Peseros

I've always been more of a bus person than a subway person. In Mexico, the same goes. We have peseros (rides used to cost one peso) here or microbuses simply called "micros" which are small green and white buses. Now it costs about 3-4.50 pesos depending on your distance of travel. Seats are low to the ground and hold about 20 people. They're not government run, which is why there has been alot in the news about corruption and drivers over-charging passengers. It also explains why each one is like a snowflake...original. Some are pimped out with rims and race stripes. At night, some blast music and turn on black lights. Very reminiscent of my freshman college dorm room.

I find it amazing how smoothly the drivers handle those things w/a standard transmission, no power steering, collect fares, AND give change. Alot of Americans can't even drive stick!!!

We rode the bus early this am and thought it was a great photo op.

Coolest Cab in Mexico

On my way to run errands, I saw this cab at a "sitio" or cab stand. It's my favorite. Cabs here run the gammet from green VW bugs (we don't take these for fear of never being seen again) to Nissan Tsurus (a bit smaller than a Sentra). They're slowly phasing in hybrid taxis, but these are few and far between. Eveen the streets are full of exciting sights!

Mexican Haircut

When I left Boston my hair was ridiculously short. I had just donated 10 inches of hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths for the second time and had the BEST haircut from a Japanese stylist at Takimishi in NYC. Since coming to Mexico my hair has become overgrown and I needed a trim. While replacing the battery in my watch, I decided to multi-task and get a cut at the Liverpool Salon. Liverpool is a chain department store throughout Mexico. It's down the street from our house and so convenient. Anyhow, the stylist Rosie was cold at first then warmed up to me. She was confused as to where I was from. It perplexed her that I decided to move from the US to Mexico City. But she said I made her proud that I thought that immigration laws need to change. And that I don't feel as though Mexicans are stealing jobs from Americans. At any rate, she was helpful in telling me where I can obtain copies of my parents birth certificates for dual citizenship. I was distracted, but was beginning to notice her unique way of cutting, similar to Edward Scissorhands. Basically she went crazy w/the razor. When it came time to put in styling products, she took a glob of gel and spiked up the back of my hair, like many young Mexican men style their coifs. Definitely no sign of a hair straightener. While in Mexico, right? It was worth the laugh and I had to take a picture. Very reminiscent of Flock of Seagulls. Ha!

La Merced Market

This Saturday we thought we'd check out Mercado de la Merced. It's one of the largest wholesale markets in Mexico and covers an entire city block. We took the metro there and as soon as you came out, you've entered the market. Immediately, we stopped to check out a curious man w/a moving burlap sack. Turns out it was a snake! We've seen some pretty amazing sights here in Mexico!

In the market itself, it was chaos. People we walking in all directions and there were stands filled w/clothes, shoes, fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, and everyday items. I would have disrupted the flow of traffic if I attempted to take a picture of the madness. But I managed to get a snapshot of an empty aisle of miscellaneous goods. We picked up 1 or 2 things we needed for the house and went on our way.

The tourbooks say to beware of walking around the surrounding streets. I guess we learned that the hard way. We wanted to take a shortcut back to the main street and found an empty alleyway. When we came closer, I thought it was weird that the whole street was deserted except for a snaking line of anxious men. There were a few scantily clad women milling about in their clear heels. Aha! Once I figured it out I whispered to Luc NOT to make eye contact...we're walking in the middle of a brothel! It seemed like we walked down that alley for an hour but in reality it was over in a flash. I was just glad no one heckled us unsuspecting souls. Phew!

Castillo de Chapultepec

It was a miracle. Sixth times a charm! We made it to Chapultepec Castle without a hitch. Definitely worth the wait, it was the most spectacular sight so far. Located on the top of the hill, the vantage point of the castle was breathtaking. You have almost a 360 degree view of the entire city. Inside, there were mini-museums exhibiting Mexican art and royal heirlooms. Luc has done an excellent blog on the background of the castle already so I'm not even going there! The pictures speak for themselves!

Día de los Reyes Magos

Three Kings Day is also known as the Epiphany and falls on January 6th. You know...the 12 days of Christmas?! Well, in Mexican tradition, the eve of January 6th children leave their shoes out for gifts the 3 Wise Men will bring them. Later that day a Rosca de Reyes will be eaten with Mexican hot chocolate. The rosca is a bread type pastry made in the shape of a ring. It's made with orange blossom water, butter and candied fruit. Inside, is a doll that represents the baby Jesus. Whoever gets the doll in their slice of bread must throw a party on February 2, "Candelaria Day," with tamales and atole (a hot sweet drink thickened with corn flour) to their guests. Luc was lucky enough to find the plastic baby Jesus and I can't wait for our tamale party!

Interlomas Centro Comercial:VIP Theater

On our movie nights we noticed there were VIP tickets that you could buy at the theater. The last time we went, I asked exactly what it was. Apparently, you can buy tickets in advance, reserve your leather recliner chair and have waiter service during the movie. Oh yeah, you can buy beer and cocktails too. Our curiousity was killing us and we decided to visit one of the VIP theaters. It looked like most of them were on the outskirts of the city, but the one in Interlomas would be the closest. Unfortunately, it was a bad movie week and the only watchable movie was 'Australia'. We have to remember that it was in the name of the VIP theater.

For those that don't know, Interlomas is a neighborhood in the Las Lomas area of the city. In the past 10 years Interlomas has exploded into a giant upscale neighborhood. To me, the reputation has surpassed Polanco as being the "it" spot to live. It has a more suburban feeling to it and is comprised of gigantic mansions as well as mid size houses. Many of the housing complexes are behind security gates. The only way to reach Interlomas by public transportation is bus, as there is no subway stop nearby. It caters to alot of expat families whose head of the household most likely works in the nearby Santa Fe business district.

We decided to take a cab there since we didn't know how to navigate by bus. If it's any indication, even the cab driver had no idea how to get to the mall. After about a harried 30 minutes later, we arrived at the Interlomas Centro Comercial. It was a blend of a shopping center and a mall. After finding the movie theater on the roof, we bought our tickets and picked our seats. As opposed to the regular movie tickets that are about $5 (USD), these VIP seats were about $10 (USD). We were early so we walked around for a bit.

When it was time for the movie, we stopped by the concession stand and the bar for some grub. When we walked in, it was amazing!! The theater was spotless, the leather seats reclined, and there were small tables with cupholders. This was the most comfortable environment to watch a movie aside from my living room couch. And it made watching 'Australia' that much more bearable!

Monument of the Revolution

It was another bust during this New Year's week. We planned on taking Matt to the Templo Mayor Museum and the National Palace in the Zocalo. Surprise, surprise...they were both closed. Instead we walked around, Matt bought some souveneirs, and decided to head to the Monument of the Revolution. We were in luck because there was a street fair going on and we couldn't get enough! But this was no ordinary street fair...it had everything from cotton candy, shooting games (with a stuffed giant ape that shot water onto the crowd) to picture taking with real eagles! Prizes for some of these games included stuffed animals, games, and even baby rabbits. Luc even won a Snoopy piggybank for winning a dart balloon game. There were outdoor bars that served every drink under the sun. The funniest part was when the bartender served Luc's drink in a glass shaped like an ass...pretty ass-tastic! Later we went to the Nikko Hotel for Matt's last night out. We'll miss you Matto! Diablos!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!
It's been a while since we've blogged but it's been a busy Christmas season. Baja was a great time. Luc forgot to pack the camera battery so we don't have pics to post:( As soon as the pics are developed the old fashioned way we'll scan them to the blog. Luc's friend Matt arrived in Mexico City on Monday and we've been touring the city like crazy. We miss our friends and family over these holidays but having a familiar face here has been therapeutic!
New Year's resolution: to be a better blogger!