Mexico 2007

Ok, "a few days" actually were a bit longer but now I found time and a place to upload some pics and write some lines about my stay in Mexico.

Mexico City

At the beginning of my trip I spent some days in Mexico City. Fortunately at a family's house, otherwise I wouldn't have lived that safely.

There I went to Xochimilco one day which is something like Mexico's Venice with little channels, boats, Mariachi music etc. (Unfortunately I don't have any pictures from that day because I went without my camera.)

The other days I went to the city centre with the Torre Latinoamericana, Bellas Artes and the big university campus of the UNAM...

My friends Ricardo in front of the library of the UNAM

It was a bad day for museums because they are all closed on Mondays which I didn't know before.

Guadalajara

In Guadalajara I visited my friend Nico who works there in a day care for poor children as a substitute to his civilian service. I took the following foto in the "Oasis" which is the name of the day care.

Although I spent quite some time with Nico at work, I didn't miss to see the city centre of Guadalajara. Here is the cathedral at night...

Tula

When I returned to Mexico City from Guadalajara I directly went to Tula that day because I didn't want to cross Mexico City with the metro twice. There are quite some stories how turists were robbed there. Although Ricardo told me that busses and taxis aren't safe either.

Tula is a really cool place. Maybe you've already seen the "Atlantes" on picturs like this...

Villahermosa
Despite the big flood some weeks before, I made my visits in Villahermosa. Already getting there was different because the coaches could not go to the bus station in the city centre they stopped at a Walmart parking lot almost outside the city. The higher parts of the city had not been touched by the water but in most parts there was still something noticeable.


It was really a pity that a lot of roads were still were regarded as dangerous (although the coaches almost went on their usual service). I would have liked to go to places like Tuxtla, Gutierres or San Cristóbal de las Casas but I preferred to avoid that danger and stayed in Villa. At least I don't want to be killed by a heap of mud.

The advantage was that with a lot of helpers in the city I got to see quite some helicopters. I guess Fabian (working at Eurocopter) would have gone crazy;-).



Ciudad de Carmen
One day I went from Villahermosa to Ciudad de Carmen. The year before I had already passed when we went to Yucatán but we did not stop then. It is a really small and quiet place (for Mexico) but it's not too bad to relax for a day or a weekend as do some Mexicans. During the week PEMEX workers go to their oilnrigs from there. That's why you see a helicopter every now and then.


There is a museum with a really nice guide. I asked her to explain some things to me but her tour was like this: "Here we come to our first room. You can read the texts and then we go on..." I guess with one visitor every leap year you become that lazy.

The museum in Ciudad de Carmen

Puebla
The last week of my holidays (which wasn't really a whole week) I spent in Puebla. Although I had spent no more than 4 1/2 months there the year before, it was a bit like coming home. It really felt familiar although I think you don't get to know a 3-million-inhabitants city in such a "short" time.

But I met quite a lot of people there: friends, my former working colleagues... (like in the pic)


I even went to the Volkswagen plant one day although I had some difficulties. First of all I didn't know which bus to take (hey, we had a car when we were interns) and then they asked me for my immigration form at the gate. I had my passport with me but I didn't carry that immigration form with me all the time...

Finally they allowed me to enter because someone of my former department came to identify me (haha). By means of that I got to know that they had realized my project. It's really great to know I didn't do all that work in vain.

I also went to some new places around Puebla like el Cierro de Guadalupe...


...la ex-hacienda de Chautla...


...the railway museum...


and I took some pictures of Puebla at night...













...which was on my last night there *sigh*.











If you can't get enough, check out the slide show or my web album...

Mexico again

I have to say sorry again to everybody who I didn't inform I was leaving the country again. Only 3 weeks but anyway. I really left in a rush because of work and things I had to organize. Well, bad excuse, righ?;-)

So, since last Saturday I'm in Mexico again where I will stay until 1st December. The weather is great (much better than in Germany) and it's really nice being back here again. I'll try to supply you with some updates and maybe pics during the next few days.

PBC #11: "helloween" customs

After having written my post about the "Day of the Dead" I ask you this time to tell me the strangest "helloween" custom you know/come across. Nadja, you already made your entry?

Nadja's entry can be found here.

Michael's entry:

The strangest local Helloween custom is that we in fact shower and brush our teeth on Helloween, even if it's not on a Sunday! - To guide dead relatives with out shiny smile, of course...

Vanessa's entry:

Villahermosa = New Orleans II?

Maybe you've seen it already in the news: In the South of Mexico there are heavy rain floods at the moment. 70% of the State of Tabasco and 80% of its capital Villahermosa are said to be flooded.

I think I don't have to write too much about it...


...pictures say more.

Día de los Muertos

On 1st and 2nd November the Mexicans celebrate the Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). I know those days are celebrated as All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day in other countries (even in Germany) but there are some customs in Mexico which make it quite different or it even may appear strange to us. Well, I'm not an expert, I wasn't there on that day, I just can tell you a few things I was told.

One custom is to set the table also for your dead relatives that day. The believe is that the souls of the dead come back to our world for one day and setting the table for them is a way to show that they are still a part of the family.

In addition, many pastry shops produce Calaveras de Dulce, sugar sculls, which are given to each other as a present. Some even put the recipients name on the scull. When I first heard about it, I found it quite macabre but I was told it is a way to remind each other of the fact that all of us are mortal.


I found it surprising that the 2 days are not celebrated in silence or dolour. The Day of the Dead is a colourful folk festival. The streets are decorated with flowers and bizarre symbols of death.


However, it should also be clear that customs vary from region to region. Most of them are of prehispanic origin and the Christian missionaries were unable to ban them. How is that saying? If you can't beat them, join them...