Melisasa

My trip to Mexico City all began when my classmate in my multivariate analysis class offered to bring me around. The first time she mentioned it, I thought it was a passing remark, a promise she might grow to regret and then subsequently pretend never happened. But the next she made the same remark again and even asked when I was free. A few weeks later, I was meeting her at the school gate, ready to head to Mexico City, or otherwise commonly known among the Mexicans as D.F. (pronounced, da-ef-feh).

At the back of my mind I was pretty worried about having to share a room, whether my spanish is good enough for me to communicate, whether I would impose on the family, etc. But 2.5 months in Mexico have taught me to worry less and simply enjoy the moment.

We left on thursday afternoon and arrived just in time for a small family celebration for the youngest family member. It's nice to see how everyone in the family takes time out to come and all they do is eat, chat and play with the little one. Everyone has something to share/talk about and the atmosphere is just homely, which makes me miss my family a little.

Friday started around 9am, where I had the delight of fruit juice, tea, and bread for breakfast, prepared by my dear classmate. The night before I was given her room to rest in, while she slept with her mum. I really couldn't be more thankful for the thoughtfulness she has put into making my stay comfortable.

After breakfast, we headed for the Dolores Olmedo Museum, before heading into the Zocalo. Unfortunately, the Dolores Olmedo Museum had 2 exhibits closed, and in the Zocalo, the Palacia del Correos was partly closed for their anniversary too. We were also rejected at the National Palace, because an important political figure was visiting.  We couldn't have picked a better day. But nonetheless, I got to see the City Cathedral, Supreme court, Museo Nacional del Arte and at in the House of tiles, which had truly fantastic decor. The meal was so enjoyable and I had such a great time just chatting with Paty, that we spent almost 2 hours there.











The return journey back to the house was a disaster though. We drove, took a wrong turn and got stuck in traffic for 2+ hrs. Even without the wrong turn, we would have took 2hrs regardless. It was horrible, and I really appreciate the purpose of COEs and ERPs now.


In the end, we only arrived home around 9.30pm, where I rested before heading out again with Paty's friend, to a friend's house party. The party play old 90s mexican music and I had fun checking out how house parties work in D.F.

Unfortunately Paty had to return to Puebla on Saturday, but she was so kind to let my stay till Sunday with her mum and brother in the house. And this leads to Part 2 of my stay in Mexico City, where I had to travel alone and take the metro!

Last weekend was spent at amazing Queretaro. I've got to say, I loved it more than Chiapas. Primarily because of the shorter bus rides and the good food. Anddddd the fact that I stayed within budget. Sort of. I spent SGD$202, exceeded by $2, but ah wells.



We left on Friday afternoon and reached at 9pm. I must say it was a little worrying arriving so late and unsure of where we were going to stay. We checked with around 3 hotels before finding the right one for us. It wasn't easy because there were 3 guys, and me, and rooms with 2 double beds were a no-no. Thankfully Hotel Anabi had a room with 2 queen sized beds and a couch. I eventually settled for the couch through a game of cards. (Couldn't feel the difference between the couch and the bed!)

The next morning took us an hour to settle on breakfast. The hunt for the perfect breakfast took us through many of the plazas in the centro, which looks so different from at night, but still equally spectacular. Eventually breakfast was SGD$0.50 bread, which were at least 1.5x bigger than Breadtalk and definitely as delicious.
The first (and only) stop of the day after breakfast (which was devoured at the bus terminal), was Peña de Barnel. It's such an amazing town. The bus ride there was SGD$4 and took a little less than hour. The town had a rock jutting out, forming a tiny mountain that we eventually hiked.

Everywhere in the town sold geological rocks found from the mountain (I presume) and there was a marathon happening right when we arrived, which brought the whole town alive. It was fun to meander through the streets and grab free ice cream samples, while admiring the historic style of the hotels in the town. The hotels looked like tiny castles with flowers draping down the side of the walls and dragon sculptures adorning its sides.



The hike up and down the mountain took a little over an hour, same goes for the walk up and down to the base of the mountain. The climb ain't easy and several parts had barely any cracks to step one. But once we are up at the peak, the view was amazing. It was cooling, the wind was blowing and we just sat and enjoyed the view while endorphins flooded our system. The climb down was much harder, but faster as well. I still can't believe I climbed the feature in sports shoes. #sketchersftw

Lunch after the climb was at this restaurant with amazing ribs. 2 of us shared a plate each and this amounted to SGD$6.50 per person, for the best ribs I've had. The ribs was done just nice, such that the fats caramalised and I could almost taste char siew. The fatty part of the ribs also reminded me of shao rou. So worth the money.

The end of lunch marked the start of our return journey back to the main city of Queretaro as well, where our Korean hyung was waiting to bring us to the korean restaurant. I swear I ate thrice my usual meal portion. I was embarrassed I could ate so much. I love asian food ):


This was quickly followed by a food coma, which brought us into day 2. Breakfast was a fabulous SGD$2.80 Hawaiian torta. I love my tortas. The rest of the day was spent walking around town, before meeting hyung for one last meal, and then departing.

The last Saturday I joined the local frisbee team for a training and I forgot how much I missed Ultimate.
After the training, it was a mad rush back to the hostel to bathe and get changed for...a birthday party! I met Gaby in UDLAP on my first Art, History and Culture class. I asked if the class was in English and she said no. It turns out that she was wrong and she couldn't understand the class at all. The translator came into play and even though neither of us speak each other's language, we became friends!

On Saturday, she invited us over to her grandpa's birthday party. We had no idea what to expect and what to bring. In the end, we ended up bringing ice cream. They served it to the guest later on, so I guess it's a good.

But the food we had there was amazing. The family prepared Memelas O Gorditas as appetisers, followed by pasta with blended cheese, cream and bell pepper. Next came the Chiles en Nogada. This was the highlight. It was so so good, and can only be found in Puebla. Dessert was jelly in cream cheese, the birthday cake, and the ice cream we bought.

When we arrived, most of the relatives were already there and the family were busy making the Chiles en Nogada. It was just like a factory. There were people whipping the egg white, followed by people filling the chili with the meat-fruit fillings, followed by the people covering the chili with flour and egg white, followed by the people frying the chili and placing it one side to cool. Family unity at its best.


This took place while the appetisers were served. When the chili was all done and served, the mexican band started playing the family members took turns to make a speech for the grandpa.

Gaby brought us into the kitchen to help with the jelly too. I think I ended up eating too many jellies though. After which we hung around with the family members and the guests and it was a great evening. It lasted from 4pm all the way till 8+pm. So thankful for the invite and opportunity to be part of the local community!

Watch the video of the band here: https://instagram.com/p/6baubJiPt_/?taken-by=melisasa