Category: Mexico

Low: The Day We Died

Right after our last blog post we were hit with a bout of food poisoning. RobO thinks that it was some nacho dips during our photo shoot.

I thought it was from the huge vats of Hugo de Jamaica that we drank at the market that morning.

We’ll never know the truth, but we definitely know that the offender OWNED us. For 36 hours we layed with our bodies curled in the shape of a question mark, sometimes on the bed and sometimes … ugh … on the bathroom floor. I am grateful that we always have a well stocked travel health kit and that we came through the other side relatively unscathed.

Medium: El Dia de Los Muertos

Recovered and ready to go, we went to a cafe to meet up with our group tour. We knew that we would have felt uncomfortable just showing up at a cemetery during this cultural celebration, so we opted for a tour to learn more about the Day of the Dead and go to the cemetery with an actual Mexican person.

We learned about the pre-Hispanic origins of the celebration while trying some classic Oaxacan food and drink. We placed photos of our deceased loved ones on the ‘ofrenda’ so that they could come back to visit us.

Before we left for the cemetery we were smudged with smoke to ensure that no lost spirits would cling to us when we left. Then we headed the few blocks to check out the party.

We had learned that this festival is a happy time where people share memories of those whom they’ve lost. My favourite part, by far, was when RobO and I sat and did just that: told our favourite stories about our people.

So why was it only a medium? We know that we typically don’t love group tours, and this was no exception. All in all I’m glad that we did it because we felt it important to learn about it, but I would recommend a very small group or more personalized option.

High: Hierve el Agua

Our buds RockyB and BRod had been to Oaxaca a couple of years ago and highly recommend a trip to these petrified waterfalls, which are one of only 2 in the world (the other in Turkey). We problem solved the local transportation of bus, then collectivo and arrived before noon this morning. It was definitely a highlight of this trip.

We had a dip in the refreshing pools before making our way back to town to prepare for our long journey home. I was hoping that this trip would reinvigorate my Spanish speaking and it definitely achieved that. Hasta la proxima!

DawnO and I decided to hop a flight to Mexico for the Dia de los Muertos celebration! But a key part of our trip was a layover in Houston to visit my cousin Byron and stop at our favorite Mexican restaurant, Manny’s for a couple of slushie margaritas.

With that pre-game ritual completed, it was time to fly to Oaxaca and get into the thick of the Dia de los Muertos celebrations which were already underway. This festival is technically from October 31- November 2, but we arrived on October 27 to parades, fiestas, and face-painted locos.

We got a recommendation to go to “smoke alley” in one of the markets and decided to test it out as our lunch option. We walked through a smoke filled hall with meat displayed in kiosks on either side of us each with piping hot grills ready to cook the meat. Once we made our choice we were shepherded to the lady who sold the fresh corn tortillas while our meat was on the grill. Then it was off to the tables where we picked our choice of fillings… guacamole, fresh limes and salsa, por favour!

The following day we had arranged to take a bike tour to El Tule, home of the widest tree in the world. This tree is a cypress that is over 2,000 years old. At its widest, it’s 16 meters in diameter. They expect it to continue to grow for another 1,000 years!

The next day DawnO had booked us a temazcal on the outskirts of Oaxaca, so we had to figure out the collectivo (basically a shared taxi) system. We were up to the challenge and made it to our temazcal with time to spare. What is it exactly? It’s basically a sauna that begins with a ceremony and uses natural plants and herbs that is meant to restore your health. After all the Manny’s margaritas, I was due for an upgrade to my immune system.

I didn’t last for the entire time as I reached my limit before the final round of steam. DawnO, of course, loved every second of it.

That evening we did some people watching and discovered that it was quite normal for kids to dress up, lay down in the middle of the street and play dead, while tourists would fill their Halloween-style pails with pesos.

Today we checked off something from our bucket list. We got our faces painted like skulls and walked around Oaxaca taking pictures with all the colourful backgrounds and murals this city has to offer. We made sure we picked our makeup artists carefully, as there are many lining the streets trying to vie for business. We were more than happy with how it turned out.

Tonight we are back out on the town as the party heats up! We’ve got our makeup on, and we’re ready to blend in with the rest of the dead!

We’ve spent the last few days with a home base of San Miguel de Allende.  I had read in my guidebook that there is a large American ex-pat presence here and we saw it first thing when we had organic kombucha at a gringo cafe.  Both of us were a bit turned off because we share the same travel philosophy: we like to eat, travel, and experience how the locals do.

Soon enough we found our groove and figured out why San Miguel is a popular spot.  It’s colourful buildings and elaborate cathedral have a cozy feel.  We had our cameras ready around every corner.

We found the local market and returned every day for chilequile breakfast.  It’s basically nachos for breakfast. Yum!

The night views didn’t disappoint either.

One day we decided to take the local bus for a day trip to the UNESCO town of Guanajuato (pronounced “wanna-wuato”).   For the first time this trip we didn’t have the magic timing of showing up at the exact time that the bus was about to depart.  We were questioning our plan and trying to decide if we should change course, but in the end opted to wait a couple of hours for the bus.  Our instincts were right.

We had no idea until we got there that there was a big festival going on for the day of the Virgin Guadalupe.  It seemed that every family in town had their kids dressed up like little Juans or Guadalupes.  There were photo ops, foods, and a large moving mass of people going to the Templo de Guadalupe.  We were definitely glad we went.

When Rocky and I were planning this trip we had a shared notes page where we wrote in the things that we wanted to do.  On a whim I put down Lucha Libre, which is Mexican professional wrestling.  I tried to look it up for the cities that we were going to but didn’t find any events. I had almost given up when I searched in San Miguel de Allende.  What are the chances that there was an event for our last night there?  It was fate.

We took an Uber to a suburb of town where I was expecting a colosseum event.  Even better, there was a ring set up on the local futbol pitch with cement bleachers and free admission.  It started with children showing their skills at their extra-curricular Lucha Libre classes and then, with much anticipation, it was the main event.  It brought me back to my childhood Stampede Wrestling events. Jeers from the crowd, terrible acting, and high flying stunts had us belly laughing.   My favorite part was trying to translate the commentator and trash talk from the wrestlers and crowd.

What a perfect way to end another incredible Rock-Awn holiday.  I’m so glad to have a travel friend who shares my desire for adventure, even if she sometimes books a hotel room without a bathroom door.  Hasta la proxima (until next time)!

Our sauna time in Tequisquiapan done, we moved on to the small town of Bernal. It’s in wine and cheese country and is best known for its blue corn tortillas and the ‘Peña’, which is a monolith that is the tallest freestanding rock in the world.  We hiked up as far as we could without needing rock climbing gear and soaked in the energy that Mexicans believe eminates from it.  Supposedly now we should live to be 100.  We enjoyed a well earned Chilada after the climb. Taking the beer and salt into account, maybe we’ll only live until 99.

In the morning we got up before sunrise to see the pink hued Peña bathed in the morning light.  As the sun rose a dense fog set in and within 10 minutes we couldn’t even see the rock anymore.

We returned via local bus to Queretaro, where we checked into a new guesthouse. I think I have to point out that Rocky booked this one. Turns out there isn’t a door on the bathroom. I guess you can say that our travel buddy commitment has reached a new level. Here’s the view from my bed:

Today was a day that puts a check mark on a bucket list item and makes my life highlight reel. We travelled about 2.5 hours to El Rosario, which is a sanctuary for the migration of Monarch  butterflies. The typical lifespan of a Monarch is 24 days, but they have evolved so that the ones that hatch in Canada in July of each year actually live 8 months! Each September they start their journey south and arrive in the Mexican forests about mid November. They breed and the 2nd to 5th generations are the ones who migrate back, relay style, arriving to Canada in the spring.  

As we started the trek into the forest Rocky and I were so excited to take pics of groupings of 5 or so butterflies. The further we climbed the more dense the butterflies got until we were surrounded by millions of them. We actually took a wrong turn and had the surreal experience of just the 2 of us enveloped in a sea of fluttering orange.  After our ‘rescue’ by the Mexican guides we were led to the spot where the butterflies are hanging from the trees in huge clumps. It was like nothing I could have imagined.

Is it good luck if one lands on your head?  Has to be!

We have a few days and more adventures planned, so stay tuned.

On Boxing Day morning my mom and I hiked up the mountain that overlooks the whole bay. This was something still left on my mom’s ‘Cabo bucket list’, but it is no longer possible to do without a guide. Our guide Enrique lives at the base of the trail with approximately 1 million dogs. He explained that the mountain has a special synergy of energy from the vibrations of the waves hitting it from both the Pacific and Sea of Cortez sides. He’s a pretty spiritual guy: he ‘called on the hawks’ to spread their scent on the trail to keep the snakes away, and he has dogs come along as they help to remove people’s negative energy.

This is Enrique and the 17 dogs that hiked with us. The poodle was surprisingly nimble.

Thursday we took the local bus to the neighbouring town of San José del Cabo for the weekly art walk.

The rest of the time was centered around great food, lots of reading by the pool, and catching a couple of the World Junior hockey games in local pubs.

On Friday my parents flew home and we moved to an Air BnB just outside of the city. I had chosen this place because it has a tennis court. Our last 2 days in paradise have revolved around (you guessed it) tennis!

Now it’s back to winter, though only for 1 month for me. I start my 6 months off work at the beginning of February. Stay tuned!

We took a break from our usual Canadian Christmas and headed to Cabo San Lucas for the holidays to meet up with DawnO’s parents. All it took to convince me was the promise of warm weather and guacamole.

We’ve had a few days to explore the town and I have practiced my Spanglish while DawnO has been having full-blown conversations in Spanish with the locals. She is learning about the subtle nuances of the local geo-political climate and I am an expert in ordering things with cheese.

Yesterday we thought we’d have a healthier breakfast so I suggested we go for a smoothie. As I was pulling on my grande strawberry chocolate yogurt blend, DawnO took a series of pictures. One is of me, and the other is of the gym across the street featuring a woman with forearms bigger than my ambitions.

Here are a few of the sites we’ve explored, including a local beach and a ridiculously large Mexican flag.

Christmas morning we were supposed to meet up with a local waiter that DawnO sweet talked into taking us on a hike to Playa de Divorcio (Divorce Beach) and Playa del Amor (Lovers Beach) but he was unable to meet up with us. That wouldn’t stop us though! We soldiered on and created our own route, which included infiltrating a resort and then climbing over boulders to reach our destinations.

We took a boat back to the marina stopping by the picturesque rock arch. Not a bad way to spend Christmas morning.