to walk here, so it made sense to book a walking tour on our first full day. A local medical student, Omar, was our tour guide and he took us to see the highlights of the town for a few hours. 

He started off by giving us a very condensed Mexican history lesson starting with the Olmec people in 1600 BC, on up to the present day. He did this in about 10 minutes, so it definitely was the Cliff Notes version of Mexico’s evolution. 

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception  

After our condensed history lesson, we walked to the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, or the Basilica Cathedral de Puebla, as it is known.  Construction of the Cathedral began in 1575.  The Cathedral has a floor to ceiling organ, and the ceilings are 230 feet high.  Now that’s a real Cathedral ceiling.   

But what really impressed about the Cathedral were the white domes with small areas of light blue with gold accents, repeated over and over throughout the ceiling of the cathedral. 

That View

It so happens we have an unobstructed view of the Cathedral from our hotel’s rooftop patio, so we can drool and stare all we want for free, vs. the high priced rooftop restaurant and bar right next door.  Gotta love that. 

Treats & More Treats

There’s two blocks in town dedicated to traditional Mexican candy and treat stores. That’s where Omar ended our almost 3 hour tour. It’s never a bad choice to end with treats, I think we’d all agree. 

Omar was able to score us each a sample of a Santa Clara cookie, a delicious cookie made with a pumpkin seed frosting. Yum. 

And yes, somehow we made it back to that same street the next day on our own. And we found those same pumpkin seed iced cookies too.  Imagine that!

The Revolution of 1910

The first shots of the Mexican Revolution of 1910 were fired at the Serdan home right on “treat” street.  We could see the bullet holes splattered across the outer walls.  It was jaw-dropping to see the large bullet holes all over the stucco exterior and imagine the Mexican army being ordered to attack the private home full of family members. 

Museo Regional De La Revolución Mexicana Casa De Los Hermanos Serdán

We visited the Serdan home, which is preserved as a museum, the next day. Unlike many museums, with the exception of Mexico City, it had long explanations of the history and the critical role of the people who lived there in English (yeah!).  

Typically you’ll find us at a museum with our translator app set to camera mode, taking a picture of the posted information for each exhibit. It’s like putting a sign across our bodies, “WE ARE TOURISTS, WE DO NOT SPEAK YOUR LANGUAGE”, but that’s ok, because we are tourists. 

The Aquiles Serdan Family

The Serdans were a wealthy and influential Mexican family in Puebla. They were liberal thinkers and vehemently opposed to the huge disparity between the few wealthy upper class Mexicans and everyone else. And I mean everyone else-  farmers, engineers, teachers, laborers, cooks, cleaners, etc. There was no possibility of upward mobility. If you were born poor, you likely died even poorer. 

Let’s Organize

The Serdans wanted change and started gathering weaponry and organizing secret meetings in their home for over a year before the first battle in November of 1910, which took place both outside and inside their residence. 

They were a heroic and brave family. They all bore guns and fought valiantly to bring democracy and freedom to their countrymen. 

A Sad Ending, But a New Beginning

Aquiles Serdan was one of Mexico’s most prominent revolutionary martyrs. He and his two brothers were killed in the battle that day on November 10, 1910 in their home. 

His two sisters were jailed, and later taken to spend the rest of their days in a hospital setting that their lawyer was able to secure for them due to their “delicate condition”.  And no, I’m not exactly sure what “delicate condition “ they were in, but I’m thinking the hospital setting was way better than the Mexican jail (hopefully). 

It was a sad end to the Serdan family, but the start of a new beginning for Mexico.

The Serdan Family Kitchen 

The large and beautiful (minus the bullet holes) Serdan home had the kitchen of my Mexican dreams. Anyone who’s been to my home knows I have Mexican Talavera tiles in my kitchen backsplash. I just love the artistry, the colors, and the uniqueness of each hand made tile. 

So, in I walk to the Serdan’s 100 year old kitchen, and I swoon. Well, not really, but I swooned on the inside.

Talavera tile everywhere, in many patterns with colors on every surface imaginable. Oh, and even the floor took my breath away with the ruddy red tiles with Talavera accents. I love it. 

Talavera Pottery

Who knew that Puebla is home to traditional Talavera making?  Well, actually, I did. I will admit. 

Could that be a part of why we just had to get to Puebla, even for just a few days?  Perhaps it was one of the reasons. 

Popocatépetl, or El Popo

I’d also been reading so much about the beauty of Puebla, the outstanding food of Puebla (birthplace of Mole), and, of course Popocatépetl, or “El Popo”, the local volcano that rises high to a peak covered in snow in the not so far off distance. 

I had read that El Popo is the second highest volcano in North America. But what I hadn’t read, until after we arrived in Puebla, is that El Popo is Mexico’s most active volcano and it’s a good idea to check on the activity level before going to the region. Oops. Fingers crossed. 

We did get a pretty good view of the volcano our second morning. Then a bit later in the day I checked again and El Popo had what may have been, in my completely uninformed view, a somewhat significant amount of steam-smoke-ash coming out the top.  Pretty cool. Or hot, should I say. 

Kindred Spirits

One of the best benefits of the walking tour was meeting our parallel-life friends, Jens and Kelly from Flagstaff, Arizona. We became fast friends and found that we had so much in common, it was almost eerie. 

And besides all our uncanny similarities of our past lives and family circumstances, we also share a love for long term travel. We’d both spent many months in SE Asia before Covid hit, and obviously love traveling in Mexico too.  

Unfortunately we’ll be heading back to Seattle in a week, while Jens and Kelly have an open itinerary. I’m envious, but it will also be nice to get home to friends & family, a familiar bed, and Bailey, our Lab. 

Last Night in Puebla 

Just like the previous night, we walked to a restaurant we’d carefully selected, and found it closed. So we walked to a second carefully selected restaurant and it was also closed. Please note, both said “open” in Google maps. Note to self: You can’t rely on Google maps for restaurant hours. 

So, in a somewhat desperate move, we went to a three dollar sign ($$$) restaurant, El Mural Poblanos, that we had just passed by. Our first 3 dollar rated restaurant of the trip. 

Did I mention it had started raining?  That may have factored in our decision to indulge in the 3 dollar sign feast. 

The restaurant is well known for having superb food, especially Mole, and beautiful, colorful murals cover the walls. 

We were seated and waiting for our food. Suddenly there was a gigantic crash about 10 feet behind me. The waiter had dropped an entire platter of food he was bringing out of the kitchen to serve. It was chaos there for a moment as the entire restaurant seemed to stop and turn to see what had happened.

Dishes were shattered, large chunks of beautiful pottery lay on the floor amidst what looked like enchilada mole (my order).  

We’re not sure if that actually was our order, but the food sure was taking a long time to get to our table after that unfortunate event. I guess we’ll never know, but eventually our food did arrive and it was worth the wait. 

WINS

A Helping Hand

The Departures desk worker at the bus terminal made a point of coming over to us to see if we were in the right place. We noticed he didn’t do that for anyone else in the crowded Puerto #3 terminal. So nice that they look out for the Gringo tourists. We appreciate it!  And we were in the right place, by the way. 

More Mole, Por Favor

I tried the sampler Mole enchilada plate and the Adobo Mole won hands down. What great flavor!

Habla Espanol?

Before leaving for Mexico I used a free “learn Spanish” app, Duolingo.  There’s a type of lesson where the learner (that’s me) has to speak into the phone’s microphone and correctly pronounce the words in Spanish.

Well, quite often I would get stuck on the pronunciation lesson….and I’d keep getting the DO NOT PASS GO signal.  I literally wouldn’t be able to move on to the next lesson because apparently I couldn’t even correctly pronounce the most simple words, like “adios”.  It was super frustrating. 

Well, I’m happy to report that I tried the app again a couple of days ago and PRESTO, I passed every pronunciation lesson with flying colors. I owe it to being immersed here in Mexico for a month, hearing Spanish constantly, and trying to speak it gingerly and cautiously. Makes me so happy.  Adios Amigos!

LOSSES

Just like Seattle

Had our first real rain both evenings here in Puebla, but it was brief and just reminded us of home, so not really a loss. 

There’s Something About Steve

We were seated in the crowded Estrella Roja (bus company name) waiting area in the Mexico City bus terminal heading to Puebla. Almost all the seats were full of people waiting to board their bus. 

A cleaning woman came by mopping along the main aisle.  She suddenly turned towards Steve and without skipping a beat she motioned for him to lift his feet. She then proceeded to mop thoroughly under his feet and chair as he strained to hold his legs up high until she was done.  It was so odd. I was stunned and trying not to start laughing out loud.

She finished cleaning Steve’s area and continued on down the aisle. No one else was asked to lift their legs or move, including me. I guess there’s something about Steve she knew that we didn’t. 🙂

We loved Puebla and hope to return again!

The Garmin Watch

I just sat down to start on the Centro Mexico City blog but my heart is still racing from a text notification I received minutes ago. It was my adult son, Jeremy’s, fancy athletic watch texting me.

The text read:

“Jeremy’s Garmin device detected an incident. 
You are listed as an emergency contact.  
Incident Location: https://gar.mn/BKVOWV
Coordinates: 37.880700,-122.524177
Follow Jeremy’s current location: https://gar.mn/”

Sh*t, gave me a heart attack. Here I am, in another country, getting an emergency notification from a watch.

What a View

I had just finished watching Jeremy’s post where he had halted his already 45 mile bike ride for a moment above Stinson beach in Marin to take a quick video of the view, so I knew it had to be a biking “incident”. 

I immediately phoned him and he had just T-boned (his words) into a car. It had just happened and his adrenaline was pumping. He kept saying, “ I think I’m alright……I think I’m alright”.  Got my heart pumping too. 

Freeking Walgreens

The car turned right in front of him going into a Walgreens. He was in the bike lane and went full force into the side of a car, flying off the bike and hitting the road hard. He said lots of traffic stopped and the driver was very apologetic. Geez, I hope so.   

Anyway, he was very shaken up, and I’m sure he’ll be sore, but he (and the bike that he uses in triathlons, which was his main concern) are both ok. 

Bike Lanes

Now, back to Mexico City, where they have wide, well protected bike lanes, at least in the heart of downtown.  In fact, on our way across town to the Museo de la Antropología, we passed through an absolutely stunning part of Mexico City where I first spotted the bicycle lanes. 

Our Uber took us down Paseo de la Reforma, a major thoroughfare in downtown Mexico City where we were fortunate enough to catch a good look at two iconic statues.

Luckily we were stopped at a red light before entering each roundabout, and I was able to snap some shots of El Ángel and The Huntress whilst hanging out the Uber window. You know, tourist-style. 

The Center Aisle

The traffic all along Paseo de la Reforma was split by a wide expanse of beautiful gardens that include lots of  white agapanthus (flowers), large leafy trees providing plenty of shade, and a generous bicycle lane. 

The bike lane was so protected and lovely, you could almost forget the masses of traffic on either side of you. It was like a park going down the middle of a huge, multilane, congested street. 

The Museo de la Antropologia 

By the time we left the Museum of Anthropology we could barely recognize where we were, there was such a mass of people and traffic out front. It was such an extreme change from the morning. 

We had arrived at 9:20 am, and were dropped off into a peaceful, open, and expansive area in front of the museum.

A few locals were there before the heat of the day, throwing balls as far as they could for their scruffy dogs across the spacious and unfettered patio area in front of the museum. That’s how much room there was.

The Mesmerizing Waterfall 

I’m so thankful we arrived early before the crowds, which were not far behind, as it turned out.  When we walked into the museum courtyard to access the exhibit rooms, there stood the dramatic and imposing 94 foot tall, 2,000 ton sculpture-fountain raining down in a giant circumference in the middle of the courtyard. 

There were a few people in the courtyard with us, which I appreciated so I could take a picture with some perspective.  It was solemn, breathtaking, and magnificent. 

The Hordes Arrive

By the time we left it was a completely different scene.  The museum is mammoth (and has mammoth exhibits too)  and can absorb a heck of a lot of people, which there were for sure.  Many, many people.  It’s a holiday weekend and a Saturday.  I didn’t even get a picture of the hordes because I was just trying to get through the masses. So be it.  

Time for a Break

I enjoy museums, but usually try to cap the excursion at 2-3 hours.  That usually seems about right.  But this museum was incredibly special and warranted more.  Much more.  We did take a break and had a bite in the very expensive museum cafe, where we ordered appetizers only.  

I just couldn’t bring myself to pay $275 pesos for enchiladas verde that cost $95 outside the museum.  The head waiter/manager took our order, “Those are starters, what else will you be having?”

“Nothing, that’s all”, we said.  There was a language barrier, so it was a little awkward repeating several times “that’s all we’re having”, but we finally made him understand that our order was complete.  

The Exhibits

Before and after our cafe refreshment, we thoroughly enjoyed the outstanding exhibits in the exquisitely detailed rooms.  The 22 enormous rooms in the museum are dedicated to the anthropology and archaeological cultures of the Mexican territory. 

All the rooms are voluminous, with high ceilings, shiny marble floors, and beautiful lighting. The exhibits are superbly preserved and displayed, and the vast variety of interesting exhibits never ends.   In addition, each exhibit room has its own outdoor area, beautifully landscaped, with seating and more exhibit items.  It’s such a lovely and well-thought out venue.  

My Favorites

It’s hard to have favorites in a museum with so many awe-inspiring exhibits, but if you take a look at my picture count, you’ll see that I have a ridiculous number of pictures of the pottery and the little ceramic figurines. 

I just love examining the tiny figurine’s faces, bodies, and demeanor.  They were between 3-5 inches in height and so detailed. And there were probably close to a thousand. 

My Very Favorites

These two (what I call doggy) figures delighted me. Just sayin.

Museo del Templo Mayor

Speaking of  well-laid out museums, the Museo del Templo Mayor is right around the corner from our apartment and has an incredible story.  The Templo Mayor was the main temple of the Mexica people in their capital city of Tenochtitlan, which is now Mexico City. 

Construction of the first Tenochtitlan temple began sometime after 1325. That’s quite a long time ago. And it was the center of the political and religious life of Mexica society.  It was a really big deal.

Let’s Rebuild

In 1521 AD, the Spanish destroyed Templo Mayor to make way for a new cathedral, the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Assumption of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven, or the Metropolitan Cathedral, for short. 

The ruins were buried and largely forgotten until their rediscovery in 1978, when workmen uncovered a huge, eight-ton sculpted stone disk depicting the scattered limbs of the Aztec moon goddess Coyolxauhqui. 

A presidential decree gave permission for the archaeologist Eduardo Matos Moctezuma to uncover what his team could of the temple.

The Ancient City of Tenochtitlan

Yes, turns out Mexico City is built on the ruins of the ancient Aztec city of Tenochtitlan and a large portion of Centro, including our apartment, is right on top.  The huge, ancient civilization once covered about a 5 x 8.5 mile chunk of Centro.  The site is still under excavation. 

The museum has boardwalk-type paths that wind throughout the ruins that have been unearthed.  There’s an indoor section of the museum too that houses even more artifacts from the ancient city.  

Look Down

Not all the areas where current Centro Mexico City has been built could be cleared, so there are plexi-glass sections along many streets, including right near our apartment, where the subterranean ruins lie.  We can peer down and marvel at the civilization that thrived here hundreds and hundreds of years ago.   

The Works of Diego Rivera (& friends)

Diego Rivera, the very talented and famous Mexican muralist, also thrived here in Mexico City.  We had visited the Museo Casa Diego Rivera in Guanajuato, Rivera’s childhood home, so it was exciting to visit two sites here in Mexico City that also feature his works. 

The Palacio de Bellas Artes

One of the most iconic and grand buildings in all of Mexico City, The Palacio de Bellas Artes, houses superb floor to ceiling murals in the building’s entire second floor by a variety of artists, including Diego Rivera.  

My favorite was actually by another artist, Jose Clemente Orozco, entitled, “Eternal struggle of humanity”.

Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso

The second site we visited with works of Diego Rivera was at the Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso, which turned out to be literally next door to our apartment. 

We had been admiring the incredible, ornate building all week, but didn’t realize until almost our last day that it was a college and museum and is where Rivera completed his first mural as a very young man.  Thankfully we barely squeezed in time to visit.  The building and the murals didn’t disappoint. 

So Clean

It’s such a pleasure walking around the Mexican cities we have visited on this trip. Every city, small and large, that we have been in is incredibly clean.

I mean no trash on the streets, or in the gutter.  No garbage, no wrappers, no plastic bottles to be seen anywhere. The courtyards, every street, and every corner is clear and litter free.   No cigarette butts, no fast food wrappers, no old worn masks are about.  There’s not even fallen leaves or old blooms on the ground – at least not for long.

The Broom Crew

There’s a large crew of street cleaners (2,700 in Mexico City alone) that are out in force every day.  They work in shifts morning, afternoon, and overnight. We see them every block or two.  They are everywhere doing a great job. 

In Mexico City they wore bright green jumpsuits.  Every street cleaner we’ve seen uses a homemade looking broom.  It appears to be made of flexible sticks latched together and looks like it wouldn’t be very effective, but to my surprise it is.  The streets are cleaner than anywhere back home, that’s for sure. 

We noticed right away that the street cleaners congregate for a lunch break in the mid-afternoon right in front of our apartment.  It’s a nice shady spot to stop and have lunch.  And they sure do deserve it.

The Zocalo

One huge area the street cleaners didn’t have to contend with in recent days is the enormous Zocalo. 

The Zocalo has been closed off all week (or more) and an enormous temporary structure is being constructed inside. 

We assumed it was a special Easter structure for a special event, but Easter has come and gone. While taking a picture of it on our last day, still not knowing what it’s for, a silly guard made a funny pose just outside my frame. 

A Bit of Rome

The usually stoic guard seemed game, so I asked him through my translator app what was being built. He said it was the Sistene Chapel. I assumed the translation was off- what would they be building a Sistine chapel in the middle of the Zocalo for?  So strange. 

Well, an article I just found confirms it. “The capital government, in coordination with the Vatican Museums and the Archdiocese of Mexico, announced that a faithful reproduction of the Sistine Chapel, which was painted by Michelangelo, will be installed in the Zócalo of Ciudad in Mexico.” 

It will be open to the public starting tomorrow (we leave the area today). But that’s ok because we’ve seen the real thing in Rome. 

But just wondering aloud, why do they need a rendering of the Sistine Chapel from Rome when they have all this beauty that surround the Zocalo? Beats me…

WINS

Iglesia de San Francisco

Happening upon the magnificent Iglesia de San Francisco.  Just walking by and decided to take a peak.  Wow, pow, and wow. Stunning and more stunning.  Lots of gold and substantial murals on the walls.  Nice combination.

Good Friday Processionals

We were fortunate enough to witness two very different Good Friday processionals.  

One paraded by us as we had dinner at an outside table (where the finger incident occurred – see “Losses”).  The processional consisted of maybe 50 people, a couple of priests in cassocks (robes), and the figure of Jesus lying in a glass encasement being carried along.  

The second was much more striking because the processionals wore long white robes, masks that covered their faces, and hats that came to a point. In both processionals a lead person banged a drum slowly to set the somber pace.  

Clean Clothes

Having a washer and dryer.  First time in over 2 weeks. Gotta love it.

LOSSES

A freak finger accident.  Somehow I smashed the heck out of my finger while adjusting my chair in a restaurant.  Blood, pain, and lots of throbbing ensued. Now I have a phobia of adjusting my chair.  Seriously, I do.  

The Palacio Nacional was closed due to Covid.  More Diego Rivera murals adorn the walls, so we’ll have to go next time we’re in town.  We feel lucky that the Palacio Nacional was the only Covid casualty.  

What a good reason to return to this vibrant, multifaceted and energetic city full of museums, history, and gorgeous Colonial architecture.  Hasta Luego, Mexico City Centro!

The Traveler

I love to travel to places that most people don’t think of.  Places that people have to look up on a map. These less well known places are typically more “authentic”, with less tourists (like me), and tend to be less expensive too. 

Wherever the destination, I like to stay for a good amount of time so I can get a real feel for a place. My goal is to stay in one place long enough that google maps usage becomes superfluous, and long enough to accumulate favorites, a favorite restaurant, a favorite park, a favorite street.  Depending on the size of the city, staying a week is usually a minimum.  But above all else, I’m a budget traveler.  

Quality & Quantity

That’s not to say that I wouldn’t want to go back to Paris, Bangkok, or Rome, which tend to be expensive and/or tourist meccas. It just takes more finesse to make that happen.

The number one priority and bottom line for any travel is, “How much will this cost?”  How little can I spend so I can stay the longest, while still enjoying myself?  It’s quite the balancing act.  That being said, our accommodations must meet certain criteria to make the cut. 

Where to Sleep: The Essentials List 

Because we are getting older (in our early 60’s), there are some must-haves when selecting lodging.  Ok, being honest, the must-haves are pretty much all about me, but it is what it is.

Here are the six must-haves:

1. Location and price. I’m a bargain hunter, but location trumps all. 
2. A private apartment, as in not-shared, especially in Covid-times. 
3. A private bathroom, although we have made an exception on occasion.  
4. A bedroom door.  I get cranky if I don’t get my sleep, and Steve has been known to get up and read in the middle of the night, and/or get up at 6 am to start making coffee (and noise).  So, yes, a bedroom door is a must.
5. At the very minimum, a refrigerator.  A kitchenette, or preferably a full kitchen, is needed for stays longer than a few days.
6. If there’s more than two flights of stairs, an elevator is required. 

No Way

There will be no dorm style rows of beds filled with twenty and thirty-somethings for us. We will not be staying on the top floor of a six story walk-up. 

And beware that in Mexico, as in most of Europe, what we Americans call the second floor, they call the first floor.  So if you’re renting an apartment advertised on the second floor, you’ll be walking up three flights of stairs, not two. Just so you know.

The Queretaro Apartment

You may have gleaned that I’m a bit anal about all of this travel stuff and I really do my due diligence.  But our Queretaro apartment wasn’t all I had hoped.  The “essentials list” was unintentionally compromised. 

This Bajio trip was canceled and rescheduled three times (due to covid concerns).  I guess somewhere in the rescheduling I wasn’t as careful as usual and we ended up with a less than ideal apartment here in Queretaro. 

I Shouldn’t Complain, But I Will

First I want to say that we had a roof over our head, a decent bed, and a mostly functioning bathroom. So, I get it that the following complaints fall under the “first world problems” category. 

The first problem we noticed, upon entering the apartment, was the kitchen entrance was a bit on the low side. We took bets on how often Steve would clonk his head.  We actually didn’t, but turns out we should have. 

The kitchen entrance is about 4’8” high and 18” deep.  And that low passageway has a substantial beam spanning the 18” depth across the top.  Nice and solid.  Bonk, yep, felt that one (says Steve). I’m 5’3”, so could duck my head without much problem, unless I am wearing a bun.  Again, first world problems.

The Contender

The kitchen was trying hard to actually be a kitchen.  There was an absolute minimum of everything.  Cords draped here, cords pinned there, and a not-very level hot plate for a stove. Plus a very teeny coffee maker.

If we wanted coffee and food at breakfast (the audacity), we had to cook with the coffee maker cord hanging over and across the hot plate which required yoga-like moves on my part to stir and flip the pan contents.  

Our Borderline Unstable Faucet

The water pressure in the sink was a bit scary, like it had a somewhat erratic side to its personality.  Sometimes it came out sweet and calm, other times it would come out downright angry in a huge blast, so forcefully that the faucet would bang and shake. 

We never knew what we were going to get. The noise alone would make me jump back and scream. It was kind of like camping, only not as good.  Here’s the lowdown:

• The one and only cutting knife provided actually bent when I cut mushrooms.  Yes, it was that flimsy. 
• The spatula was plastic and had an apparently long history of being set on the edge of the frying pan, as we all often do with a spatula, so had melted in several places resulting in deep ridges on the surface that was originally smooth.  This made flipping a fried egg, without breaking the yoke, practically impossible.

• No hotpads were provided (as in San Miguel de Allende), so we had to be extra careful when removing something from the microwave.

• No dishtowel was in evidence (also as in San Miguel de Allende), except the Queretaro apartment did include one “reusable” wipe, like the Handiwipes I remember my mom using in the 70’s.  And I’m fairly certain the wipe was not new to us. 
  
  Well, they do say “multi-use” right on the package. Just sayin’.

The Mutant Sponge

Now I realize this is getting really nit-picky, but I just have to add one other kitchen observation. The sponge provided, both here and in San Miguel, is of the lowest sponge quality imaginable.  Basically it didn’t absorb any water.  None at all.  And the “sponge” here in our Queretaro sink was sloppily cut in half, I guess to save on resources, so it was a tiny, little, non-absorbing, sponge wanna-be tool.  

This all made for an arduous breakfast prep and clean-up, but we rose to the occasion and made it work. 

Ready For Take Off

And one last kitchen feature I haven’t mentioned.  About 50% of the very high kitchen ceiling was a skylight type plexiglass, letting in tons of natural light.  The bright light was a lovely idea, but walking into the kitchen was like walking into an oven between noon and 5 pm, with the outside temperature in the high 80’s.  And there’s no air conditioning, in case you were wondering.  

Thankfully there was a huge fan that we made extensive usage of. It was the kind that sounded like an airliner taking off, but it sure pumped a lot of air, so we were ok with the noise. 

Steve says sometimes you get what you pay for, which just sounds like a challenge to me.  I’ll do better next time.

The Budget

Before each trip I do some research and make a spreadsheet with all the costs – the known costs (our accommodations, flights, etc) and my best guesstimates for the unknowns, like food, museums & events, uber costs, etc.  Then I closely track all the spending on my Spending phone app as we go.  It’s almost like a game for me.  I love to beat my budget, when I can.

The Food Allowance

On our current trip through the Bajio region (central Mexico), our food allocation, which I “assign” on my spreadsheet, is $40 a day for the two of us.  

Here in Mexico we’ve been stocking up on eggs, stir-fry vegetables, agua minerale (sparkling water), and craft beer. For our very own evening happy-hour, we’ve also been buying tortilla chips, avocados, red onion, and lime to make guacamole en el Airbnb.  

An average breakfast here, in a mid-range restaurant, costs $10 to $15 for two. The average happy hour with guacamole & drinks would easily cost at least $12 or more. If you go somewhere really nice, which we don’t often do, a margarita can run you $8 to $15 or more, just like home.   

So I figure we’re saving a pretty penny, a penny that can be spent on nice iced coffees at a cafe, a special meal, or a relatively expensive margarita.  Of course there’s always street food (as we Gringos call it), or antojitos, as the Mexicans call it.

Antojitos or “Street Food”

I’m always game for antojitos (street food).  Too often we’re innocently walking along exploring a city and suddenly a heavenly smell hits us, full in the face.  The scent of rich & savory spices dreamily surrounds us.  

If there’s a crowd standing about, carefully shoveling tamales (or tacos, or empanadas, or chalupas, or gorditas, or whatever) into their mouths, and there’s a long line of locals waiting to place their order, that’s when you know it’s a good antojito, one worth trying. 

My interpreter (see last blog post), commonly known as my husband, is much more reluctant than I to eat  antojitos.  But I will admit we ate at three stands that served antojitos in San Miguel (with a little bit of coaxing), so I guess he’s coming along.

The Market

Every town here in Mexico, large or small it seems, has a semi-outdoor type market where local farmers and merchants sell their produce, meat, and wares of all kinds. 

The Mercados also tend to have some of the best local food served at a counter overlooking the prep, or at small tables crowded nearby. 

The market is about a 15 minute walk straight down our street, Manuel Gutierrez Najera.  When leaving our apartment, we turn right and start down a slow, but consistent, descent to the market. So yes, it’s all uphill with our groceries, btw. 

Huevos by the Kilo

A couple of interesting points about the Market.  You buy the exact number of eggs you want and they weigh them on a produce scale to get the cost.  They’re priced per kilogram.  Like how we buy produce at home. Makes sense. Then they put them in a plastic bag for you to carry home.  It’s a little precarious, but eggs are tougher than we think and it works.  

I love buying fresh fruits and veggies directly from the farmers.  I wish we did this at home.  After just a couple of times I can tell how easy it would be to establish a relationship with a particular stand. The sellers are so friendly and really want to help us find what we’re looking for, and of course, make the sale.  It’s one of the easiest transactions as a non-Spanish speaker.  Just point and pay.

Comidas (Meals)

Of course we don’t cook most of our meals.  We found it’s a smart idea to look up any given restaurant we’re considering on Google maps and check the rating. Even if we’re standing in front of said restaurant. 

We enjoyed trying the local specialty negro mole dishes several times. Mole Negro originally hails from Oaxaca, Mexico, and is a complex, deep, smoky, slightly spicy sauce that is made with dried black chilies, allspice, peppercorns, cloves, oregano, a little thyme and a hint of bittersweet chocolate. It’s rich and absolutely delicious.

What Have We Done…

The only, “Oh my God, what have we done??!!” food moment was at a highly recommended restaurant not far from our apartment on Calle 5 de Mayo, Maria y su Bici. 

As I have mentioned, it’s unique to find someone in the Bajio region, including Queretaro, that speaks English. So, of course, we were in winging it mode with our waiter, who was suggesting and explaining things (probably). 

Turns out we ordered rather unique margaritas, not at all like we were expecting. I think it was the first margarita of the trip for both of us, and we had already been in Mexico over two weeks. I was more than ready for a refreshing margarita. 

To the waiter’s credit, he did say the margaritas were made with mezcal. Well, I rarely drink, and definitely don’t know the finer points and what’s-what regarding alcohol, so wholeheartedly agreed.

The Margaritas (from Hell)

Our first clue that something was unique about our anxiously awaited margaritas was that they arrived in bowls. Literally bowls. They were a strange material that we couldn’t make out. Maybe it was some kind of half coconut shell or something, we didn’t know. 

Steve’s main concern at this point, before we had even taken our first sip, was how do they clean those bowls?  Or are they single-use bowls?  We shook off those very legitimate questions, and moved on. 

What’s In These?

It’s hard to explain what our margaritas were like, but I’ll try. Firstly they looked like bowls of liquidy applesauce, kind of a light beigy color with a lump-like substance. They also each had a line of red powder, about an inch wide from edge to edge. Not too appealing to the eye, but delicious food isn’t necessarily pretty (or is it?). 

Anyway, I brought the bowl up to my lips and POW. Apparently there’s more of that red powder on the rim that you can’t see because it almost matches the bowl and that powder is SPICY HOT.  

I’ve never had mezcal, so perhaps that’s what that sickening aftertaste was. Suffice to say, there was mutual agreement that this had been a mistake that shall not be repeated.

Wandering Centro Queretaro 

It’s never a mistake to set out and wander here in Queretaro. When leaving the apartment we typically have a planned destination, but always end up seeing and doing things we happen upon. 

As in the other Bajio region cities we’ve visited, Queretaro has stunning Jardins and Plazas dotted throughout the centro section of the city. Most are a few blocks apart, so you’re never far from a beautifully manicured garden with tall trees providing shade, a fountain and statue, and plenty of seating. 

Scattered among the Jardins are the museums of Queretaro, most of which are small and can be toured in an hour or less. 

The most impressive feature of the museums that we visited was the outstanding Baroque architecture. There were some impressive paintings and ancient handicrafts, but it was the buildings that kept my attention. 

Doorknockers

I remember being in San Miguel de Allende many years ago and being so taken with the magnificent doors that lined the streets.  Those are still there and worthy of admiration, but what stood out in Queretaro were the door knockers. 

What fun to find creative, funny, and even elegant door knockers all over the city. 

Bougainvillea, Ho-Hum

On the hunt for door knockers, we’d invariably see all the beautiful bougainvillea cascading over buildings, doors, and climbing walls- again. Just like in San Miguel and Guanajuato. But, I have to say, it never gets old. Not in the least. 

Why Are We Doing This?

We’ve developed this habit of taking certain items with us from town to town, namely a large bag of tortilla chips and several rolls of toilet paper.

I suppose this developed from the fear of running out of said supplies, so always having a surplus. Yes, we’re weird. 

WINS

A Society That Cares

Covid continues to be taken very seriously here in Queretaro. There’s a chain across restaurant entrances to control the number of patrons.

95% of people wear masks inside and outside all the time, except when eating. And 90% of those are even wearing their mask correctly. Way better than home. 

The vast majority of restaurants, museums, art galleries, etc. take your temperature and give you a squirt of hand sanitizer before you are allowed to enter. Many have a mounted temperature wand, at forehead level, so you position yourself for your reading, get a squirt of sanitizer, and are then seated. 

Fizzy for the Win

I’ve always loved carbonated drinks. I know, I probably am deficient in some critical mineral or something. Anyway, the thrill of my day, every day, was dispensing my refreshing and always fully carbonated water from the miraculous container that had a built-in lever that carbonated on the spot as I pour. Fizzy in full to the very last drop. 

Nuts

The huge bag of candied pecans we purchased for $5 ($100 pesos) from the nut vendor on the street just this side of Plaza de Armas. Lasted the whole week and even through the 3 hour bus ride to Mexico City. Yum. 

LOSSES

The Sprayer

We did the customary temp check and squirt of sanitizer at the entrance to San Miguelito restaurant in the heart of Queretaro centro. 

The hostess then grabbed a rather large device consisting of a several gallon base and a long wand with a sprayer at the end. She led us towards our table. 

The device is what we at home call a yard sprayer, commonly used for insecticide. When she arrived at our table she lifted the wand and swung it to and fro whilst letting about a generous spray of whatever was in that container. She was sure to get the entire table, decorative plates and all. Ohhhhhh myyyyy. Is this stuff safe?  Just don’t ask. 

The Wedding Party

Friday afternoon a huge group checked-in to maybe 4 of the apartments surrounding us on all sides. They appeared to be an extended family group consisting of many adults, a fair number of toddlers and young kids, along with their dog, Lucky. 

I saw some of the men carrying in garment bags that would typically house a suit and asked them (using Google translate) if they were here for a wedding, and indeed they were. How fun. 

Friday night the kids ran wild (I mean free), playing with the only “toy” they could find in the courtyard we all shared, the empty 5 gallon water bottles. 

The huge, empty, thick plastic bottles make kind of a loud thumping and banging sound when they are tossed, rolled into things, or thrown at another child. Kind of like drums being played by someone with no rhythm. This went on until after 11 pm. I kept thinking, “Don’t these kids need to be in bed?”  

The next morning, all was fun and festive. The women had hired someone to come in and do their makeup and hair. Eventually they all headed off to the wedding in the late afternoon. 

You may think “the loss” was the drumming, but you’d be wrong. The loss, which I’m finally getting to, was later that night after the wedding. The whole crew came home and drank, laughed, and visited in our shared courtyard, just outside our open window, until 2:49 am. I thought about getting up and shutting the window, but our apartment doesn’t cool down much and it was already a bit hard to sleep. 

On the up side, none of them got up before 10 am, even the kids, so we were able to sleep in a bit. All in the life of a traveler. 

Day #5

About 24-hours before leaving Guanajuato on a luxury bus, heading for San Miguel de Allende (San Miguel), I was just finishing up a horrendous, too-long night.  Somewhere and somehow I had been stricken with food poisoning that I picked up hours or days prior. 

We made the bus trip to San Miguel without any problems, but I still had that queasy feeling, a “talkative” stomach, and was unusually tired for days.  Thankfully our new apartment was comfortable and had a peaceful, flower-filled & shady patio courtyard to relax in.

So, perhaps needless to say, San Miguel started out very slowly.  It’s funny how feeling a bit crummy will completely skew your impression of a place. 

It wasn’t until Sunday, Day #5 (that shall live in infamy), that my energy and appetite returned. 

Now I’m loving life and loving San Miguel.  Just as it should be.

The Streets

Both Guanajuato, where we had just come from, and San Miguel, where we are now, have charming cobblestone streets. They’re very picturesque. 

A big difference is that many streets in San Miguel consist of much larger, rounded rocks to pave the roads, as opposed to the smaller, flatter rocks used in Guanajuato.

The rocks here in San Miguel are between the size of a can of beans and a two-slot toaster, and everything in-between.  And yes, I happen to be looking at our kitchen countertop where a can of beans and a small toaster reside.

The rocks are irregularly positioned, and of various heights.  Some are high, others are very high, and the occasional low rock is thrown in for good measure.  Basically they’re all over the height chart. Most are rounded, well worn, and even a bit slick.

This makes for a very adventurous walk. It’s important to keep a keen eye on where you’re putting your foot, lest you get an unintended extreme close-up with said charming cobblestones.  

It’s like maneuvering over a wild creek bed while trying to dodge cars, motorcycles, buses, and other pedestrians, and still monitoring google maps on the cell so you don’t miss your turn. 

Get Out of the Sun

It’s been unusually hot (close to 90 degrees, which for this Seattle-gal is way-hot). We’re still up over 6,000 feet in this city of steep hills, so, at least for me, walking the streets is an undertaking involving plenty of huffing & puffing. 

Thankfully Steve doesn’t mind my stopping for pictures as my ever-present excuse for resting to catch my breath. 

We spent a lovely time enjoying the shade at Parque Benito Juárez. It’s a sprawling park right in the middle of town. There’s beautiful landscaping, walking paths, and a huge sports court where we saw men of all ages and abilities playing basketball and a group of mostly women in a boxing class.

Oh, and we saw lots and lots of people walking their dogs too. San Miguel is surely a dog town.

BOOM, BOOM

Luckily the evenings here in San Miguel cool way down, so it’s easy to get a good night’s sleep.  Except, as we learned, on a Sunday. 

The local government (we think?) set off thunderously loud fireworks starting around 4 am Sunday mornings, continuing every 15 to 20 to 30 minutes at irregular intervals (as far as we could tell in our sleep-deprived stupor) until around 6:30 am. 

The blasts are deafening.  No one, and I mean no one, could have slept through the onslaught.  

Ask any local why this happens and you’ll get a variety of answers, from warding off evil spirits to rousing folks for church to, “Why not, it’s Tuesday!” (or Sunday, or whatever). 

Yes, most Mexican towns, including San Miguel, have a serious love affair with fireworks. As far as I can tell, it’s just a tradition we have to graciously accept as a part of being in this paradise of a town.

The Day of 16,000 Steps

Our friendly neighbors, Monique and Richard, from near Toronto, who are fortunate enough to be here in San Miguel for 6 weeks, suggested we climb up the hill behind our building to a Botanical Garden high above the city.

We were promised a strenuous workout, beautiful views, and a look at magnificent estates that pay dearly for that view. 

Steve wanted a tough workout, so he headed out early in the morning.  After summiting, he texted me to meet him halfway down the hill at Mirador San Miguel de Allende, a well-known look-out point. 

I joined him courtesy of Uber, and after a much shorter climb we happily wandered through the million dollar plus hillside mansions, only drooling occasionally. 

Even though I had Uber’ed up the hill in the morning, that day turned into the “steps” winner of the trip, so far. Over 16,000 steps that day.  Almost 7 miles. 

Yes, we walked and walked and walked. I only wish my free iPhone pedometer could account for the hills.  I feel I should get 1.5 steps when climbing a hill. Or maybe double steps for the very steep hills.  It’s only fair.  

The Murals of Guadalupe 

Although we had already walked all over the hillside that morning, the days in San Miguel were winding down, and we still wanted to visit the Guadalupe neighborhood. Guadalupe is known for the masterfully painted and tiled murals throughout their neighborhood.  

True confessions, we had actually already been to the Guadalupe neighborhood on our first full day in town. That was Day #2 of the food poisoning saga, and, if you recall, I wasn’t feeling myself until Day #5.  So that didn’t really work out so well and we only saw a couple of peripheral murals.  It was quite disappointing (and tiring) and basically a bust.

So, I’m happy to report that the second try at Guadalupe was a huge success.

Habla Espanol?

San Miguel has a huge number of expats, mostly English speaking expats. In Guanajuato we’d see one English speaking couple a day, at most. 

When we arrived in San Miguel and sat at our first restaurant, English speakers filled almost every table around us. The difference was stark.  And even though there are so many English speakers, there’s still not many locals that speak English, which is fine, since we ARE in Mexico. 

My Spanish Interpreter 

Thankfully, I have my Spanish interpreter with me.  He’s on-call and always willing to interpret for me.  It’s especially helpful because basically all local waiters, shopkeepers, and grocery store clerks speak to me in Spanish.  They speak very quickly and mostly in multiple full sentences, you know, like starting a conversation.

Now, I did try to work on my Spanish using iPhone apps the past few months prior to our trip, but I have determined that it did no good whatsoever when encountering real Spanish speakers in real situations.  

The essential problem here is that my interpreter is my husband, and he knows no Spanish, except a few basic words. 

Here’s how it goes, every time:

1. The waiter (or whoever) approaches us and gives us a long commentary in Spanish. 
2. We just sit there and awkwardly stare at the speaker.
3. There’s a slight pause, then, invariably, Steve will look at me and interpret. 
4. My eyes bulge out a bit as I glare back at Steve, in that way that says, “What the heck are you even doing?”
5. Then I continue to just stare at Steve because it’s absolutely hilarious that he actually thinks he’s interpreting this.

After multiple instances just like this, Steve and I have agreed that he’s basically mansplaining AND from a foreign language. Too funny.

Steve, my editor, wants me to add that he is sometimes right (in his interpreting), so I will.  But I also want to add that an educated guess will usually yield results at least sometimes, and that he’s still not interpreting.  Just sayin’. 

A Historic City

One thing we don’t have to guess at is the beauty of San Miguel. San Miguel is a colonial-era city in Mexico’s central highlands known for its baroque Spanish architecture, thriving arts scene, and quaint charm. 

In the city’s historic, cobblestoned center lies the neo-Gothic church Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel, whose dramatic pink towers rise above the main plaza, El Jardín Allende.  Many picture this iconic church when they think of San Miguel. 

The Templo de San Francisco church and the adjoining, peaceful plaza, are just a block from our apartment.  The church was built in 1779, so it’s been around a long while.  

Our walking tour leader told us of Templo de San Francisco’s surprising past.  The priests of the Templo learned to become Matadors.  Many gained great notoriety and became local celebrities. 

The beautiful plaza that now stands in front of the church consisted of a bull ring that hosted festive and popular bull-fights.  The church garnered great riches, and the talented priests became quite wealthy. 

Gaining personal wealth was against their vows, so the practice was eventually brought to a halt.  The churches still obtain great riches, but now it’s because San Miguel is a wedding destination that brings in the big bucks.

It’s a Feeling

We didn’t see any weddings while in town, but I can certainly understand why people would like to get married here.  There are so many picture-perfect views. 

On almost every block we found beautifully cascading Bougainvillea, with bright (often hot pink) flowers contrasting against the worn white or golden adobe walls. 

The cobblestone streets, the decorated doorways, the iconic churches, and the Jardin Allende with its perfectly trimmed Ficus trees and lush feel, all contribute to a place of true elegance and charm. 

San Miguel has a more upscale feel than other cities I’ve been to in Mexico. It’s a real, working town, but there’s an element of sophistication.

It’s an artist mecca with a substantial expat community that has brought in lots of dinero ($$) over the past 25 years.  Art galleries dot most streets.  The kind of art galleries where you need a credit card with a high limit if you plan on making a purchase.  

Mariachi’s sing in the Jardin Allende in the evenings. Local families with toddlers to teens gather every evening to enjoy each other and the shade or a sunset in whatever plaza they choose throughout the city. 

The abundance of places for people to gather and comfortably sit never ceases to amaze me (nothing like home in the suburbs of Seattle). 

And the multitude of places throughout the city to take a load-off is truly opportune when you’re a Gringo still trying to adapt to the high altitude while exploring this magical city.

WINS

While I was still recuperating from my food poisoning bout, Steve had a fun excursion to Cañada de la Virgen, a remote archaeological complex about an hour outside San Miguel. It featured various pyramid structures dating from the 7th century.

Lucky me missed that one step on the rooftop deck at the Inside Cafe, but somehow I managed to gracefully recover without falling flat on my face. 

Using “Nelly’s” Netflix account in our apartment to binge season #2 of Bridgerton during the dark days of food poisoning.  Saved us from trying to log-in to our own account in Spanish (harder than it sounds).

Note to self: Always log out of your Netflix account at a hotel or Airbnb.  And thanks Nelly!

LOSSES

Those confounding church bells that supposedly tell the time.  What the heck?  It takes a PhD in Mexican church bells to figure them out. Seriously. 

The number one loss, with nothing even coming close, was the incessant pre-dawn bomb-like fireworks on Sunday morning.  Hands down the worst. Come on, San Miguel, can’t the fireworks start around 9 am?

Posted November 8, 2019

I’ve never given elephants a lot of thought, except when I was decorating my second son’s room before he was born. I carefully put up his jungle themed wall border, half way up the wall (so he could see it). It was filled with elephants, which may have sparked his elephant obsession as a child.

Other than that, I haven’t ever been too elephant obsessed myself. I, of course, have been aware and saddened by the fact that these very wise, kind, and loving animals have been treated so cruelly throughout history, and that their numbers are dwindling due to habitat loss. 

An Early Start

Yesterday all that changed. My newfound passion, love, and respect for elephants has been born.

Our all-day excursion with Elephant Jungle Sanctuary started at 8 am. We drove in the back of a small pick up truck, outfitted with two barely padded, bright blue bench seats, running perpendicular to the truck’s cab.

We picked up our truck-mates. One young couple was from California, San Mateo (shout out to my mom and dad’s home town) and Mountain View (where Steve and I had our first apartment together), respectively. The other young couple was from Krakow, Poland. 

The Drive

• 

• 

Our drive was about 1.5 hours in total, through Chiang Mai, then the “suburbs”, and then the rolling countryside. When we hit the highway, the six of us in the back of the rickety truck suddenly bonded. The driver floored it, driving way too fast for comfort. We looked at each other with wide-eyes, grinning, and giggling (nervously).  We rationalized our situation, agreeing it was all a part of the experience, which I suppose is true, and, considering we didn’t have a lot of choice at this point, we sat back and enjoyed the ride and the wind in our hair. 

After climbing high into the mountains we turned off the paved road onto a winding and steep downhill facing dirt road, barely wide enough for the trucks wheels.  We hit areas where the road was crumbling, and the wheels would slip, just a bit. Some of the turns were so tight that I’d close my eyes so I wouldn’t see the drop off just below the side of the truck. 

Into the Valley

Down, down, down we went, through the trees into the beautiful valley below. We parked.

We were still up the hill a bit from the camp and the valley floor.

I hopped out of the truck (ok, full disclosure, that was a very generous description of my disembarkation. With my bad knee, it was more like I awkwardly crawled out of the truck). From where we stood, we had a birds eye view of the valley and camp.

We stood gasping, pointing, and staring at the maybe 10 elephants below us clustered in two family groups. We had made it. 

A Stunning Setting

• 

• 

The Elephant Jungle Sanctuary Camp was a dream setting. Set remotely in the mountains of northern Thailand, where it is green and lush with expansive vistas. Add in a meandering river, with a waterfall or two thrown in, complete with calm pools for swimming. I couldn’t have dreamed up a more beautiful setting to learn about and fall in love with the elephants.

• 

• 

The Three Warnings

By far the best part of the day was joining the elephants in their giant mud pit.

Seriously, it was crazy. And it all started with three warnings. 

The First Warning

Firstly, our host told us to only wear or bring waterproof items, or items that can be washed, into the mud pit.

The speaker tried to drive home his point, in his thick Thai accent, over and over, even citing statistics. Twenty one cell phones, fifteen pairs of sunglasses, and multiple cameras now call the bottom of the mud pit home. And that’s just from the last few months. He gave example after example of people who didn’t heed his warning, complete with impersonations of people pleading with him, outraged at their loss. 

The Second Warning

Secondly, our host talked about the folks who don’t want to join in the mud pit (there’s always at least a few). They decide they only want to watch and take pictures. But then they see all the fun, set down their camera, or slip off their shirt, and join in, carefully leaving their items up on the “shore”. Big mistake. The elephants love to play and they love toys. Anything left near the mud pits is fair game, and it’s guaranteed the elephants will be happy to play with the “toys” you’ve so thoughtfully left for them. Your items will never be the same. Kiss them goodbye. 

The Third Warning

Thirdly, watch where you are in relation to the elephants legs and back end. The elephants like to lay down on their side and stretch out, wiggle, and roll in the mud. If you’re in their path, well, you might be in some trouble. If you end up at their tail end, they may inadvertently kick you all the way back to Chiang Mai during a particularly big stretch.  

To See, or Not To See

After our warnings, Steve decided to leave his glasses at the camp, where they’d stay safe. I decided to keep my glasses on, since I’m so blind without them.  I needed to be sure I could see well enough to distinguish the front end from the back end, so I’d make it through the day in one piece. 

To the Mud Pit

We had been advised to go barefoot, since the mud is very sticky and sucks sandals down like quicksand.  So, with one of us bespeckled, and one not, and both barefoot, we headed down to the mud pit.

The elephants were just entering the pit as we arrived. Some people plowed straight in, but I held back for a moment, surveying the pit for my best entry option. Nothing was really jumping out at me. All entry points looked similar, shiny, slippery mud, with opaque, murky puddles all around. Steve was already in the pit, up to his calves in muck. I flashed on the ride up, when Steve said there may be snakes in these parts, specifically in the water. Shaking that sweet tidbit from my mind, I waded in. 

The Bad Place

I was busy looking down, quite focused on my feet sinking deeper into the mud, and the water hitting my thighs, when suddenly a larger (much larger) priority emerged. A huge elephant (actually they are all huge) was in the process of lying down directly in front of me, its back getting larger until it filled my vision. Water was being displaced in droves, creating a wake spurting in all directions.  Everything was happening quite quickly. It was impossible to tell what the elephant had in mind (if anything) regarding his ultimate landing plans. Steve was in the bad place, per warning number three, when the elephant finally finished his roll-over move. 

Thankfully a camp worker, strategically placed for our safety, came to the rescue. He yanked Steve out from the elephants back end to a safer location, over by the elephants mid-section, where I was standing. Just then the elephant farted, complete with bubbles, just like in a bathtub. It was a near miss for Steve. I was laughing so hard I could barely stand. 

A Mud Massage

We proceeded to grab big handfuls of mud and spread the thick goo all over the elephant’s back, head, trunk, and ears. He was loving it.

His hide was mostly rough, with one notably smooth section on his forehead. His feet looked like they belonged to a dinosaur.

He had long, thick, and straight hairs sticking out all over the top of his head and lots of softer looking hair by his mouth.

His eyes reminded me of a horse’s eyes, soft and knowing.

After everyone was good and mudded up, including the elephants, we moved on to a beautiful waterfall, complete with a tranquil pool, to wash off. Before entering the pool, we were each handed a brightly colored plastic pail to splash the elephants (and each other). The hosts were purposely drenching us all, which turned into a giant water fight. We splashed, played, and laughed. It was chaotic and loads of fun.

As Hungry as a Dinosaur

From what we were told, the elephants eat about as much as a Brontosaurus. They are always hungry and will always eat, kind of like a Labrador Retriever.

We fed the elephants three different “courses” that day. Locally grown, tiny sized bananas were served for their appetizer. The bananas were short and stout, about four to six inches each and several inches around. Huge bunches were handed out to each of us. We pulled the bananas off our bunch and stuffed them in the giant front pocket of the traditional shirt were were all given to wear. The bananas were overripe, black, and mushy.  We hung on to the stock end too. The elephants will eat it all.

“Bon, Bon!”

Per our coaching, I’d raise up my arm, and loudly shout “Bon, Bon”. This told the elephant that I was going to hand feed it, putting the banana directly into his mouth. We entered the elephant field. The elephants ran towards us, knowing we had bananas. It’s a bit difficult to stand your ground when an excited elephant is galloping towards you, even if it’s a slow gallop.

“Bon, Bon”!, and the trunk flies up, exposing a very large, “V” shaped mouth. I reached up and placed a banana on the giant, warm, soft, pink tongue. Then again and again. It’s never something I dreamed of doing, but I’m so glad I can say that I touched an elephants tongue, multiple times. Now that’s up close and personal.

The Corn Stalks

For the elephants second course, we all walked back up the hill and were thrown a stack of dried out corn stalks. One by one, we carried them back down the steep steps into the valley, to the waiting elephants.

Steve was fascinated watching the elephant’s trunk in action, curling and twisting with perfect control.  We’d watch the elephant pick up a corn stalk with his trunk, then adeptly strip all the leaves off with one or two swipes of his trunk. Apparently the stalk is what’s yummy in this equation.

Elephant Jungle Sanctuary

If you’re In Thailand, I highly recommend Elephant Jungle Sanctuary. Our day with the elephants was glorious. And fun. And muddy. And more fun. And educational.

• 

• 

Elephant Jungle Sanctuary has camps in Chiang Mai, Phuket, Pattaya, and Samui. They were a tiny bit more expensive than some of the other camps (of which there are zillions), but the selfless work they are doing to give elephants the life, care, love and respect they deserve is nothing short of incredible. And you get a cool shirt to take home, a lovely lunch, and lots of elephant love.

• 

• 

The camp directors consider the elephants family. It’s a continual struggle to maintain the camps, fighting against big-money investors that exploit the elephants for profits. Their dedication to continue expanding and creating sustainable camps is beyond admirable. Learn more about Elephant Jungle Sanctuary here:

Elephant Jungle Sanctuary, Chiang Mai

The day was long, but so worth every minute and every penny.
#❤️elephants 

Wins and Losses

Wins

• Hearing an elephant trumpet. At least five or six times throughout the day. Soooo cool. 
• Watching the elephants finger-like appendage, at the end of his trunk, that gave him amazing precision dexterity for picking up and manipulating small items. 
• Touching the huge bulge protruding from the side of the pregnant elephant. 18 months down, 6 to go. Gestation is two years for elephants. OMG. 
• Getting educated about the real struggle to save the elephants from abuse and extinction. 

Losses

• Noticing big, floating blobs in the mud pit as we exited, and realizing what they were. Hint: what goes in must come out.