Between being a wife, mom, and part time aspiring planner - along with Facebook, Twitter, and all the other distractions out there - I've harly had a moment to write, much less go out and experience something to blog about that has to do with ...findingmexico...
I think that is my problem though. I've always felt that I have to post something special about Mexico or not post at all. So I've redifined what I hope this blog will be about. {fingers crossed this will make me stick to it}
Inspiration came from the beautiful trees in their full bloom spring splendor around Cuernavaca. Amazing, huh?
When you talk to people who live in Mexico City, many either absolutely love it or absolutely hate it. The latter due mostly in part to the crazy traffic this city is victim of.
Over the holidays or puentes (long weekends), DF is actually a wonderful place to be in. No cars, No people, No pollution.
But anyway, before I lose track of what this post is about.
Gordo and I haven't really figured out which end of the spectrum we are at when it comes to our relationship with DF, although I have to say, I think we lean more towards the loving part (many reasons why, but I'll save that for another time). Although the main reason I think has to do with the fact that my in-laws live in Cuernavaca; this means we always have a weekend escape as an option.
I remember thinking like this when I used to live in China...it was great to be in Shanghai, as long as you left every 4 months or so - to take a breather and re-collect yourself. Then it was OK to go back. Same thing seems to be happening here in Mexico City...we love it up to a certain point - then we leave when we've had enough - and that allows us to come back feeling re-charged and ready to face the city once again.
I can go on and on about how fabulous Cuernavaca is, but by far the best attraction for me right now is lolo and abi's (S' grandparents) garden.
Because fabulous things like this happen {for the first time!} there:
What about you? What do you do to re-charge, re-collect, re-energize yourself?
I realize that opportunities like the one we had yesterday are not exactly easy to come by, so when a super family friend of my gordo offered to take us on a tour de los cielos Morelenses aboard his 4-seater '81 Cessna, of course we jumped at it! Who wouldn't have?!?
There is not much more I can say about the experience, other than it was absolutely fantastic and made me very, very nostalgic for my childhood along side my Pappi, who was a private pilot himself. Hence I will leave you with photos that have redefined my expectation of a lazy Sunday afternoon...sigh.
Lift off over Cuernavaca
Over Tepoztlan and the Tepozteco (closest I have ever been to it!)
It happened last Saturday when, despite the marvelous weather of the city of eternal spring (Cuernavaca) has to offer, we decided to make our way back to Mexico City. So at some point in the early afternoon, with our head still a little blurry from the night before (*blush*), we hopped into the car and took on the highway. Now, summer time in Mexico is almost synonymous with thunderstorms. That I somewhat understand, thinking back to meteorology class in college and something about hot weather and evaporation and finally rain…can’t remember the specifics now ;)
But a HAIL storm in the middle of summer? Someone please explain. Up along the highway in the middle of the mountains, we found ourselves trapped within this dark menacing cloud that decided to open up and pour buckets of ice cubes on all the poor souls (some on motorcycles!) coming from sunny Morelos.
I was so amazed I had to take a video for you to see:
Some cars pulled over on the side of the road, simply because they probably couldn’t see 2 feet in front of them. We kept moving at a snail’s pace, but regardless I couldn’t focus my camera to well. I’ll explain though.
The white stuff on the side: ICE building up on the side of the road.
The out of focus red lights: the dashboard thermometer reading 2.5 degrees Celsius. Keep in mind, it’s SUMMER!!!
LOL. I don’t have much else to say about this natural incident, aside from the fact that Mexican Mother Nature keeps me on my toes.
So we cleared the hail storm and made it back into the city to set out on our original mission: to buy furniture. The absence of Swedish genius, a.k.a. IKEA, in Mexico is made up by the existence of BOSSA, gracias a Dios! And last Saturday they had a super sale! For all those modern, or so we like to think, young couples who cannot necessarily afford to decorate a house with the finest of Italian design, Bossa has some great designs and ideas that come at affordable prices. So we went. We saw. We bought. Now we wait. For delivery. ;)
Yes! What you see above are the keys to our new apartment! We signed the lease a mere two hours ago, and so this week, as you can imagine, will be all about moving.
The disappearing act since my last post was due to my escape to the beautiful blue skies (and one rain cloud) of Cuernavaca, la ciudad de la eterna primavera. (Incidentally enough, my brother was just visiting Medellin, Colombia at the same time, which happens to also be la ciudad de la eterna primavera...bueno. I guess there can be two in this world).
Anyway...I was feeling a little overwhelmed with the hustle and bustle of the big city, hubby busy at work all day, and just my general overall lost-ness, if you will. But now that we have our place, PROJECT!!! Me and my one track mind. I can't think of anything else except refrigerators, washing machines, sofas, curtains, etc. I am hoping that once I feel settled, I will venture out and find inspiration along the way.
Uffffffffffff! We finally made it to las tierras mexicanas. We arrived this morning before dawn and I'm already fighting the jetlag in an effort to try to get my clock set in motion. A little diffcult though when my body thinks it's almost midnight and has gone without sleep for nearly 24 hours. Anyway, used to it by now.
Just wanted to post this short note to say we made it across the pacific, a little bumpy, but we are here in one piece. The last 2 weeks have been crazy busy, I need to sit back and think about all that happened so i can make sense of it before writing anything down. But will do so soon :)
Regarding Mexico City: I don't have much to write about right this second, considering we have been here all of 5 hours, but i already had tamales, and i'm glad to hear that the tortilla lady next door is still around screaming tortiiiiiiiiillllllllllaaaaaaaaaaa at the top of her lungs. The neighbors dogs are there as well. And i'm sure the confused rooster will surface at about 4 this afternoon thinking it's dawn (maybe it has permanent jetlag!). Sigh. The welcoming sounds to confirm you are home.
There shall be no "settling down" activities this weekend. That will start monday. I'm off to Cuernavaca for a relaxing weekend with the familia.
