Southern Mexico roadtrippin PT2

We arrived in Pelanque to visit the beautiful ruins, set in the middle of the jungle, crawling vines over the 1500 year old ruins and green grass surrounding the site. Then that night we drove on to Bonampak.

We found a great camp site for 30 pesos each and had a relaxing night, falling asleep to the sound of waterfall in the background.

The next day I went to the remote ruins of Yaxchitlan. you need to get a lancha there as they are so remote, set right on the riverside of Mexico and Guatemala. The ruins are similar to that of Pelanque, set deep in the jungle, and very green and lush. Spider monkeys came out to play at the tree tops which was a great sight. We also spotted a crocodile sunning himself on the river bank on the way there.

On the way back we had a quick stop over in Guatemala, got some Guatemalan quetzals and bought some snacks. There was no immigration or border patrol so Im not sure how they monitor crossings. But the same day we found out a war broke out at another place on the border, lucky it wasn`t where we were.

The next day we stopped in a tiny town to visit a family who own a bakery and they offered us cake, bread rolls, oranges and had their son take photos of us all. By now we`re quite used to people wanting to take photos of us, I guess its the blonde hair.. But they were a sweet family and when I showed them vegemite they thought it was hilarious. But the best was when I told them I gave them a postcard from Wagga Wagga- they didn`t even want to try to pronounce it!!

That night we slept in Chetumal, an uneventful night and unremarkable town.

The next day we jumped back in the kangoo and climbed up to Tulum, we spent the afternoon at th beach there then pitched out tent in a campsite on the beach for 80 pesos each.

We had a delicious seafood dinner in town then relaxed on the beach.

The next morning we had some more beach time, did some shopping then went to visit the ruins of Tulum but unfortunately then were closed already, so well have to return- What a shame!!

Then we made it to Cancun- finally! we'd all had enough of the car, as cool as it is, and were happy to have a few days break. Alvaro's parents and sister flew in that night and we greeted them at the airport, we knew immediately that it will great spending the next week with them- a great family!!

The next day we showed them the beautiful Caribeean beached, white sand and clear blue water. Palapa huts on the beach, and cervezas for lunch. Can't get much better. We had lunch at Hooters, an interesting experience. Average food, but everyone knows you don't go to Hooters for the food.

Then we had a big night, everyone had told us about the experience that is CocoBongo, and its true that you need to see it to believe it. A disco that costs $45 US to get in, open bar all night and impersonator shows all night, certainly worth it!!

They started with Frank Sinatra, moved onto Lady Gaga and Madonna and threw in Spiderman and Batman fight seen, I loved it. (Well the parts that i remember.... Lets not mention that...)

Southern Mexico roadtrippin PT1

One week down in a month long road trip through the south of Mexico... So far, so good!

I'm travelling with a group of friends, Ines, the eternally happy Parisian, Raphael, the Provencal French rugby man, Alvaro, the crazy Spaniard and Miguel, the balance between everyone- calm and studious.

We rented a kangoo, a ridiculous French van, piled our backpacks, tent and reserve in the back and set off from Mexico City.
The first encounter was the Guadalupeans, as we´ve affectionally named them. These Guadalupeans embark on a pilgrimage to the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City around the 12 of December from all parts of Mexico. They travel in big trucks and each person takes a turn carrying the torch along the highway all the way to Mexico City and back. and there were thousands of groups of them!

Mexico is a country of extremes, from the rich, US-styled Monterrey we arrived in the poor colonial town of Oaxaca. We slept in a freezing campsite and vistied the beautiful colourful Zocalo. The Mayan ruins of Monte Alban were impressive, as was the fiesta offering all sorts of Oaxacan delicacies such as banana tamales, balls of Oaxaca cheese and tarts. Delicious.

Next stop was Mazunte, a chilled out beach village. We got there very late so that only place we found to pitch the tent was in a the driveway of a lovely but crazy family. With hundreds of roosters going all night long!! Safe to say we didn't get much sleep that night. The next day we found a slightly more legit campsite called La Isla for 40 pesos each, set only 10 metres from the beach. We spent the day in the waves and the afternoon in the bar.

We changed it up a bit the next day and camped at Zipolite, an even more hippy relaxed campsite set on the beach. We spent a relaxing afternoon at the beach and the night in the bar. What a tough life!

We drove the next afternoon until dark and camped in the carpark of a roadside hotel for 100pesos in total. No the most comfortable night, but we were used to it.

We drove the next morning until San Cristobal de las Casas, and arrived in the freezing cold. After months in the steaming heat of Mexico we were in for a bit of a shock when night fell and the temperature dropped to freezing.

San Cristobal is a picturesque village, large but not overwhelming. It's surrounded by many tiny indigenous villages, thus you can buy local indigenous crafts and clothing everywhere and the local market is one of the most interesting in Mexico. The indigenous women and children still wear traditional clothing, very bright and colourful that begs to be photographed but they are very camera shy so its not welcomed. Ines tried to photograph one woman in the market and got a banana peel thrown her way.

We visited a Zapatista village (who demand democracy for all!) where we had to gain permission to enter, the village of Chamula with an odd church with pine needles on the floor and offerings of soda, eggs and chickens. Very eerie but incredible. We were swarmed by local children asking for money, food anything really, and Raph bought some fireworks which they seemed very pleased with. It was gorgeous!

After San Cristobal we returned to the heat of Pelanque.

Bucket List

1. Bungee jump
2. Sky dive
3. Become tri-lingual
4. Volunteer teaching English
5. Visit all 6 continents
6. Get my boat licence
7. Get my motorbike licence
8. Skinny-dip
9. Hitchhike
10. Watch the sunset and sunrise from a beautiful beach
11. Hang-glide
12. Work as a correspondent
13. Make friends all around the world
14. Write a book
15. Take the Ghan
16. Sell my photographs
17. Design my own home
18. Get married
19. Go on a cruise
20. Master surfing
21. Work as a tour guide
22. Graduate University
23. Get 100% on a test
24. Swim with dolphins
25. Get my scuba dive licence
26. Visit Uluru
27. Work on a boat
28. Get a story on the front page of a newspaper
29. Run a marathon
30. Visit a volcano
31. Live in Asia
32. Speak Japanese in Japan
33. Go in a helicopter
34. Go on safari in Africa
35. Win a big prize
36. Get a free first-class upgrade
37. XXX
38. Learn to snowboard
39. Start a charity
40. Play in a band
41. Go to the World Cup
42. Camp in Alaska
43. Run with the bulls
44. Go to La Tomatina
45. Go to Oktoberfest
46. Go to live wrestling
47. Walk the Great Wall of China
48. Go to mud springs
49. Date someone famous
50. Drive all around Australia
51. Visit somewhere not on any map
52. Live with elephants
53. Climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge
54. Attend Christmas Eve mass
55. Find a religion
56. Catch my own dinner
57. Open a B&B
58. Go to a huge English music fest
59. See Antarctica
60. Live in France
61. Live in a third-world country
62. Visit a war zone

Things I never want to do

1. Touch a snake
2. Get a divorce
3. Go to jail
4. Insult someones culture
5. Stop travelling

Safety Situation in MTY

Before arriving in Mexico I was aware of drug cartels and violence, but I just assumed it would be somwhere else, it would not affect me.

Last semester two Tec students were shot in crossfire out the front of the University.

So by the time I arrived, the situation was worse than I had expected.

My third day in Monterrey I went to a information session hosted by the University about 'safety issues in Monterrey'. Some recommendations included not walking in the streets at night, not carrying your laptop with you, only taking secure taxis, always letting someone know where you are and when you will be coming home. Jokingly someone asked where you can buy bullet-proof vests. The speaker jokingly replied 'the shop just across the road'.

A month later, there was a shooting a few blocks from the campus. The recommendations became don't walk alone ever, don't go out on weekends, and don't give bribes to police officers. People seriously asked about the bullet-proof vests.
One class was cancelled and instead our teacher gave a lecture on "what to do if you get caught in a shooting". In case you're wondering the best is to lie down behind a car or building. DO NOT RUN!

Soon, we were getting regular updates from the head of the international office. They usually went something like 'over the weekend Tec students were involved in an incident involving drug cartles or 'last night, some of our students reported being arrested by police for no reasn and forced to pay X pesos to be released'.
At the same time, rumours were rife. "Oh did you hear John and Sandra were held up last night by some narcos ad they had to give them all their money".
"Hey did you know the police took Tim last night for just standing out the front of his house."
"What about the house where the French guys live, apparently they got robbed when they were all home. They took everything".

Soon after, students started leaving. Embassies, home universities and parents became frantic about how it would reflect upon them if something happened to their citizen, student or child. And Tec obliged, even more worried about their reputation if something should happen to one of their exchange students, letting students return home, change campus or just go travelling.

The Australian government travel site increased it's travel warning to high degree of caution and added a whole paragraph about Monterrey.

There has been a wave of drug-related violence in 2010 in the city of Monterrey (Nuevo Leon). Shootouts at busy intersections and restaurants, as well as road blockades, have taken place without warning. Gunfire has been heard around the city at irregular intervals which has been attributed to territorial disputes between rival drug cartels. Local government officials located in smaller towns outside of Monterrey, who have attempted to stop corruption, have been fatally targeted by the drug cartels.

And then came the CNN report. http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2010/11/18/gutierrez.mexico.univ.exodus.cnn Apparently Monterrey is a 'battleground for warring cartels'.

The situation is unpleasant, and for sure it is getting worse. Five years ago Monterrey was called the safest city in Mexico. By now it's near the worst.
It's proximity to the border, its wealth and it's size all contribute to the drug problem. At the moment no one is sure how to control the situation. The narcos control most of the mayors offices as well as the police force.
So while I get to leave next week and look back on the semester as a unique experience, my Mexican friends, other exchange students and Monterrey residents have to live with this danger daily.

10 reasons to go on exchange

As my four month exchange in Mexico is rapidly coming to an end, I've been
thinking about how great the experience has been. So for anyone who's
considering of doing an exchange program here are 10 reasons to convince you to
do so!

10. Study in a new environment, learn new ways to manage your studies and a different education system. You will look at things from a new perspective.

9. It will look great on your resume. To be able to say you spend part of your degree studying in another country will show that you are adventurous, open-minded and confident. All qualities an employer would love to have in an employee.

8. Travel. While in your host country, you will have plenty of opportunities to travel to other cities and even other neighbouring countries.


7. Become more independent. You will most likely have to find yourself a place to live, cook your own food, do your own cleaning and washing as well as plan your own holidays, manage your budget and your time. So if you were living with your parents before this gives you a change to do things by yourself for once! And it's fun!

6. Improve your self-esteem. A semester on exchange will surely make you more confident, easy-going and friendy. Nearly everyday you meet new people and challenge yourself to try new things so by the end of the exchange you won't recognise yourself!

5. The food! One of my favourite things about travelling is the food, and when you stay in a country for an extended period of time you will really get to try all the different foods. I took Mexican cooking classes and learnt how to make delicious things such as mole, enchiladas, chile poblano, sopa tortilla, and sooo much more. I can't wait to go home and test the recipes out on my family and friends.

4. Experience a different culture. Living in a country such as Mexico with such a rich culture and history has been a very enriching experience. I took two courses on Mexican history and culture so it was great to understand the places we visited and the museums we saw. Also this semester Mexico was celebrating 200 years since Independence and 100 years since the Revolution, two very proud moments in Mexican history.

3. The parties. Almost everyday there is a party you are invited to. Whether it be at a club, house, bar or beach, you can never ever be bored on exchange!

2. Learn a language. If you choose to embark on an exchange in a country that doesn't speak your language it gives you the perfect opporunity to learn a new language. When I arrived in Mexico, I could barely introduce myself, but now I feel confident to have a conversation completely in Spanish. It's a great feeling when you realise how much you've improved in a few short months. And of course I feel much more confident travelling through Latin America now.

1. The people. I've met some amazing people in the past four months, and I can now say I've got best friends in all corners of the world- France, Spain, Germany, Singapore, Finland, USA, Canada, Mexico, Czech Republic,

Mexico City Must-See's

1. Zocalo -the main square (right)



2. Temple Mayor (behind the Cathedral) Thought to be the exact place where the Aztecs saw their famed symbolic eagle atop a cactus eating a snake- Mexico's national symbol today.



3. Xochimilco - beautiful canals where you can ride a wooden canoe, buy beers, tacos, corn, mariachi bands, anything, while you're floating along peacefully.



4. Torre Latinoamerica- an incredible view from the top of the entire city



5. Palacio de bellas artes- the murals are very interesting, and the building beautiful.


6. Museo de Anthropologia- incredible!
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


7. Coyoacan- visit Frida Kahlos blue house (above) and Trotskys house where he was killed, with an ice pick!



8. Plaza de las tres culturas- You can see the ancient (pyramids of Tlatelolco), colonial (Templo de Santiago) and current (the Foreign Relations government building) cultures in one spot. It is also the site of the 1968 Student protests when the army, on government orders, opened fire on hundreds of students.



9. The restaurant on the 6th floor of an artisan gallery, next to McDonalds in Zocala. It has an amazing view of Zocalo, and well-priced.



10. Tortas, anywhere, anytime = AMAZING!



11. La Condesa, for fun bars, and hip restaurants



12. Plaza Garibaldi- if you love Mariachi



13. Lucha Libre- at Arena Mexico every Sunday.

Mexico City- a city of contradictions

Mexico City (or D.F. for locals) is a monster of a city. With over 22 million residents, some ridiculously rich while the majority live in poverty in cramped favelas on the mountain side, it really is a city of contradictions.

The main square, Zocalo is overwhelming. Lined by the enormous National Palace, the Federal government and the grand Cathedral it's one of the biggest squares in the world. The pavers in the square as well as the bricks of many of the buildings were taken from ancient Aztec ruins by the Spanish to build their modern city.

Behind the cathedral, ruins have been found of the ancient Temple Mayor and you can see an interesting contrast between the past and now.

Overall the city is full of relics of the past that contrast the present. The Museum of Anthroplogy is housed in a huge, modern building and displays relics from past cultures throughout the world.

The ancient ruins of Tenochitlan, one hour from the city, are surrounded by a golf course and villages.

On the highway to get there you pass endless favelas where the poorest people survive on the basics, but they all have Cable TV.

Every night there was a light and sound show in Zocalo put on by the government to celebrate one hundred years since the Mexican Revolution, to celebrate the change, progress and pride in Mexico over the last 100 years. However, in reality Mexico is still struggling to catch up to modernity, democracy and equality.

There are street vendors selling tacos for 1 or 2 pesos outside restaurants selling tacos for 30 or 40 pesos.

There are police lining most corners of the historic centre yet there were still men fighting in the street, people selling drugs, cars running red lights and people drinking in the street.

There are the beautiful neighbourhods like Coyoacan and Polanco where the drinks are pricey and the clientele well dressed. But you need to take the dirty, smelly metro, with people selling everything from chewing gum to cooking books for about 5 pesos, to get there.

The Castillo de Chapultepec was once a castle for an Austrian emperor, then a military school, followed by Presidential palace until it was bequeathed as a national museum. So now the city's residents flock there to get a taste of wealth and culture.

Then, like I did, for a taste of REAL Mexican culture they head to the lucha libre. An example of possibly the lowest cultural tradition that exists in Mexico, this 'free fighting' is a true cult. Teams of three luchadors, each with a mask or long hair fight (albiet fake) for three rounds. The athletic abilities are impressive, the fighting not so much. Families take their children who are dressed as their favourite luchador, couples go on dates there, and true fanatics even have their own section of the stadium. Everyone has a hero and an enemy, and they go wild over both. I even heard kids as young as 5 or 6 yelling 'puto, puto, puto' -roughly translated as asshole, asshole, asshole!

Even the climate is opposing, stinking hot days, then chilly nights.

I spend only four days there, and I got a great impression of the city, but I think to really appreciate the city and its inner workings you need a lot longer.

Futbol en Mexico

Soccer in Mexico.

It is a passion, a religion, an obsession.

I come from Melbourne, so I am used to people obsessing over sport, whether it be AFL, horse racing, soccer or tennis.

But I was lucky to go to a national league soccer game on Saturday night. It was a tough game, UANL Tigres vs Morelia.

Tigres are known as the 'popular' team, the team for the lower classes, the masses. The chants from the die-hard supporters call "alle Negros", 'let's go blacks', referring to the fact that the lower classes generally have darker skin.

The stadium was at it's 40,000 capacity, with a small group of about 100 Morelians squeezing into the highest, worst corner of the stadium.

The standard is very high, and at half time it was 0-0. However, the second half saw Morelia squeeze a goal in. The stadium was almost silent.

In extra time, Tigres goalie ran the length of the field to participate in a corner, and it looked like he scored. The crowd went wild, only to realise a few minutes later that it was disallowed. No one knew why..

But the whistle blew quickly after and the crowd was very vocal in expressing their disapproval!

But it was a great atmosphere, to see Mexicans united, so proud of their team.

And of course they love the Mexican wave!

Did you know the Mexican wave was first invented in Monterrey in the 1950s during a game between Monterrey Rayados and Tigres.

Cuatro Cienegas

A deserted campsite in the middle of a white, sandy desert, surrounding by shaggy, rocky mountains.
This is Cuatro Cienegas. The names means four swamps, but I think it should be renamed desert heaven.

Five friends, an Australian, a Mexican, a Spaniard, a Frenchman and a Finnish spent the weekend here camping.

We camped in a tiny oasis campsite called Los Mesquites, about 4 hours drive north-west of Monterrey and ten minutes outside of Cuatro Cienegas the town. There is a crystal clear river that flows through the campsite that has been there for over 4 million years. And who knows how long the fish and turtles that swim around your feet have been there.

Apparently there are hundreds of small lakes or lagoons in the middle of the desert but at the time we went they were contaminated from all the recent rain, so they were closed for swimmers. But that didn´t matter, the beautiful spot we found was perfect.

We set up a BBQ ina tiny island hut and cooked a delicious meal of minced beef, pork, chorizo, vegetables and tortillas. The site was moonlit and the background music was the flowing water and occasional crickets.

We enjoyed a bottle of wine or two and for dessert we toasted marshmallows in the fire. The wind made it quite cold, but perfect weather to sit by an open fire and get to talk about our crazy cultural differences.

We swam in the river in almost darkness, the fish ocassionally brushing past us, before hitting the sack in our spacious tent.

In the morning we took a wake-up dip in the cool water. Then we drove to another beautiful site, Las Dunas. Incredible white sand dunes, another protected area. We climbed the endless dunes and found a giant natural sandcastle to call our own. The area is surrounded by dark mountain ranges, making the contrast incredible.

It really is a small peace of beauty in a most unlikely area.

Mexican stereotypes come true

You know when you plan a trip to a new country, you kind of hope you will see all those classic stereotypes, even if you know you'll be lucky to see one.
Well so far, my trip in Mexico had been highly unsuccessful at stereotype-spotting.
That was until last weekend...
I went with a group of friends to Real de Catorce, a tiny town set in the mountains in the state of San Luis Potosi.
It has a population of about 3000, but during this time there were many pilgrims who come for a few weeks every year to pray to San Franciso de Asis at the beautiful old church.
It's set high up in the mountains, so after driving along the worlds longest cobbled road you stand ascending the mountain and experiencing some magical views over the desert.
Once you get to the top, you feel like you are in some crazy land of stereotypes.
1. Men actually wesaring bigotes and sombreros
2. the deserted desert with cactuses everywhere
3. And tumbleweed rolling along the road
4. Men with golden teeth, or even better no teeth.
5. Hallucenogenic cactus
6. Indigenous women in colourful dresses
7. Tacos of every colour, shape and variety for about 50c each
8. People drinking cans of beer in the street- at 9am
9. Donkeys everywhere, for riding, transporting goods, as pets, crossing the road, standing in a field, as enemies, whatever you want.
10. Riding on the roof of a battered up old jeep
11. Horse and cart taking you through the tunnel.

The list could really go on and on.. but suffice to say that if you want a hit of real old-school Mexican culture, you should visit Real de 14.