Tecolutla

I ventured to this little playa (beach) on the advice of others, who assured me that it was really good, "semi-virgen" (Mexican for not busy), and a nice place to be. Well they were mistook. The water was a horrible mud brown colour, there was rubbish aplenty, and vendors galore. But I was hanging out to have a swim so I braved the mud-coloured waves however I could not stay in for long. It was just gross, but I'm not sick so whatever was making the water brown was obviously not lethal.
The vendors were selling bikinis, inflatable toys, beer, food, clothes... well basically everything EXCEPT sarongs! I couldn't believe it! The only beach in the world that I have been to of late that has nary a sarong in sight! By jove, this perhaps was the most impressive part of my journey to this sandy shore.

The arrival of dusk and the sunset saw me head for more populated spaces. I found in the centre of town a little bar to chill out in and watch some folk dancers do their stuff. In Veracruz I'm told it's quite the thing to do, not at all considered fuddy-duddy or antiquated. And these chaps were surely getting a work out! After each dance they were all huffing and puffing, with sweat pouring off them (it wasn't exactly cool), but the ladies' makeup stayed intact. Now that is quite something. Much as I hate to admit it, the dancing bested the beach by a verrry long way. What has the world come to?

El Tajin

It's a small cluster of pyramids near the coast of Veracruz, Mexico. Small by number and small by size but pretty cool nevertheless.
I arrived in the morning to find the entrance packed with artesanos (lads and lassies that sell handmade stuff) and many a visitor. Turns out the day I arrived was the Equinox so that's why there were so many people. Here for the equinox people dress up in white and head to the pyramids to raise their arms skyward, maybe do a chant or two (I don't know) and receive positive energy. Apparantly it works, but there weren't too many arms raised skyward when I visited that day. So I went back on the 21st (the official day of the Equinox, although it fell two days earlier) and still there were not a whole bunch of people with skyward pointing, energy receiving, triangular shaped stances. So I missed my opportunity to become more positively energised. Sigh.
It's a very chilled out place. Lots of trees to rest under (and believe me you do need to escape from the heat every now and then), the pyramids are different because they have terraces as opposed to being flat sided, and it is pretty much vendor free.
There are a few wandering around selling oranges and vanilla pods, but most are barricaded outside the facility and resort to yelling at passers-by to attract attention and sell their goodies. An orange in itself does not sound overly appealing I'm guessing, but when you are suffering from the heat, those oranges are like little balls of goodness. And you are willing to pay what they ask, more than once usually.
Outside the complex I encountered some Voladores de Papantla perfoming for the crowds. This guys are pretty cool to watch, and plenty graceful. Ol' Maori here would fall off and plummet to the ground, as opposed to the graceful descent that is usually associated with this event.

Semana Santa

The passing of this festive period marked the one year anniversary of my being in the land of Golden Cerveza and Abundant Cacti.
I celebrated the event by getting out of cold Toluca and heading off to Tajin in Veracruz (a state that actually has sunshine and surf- yay!) for a few days. There was a festival at the pyramids and it was friggin hot, but I managed to see and do quite a bit in a few days. So to avoid an extended novel-esque literary equivalent to watching paint dry, I'll divide the week into parts, with illustrations and videos to maintain your interest.
Mexico for one year! Who woulda thunk it?

Makeup Etiquette

I've lived in a few big cities (and a few smaller ones) round the globe, and been witness to how the women of the world (and in some cases men) do themselves up on public transport or in public areas.

Not being much of a face paint fan myself, I am always amazed at the way in which it is applied on bumpy roads and in lurching underground transportation.
The eyes, always the most important, require the most time and care. However, when I see a woman (or women) valiently attempting to get that perfect line around the eye with liquid eyeliner, on a bus that is stopping every 50 metres or so whilst going over cobblestones, or in an underground train with people falling all over them in a vain attempt at balance, I fail to see the importance of the exercise. Can't it just wait 'til work?
Here in the land of Golden Cerveza the most striking thing thus far, in terms of face paintage and maintenance, has been the use of a spoon. The common household spoon has been bought in to replace the eyelash curler. I didn't quite believe it at first, thought it was just the one young lass who was a bit cuckoo or a bit strapped for cash. Turns out however, I was a bit too quick in my way of thinking. Rather than being the oddity I thought she was, she is in fact part of the majority of the public-transportation-face-paint-applying multitude. Well now fancy that!

Chivalry

I know, for some chaps it's some far flung exotic location, rarely spoken of and almost never visited. For some ladies, a romantic ideal that is secretly sought yet vehemently denied exisistence.

Here in the land of Golden Tequila and Abundant Cacti, Chivalry is not some far flung exotic getaway nor a romantic ideal. It is part of daily life.
Yes ladies Chivalry exists! I know as a Strong Independent Working Woman we are not supposed to want to have our chairs pulled out for us. We are not supposed to want to have our bags carried for us. We are not supposed to enjoy having the man pay. We are not supposed to enjoy feeling feminine as we are helped out of a car or down from the bus. We are not supposed to giggle like teenagers when we recieve messages about how special we are, how beautiful we are, how much we are missed, how much we are loved. We are Strong Independent Working Women goddamit and it's just not kosher.

But as I carry my work bag to and fro (and am completely lopsided due to the weight on my shoulder), how I wish there was someone there to take it from me. Someone to carry the load and not feel at all emasculated. And believe me some of the boyfriends here carry bright pink, sparkly monstrosities that any sane man would run screaming from. But as it belongs to his "beloved" it is his duty to carry it.
And with said work bag feeling much like a lead brick bodily attachment, how I wish there was someone to help me alight from the bus. And when I'm feeling blue and in need of a bit of flirtation, how I wish there was a message telling how beautiful I am.

But I am a Strong Independent Working Woman and... well bollocks to that.
Chivalry exists goddamit and as women of the Working World we are allowed to accept a man's desire to spoil us.
Give in ladies. Let your man spoil you. Spoil him back. And let the flirting commence!

Kiwiana Kristmas

Jandals. Barefeet. Shorts n singlets. Barbeques. Cold beers. Fish 'n chips. That twang in the accent. Sketti on toast. Pies. Barefeet. L&P (World Famous in New Zealand). Tattoos proudly on display "bro". Most adjectives punctuated with "az". Pohutukawa. The salt air. The burning sun. The laid back attitude. Christmas crackers...

The list could go on and on. It was great to be back home for the holidays. Have a barbie, swim in the Pacific, get annoyed by seagulls while eating fish 'n chips at the beach, enjoy a mince 'n cheese pie or two...

Simple pleasures are always appreciated that much more after a long abscence.
Kiwiana, you just gotta love it!

Driving Lessons

Whenever you are in a foreign country it always seems to be that at some point in time you have to brave the local buses. The experiences are always different, always warrant a smile and generally always leave you grateful that you don't have to do it on a regular basis.
Take the Mexican bus driver for example. Usually too busy talking to his mate perched on the side of his seat or that front part of the bus, to really give a damn if you have actually boarded the bus or not before he takes off. If he's not in the middle of a chin-wag or chatting up his missus he's racing against his fellow drivers for bonuses. Don't ask me how this works but apparently if they do their run quickly it's a good thing, safety... hmmm... what's that again?
The opposite of the manaical demon-driven driver is the driver that wants lots of dough. This particular breed will park in the middle of the road waiting for passengers, and they will wait and wait and wait...
Both breeds of driver appear to have gone to the same driving school or learnt the same method of driving- there is no clutch. This is the truth that runs through the bus driving community.
A clutch does not exist, the gear box is an alleged apparatus in the general vicinity of the front of the vehicle, passengers had better get a move on or get left behind, money ruleth the run and all this is sanctioned by Jesus.
Yes Jesus. The young lad in all his pitiful suffering poses is in all buses, sometimes accompanied by the "driver's prayer". Yep. The driver's prayer. There's a prayer for everything and everyone in this country. Quite phenomenal.
Feel sorry for ol' JC though. The poor bugger now also has crazy Mexican bus drivers to account for. Must be tough being the messiah.

Independence Day

Yes they celebrate that here too. Independence from the Spanish. It alledgedly involves yelling your head off in town (rolling drunk I imagine) and celebrating the heroes who won independence for Mexico.
We opted out of that type of celebration and instead headed for sunnier parts- Metepec not having had any sun for quite some time at that stage, September- near Cuernavaca. Tehuixla is a teeny, tiny place but we managed to find a wonderful spot to spend a weekend in the sun.
The house belonged to an ex-US military man and his wife. They live upstairs and rent out the ground floor. Bloomin' wonderful! A lovely pool to spend the days lazing in (or beside depending on your preference), a huge kitchen to test your culinary skills in, and an equally large shower to soothe the sunburn pain away. Yes we all got toasted quite well that weekend. Even ol' Maori here coming from NZ and knowing better than to stay in the sun without sunblock, time away from the constant warnings about "burn time" and "slip, slop, slap" and you get just a wee bit arrogant. Shocking.
I can't say that I complained too much bout the lobster colour tho'- it was nice to be back to a healthier looking skin tone, instead of the pasty, porcelain, dead-for-a-week colour that I had been.
A relaxing weekend away, oh how I wish it had been longer!

How to celebrate Mexican style.....

Over the past couple of weekends I've managed to wangle my way to some Mexican fiestas.

One was for a wee girl who was turning three and apparently here it's a big deal because it's their presentation to the church. Or I just reckon a damn good excuse to get a whole bunch of people together to down the bevvies as quickly as possible and have a laugh.

The second was a farewell do for a mate. Mexican dude headed off to France to study English and practice his French. The party was at his boyfriend's place and strangely enough we were the only foreigners there! Hmmm...

Both fiestas involved food, booze and music. The wee one's had a cake that I swear was bigger than her! It were ginormous! With hot pink icing and a Cinderalla picture on it. The picture was closer to the size of the young thing than the cake was. There were also two piñatas that the kids got to try and bash all hell out of, before the paper-machier burst and spilled all it's goodies. The kids enjoyed it and the adults were having a good ol' laugh.

I tell you though, these Mexican fiestas are just like the Maori ones back home. Too much food, lots of laughs, loads of alcohol and enough of the right kind of music to get you singing or dancing (or both).
And if you drink the locally brewed drop (as my fellow foreigners did- silly, very silly) the hangover the next day actually has you believing you mean it when you say "I'll never drink again, this time I mean it, I'm never drinking again"...

After seeing all the fun the kids had with the piñata, I've decided that's what I'm having for my birthday next year. I mean why is it that the kids get to have all the fun huh?! (My Mexican friends think that this is very strange by the way- a grown woman with a piñata??? What is the world coming to?)

Witchcraft and Wizardry

Brujería. That's the Mexican name for it and it was an exhibition that I went to visit last Friday.

There were gruesome pictures of devils and demons, witches and goblins, the odd mummified fairy and a fair few potions thrown in for good measure.
The confessions of witches (women undergoing torture) were an interesting read- well what I could understand at least, nothing like being dipped head first into water for days on end or being strapped to a nail studded chair to induce even the most innocent of people to confessing to whatever is thrust in front of them.

The whole exhibition was interesting, but what held most people's interest was the phallic display. Yep, a whole bunch of dildos and other sexual pleasure apparatus. The array of dildos was intriguing, mostly made of wood, some with church leaders carved on them, others bearing a striking resemblance to bike pumps or tree branches. Then there were the statues with scrotums where the chin was supposed to be and well... you can figure out the rest.

It wasn't all about sex however, there were the love potions, the potions to help heal, the potions to bring on death, lots about the relationship between nature and women. Oh, and a personal favourite- something to do with "black magic"- it was a "trap" with a lizard/gecko crawling out of it. The trap was a very hairy representation of female genitalia, displayed alongside an example of a vagina with teeth. Ok, so maybe there was a lot of sex stuff going on...

Nevertheless it was interesting and if it's ever in your area, check it out. It's an example of how the view of women has changed little over the years.

Little Green Men

Every country has "crossing the road" etiquette. Whether it be as a pedestrian or as a motorist.

Vietnam and Japan provide a countdown to let motorists and pedestrians alike know how much time is left before they can cross the road or intersection. In Japan the pedestrians dutifully wait for the counter to reach zero before crossing the road. In Vietnam motorists cross when they deem it safe enough, countdown be damned.
In Nepal and India there were lights for the pedestrian but they were largely ignored. Foot traffic crossing whenever they pleased, very reminiscent of the hugely popular eighties game "Frogger". Dodging traffic becoming a necessary skill in order to cross the road.

However, the best crossing the road indicator is to be found here in Mexico. You have your bog standard looking "Little Green Man" who is lit up when it is safe to cross the road. He is not just some chump tho', this Mexican version.
He starts out with a very nonchalant stroll, almost a strutt, much like John Travolta's from Saturday Night Fever. As the time for you to be across the road draws near, he slowly picks up speed. Almost as if he's looking over his shoulder to check where the traffic is for you. Then just before the traffic lights turn green, he breaks into an all out sprint to the finish line, as if the hounds of hell are chasing him. And you can just picture him, hands on knees gasping for breath and dreading the next inevitable round. Makes you feel sorry for the poor wee fulla!

It's worth crossing the road just for the entertainment. Yay Mexico and it's little green men!

An exercise in Blondeness...

We've all done it. Had those moments when we thought those Blonde jokes were retelling a momentously absent-minded day in our lives. And quickly checked to see if our blonde roots were coming through.

Well yesterday was by far the blondest day of my life so far. We had just moved house. I spent the night alone in a house the size of a small cave (echoes included if one so desired), with no hot water and a very dodgy front door lock. The door has two locks; a "security" lock that must be locked with the key from the outside, yet cannot be locked from the inside. Inserting the key into said lock is an exercise in futility, driving yourself (and the key) round and round and round... in never ending circles. Sigh. The other lock is your bog standard, no frills push button type thingy. Now I say "type thingy" because usually these things disengage when you open the door from the inside. This one didn't. Fancy that. I'm outside, the door is locked and I can't get in. I had a key for the security lock which was useless 'cos that was not the lock that was engaged. A key for the bog standard lock did not exist.

Picture it...

I'm late for work, haven't had a shower because I've developed an aversion to cold water bathing since leaving Nepal, and I'm locked out of the house, oh and it's bloody cold. Well let's just say that had the door and I been friends that relationship would have disintegrated rather rapidly after the language I was throwing at it.
Then came the fun part- I had to tell Wineera-the-Younger that we were locked out (I was the one in possession of the sole set of keys). Not much of a problem really unless you have to actually get into the house to start making it habitable, and get ready for classes. No problem! So we waited for the locksmith in the sun outside, designing (theoretically) the layout of the house and the garden. Laughing at my stupidity and (me) pointing out that if I hadn't done it first it would have been her.
The locksmith arrived, fought with the lock, and finally opened the door. He then took the offending piece of metal away to his magic little shop and bought us back two keys. Hurrah! No more being locked out!

Seems I spoke too soon.

Yes. I locked us out again. This time after I had sworn at the kitchen utensils (which at the moment are impossible to store because there is no storage space in the kitchen), tidied up the bathroom and had generally been impatient with the progress of moving in. I was late for work (what a surprise) and just grabbed the nearest set of keys. Forgetting that the new keys were not attached to the others. So when I arrived home, happy in the knowledge that I would be sleeping on an actual mattress and blissfully unaware of my mistook, can you imagine the language that was spouting from my mouth in a most un-ladylike fashion (not that I've ever proclaimed to be a lady mind you)?
Again I had to inform the Younger-one about our predicament. Impressed is not a word I would use to describe her mood. It was dark, no locksmiths were open, and where the hell were we gonna find a ladder at that time of night? (I had left the bathroom window open- foresight perhaps?)
Then who should come wandering down the road but our knight in shining amour. The poor young fulla. He'd probably just had a date with some hot young chica and then gets accosted in horrendous Spanish by his new neighbour. He told us (me) he didn't think he had a ladder and even attempted to wake up another neighbour in his efforts to help us (me). When the neighbour failed to materialise he went inside to ask his parents (I think) for help. He's got a nice dog too- I'm not a dog person, but this dog was pretty cool. Some time later he emerged from his house with a ladder in tow. My hero!!
Then it was up to my sister to perform some death-defying antics on the wobbly wooden contraption (which was too short to reach the 1st (2nd) floor window) and let us into the house. This is what you get if you are the taller one. After a couple of tries she made it in ok and the nice young man bid us a fond buenas noches and retired to his home.
I let the youngster reprimand me, had a laugh, went for a feed, had a beer and finally relaxed into my bed. Sigh.

Today has been designated cleaning day. And there are now copies of the keys.
Maybe I should just dye my hair blonde and get it over and done with huh?!

Felicidades

Yes the younger Wineera celebrated the passing of another year on the weekend. This wonderous event- its always a joy when it happens to someone else isn't it- saw us head into the bustling metropolis again to partake of some Indian fare.
Our hopes were that it would be at least somewhere near authentic. After having worked in one of the best Indian restaurants in the world- Talk of India- and then galavanting about the actual country for awhile, I knew it wouldn't be 'up there' but I had hopes. The poor younger sibling who hadn't had any form of Indian cuisine in almost 4 years, was looking forward to a meal with a difference. Thus we embarked on our little adventure to Restaurant Tandoor

Different it was. Memorable it was. For all the wrong reasons.

Now I admit I am no connaisseur, but good Indian food I know. And this quite frankly just didn't cut the mustard. First of all, nigh on all the of the dishes had curry powder in them. Now since when has Indian food been made with the equivalent of Edmond's Curry Powder I ask you? It didn't stop there. The Paneer Palak had Panella (a Mexican cheese) in it instead of Paneer (an Indian cheese) AND it had Mango Chutney already added! Falmin' Nora!
The Butter Chicken was ok but nothing fantastic. The Dhal Makhani was the strangest looking Dhal I've seen, and tasted nothing like any Dhal Makhani I've ever had either. The chai... Sigh. The chai was utter shite. It was simply black tea with milk and minus the spices that make chai the wonderful taste sensation that it is.
There was a plus side tho'. The chef's recommendation; the Bhuna Murgh was good. It tasted authentic and was a hit with one and all. And the boss's mum who never really eats anything but Mexican food loved her introduction to Indian cuisine.

Dinner over and bellies nearly full, we headed to GianDolce to indulge in some gelato heaven. Oh. My. God. The icecream here is just friggin mind blowing! Ok, so that may be somewhat of an exaggeration, but believe me when I say its bloody good stuff! The array of flavours are set out before you in a very regimental manner, side by side in their little silver containers, inviting you, demanding even, that you give in to temptation and discover how delightful they truly are. So give in we did. But as the medium cup only has enough room for two flavours (white chocolate with brownie pieces and chocolate were my picks) and there are obvioulsy waaaaaay more than two flavours available, that means I'll have to pay another visit. What a cryin' shame.

Just round the bend...

Now you know that in big cities the world over weird and wonderful things are apt to happen at a moments notice. Whether you are ready for it or not. Well the strangest thing that I have seen in a big city happened last weekend.

We had headed into the big smoke- locally known as Mexico City- to pick up some books for the school. It started out as a jolly jaunt. We supped at an Italian establishment that strayed somewhat from your traditional fare; I for example had fish with a goats cheese sauce nestled on a bed of mushrooms. The sauce was both plentiful and delish, the mushrooms a good partner but, I could not for the life of me taste the fish. It was there under the smothering weight of the sauce, but when you tried to taste the fish all you got was goat's cheese. The sauce/mushroom combination would have been absolutely divine with a (thick) cut of red meat, on the fish however, it was completely wasted. Sigh.

After the exotic meal we picked up the books, which also included a bit of drama. Drama and Wineera seem to go hand in hand at times. The credit card machine was down so the boss tried to pay with a cheque. The bookstore didn't want to accept a cheque for that much money. Arguments ensued, the manager was called, identification was required, assurance that the school was real was demanded, and finally the books were handed over. One of the lads who worked there carting them out to the car for us. Splendid! But I mean seriously, I may be naive but surely when someone buys eighty books and shows their ID and business card along with their cheque, you don't really need to worry that its all going to go to pot do you?

Anyway, bellies full and books tucked away in the boot, we headed out of the bustling metropolis. On one of the main roads out of town (Paseo Reforma), near a major intersection, we spotted a few lads with their shirts off and in what appeared to be their daks (undies, jocks, underwear etc). Somewhat strange but it was a hot day so it didn't really warrant a second thought. Then what do you know, we rock up to a bunch of traffic lights and there are chaps (and lassies) sans vetments (without clothes) but the men did have some modesty- they had strapped a photo of a senator infront of their "bits". They were protesting against the confiscation of their lands by the senate. Quite a unique way to go about it I thought, and there were a few of them aswell, the chaps ranging in age from teenager to grandfather, and the ladies from mother's of youngsters to grandmothers. It was quite something to see a well fed lady my mum's age in all her glory going from car to car to get donations let me tell ya. The chaps would wander in front of the cars when the light was red with their banners and drums, singing for all the world to hear, like parading naked was an everyday occurence. Perhaps it was.
I don't know the details of this dispute, I just know they were an indigenous group protesting something they felt was unjust, in a literally jaw dropping way.

Good on them. I hope it works out.

Sonething different...

You hear about how violent Mexico is. You see movies where people are kidnapped or killed for no apparent reason. But you never actually believe it. Until you see it that is (or evidence that the potential exists anyway).

It was a barmy day. I was with Wineera-the-Younger, chatting, walking and generally chillin', when lo and behold we stumbled across an oddity in the KFC drive thru. The first thing that caught my eye was the chap in the back seat facing the wrong way. Hmmm. The second; the chap in the front having aviator-type galsses on and something beside him up against the door. Switch back to the backwards facing dude in the back seat. He also has something beside him sticking up and visible for all the world to see. (It sounds somewhat perverse at the mo' but believe me it ain't) And of course seens as I'm the world's fastest weapons recogniser, it took me a little bit longer than most to realise these two were carrying very visible automatic or semi-automatic weapons/assault rifles/whatever they are called. Following this slowly acquired insight, I registered the huge, black, tinted windowed vehicular monstrosity in front of them. Aha! Lightbulb! Someone who thought they were important was being followed by his (or her) well-armed bodyguards. Doubtless the chap driving the black vehicular monstrosity was not the "important" one, just another lacky. Needless to say we didn't peer too hard at the dudes with guns, or try to look in the car (not wanting to prove that old saying "Curiosity killed the Cat" to be true by being shot whilst being curious). Just a somewhat casual galnce in their direction and we were on our way. But come on, if you were that concerned about your safety (or that paranoid) where was the lead car with the well-armed-tough-guy-looking bodyguards, or indeed the convoy of your protectors. I mean if you can afford 2, why stop there?

That was my introduction to the well armed contingent of bodyguards. There are however very visible (but not visibly well armed) bodyguards hanging around the place "babysitting" rich parents and their kids. They look and carry themselves like your typical Hollywood Secret Service Agents or Hollywood FBI dudes. Slicked back hair, sunglasses, steely look and all.
It can be fun playing "Spot the rich kids' bodyguard".

The Wedding Experience (Part I)

Now I say "Part I" because I forgot my damn camera. Yes the Maori that never usually leaves home without it, left home without it on the only day that she never should have. So I now have to patiently wait for the boss to get another invitation or I have to find out where and when some other Mexican nuptials are happening and crash them. Bearing a gift of course.

This wedding was of the brother of one of the security guards that works in the plaza where the office is. It was awesome! Course I started the festivities almost falling on my arse and landing on the wedding present in front of a handful of witnesses, sober I might add, but it got better from there.
The food was never ending, homecooked by the family and delicious. The beer was free flowing, bit warm but cost nothing. The Tequila if you were keen was bountiful, and the Piña Colada simply delish.
Accompanying the food was a Mariachi contingent. This is the main reason I was bummed about not bringing my camera. I thought they were pretty cool, doing their thing and everyone was enjoying their performance. Which only made the lack of a camera all the more annoying.

On the bright side tho', some poor sod decided to sell balloons. The helium inflated ones that have cartoon characters on them and foam hands or feet stuck to them. Well the chance to be a kid again is never far from my mind, so I just had to have one. Persuading the boss that it would be a good idea to buy one for me was a lot easier than I thought, so "Sponge Bob" and I become inseparbale. Even when I coerced some poor young Mexican lad into teaching me how to dance- Mexican style. Old Bob kept getting in the way everytime I was being spun around (yes I'll balme it on Bob not my two left feet) so I called it quits, and gifted the balloon to a young girl. The lack of manners is a global thing- her father made her say "thankyou"- but I'll give her the benefit of the doubt 'cos she looked real gob-smacked when I gave it to her. My lack of a balloon was short lived tho'. The balloon salesman turned up with more, and this time there was one with a cow with lipstick imprints on it and "muchos besos" (lots of kisses). That was the signal for me to start bashing everyone at the table on the head and saying "a beso for you, a beso for you..." etc. Some people thought it was funny. Some didn't. Oh well. Anyway, Wineera-the-Younger decided she needed a balloon aswell, so off I was sent to get another "Sponge Bob". Returning to the table triumphant, I challenged the youngster to a war. Seeing two grown women fighting with balloons must have been quite a sight for the somewhat conservative audience I'd wager, but it had us collapsing with laughter. I'd just like to point out that it was I that was victorious. Her balloon disentegrating with a most satisfactoryly gratifyingly explosive bang. Choice bro!

Hometime saw us (me) hiding a bottle of Tequila under my jacket. Not 'cos I was nicking or souveniring it, but 'cos the securtiy guard had given it to me and told me to hide it from my boss. Turns out that she had turned it down, as had my sister. Not this Maori! Free alcohol (free anything) and I have no shame. I'm sure I can find a use for it somewhere, sometime.

MayDay

Its a fantastic thing I have to admit, being in a country (or working for a company) that makes a long weekend out of one that doesn't technically exist. We were on holiday from April 28 to May 1st, that is Saturday thru Tuesday. Bloomin' wonderful! Ok, seens as I wasn't exactly working by this time it didn't really make that much of a difference to me, but the company was off for the Monday when most everyone else had to go to work. Sweet!
And of course, being the sibling of one of the pieces of furniture that occasionally functions as a teacher comes with its perks- the boss took pity on us and took us out of town. Superb! We ended up in a place called Cuernavaca. Nice little spot, good weather, also known as Eterna Primavera (Eternal Spring) and friendly people. Bit of a pain in the bum to get there though as we had to go through D.F (Mexico City) which even when you are one hundred percent sure of the route can be a gamble with getting lost or not. There's a road that's called Periferrico which is similar to the M25- circling the city. There endith the similarities. Where the M25 has sign posts and fair warning before your exit, the Periferrico will anounce your exit at the exit or just after it, the road will fork unexpectedly with no signs as to which direction you should head to continue on the same road. Its fun, unless you have to be somewhere by a certain time to pick up your holiday home key. Nevertheless we made it. Drama and all.
Chilled out for a day or so by the pool- yes the pool- ate some good food then toddled off to the cheap Silver Capital of Mexico (well at least of this area of Mexico) to do a spot of shopping.
The streets in Taxco are lined with silver. Every street you walk down has more than one silver shop on it. Shopping was to be done, and the feat was accomplished quite well and very expensively (relatively speaking of course). Course this meant (means) that the welfare bill I now owe my sister passed ridiculous with the purchase of the first ring. With the purchase of the second ring, ridiculous looked as tame as "a liitle bit". Sigh. What can you do? When things are just begging you to buy them and they look fantastic on you, how can you in all good conscience refuse? You just can't. It wouldn't be right. Besides someone poured a lot of themselves into the making of such a wonderful piece, and you would be doing an injustice to, and not supporting the artisan (and his or her family) if you decided not to buy it now wouldn't you? (Do you think I'd do alright as a sales rep?)
To recuperate from the added pounds of silver, we decided to "do luch" in the centre of town. Bit of a boo-boo that one. Turned out that Dr Simi- a chap that has made millions selling dodgey drugs to the poor of Mexico- was taping something for his TV channel. This meant that for the duration of our meal we were subjected to some horrendous wailing that was apparently someone singing. It did not however diminish the certain glow that I had acquired after spending a lot of someone else's money. Thank goodness!
Tuesday saw us return to Metepec and the real world. I had to start work at seven in the morning on Wednesday. Yes my run as a bludger had officially come to an end. I was now gainfully employed. Again. Butchering the English language and getting paid for it. Again. Sigh.
Bring on the next holiday I say!

Dancing Queen

After the Pyramids we set our sights on Coyoacan. The hippie hub of Mexico City. We wandered around an eclectic mix of stalls with all kinds of wares for purchase, grabbed a burger from one of said stalls, caught a danza arabe (belly dancing) show and witnessed an Aztec (or representation thereof) dancey-thing. Rounded off with some beer in what resembled a small fishbowl. Dee-lish!

Amongst the collection of arts and crafts, trinkets and baubles, bags, shoes and wot-nots, were more than a few areas set aside for the adventurous. Adventurous meaning getting a piercing or tattoo under dubious conditions. If I had've had any money left I would've joined in the fun, unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), there were only pennies jangling in my pockets. Sigh.

The Aztec display was quite intriguing. We had no idea what they were wishing to protray but it was interesting to see. And quite different to kapahaka that I know from home. (check out this one for a slice of Maori improv)

A wonderfully relaxing finish to an exhaustingly energetic day (well energetic if you're exercise impared like myself). Cold beer. Entertainment. A taxi ride to the station. What more could a girl ask for?

Stairs Up. Stairs Down. Stairs. All Around.

Teotihuacan. The Pyramids. The ruins. The crazy stairs. It was amazing.

Nothing like starting the day with a boob or two. Not the feminine anatomical kind, but the kind that make you feel like a complete prat when you realise what you've done. The first belonged to a travelling companion who herded us to the wrong rendez-vous point. But this was easily and painlessly fixed. The next was all mine...

I was stopped at the entrance to the Pyramids and told that "we" had to pay here because "we" weren't from Mexico. Now I say "we" cos I was in the group but I was never asked to pay. Course me in all my blind honesty fronted the entrance fee (which was double the bus fare from the city) and we continued on our way. It wasn't until we were within striking distance of the Avenue of the Dead that I realised that I'd paid uneccesarily. D'oh! Being a darker shade of caramel does have its advantages in this country, they think you're native. Being of a white chocolate complexion however does you no good at all.

The sun was shining with some ferocity that bonny april Sunday. The sky was brilliant in all its azulness, the clouds were suitably white and candyfloss-esque. And it was under this blanket of a fine autumn morning that we made our way towards the beckoning pyramids. Still not appreciating their giganticness in this early part of our outing.
Now I readily admit I am a pain in the preverbial when it comes to visiting places of interest. I may stroll in everyday life, but when it comes to areas where there may be plenty of photo ops, not to mention things to see, I become positively tortise-like.

The Sun Pyramid was the first sight to see on our agenda. Well it couldn't really be missed, being that it dominated the skyline when looking down the Avenue of the Dead. The stairs were a much better work out than any stair master could possibly give you. And the view from the top was superb. Which was of course appreciated at length, considering you practically induced a heart attack climbing to the pinnacle.
The trip back down is not quite so cardiac arrestish, but you are very aware that if you trip and fall, its one helluva long, bumpy and very painful arrival at the bottom that would spell the end of your holiday. Upon reaching the bottom of the Pyramid, we were greeted by a collection of panama-hat-adorned vendors plying their wares. But in a manner most reminiscent of vendors in Nepal, they delivered their sales pitch half-heartedly. This could have been due to the sun and heat (by this time I was becoming a two tone shade of strong coffee and milk tea with a red cherry atop my shoulders that used to resemble me), or just the general laidback attitude of the local populace. I personally think it was more of the latter than the former.
By now I had also developed some very impressive blisters on my feet so my pace slowed to that of a geriatric tortoise. Good for taking pics and admiring the scenery, not so good when trying to avoid being slow roasted by the sun or when there are four other people waiting for you to get a move on.

But get a move on I did (painfully aware that anything resembling normal speed spelt doom for my tootsies) and we proceeded onward and upward. To the Moon Pyramid. Thankfully which is either still being reconstructed or they've given up and you can only get halfway up. Hurrah! I found a comfy spot (hard to do on solid rock), parked my but and let the others walk around, take photos and do the touristy thing.
Back down on the ground- the Moon being much more blister friendly- we made our way to the exit where one of our party had been waiting for some time. I gave up many opportunities to buy a bow 'n arrow (of which I'm quite proud, I was dead jealous of the kids shooting each other) but couldnt resist the cowboy hat. Yes. A cowboy hat. Made from corn leaves. I love it. Course my mates (especially the Mexicans) thought it was hilarious, being that I bought it after I had turned a lighter shade of crispy. Well what can I say? Yee-hah!

Hair: A Pictorial Supplement

Once upon a time I had hair. Here's how I lost it...