Hola a todos! I'm trying very hard to think what I've done since I last wrote stuff. I got sick for one thing. Inflamed sinuses. That was lovely. Aaaaand I've realised that I've gotten very lazy when speaking and writing in English. Because in Spanish they say a whole sentence in one word. So in English I often write or say one word answers.
Ummm. September 15th was Día de la Independencia (Independence Day), which was so fun. For that I went to a small town with 2000 inhabitants called San Ignacio. I went with my family and took Sina (pronounced like Xena.... hehe how cool!) my German freundin with me. And my host brother took about 6 of his crazy guy friends. Soooo. Yeah. At around 11pm on independence day the whole town went to the zócalo (town square) for the grito, where we all shouted ¡VIVA MÉXICO CABRONES! until we had no voices left. [I had to think sooo hard to write that sentence in a way that made sense in English =|] And yeah. I also had to be Sina's translator the whole weekend. Which was crazy hard. By the end of it I was sick of speaking in any language. And was speaking to Mexicans in English and her in Spanish. Hahaha and speaking in random bits of German that I have learnt here/remember from school. [Ummm. please tell me that 'learnt' is a word. because spell check is telling me that its not... =S]
Errr. What else?
Well I had a crazy experience the other night when I went downtown with a couple of exchange students. It was Friday night and we had been in Plazuela Machado (the photo isn't actually the Plaza, its the corner... But we ate at the restaurant on the right. Good food) eating at a restaurant there. And we were walking to Panama's to get desert (Panama's is a chain restaurant in Mazatlán and Culiacán that has THE BEST cake in the entire world), chatting away in English, when suddenly the woman in front of us turned around and screamed 'QUICKLY!' We didn't have a clue what was going on... But when we turned around there was this truck spraying gas everywhere. So we followed this lady, running and covering our faces trying to outrun the truck. Which we did. And well yeah. We turned the corner to get away from it and kept on going towards Panama's. Anyway. We encountered the thing 3 more times before we actually reached the restaurant and when we got there I asked the waiter guy what the hell was going on. And he told us that once a month or something they spray the streets with this disinfectant chemical to clean the streets. Which is all good, but its bad for the lungs you see. Hence the lady running away.
Seriously though. So funny. It was like some movie where we were under attack or something. Hehehe.
So yeah. That was a nice random experience for you. Man. English grammar is killing me. I hope I didn't make a tonne of mistakes.
Don't yet have photos from Independence Day cause Sina still needs to send them to me. But I could probably get photos of our escape from the killer truck soon. Hehehe.
Anyway. Good luck to anyone doing HSC (hahahahahahahaha-yes I am totally laughing at you). Aaaaand. yah. Adiós.
September 26, 2007
August 15, 2007
We're gonna eeeeeelope to Meh he he ico
Haha. So. The last few days of mine were spent in a town called Tequesquitengo (or something spelt similarly), CD México and Guadalajara. And well. Mazatlán. But like. That doesn't count cause I live here.
So yeah. It was the 50th wedding anniversary of my 'new grandparents' and so we went to the family's lake house in Tequesquitengo. And just like. Hung out for a few days. There were like. 30 of us. Which was pretty cool. People were swimming in the pool, water skiing, whatever. It was awesome. And we had awesome weather the whole time we were there too. So yeah. The house was pretty much like Edrom Lodge, for those of you who know what that is. And yeah. Mexican. And full of awesome food. Except beans are not awesome. Nor avocado, which I hope is spelt right, cause I can only really remember Spanish for it.
And yeah. In Teques my brother went sky diving. And I so wanted to. But you know. Crappy Rotary Laws =P. And the rest of my family went Ultralighting. Which are these weird half plane things and like. You get up to a certain altitude and then free fall until you like. Smack into the ground. But you know. Gently. If you've ever seen that goose movie with the girl from X-Men then those are ultralights. Or I suppose you could always google them.
Yah. So Then we moved the party to Mexico City because that is where pretty much everyone in my family grew up. And yeah. Stayed in the house of my somehow related people friends. Its complicated. I think that the husband is my Dad's brother and that the wife is my Mum's cousin. Its something screwy like that. Could be the other way around. Who knows. Anyway. We stayed in a part of Mexico City known as Coyoacan. Which is named so because of the coyote population that used to dominate that area. And yeah. Its sooooo pretty. I love it. And. Its like. way close to awesome food and Frida Khalo's house. Which I couldn't enter because it was closed when we went. But I went on a tour of Coyoacan with my mum and its a very cultural area. Trotsky used to live there, theres art galleries. And lots of cool stuff. And yeah. Pretty much my entire family either lives or has lived in Coyoacan. And I plan on living there one day too. When I have an excuse to live in Mexico City.
So yeah. The anniversary party itself was... Well it was ok. First we spent the afternoon in a church. At a church service. And I discovered that I'm really truly freaked out by Catholics. Or at least Mexican Catholic church services. And well. The churches themselves. I hate all those morbid bloody pictures of Christ with nails in him and getting whipped and stuff. And those cherub things. Just. Are creepy to me. So. Wont be doing so much hanging out in churches for awhile.
But yeah. After that we went to this restaurant/bar/theatre place for the party. Where we had a room. And just stayed there from about 5 till 1 in the morning. And ate (food was awesome) and drank and danced. And sat there looking awesome in our formal attire. Well you know. Most people did. I think I managed to avoid being photographed all night so hah. No pictures of fat Niki in her awesome dress. Hahaha. Once I've shaken my Rotary weight I'll put it on again and then show you a picture. Though like. You might be waiting awhile. It was, however, an awesome dress.
Blah. So yeah. Then after Mexico City we went to Guadalajara. Which is the biggest pain in the but to type. Why on earth does it need so many 'a's?! And yeah. Stayed at some cousin's house. It was an amazingly awesome house too. Like Mexican style. Or whatever style. Where theres like a massive courtyard/pool in the middle and the house like. Goes around. And theres like. A separate 'house' where the servants are supposed to live. But like. We we occupying cause there weren't any servants. And yeah. Like. Pretty much everyone really does have maids and people to cook for them in Mexico. Well you know. The ones who can afford and aren't the ones doing the cleaning and cooking. Its really weird. I always feel bad asking them to do stuff for me and like. Having them serve me like its a restaurant in my own house but like. Thats just how it is. And they don't care cause its their job. They want to do stuff for you. Still. Weird.
But yeah. We saw License to Wed. At the movies in Guadalajara. And like. Very Bad. If you had any thoughts in your head about seeing this movie, please erase them. Bad.
And well yeah. Then we came back home and yeah. Here I am. And there was this massive storm here last night. That like. Came completely out of nowhere. And apparently it was really dangerous to be outside (like my sisters were at the time) and yah. No Power. And Stuff. And the night before it was literally raining inside the house cause theres leakage everywhere because of the current renovations taking place. I took a photo. So you can see it. Later.
And by the way. There will be many photos of the trip.
Oh and in CD Mexico I did the art gallery thing with my mum. And I think i photographed pretty much everything in the Museo de Arte Moderna. So like. If you ever wanted to go, now you so dont have to cause I have it all photographed. Hahaha.
Anyway. I'm off to watch Epitafios or in English 'epitaphs'. Its like this wicked Spanish crime show.
Adios.
So yeah. It was the 50th wedding anniversary of my 'new grandparents' and so we went to the family's lake house in Tequesquitengo. And just like. Hung out for a few days. There were like. 30 of us. Which was pretty cool. People were swimming in the pool, water skiing, whatever. It was awesome. And we had awesome weather the whole time we were there too. So yeah. The house was pretty much like Edrom Lodge, for those of you who know what that is. And yeah. Mexican. And full of awesome food. Except beans are not awesome. Nor avocado, which I hope is spelt right, cause I can only really remember Spanish for it.
And yeah. In Teques my brother went sky diving. And I so wanted to. But you know. Crappy Rotary Laws =P. And the rest of my family went Ultralighting. Which are these weird half plane things and like. You get up to a certain altitude and then free fall until you like. Smack into the ground. But you know. Gently. If you've ever seen that goose movie with the girl from X-Men then those are ultralights. Or I suppose you could always google them.
Yah. So Then we moved the party to Mexico City because that is where pretty much everyone in my family grew up. And yeah. Stayed in the house of my somehow related people friends. Its complicated. I think that the husband is my Dad's brother and that the wife is my Mum's cousin. Its something screwy like that. Could be the other way around. Who knows. Anyway. We stayed in a part of Mexico City known as Coyoacan. Which is named so because of the coyote population that used to dominate that area. And yeah. Its sooooo pretty. I love it. And. Its like. way close to awesome food and Frida Khalo's house. Which I couldn't enter because it was closed when we went. But I went on a tour of Coyoacan with my mum and its a very cultural area. Trotsky used to live there, theres art galleries. And lots of cool stuff. And yeah. Pretty much my entire family either lives or has lived in Coyoacan. And I plan on living there one day too. When I have an excuse to live in Mexico City.
So yeah. The anniversary party itself was... Well it was ok. First we spent the afternoon in a church. At a church service. And I discovered that I'm really truly freaked out by Catholics. Or at least Mexican Catholic church services. And well. The churches themselves. I hate all those morbid bloody pictures of Christ with nails in him and getting whipped and stuff. And those cherub things. Just. Are creepy to me. So. Wont be doing so much hanging out in churches for awhile.
But yeah. After that we went to this restaurant/bar/theatre place for the party. Where we had a room. And just stayed there from about 5 till 1 in the morning. And ate (food was awesome) and drank and danced. And sat there looking awesome in our formal attire. Well you know. Most people did. I think I managed to avoid being photographed all night so hah. No pictures of fat Niki in her awesome dress. Hahaha. Once I've shaken my Rotary weight I'll put it on again and then show you a picture. Though like. You might be waiting awhile. It was, however, an awesome dress.
Blah. So yeah. Then after Mexico City we went to Guadalajara. Which is the biggest pain in the but to type. Why on earth does it need so many 'a's?! And yeah. Stayed at some cousin's house. It was an amazingly awesome house too. Like Mexican style. Or whatever style. Where theres like a massive courtyard/pool in the middle and the house like. Goes around. And theres like. A separate 'house' where the servants are supposed to live. But like. We we occupying cause there weren't any servants. And yeah. Like. Pretty much everyone really does have maids and people to cook for them in Mexico. Well you know. The ones who can afford and aren't the ones doing the cleaning and cooking. Its really weird. I always feel bad asking them to do stuff for me and like. Having them serve me like its a restaurant in my own house but like. Thats just how it is. And they don't care cause its their job. They want to do stuff for you. Still. Weird.
But yeah. We saw License to Wed. At the movies in Guadalajara. And like. Very Bad. If you had any thoughts in your head about seeing this movie, please erase them. Bad.
And well yeah. Then we came back home and yeah. Here I am. And there was this massive storm here last night. That like. Came completely out of nowhere. And apparently it was really dangerous to be outside (like my sisters were at the time) and yah. No Power. And Stuff. And the night before it was literally raining inside the house cause theres leakage everywhere because of the current renovations taking place. I took a photo. So you can see it. Later.
And by the way. There will be many photos of the trip.
Oh and in CD Mexico I did the art gallery thing with my mum. And I think i photographed pretty much everything in the Museo de Arte Moderna. So like. If you ever wanted to go, now you so dont have to cause I have it all photographed. Hahaha.
Anyway. I'm off to watch Epitafios or in English 'epitaphs'. Its like this wicked Spanish crime show.
Adios.
July 30, 2007
So...
Good morning citizens.
So. Since the last time I updated this little patch of Niki... not so much has happened. Well. A few things have happened.
First notable event is that I went to a wedding. A 'cousin' of mine got married. The ceremony was really pretty. Although the only words I really caught from the whole thing were 'pero, siempre dios es primera' which translates to 'but god always comes first'. I swear if I had a dollar for every time the priest said this I would be rich. But yeah. It was quite nice.
So yeah. For the next few days our house was full of family and we all basically just hung out and did nothing but listen to banda (shudders) and eat. Hahaha.
Uhh. Yeah. In the last week or two my family decided that it would be fun to go to random towns in the area for apparently no reason at all. First we went to Concordia. Which I didn't get to take my camera, so there aren't any photos. Then we went to Teacapan to buy some 'callos' (a rare and very tasty type of shrimp), but came back empty handed cause they were too expensive. Then the next day we went to El Quelite. A tiny little town, which has a reputation for awesome local cuisine. And yeah. The reputation is well deserved. Food was great. Its also A really pretty little town. I have lots of photos on flickr if you're interested.
Hahaha. So yeah. That night when I got back from El Quelite. At like 7pm. I had a message on the answering machine and an email from Jorge Medina telling me that I was to change houses that night. Beach my family was going away and I couldnt stay alone in the house. Plus is was about time to change anyway.
So. I had like an hour or two to get all my things together and make my suitcase. And well yeah. I was meant to be staying at Medina's house that particular night. Because my new family had just got back from a funeral. But he took me round there for introductions and they basically just said 'well you're here with all your things, what the hell. Just come and stay tonight.' So yeah. Thats the story of my changing houses.
In this new family I have a Mum (Mónica), a Dad (Marte), a brother (Jorge, 18), a sister (Mariana, 16, who is going on exchnage to Canada soon) and another sister (Andrea, 14). And well yeah. From what I can tell so far. They're awesome. I have't yet met my sisters because they're in Mexico City at the moment. But the whol family is going up for around ten days soon so I'll meet them there.
Nyeah. Turns out I have a pretty large family too. Many relatives in Mexico City on my mum's side. And many from a little town called San Ignacio, which we visited yesterday, on my father's side.
And yeah. This family travels a fair bit to see their family... Which I can so deal with.
So... yeah. Coolness. Hahaha. I just remembered how to say 'make my suitcase' properly in english. But I wont change it cause like. I just wont. You can all live with my bad, Spanish affected english.
Anyway. Until next time.
So. Since the last time I updated this little patch of Niki... not so much has happened. Well. A few things have happened.
First notable event is that I went to a wedding. A 'cousin' of mine got married. The ceremony was really pretty. Although the only words I really caught from the whole thing were 'pero, siempre dios es primera' which translates to 'but god always comes first'. I swear if I had a dollar for every time the priest said this I would be rich. But yeah. It was quite nice.
So yeah. For the next few days our house was full of family and we all basically just hung out and did nothing but listen to banda (shudders) and eat. Hahaha.
Uhh. Yeah. In the last week or two my family decided that it would be fun to go to random towns in the area for apparently no reason at all. First we went to Concordia. Which I didn't get to take my camera, so there aren't any photos. Then we went to Teacapan to buy some 'callos' (a rare and very tasty type of shrimp), but came back empty handed cause they were too expensive. Then the next day we went to El Quelite. A tiny little town, which has a reputation for awesome local cuisine. And yeah. The reputation is well deserved. Food was great. Its also A really pretty little town. I have lots of photos on flickr if you're interested.
Hahaha. So yeah. That night when I got back from El Quelite. At like 7pm. I had a message on the answering machine and an email from Jorge Medina telling me that I was to change houses that night. Beach my family was going away and I couldnt stay alone in the house. Plus is was about time to change anyway.
So. I had like an hour or two to get all my things together and make my suitcase. And well yeah. I was meant to be staying at Medina's house that particular night. Because my new family had just got back from a funeral. But he took me round there for introductions and they basically just said 'well you're here with all your things, what the hell. Just come and stay tonight.' So yeah. Thats the story of my changing houses.
In this new family I have a Mum (Mónica), a Dad (Marte), a brother (Jorge, 18), a sister (Mariana, 16, who is going on exchnage to Canada soon) and another sister (Andrea, 14). And well yeah. From what I can tell so far. They're awesome. I have't yet met my sisters because they're in Mexico City at the moment. But the whol family is going up for around ten days soon so I'll meet them there.
Nyeah. Turns out I have a pretty large family too. Many relatives in Mexico City on my mum's side. And many from a little town called San Ignacio, which we visited yesterday, on my father's side.
And yeah. This family travels a fair bit to see their family... Which I can so deal with.
So... yeah. Coolness. Hahaha. I just remembered how to say 'make my suitcase' properly in english. But I wont change it cause like. I just wont. You can all live with my bad, Spanish affected english.
Anyway. Until next time.
July 1, 2007
Post Ruta Maya Adventures.
Ok. So this should probably warrant like. Two separate entires... but I'm too lazy. And I'm too lazy to go through this in any actual detail... so.
23-26/05/07: Rotary Conference in Neuvo Vallarta. In which we all stayed in a 5 star all inclusive resort. And if you don't know want all inclusive means, it means that you can eat, drink and do whatever you want for nothing because its all included in the cover price. So. That was well awesome. Especially seeing as the exchange students were only needed for like. 2 things maybe.
27-31/05/07: Yeah. Then I stayed in Puerto Vallarta with my good friend Kristina (an exchange student from Canada who was living there at the time), and Rose (my other Canadian friend). We spend a few nice relaxing beach filled days there and then went to a city named Culiacán, the capital city of Sinaloa and the drug capital of all of Mexico.
01-03/06/07: Yah. In Culiacán it was basically one big three day fair well party because most people are returning to their respective countries at the moment. So yeah. We went out and fare welled everyone. Interesting fact. If you're ever in Culiacan, make sure to ask where the bus is going first. Because even if it says one thing, it can take you to somewhere completely different. Like an hour trip to the outskirt slums of the city. Also, don't take taxis off the street. All the exchange students who live there call a cab company and book a cab and then text the license plate number of the cab to their parents incase anything happens. Its psycho. I'm very glad I live in nice safe Mazatlán.
04-08/06/07: Ok. So Then i was in Mazatlán. But it wasn't really like being at home at all. Because I had Rose staying with me and Kristina was there. So really. It was just like being on holiday in my home town. We went out. To more fare well events. And went shopping and all that usual craziness of holidays.
09-18/06/07: Yeah... These days were spent in La Paz. A nice city that is a smaller, quieter, lazier and, in my opinion, prettier version of my city, Mazatlán. Here I basically just hung around with Prerna and the other exchange students. We went to the beach a few times. Almost got killed by Lina's psycho Mexican boyfriend a few times. And went out more than a few times. So yeah. That was awesome.
And in these last two weeks at home I've been enjoying peace and quiet. And not having to worry about where I'm sleeping tonight and where my next meal is coming from. Good feeling that. And yeah. At the moment my mum is in San Francisco for a wedding so its just been Adhara and me for a few days. Yah. Fun fun.
23-26/05/07: Rotary Conference in Neuvo Vallarta. In which we all stayed in a 5 star all inclusive resort. And if you don't know want all inclusive means, it means that you can eat, drink and do whatever you want for nothing because its all included in the cover price. So. That was well awesome. Especially seeing as the exchange students were only needed for like. 2 things maybe.
27-31/05/07: Yeah. Then I stayed in Puerto Vallarta with my good friend Kristina (an exchange student from Canada who was living there at the time), and Rose (my other Canadian friend). We spend a few nice relaxing beach filled days there and then went to a city named Culiacán, the capital city of Sinaloa and the drug capital of all of Mexico.
01-03/06/07: Yah. In Culiacán it was basically one big three day fair well party because most people are returning to their respective countries at the moment. So yeah. We went out and fare welled everyone. Interesting fact. If you're ever in Culiacan, make sure to ask where the bus is going first. Because even if it says one thing, it can take you to somewhere completely different. Like an hour trip to the outskirt slums of the city. Also, don't take taxis off the street. All the exchange students who live there call a cab company and book a cab and then text the license plate number of the cab to their parents incase anything happens. Its psycho. I'm very glad I live in nice safe Mazatlán.
04-08/06/07: Ok. So Then i was in Mazatlán. But it wasn't really like being at home at all. Because I had Rose staying with me and Kristina was there. So really. It was just like being on holiday in my home town. We went out. To more fare well events. And went shopping and all that usual craziness of holidays.
09-18/06/07: Yeah... These days were spent in La Paz. A nice city that is a smaller, quieter, lazier and, in my opinion, prettier version of my city, Mazatlán. Here I basically just hung around with Prerna and the other exchange students. We went to the beach a few times. Almost got killed by Lina's psycho Mexican boyfriend a few times. And went out more than a few times. So yeah. That was awesome.
And in these last two weeks at home I've been enjoying peace and quiet. And not having to worry about where I'm sleeping tonight and where my next meal is coming from. Good feeling that. And yeah. At the moment my mum is in San Francisco for a wedding so its just been Adhara and me for a few days. Yah. Fun fun.
June 19, 2007
Photos from the Ruta Maya
So. Here are some more photos from the Ruta Maya for your viewing pleasure. They are not in order of where we are, they're just random. So yeah. Have fun.
At Palenque
Clockwise: Marie (Germany), Henrique (Brasil), Gaby (Brasil), Kristina (Canada), Me (in the cool jumper I bought), Heloisa (Brasil), French guy (France), Ilona (Holand), Debora (Brasil)
Alice and I found a touch of Australia in San Cristóbal
And I made some friends in Mexico City...
My Birthday...
Pinche Brasileños (and one German)
At Xcaret (a theme park in Cancun) we (Alice and I) found out exactly how far we were from home.
The Australia club
(Me, Alice, Greg)
The Australasia club
(Mitch NZ, Me, Alice, Greg)
In Mexico City: Rose (Canada), Kristina (Canada), Me (and my camera), Annie (Finland) and Andrea (Germany)
Alice and I (with Kristina in the background) right after we got our noses pierced in Cancun. (You cant really see them in this photo, but trust me, theyre there... and hurt lots)
Our first taste of the Carribean Sea =D
Prerna (India, Uganda, Canada, USA), Me, Sophie (Germany), Alice (Australia =D)
Lisa (Germany), Prerna (India, Uganda, USA, Canada), Sophie (Germany), Andrea (Germany), Alice (Australia) and Me (dying from the heat)
A toast to Australia
Greg, Mitch and I at the markets in Mexico city
Lost in translation...
Around half the group. At Puebla on our last day.
At Palenque
Clockwise: Marie (Germany), Henrique (Brasil), Gaby (Brasil), Kristina (Canada), Me (in the cool jumper I bought), Heloisa (Brasil), French guy (France), Ilona (Holand), Debora (Brasil)
Alice and I found a touch of Australia in San Cristóbal
And I made some friends in Mexico City...
My Birthday...
Pinche Brasileños (and one German)
At Xcaret (a theme park in Cancun) we (Alice and I) found out exactly how far we were from home.
The Australia club(Me, Alice, Greg)
The Australasia club(Mitch NZ, Me, Alice, Greg)
In Mexico City: Rose (Canada), Kristina (Canada), Me (and my camera), Annie (Finland) and Andrea (Germany)
Alice and I (with Kristina in the background) right after we got our noses pierced in Cancun. (You cant really see them in this photo, but trust me, theyre there... and hurt lots)
Our first taste of the Carribean Sea =DPrerna (India, Uganda, Canada, USA), Me, Sophie (Germany), Alice (Australia =D)
Lisa (Germany), Prerna (India, Uganda, USA, Canada), Sophie (Germany), Andrea (Germany), Alice (Australia) and Me (dying from the heat)
A toast to Australia
Greg, Mitch and I at the markets in Mexico city
Lost in translation...
Around half the group. At Puebla on our last day.And yeah. Make sure to read the previous two entries so you know all about my fantastic 18 day adventure galavanting around Mexico.
My adventures.
So I dont think I'm going to go through the rest of the Ruta Maya in so much more detail... I'll just go place by place now. So... After my birthday we were still in Oaxaca for another day or so. On that day we went to see the world's fattest tree. It is wider than it is tall and well yeah. Its pretty damn fat. We then went to Mitla, a tiny Mexican town that just so happens to have some old ruins there.
After which we went to a Mezcal making factory and ate in the middle of the desert. What next? Oh yeah. While we were doing all this, we were making our way to Tehuantepec, where we arrived with time only to swim and melt in the insane heat, even though it was dark and 10:00 at night.
The next day we made our way to San Cristóbal de Las Casas. On the way here, we stopped at a national park, and took a boat tour of the Cañón del Sumidero, a canyon which is a part of the Chiapas coat of arms. There are some parts where the canyon walls are more than 1000m high! We also saw crocodiles, bats, vultures, iguanas and monkeys! Then we kept on going until we eventually reached San Cristóbal.
The next day we travelled to a small town (of which I forget the name) which basically consisted of a church and a market place. And I bought an awesome jumper there. Hand made wool thing with lots of colours. We then went and saw how tortillas were made and random other things to do with making food. I also found out that Coca Cola was part of the local religion. No joke. It cleanses the body or something. How retarded is that. Coke really does rule the world.
Ok... So. Next was this waterfall place called Agua Azul, which was really pretty and the water was awesome. We then went to the town of Palenque. Where there just so happens to be many pyramids. And like... the hottest weather in the entire world. No joke. It was absolutely the hottest weather I've ever experienced. I swear we almost melted.
So the next stop was Merida, Bena's dream town. On the way to Merida we stopped for a dip in the Caribbean sea, then stopped for afternoon tea/dinner in Campeche, a really beautiful city (obviously) on the way to Merida.
Merida was our base camp from which we went to the pyramids of Uxmal. The pyramids here were pretty amazing. The one we climbed had 65 steps, which doesnt sound like much, but when you consider that every step is over a foot high, it adds up to a pretty big pyramid. Especially when theres temples on top as well. By these stage we were pretty much pyramid climbing experts and everyone was wondering what is up with the massive stone steps? Mayans were supposed to be really short... Not these people who climb up 40cm steps.
So the next stop was Cancún! On the way to Cancún we went to Chitzen Itza. More pyramids... Woo! Chitzen Itza was rather beautiful, but I was so tired there I couldn't be bothered doing much. So I grabbed a tree and sat for awhile.
So yeah. Cancun was crazy. Our night time activity was CoCo Bongo, the most exclusive nightclub in Cancun. It was crazy as. They had trapeze shows and Beetlejuice and Spiderman and balloons and much, much more like you cant even imagine. So yeah. That was pretty damn cool.
Then the next day we went to Tulum, MORE PYRAMIDS! But these were really really pretty. Because they we beside the Caribbean Sea. I was pretty sad cause I only got to like... spend half an hour there because aparently we were late or something. But you know. It was fun. The following photo is the view from Tulum.
And here is a shot of downtown Cancún.
And well yeah. I went to many of those places. It was pretty awesome. So yeah. After Cancún we were pretty much just making our way back home. We stayed the next night in Villahermosa and then the next night in Puebla. An well yeah. Not much happened in either of those places. We walked around Puebla for a bit and I had the most disgusting ice cream I've ever tasted in my life. And yeah. We made our way back home.
So that is part two of the Ruta Maya entry.
If you want to see more photos click here. They start here. And of course theres heaps more photos of my following adventures (which will be written about in the next entry). So yeah.
Peace.
After which we went to a Mezcal making factory and ate in the middle of the desert. What next? Oh yeah. While we were doing all this, we were making our way to Tehuantepec, where we arrived with time only to swim and melt in the insane heat, even though it was dark and 10:00 at night.
The next day we made our way to San Cristóbal de Las Casas. On the way here, we stopped at a national park, and took a boat tour of the Cañón del Sumidero, a canyon which is a part of the Chiapas coat of arms. There are some parts where the canyon walls are more than 1000m high! We also saw crocodiles, bats, vultures, iguanas and monkeys! Then we kept on going until we eventually reached San Cristóbal.
The next day we travelled to a small town (of which I forget the name) which basically consisted of a church and a market place. And I bought an awesome jumper there. Hand made wool thing with lots of colours. We then went and saw how tortillas were made and random other things to do with making food. I also found out that Coca Cola was part of the local religion. No joke. It cleanses the body or something. How retarded is that. Coke really does rule the world.
Ok... So. Next was this waterfall place called Agua Azul, which was really pretty and the water was awesome. We then went to the town of Palenque. Where there just so happens to be many pyramids. And like... the hottest weather in the entire world. No joke. It was absolutely the hottest weather I've ever experienced. I swear we almost melted.
So the next stop was Merida, Bena's dream town. On the way to Merida we stopped for a dip in the Caribbean sea, then stopped for afternoon tea/dinner in Campeche, a really beautiful city (obviously) on the way to Merida.
Merida was our base camp from which we went to the pyramids of Uxmal. The pyramids here were pretty amazing. The one we climbed had 65 steps, which doesnt sound like much, but when you consider that every step is over a foot high, it adds up to a pretty big pyramid. Especially when theres temples on top as well. By these stage we were pretty much pyramid climbing experts and everyone was wondering what is up with the massive stone steps? Mayans were supposed to be really short... Not these people who climb up 40cm steps.
So the next stop was Cancún! On the way to Cancún we went to Chitzen Itza. More pyramids... Woo! Chitzen Itza was rather beautiful, but I was so tired there I couldn't be bothered doing much. So I grabbed a tree and sat for awhile.
So yeah. Cancun was crazy. Our night time activity was CoCo Bongo, the most exclusive nightclub in Cancun. It was crazy as. They had trapeze shows and Beetlejuice and Spiderman and balloons and much, much more like you cant even imagine. So yeah. That was pretty damn cool.
Then the next day we went to Tulum, MORE PYRAMIDS! But these were really really pretty. Because they we beside the Caribbean Sea. I was pretty sad cause I only got to like... spend half an hour there because aparently we were late or something. But you know. It was fun. The following photo is the view from Tulum.
And here is a shot of downtown Cancún.
And well yeah. I went to many of those places. It was pretty awesome. So yeah. After Cancún we were pretty much just making our way back home. We stayed the next night in Villahermosa and then the next night in Puebla. An well yeah. Not much happened in either of those places. We walked around Puebla for a bit and I had the most disgusting ice cream I've ever tasted in my life. And yeah. We made our way back home.
So that is part two of the Ruta Maya entry.
If you want to see more photos click here. They start here. And of course theres heaps more photos of my following adventures (which will be written about in the next entry). So yeah.
Peace.
May 12, 2007
Ruta Maya: pt 1
Hey guys. How you doing? Well. As most of you know, a few days ago I returned from a 17 day trip around México. Let me begin by saying that it was absolutely fantastic. You should all try it some day. Though chances are that unless you go on exchange to Mexico you won't get to do it with 86 other crazy exchange students, therefore it won't be nearly as much fun as my trip was =P
So yeah. This trip was pretty crazy. It involved lots of pyramids and old cities with cathedrals and (multiple) town squares. I have so many awesome photos you would not believe, but I'll post those after I’ve gone through the entire journey otherwise the posts will be far too long. As I am now going to take you through a day by day, blow by blow account of my incredible journey (Mr Rafidi, if you're reading this, you should fully use my blog as a text instead of stinky Lionheart. My travels are so much more interesting than being stuck on a boat for a year. mwa ha ha)
Day One: 20 April: Leaving Mazatlán
So this day we didn't really do anything except meet all the exchange students and catch a bus to Mexico City. Which, by the way, was actually pretty fun. We left Mazatlán at around 1pm and got to Mexico City at 6am. So yeah. It was a fantastic bus trip full pinche brasileños who wouldn't let anyone sleep because they were too busy partying and watching Deep Impact at 3 in the morning. So yeah. That was fun.
Highlight: Meeting Alice Rice, an Australian girl from Sydney who is currently living in a neighbouring district here in Mexico. Her and I are going to be travel buddies from now on.
Day Two: 21 April: C.D. de México
SO. Like I said, we arrived in Mexico city at 6am. When we arrived at the hotel we took our stuff to our rooms, came back downstairs to eat our complimentary breakfast, went back up to our rooms to sleep for an hour, then came back down to leave for a day full of activity (that unfortunately didn't involve going to Teotihaucan). By the way. I was rooming with three fantastic German girls throughout the trip of whom I will post a picture in the next entry along with all the other photos =)
Day Four: 23 April: Oaxaca: My 18th Birthday
Oh yeah. On my birthday... they succeeded in throwing me into the pool fully clothed. Yuck.
Anyway. That is the end of the first installment. Its already been something like 1 187 words, which is enough for one entry. So. Stand by for more of Niki’s Ruta Maya Adventures. Next episode coming soon.
April 15, 2007
A word of warning
As the title suggests, this entry is a word of warning to anyone travelling to Mexico. If you are ever offered a dish called 'Menudo,' decline. My mum just came home with some and gave it to me. They eat a lot of soup here, so when she plonked this weird looking soup in front of me I was like 'Yeah OK. More soup. Try everything once I guess.' Then I like... looked through the soup to see what was in it. And couldn't figure out if it was meat or vegetable or what it was. So like. I had some. And it didn't taste too bad. And then she told me what it was. And I so wish she didn't. I might have been able to eat it without wanting to throw up if she didn't.
Turns out I was eating the stomach of a rabbit in some sort of chili oil mixed with the 'juices' from the rabbits body.
So yeah. Unless this sounds appealing to any of you, turn down Menudo if you ever get the change to turn it down. I think that is the first bad Mexican food experience I've had. Maybe if she had have given it to me and said 'hey, you're going to eat rabbits stomach and liver and other organs now' I would have handled it better. Cause then I would have known what I was eating. But yeah. She didn't.
Still on the Ruta Maya trip (5 days!) around Mexico I'm probably going to eat crickets. In tacos. But like. The difference with that is that I know I will be eating crickets when I eat them and it will be my choice to eat them when/if I do.
So yeah. Moral of the story: If anyone says to you '¿quieres probar menudo?' reply 'no gracias'
Turns out I was eating the stomach of a rabbit in some sort of chili oil mixed with the 'juices' from the rabbits body.
So yeah. Unless this sounds appealing to any of you, turn down Menudo if you ever get the change to turn it down. I think that is the first bad Mexican food experience I've had. Maybe if she had have given it to me and said 'hey, you're going to eat rabbits stomach and liver and other organs now' I would have handled it better. Cause then I would have known what I was eating. But yeah. She didn't.
Still on the Ruta Maya trip (5 days!) around Mexico I'm probably going to eat crickets. In tacos. But like. The difference with that is that I know I will be eating crickets when I eat them and it will be my choice to eat them when/if I do.
So yeah. Moral of the story: If anyone says to you '¿quieres probar menudo?' reply 'no gracias'
March 31, 2007
Snatch: Cerdos y diamantes
So. I have been neglecting my blog a little bit lately. But that is mostly because I haven't had so much time to update. Last week I changed families ahead of schedule due to some problems with my former host family. So yeah. That was pretty hectic.
This family is really nice. It consists of Adhara, my 16 year old host sister and Martha, my host mum. Apparently there is a father, but I'm a bit hesitant to ask where he is in case its a touchy subject. Though I know he is alive now, because he called the house the other day. And yeah. I have a host brother, but he is off at University in Monterrey.
They are also on a diet, which is probably a very good thing for me because I have put on 3-5 kilos since I got here. Not good. But I'm pretty sure thats because I started hacking into Oreos quite frequently and haven't really been exercising. So yeah. Now that I have a tennis partner and a way of easily transporting my rollerblades that will change. And hopefully I will get back down to my original weight.
At the moment I am watching Snatch dubbed in Spanish. Which is interesting. As anyone who has seen Snatch will know, the accents play a pretty big part in the comedy, so its weird in Spanish where the accents are non existent. Also, quite often things aren't translated literally, so its not as funny as it is in English. Yeah, I have seen snatch so well that I pretty much know it line for line. Which is useful in some ways because I can sort of translate what they're saying in my head. But yeah, it also means that a lot of the time I don't listen to the Spanish and just remember what they should be saying instead. But yeah. It is good for Spanish learning. Just irritating at times.
So yeah. Its fully semana santa now. And for the first two days I was pretty damn sick. I had the first migraine I've had in god knows how long. But I'm all good now, so I can now go psycho with the rest of Mazatlán. lol And on that note, I'll leave cause its about lunchtime and I'm really hungry. Adios.
This family is really nice. It consists of Adhara, my 16 year old host sister and Martha, my host mum. Apparently there is a father, but I'm a bit hesitant to ask where he is in case its a touchy subject. Though I know he is alive now, because he called the house the other day. And yeah. I have a host brother, but he is off at University in Monterrey.
They are also on a diet, which is probably a very good thing for me because I have put on 3-5 kilos since I got here. Not good. But I'm pretty sure thats because I started hacking into Oreos quite frequently and haven't really been exercising. So yeah. Now that I have a tennis partner and a way of easily transporting my rollerblades that will change. And hopefully I will get back down to my original weight.
At the moment I am watching Snatch dubbed in Spanish. Which is interesting. As anyone who has seen Snatch will know, the accents play a pretty big part in the comedy, so its weird in Spanish where the accents are non existent. Also, quite often things aren't translated literally, so its not as funny as it is in English. Yeah, I have seen snatch so well that I pretty much know it line for line. Which is useful in some ways because I can sort of translate what they're saying in my head. But yeah, it also means that a lot of the time I don't listen to the Spanish and just remember what they should be saying instead. But yeah. It is good for Spanish learning. Just irritating at times.
So yeah. Its fully semana santa now. And for the first two days I was pretty damn sick. I had the first migraine I've had in god knows how long. But I'm all good now, so I can now go psycho with the rest of Mazatlán. lol And on that note, I'll leave cause its about lunchtime and I'm really hungry. Adios.
March 19, 2007
Mi primera corrida de toros...
Yesterday I went to my first bullfight. I say first because I will definitely go again. And I'm really disappointed because I didn't get photos this time. Because my family didn't tell me where we were going before we left. So like. Next time there will be photos.
Now before you get all 'this is a vicious bloodsport, how could you enjoy watching a poor animal get stabbed until it falls over?' on me, listen to what I have to say...
So. In México we have Portuguese style bullfights, but with some differences. I will proceed to explain how bullfights work. Unlike Spanish bullfighting where los matadores are the main fighters, here los cavaleiros are. Los cavaleiros are men dressed in traditional 18th century costumes who fight the bulls from horseback. Los matadores are still the guys who dress up in beautiful costumes and torment the bull by waving a piece of cloth in its face, but they are used more of a distraction whilst el cavaleiro waves to the crowd and carries on and they don't get to hurt the bull.
There are also guys called forcados. And these people are absolutely insane. There are about eight or nine of these guys. And basically, when el cavaleiro is getting more spears or taking a breather or getting a quick medical examination after being thrown of his horse by the bull, these guys go out and stand in a line and provoke the bull unarmed. The front man provokes the bull into a charge to perform a pega de cara (face catch). He then man secures the animal's head and is quickly aided by his fellows who surround and secure the animal until he is subdued.
These are the three types of fighters that I managed to pick up on yesterday, but there are probably more. And now I will take you through a Corrida de toros Méxicana step by step.
1. Los forcados come out into the ring and bow to the crowd. They are followed by los matadores who step in front and take their turn at bowing to the crowd and carrying on. Then four cavaleiros ride into the ring and prance around for a bit, as they are the main players.
2. Everyone disappears except for the first cavaleiro and a cute little man runs into the ring and holds up a large bit of wood with the name of the fighter, the bull's weight and all the stuff you need to know about the fight on it. After hes given the crowd a good look he hightails it back to the stands so as to avoid the bull.
3. The bull comes charging out and los matadores provoke it a bit while el cavaleiro gets the crowd more excited. Then he is given spears and stabs the bull a few times. When he stabs the bull, the end of the spear stays in the bull and the rest of the spear becomes a flag, which he then throws to the crowd.
4. After the bull has been speared a few times los matadores provoke it a bit more, after which los forcados get their go at fighting the bull. Then el cavaleiro is given these other weapons which are pieces of metal about a foot long with a sharp end that (you guessed it) gets put into the bull. At this stage your bull is beginning to look like this.
5. Los forcados come out and do their thing again. El cavaleiro is then given the spear to end the fight with the bull and usually he taunts it a bit and then shoves it into the bull. He then jumps off his horse and faces the bull as it falls down, too weak to stand anymore. Then some guy in blue runs out and knifes the bull in the back of the head (this is the main difference between Portuguese and Mexican fighting. In Portugal the bull is not killed in the ring). If the bull is a real fighter and doesn't fall down el cavaleiro gets to grab a sword and a cape and torment the bull some more before shoving the sword into the bull's head.
So yeah. This whole deal is pretty savage. And it happens four times. Each cavaleiro gets a turn. Then at the end the winner is given the two ears of the bull that he killed.
Now. When I saw this happen the first time, the bull was a real wimp and basically just stood there and took it. So I was very sad and all 'my god. look at this poor animal. they are just attacking it and its not even fighting back. why would you enjoy this?' But the second bull was an absolute psycho. It knocked el cavaleiro off his horse and broke the nose of one of los forcados. They both were whisked away by officials and I think el cavaleiro was kocked out.
This is when I started to get into the fight. I started cheering for the bull (which you are totally not supposed to do) and began to wish that it would totally shred up some of these guys that were trying to kill it. And it was a very feisty bull. It didnt go down without a fight. When el cavaleiro went back in the ring it was so angry. But you know. Eventually it got killed. Because that is how it works.
The third fight was really good too, because el cavaleiro was very charismatic. He was fantastic with the crowd and a very skilled fighter (and rider) so it was good to watch. Did I mention that the horses and riders are all trained in dressage and if el cavaleiro is particularly good he will show off his horse riding maneuvers to the crowd? Well yeah. They do. And this guy was great. So yeah. He was good to watch.
The fourth guy won. Which I was annoyed about. Because I didn't like him. All the previous riders had respect for their opponent. You could tell by the way the moved and even though they acted like they were in control, you could tell that they knew something could go wrong any second. You could tell that they were scared of this fierce animal. The fourth cavaleiro was not like this. There was nothing but contempt. He just wanted to kill the animal and that was it. He was competitive alright, but there was no respect for the animal. I cant really put into words what I want to say, but this guy was different and I didn't like him one bit. So I was annoyed that he won. But yeah.
The whole thing was very exciting. After I got over the initial shock of it I began to realise that there is more going on than a fight between a man and an animal. The rider is absolutely scared shitless the whole time. Well. he should be. The last guy wasn't. He was just like 'go me. I'm the man!' But yeah. Its like... the inner struggle that makes it exciting. Watching him taunt the bull but then ride away as fast as he can. Because he knows that even though he will win the fight, if something goes wrong he could die too.
March 9, 2007
I've got a brand new pair of rollerskates...
...you got a brand new key.
Heh. I haven't heard that song in ages. Anyway. I bought rollerblades today. Go me. I will be skating up and down 'el Malecón' very soon. I am very happy. They were pretty expensive, but like. They were really good skates. And they will keep me not bored and hopefully keep me thinnish too (I have noticed this 'baby' growing on me that all the exchange students talk about). And if they last the whole year without breaking then its money well spent.
So. I have tried to post an entry to this blog many times in the past however long it has been since I posted one. But for some reason this computer just doesn't like it. And I feel really weird doing it at school. So yeah. I think All it was going to say was that
a) the rest of carnaval was awesome,
b) i got attacked by some random mexican's camera,
c) my weekend is going to be fantastic,
d) it was fantastic, but not as great as i wanted it to be,
and e) i have photos to show you. I took them like. two weeks ago or something. The quality is low because the program I have to use here to edit them is crappy. But also because I dull down the quality of my photos when I post them on the net in case someone wants to thief them. If you want a better copy of a picture, let me know and I'll email one to you. I just figured I'd tell you that in case you were like. 'Well that girl just bought a 10.2mp camera. Why are her photos so shitty?'
Yeah. Anywho. This weekend should be fun too. I don't really know what I'm doing yet, but I have faith in Mazatlán to bring me a fun weekend. Next weekend some friends from Culiacán are coming down and I think there is like. a karaoke night at one of the clubs we go to. Which should be funny.
So yeah. I'll attempt to post this now, but it might not happen.
Adiós
Heh. I haven't heard that song in ages. Anyway. I bought rollerblades today. Go me. I will be skating up and down 'el Malecón' very soon. I am very happy. They were pretty expensive, but like. They were really good skates. And they will keep me not bored and hopefully keep me thinnish too (I have noticed this 'baby' growing on me that all the exchange students talk about). And if they last the whole year without breaking then its money well spent.
So. I have tried to post an entry to this blog many times in the past however long it has been since I posted one. But for some reason this computer just doesn't like it. And I feel really weird doing it at school. So yeah. I think All it was going to say was that
a) the rest of carnaval was awesome,
b) i got attacked by some random mexican's camera,
c) my weekend is going to be fantastic,
d) it was fantastic, but not as great as i wanted it to be,
and e) i have photos to show you. I took them like. two weeks ago or something. The quality is low because the program I have to use here to edit them is crappy. But also because I dull down the quality of my photos when I post them on the net in case someone wants to thief them. If you want a better copy of a picture, let me know and I'll email one to you. I just figured I'd tell you that in case you were like. 'Well that girl just bought a 10.2mp camera. Why are her photos so shitty?'
Yeah. Anywho. This weekend should be fun too. I don't really know what I'm doing yet, but I have faith in Mazatlán to bring me a fun weekend. Next weekend some friends from Culiacán are coming down and I think there is like. a karaoke night at one of the clubs we go to. Which should be funny.
So yeah. I'll attempt to post this now, but it might not happen.
Adiós
February 16, 2007
¡Carnaval!
So... It is Carnaval and the party has started. The Mazatlán Carnaval is the biggest in México, second biggest in Latin America and fourth biggest in the world. I and not only am I going to it, I am in it. On Wednesday I got told by the other exchange girls that I had to give a photo to Laura, our Rotary organiser person. The next thing I knew I was being given a tiara and being told 'Tu necesitas comprar vestidos muy bonito para Carnaval.' Then last night I went down to the place where its all happening with all the other Exchange students and received my 'AUSTRALIA' sash, which is when I began to feel like I wish I had worn something different to the comparatively casual clothes I was wearing.
When we got to the stage it was chaos. I had no idea what the hell was going on and I still don't really know what we were doing there, but it was pretty fun mingling with beauty queens who looked (and acted) like they were straight out of Drop Dead Gorgeous. There were 'Miss' whatevers from all over the Americas... It was crazy. One girl from America asked me if I'd ever done anything like this before (most likely because it was quite obvious I hadn't) and when I replied 'Hell no, I've never even worn a tiara before!' She gave me the biggest evil glare in the history of the world and walked off. I'm guessing that she went through a lot to get whatever title she had and she was pretty pissed that some 'fat' girl from Australia got to be in it for no other reason that she was born in a foreign country.
So yeah. That was pretty funny. I bought me a nice dress. I'm trying to find picture on the net, but I cant seem to find the one that I bought. It doesn't really matter though. Everyone took lots of photos of us and I'm pretty sure we were on local TV. I'm going to wear my dress in the big parade, which is probably what would make it to Australia if they were going to broadcast any part of the Carnaval so yeah. Watch SBS for the next week and try to find some Mexican news and you will probably see me on TV in my new dress. I think that is probably the weirdest thing I have ever seriously typed. I wonder if Pambula Rotary Club knew they were sending me to Mexico to be Miss Australia. Probably not, or they would have sent an anorexic girl who would fit in better with the beauty queen crowd.
Which reminds me... I am well on my way to becoming a true exchange student. Over here when people start to get fat they call it their 'baby'. While my baby hasn't started to visibly show yet I think it will soon. Everything over here is so fattening. I mean EVERYTHING. And when they eat something healthy they smother it in sugar or salt or yogurt. Its absolutely insane. And whats more, all the Mexican girls are tiny! I dont understand. Maybe they exercise lots or something. I am going to have to start doing more exercise because otherwise I will end up the size of a house. Still in the first two weeks I actually lost weight, so I will start panicking if/when I get back to my normal weight.
Anyway... I must go and find more 'vestidos' to wear. Hope you're all having fun =)
Oh by the way, I don't have photos from the trip yet because most people are still in Mazatlán for Carnaval. Trust me to make friends with people that live in a different city... But yeah. I will get some. Hopefully accompanied by photos from carnaval too.
February 12, 2007
Baja California Sur
So I just got back from the land of cactus, Baja California. It was so, so pretty. Baja California looks like what people expect México to look like. So many cacti. And donkeys. And tiny towns that are the absolute stereotype of México. You won't see any guys dressed up in Mariachi costumes leaning against cacti with an empty bottle of tequila though. The spikes on the cacti are like two inches long. I didn't take photos because I didn't really want to take my really expensive camera with me, but lots of other people did, so when they send me photos I will do a photo post.
So yeah. Trip was awesome. It started with a 16 hour ferry trip... which was not so awesome, but fun anyway. The boat was pretty ugly. And dirty (everything in México is really dirty). But the people were fun.
We got to La Paz the next day and a few of us went for a swim, then went on a random tour to a cathedral and a museum and a reptile park. The reptile park was by far the most fun. I got to dance with a snake. i say dance because that is how people watching described it. They said because I was so calm and 'enchanted' by the snake it almost looked like a dance. Most people were pretty damn scared of it when they held it, so I think i stood out a bit.
The next day we went to some place, which I cant remember the name... I will look for the itinerary and get it when I do the photo post. It was there that we went whale spotting, which was pretty awesome. I was like less than a foot away from touching the whale, but it swam away from me =(. Only the Japanese girls got to touch the whales.
We went out that night too, to the beach and then some random club. It was pretty damn awesome, although freaky Méxican men invaded and started hitting on some of the girls, which was annoying. Our Rotarian guys protected us though so it was all good. Dancing to Méxican music is very fun. My favourite is reggaetón, which isnt purely Méxican, but its still awesome.
The next day we went to San Cabo, a tourist town. It was very, very pretty and I bought lots of souvenirs. Well not lots. I bought some miniature sombreros for my blazer. *shrug* I probably bought more souvenirs in La Paz. But yeah. San Cabo was awesome. So, so nice. The beach was very nice, but I didn't go swimming. I was too tired as I only had about 2 hours sleep that morning.
Nyeah. Unfortunately there wasn't much of a party that night (so I actually got a healthy amount of sleep), but it was still pretty fun. I made friends with lots of people. Mostly Germans actually. I think I may have learnt more German than Spanish on that trip, but thats ok. I learn Spanish all the time at home. I have decided I am going to try and learn German and Spanish at the same rate. They are very different so I won't get confused, which is good and I already know some so it will be easier. By the end of this year I plan to be proficient in Spanish, German, French and Portugese, so I expect that will keep me occupied. If the Japanese girls can learn Spanish, English and a little French in 6 months then I can so learn all those in a year. So yeah. Thats the plan.
Anyway. I am massively tired. To get back to Mazatlán we took a ferry, then a really long bus trip. But the bus didnt leave until about 2 in the morning for some reason I don't really understand. Something went wrong with a book or something... And some girl's luggage got stolen, which held things up too. So yeah. I will now go and attempt to get some rest. Buenas noches.
So yeah. Trip was awesome. It started with a 16 hour ferry trip... which was not so awesome, but fun anyway. The boat was pretty ugly. And dirty (everything in México is really dirty). But the people were fun.
We got to La Paz the next day and a few of us went for a swim, then went on a random tour to a cathedral and a museum and a reptile park. The reptile park was by far the most fun. I got to dance with a snake. i say dance because that is how people watching described it. They said because I was so calm and 'enchanted' by the snake it almost looked like a dance. Most people were pretty damn scared of it when they held it, so I think i stood out a bit.
The next day we went to some place, which I cant remember the name... I will look for the itinerary and get it when I do the photo post. It was there that we went whale spotting, which was pretty awesome. I was like less than a foot away from touching the whale, but it swam away from me =(. Only the Japanese girls got to touch the whales.
We went out that night too, to the beach and then some random club. It was pretty damn awesome, although freaky Méxican men invaded and started hitting on some of the girls, which was annoying. Our Rotarian guys protected us though so it was all good. Dancing to Méxican music is very fun. My favourite is reggaetón, which isnt purely Méxican, but its still awesome.
The next day we went to San Cabo, a tourist town. It was very, very pretty and I bought lots of souvenirs. Well not lots. I bought some miniature sombreros for my blazer. *shrug* I probably bought more souvenirs in La Paz. But yeah. San Cabo was awesome. So, so nice. The beach was very nice, but I didn't go swimming. I was too tired as I only had about 2 hours sleep that morning.
Nyeah. Unfortunately there wasn't much of a party that night (so I actually got a healthy amount of sleep), but it was still pretty fun. I made friends with lots of people. Mostly Germans actually. I think I may have learnt more German than Spanish on that trip, but thats ok. I learn Spanish all the time at home. I have decided I am going to try and learn German and Spanish at the same rate. They are very different so I won't get confused, which is good and I already know some so it will be easier. By the end of this year I plan to be proficient in Spanish, German, French and Portugese, so I expect that will keep me occupied. If the Japanese girls can learn Spanish, English and a little French in 6 months then I can so learn all those in a year. So yeah. Thats the plan.
Anyway. I am massively tired. To get back to Mazatlán we took a ferry, then a really long bus trip. But the bus didnt leave until about 2 in the morning for some reason I don't really understand. Something went wrong with a book or something... And some girl's luggage got stolen, which held things up too. So yeah. I will now go and attempt to get some rest. Buenas noches.
February 5, 2007
The best place on earth...
Ok. This entry, apart from recounting my weekend, is going to explain precisely why México is the greatest place in the world.
This weekend i am in a different city because, for some reason, greg and i got sent here... no joke... On Friday night at about 6:30pm while I was watching TV Lety came up and said 'bla bla bla.... Greg y tú voy a Culiacan.' and half an hour later I had packed and was on a bus for a two hour trip to Culican... the state capital. Greg and i thought we were going to some sort of Rotary outfit, but it turns out that we were just going to some random peoples house who have a Kiwi with them. they only found out we were coming at about 6:30 that night too... so that was really weird. But awesome. The exchang students here are fantastic and I'm in the process of convincing them all to come down for Carnivale in a week or two.
Anyway, back to why México is awesome. On Saturday night we get told we are going to Enrique's birthday (whoever the hell that is), so Mitch (the Kiwi), Greg and I go down the the mall to kill a bit of time before we go and hook up with a crazy German lad. Then we find our way over to Enrique's and find out that we're going down to some park to chill for his birthday party get together. All the exchange students come and we have some fun... Then at roughly 12:30 we decide that the park is boring and the party going on in some building next to us looks more fun. So we wonder in, and it is obviously a private function (I think it could have been an engagement party), and nobody cares! Sure, they all looked at us a bit funny because we were anywhere from 10-30 years younger than all of them and were making fun of their crazy Mexican music, but apart from that it was totally cool!
And last night we'd just been out with the family whose house we are staying at (see, I don't even know their names... how crazy!) and got home at around 12:30. We'd half decided to either go to bed or watch three India Jones movies when we get a call saying 'come out with us' and ten minutes later some guy called Jorge (Hor-hay) and a bunch of exchange students were at our house ready to drive us where ever we wanted. Never in Australia. I mean... firstly... who in Australia would be crazy enough to call someones house at nearly 1 in the morning, secondly, not many people would be up for going out with almost complete strangers when they were just about to go to bed.
So yeah. Mexico is awesome. I think the motto of the country should be 'We do what we want, when we want' or something along those lines. Its crazy and awesome. And Brazilians are awesome too. Possibly even more awesome that Mexicans, but I'm not entirely sure about that yet.
So yeah. that was my weekend. It was a long weekend in case you didn't pick up on that. And now I really must go because I have to figure out how the hell I am going to get home today. On a bus undoubtedly, but I have no idea how, when or where. So adiós.
This weekend i am in a different city because, for some reason, greg and i got sent here... no joke... On Friday night at about 6:30pm while I was watching TV Lety came up and said 'bla bla bla.... Greg y tú voy a Culiacan.' and half an hour later I had packed and was on a bus for a two hour trip to Culican... the state capital. Greg and i thought we were going to some sort of Rotary outfit, but it turns out that we were just going to some random peoples house who have a Kiwi with them. they only found out we were coming at about 6:30 that night too... so that was really weird. But awesome. The exchang students here are fantastic and I'm in the process of convincing them all to come down for Carnivale in a week or two.
Anyway, back to why México is awesome. On Saturday night we get told we are going to Enrique's birthday (whoever the hell that is), so Mitch (the Kiwi), Greg and I go down the the mall to kill a bit of time before we go and hook up with a crazy German lad. Then we find our way over to Enrique's and find out that we're going down to some park to chill for his birthday party get together. All the exchange students come and we have some fun... Then at roughly 12:30 we decide that the park is boring and the party going on in some building next to us looks more fun. So we wonder in, and it is obviously a private function (I think it could have been an engagement party), and nobody cares! Sure, they all looked at us a bit funny because we were anywhere from 10-30 years younger than all of them and were making fun of their crazy Mexican music, but apart from that it was totally cool!
And last night we'd just been out with the family whose house we are staying at (see, I don't even know their names... how crazy!) and got home at around 12:30. We'd half decided to either go to bed or watch three India Jones movies when we get a call saying 'come out with us' and ten minutes later some guy called Jorge (Hor-hay) and a bunch of exchange students were at our house ready to drive us where ever we wanted. Never in Australia. I mean... firstly... who in Australia would be crazy enough to call someones house at nearly 1 in the morning, secondly, not many people would be up for going out with almost complete strangers when they were just about to go to bed.
So yeah. Mexico is awesome. I think the motto of the country should be 'We do what we want, when we want' or something along those lines. Its crazy and awesome. And Brazilians are awesome too. Possibly even more awesome that Mexicans, but I'm not entirely sure about that yet.
So yeah. that was my weekend. It was a long weekend in case you didn't pick up on that. And now I really must go because I have to figure out how the hell I am going to get home today. On a bus undoubtedly, but I have no idea how, when or where. So adiós.
January 31, 2007
Nachos with a side of AK-47s
So. Last night I had my first Mexican movie experience. Some weird kids Christmas movie called Unaccompanied Minors... at least I think thats what it was called. It had that little black dude from that TV show on channel 10 in it. But yeah... I didn't really understand much, but it was a pretty straightforward movie. Easy to follow. It had Fez from That 70s Show in it... but he wasn't very funny this time.
At the movies I tried authentic Mexican nachos... and they were absolutely disgusting. Its corn chips in this really gross melted cheese that is so runny its practically soup. They put chilis on the side, but they're way too hot for me. Nyeah. I like Australian nachos better. Although these were from the movies, so maybe restaurant nachos would be nicer.
I have come up with a theory on why there seems to be a sever lacking in laws/law enforcement in Mexico. I figure that the government want people to die. I mean think about it... Mexico City is the most densely populated place on earth and Mexico's population is out of control, even though its population is steadily declining. And thats where my theory comes in. I think that all this lack of rules etc is a way of trying to kill off as many people as possible to get the population under control. By making drugs legal the government is encouraging drug abuse, hence encouraging lethal overdoses. Also, the teenage smoking epidemic... Get all the young people to smoke so that in 30-40 years time they all get cancer and die or go sterile. And the reason for no seatbelts and the allowance of drink driving? They don't care if people die. Hell, they want them to die.
I'm pretty sure that you all know not to take my paranoid conspiracy ravings seriously by now, but think about it... Its plausible. Oh... please keep in mind that I just read Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, which is full of paranoid ramblings and possible inspiration for that last paragraph.
Hmmm what else? Um today I saw a cop. Like I have seen lots of cops around, but they've all been driving. Today I saw a few cops standing around having a chat and a smoke and guess what they were packing? Not only your standard handcuffs, baton, pistol etc. but an AK-47. I'm pretty sure that these days most people know what an AK-47 is, but if any of you don't know its one of these. It was pretty scary. They must be expecting some pretty heavy stuff if normal cops are carrying those things around.
Yeah. Mexico is a pretty awesome place... But its very different. And kind of scary... But yeah. Awesome. I wonder I there is anyone I can sue if i get lung cancer while I'm over here, because I think theres a high probability that I'll catch some sort of sickness from all this people smoking...
At the movies I tried authentic Mexican nachos... and they were absolutely disgusting. Its corn chips in this really gross melted cheese that is so runny its practically soup. They put chilis on the side, but they're way too hot for me. Nyeah. I like Australian nachos better. Although these were from the movies, so maybe restaurant nachos would be nicer.
I have come up with a theory on why there seems to be a sever lacking in laws/law enforcement in Mexico. I figure that the government want people to die. I mean think about it... Mexico City is the most densely populated place on earth and Mexico's population is out of control, even though its population is steadily declining. And thats where my theory comes in. I think that all this lack of rules etc is a way of trying to kill off as many people as possible to get the population under control. By making drugs legal the government is encouraging drug abuse, hence encouraging lethal overdoses. Also, the teenage smoking epidemic... Get all the young people to smoke so that in 30-40 years time they all get cancer and die or go sterile. And the reason for no seatbelts and the allowance of drink driving? They don't care if people die. Hell, they want them to die.
I'm pretty sure that you all know not to take my paranoid conspiracy ravings seriously by now, but think about it... Its plausible. Oh... please keep in mind that I just read Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, which is full of paranoid ramblings and possible inspiration for that last paragraph.
Hmmm what else? Um today I saw a cop. Like I have seen lots of cops around, but they've all been driving. Today I saw a few cops standing around having a chat and a smoke and guess what they were packing? Not only your standard handcuffs, baton, pistol etc. but an AK-47. I'm pretty sure that these days most people know what an AK-47 is, but if any of you don't know its one of these. It was pretty scary. They must be expecting some pretty heavy stuff if normal cops are carrying those things around.
Yeah. Mexico is a pretty awesome place... But its very different. And kind of scary... But yeah. Awesome. I wonder I there is anyone I can sue if i get lung cancer while I'm over here, because I think theres a high probability that I'll catch some sort of sickness from all this people smoking...
January 29, 2007
El Camión
So... picking up where i left off I got semi-lost in the city the other day. I caught the bus on the wrong side of the road and it took me to the slums. So I re-caught the bus and it took me to the right part of town, but for some reason it didn't stop where it picked me up in the morning and I had no idea where I was so I had to navigate me way back to Burger King [not because I needed a burger, but because that is where my stop is] and find my way home. When I did get home Lety and Jorge were really angry that I didn't call and it was very hard to explain why I didn't let them know where I was and what happened seeing as they don't speak English very well. So yeah. That was exciting.
What other adventures have I had? Yesterday I ate at El Pollo Loco, which roughly translates to 'The Crazy Chicken' and is basically a Mexican version of KFC. It was pretty damn gross, but I ate my disgusting fried chicken like a good girl. I just hope they don't take me there again.
After that we went to Jorge's dead sister's house. I'm not entirely sure what we were doing there, but it felt really weird poking around some dead person's home looking for whatever they were looking for. It was a really nice house though. Probably nicer than Jorge and Lety's. And it looked like she had a lot of expensive stuff in there. So I'm guessing she was well-off before she died.
Also, I went clubbing at Señor Frogs, which, apparently, is a famous Mexican icon that people in the states go crazy for. Its basically just like any other dingy club you would go to though. I had a lot of fun, although I am now officially know as the 'weird Australian kid' because I don't drink alcohol.
Mexicans are so weird. I swear they have like... now laws. You don't have to wear seatbelts. In fact Lety's car doesn't even have seatbelts in the back seats. Well it does, but there is nowhere to plug them in. Also we squeezed 7 people into a tiny car last night and apparently the police don't care if you do it. Apparently its normal. Also, there is no blood alcohol limit.. you can drink drive if you want. And it is absolutely crazy at 2-5 in the morning with all these drunken idiots driving around town. And oh yeah, marijuana is legal as well as cocaine and an assortment of other dangerous recreational drugs. I think its because the government couldn't stop the drug cartels so they decided to make it legal and tax it hardcore.
Another weird Mexican thing is that when someone blows out the candles on their birthday cake someone always pushes the birthday person's face into it. What a waste of perfectly good cake. Last night only a little bit of the cake got squished, so people could still eat some of it, but I seriously don't get why people would go to the trouble of making a really nice cake and then ruining it. apparently they do it at weddings too, which means people could waste up to like... $500 or something. Prices for wedding cakse can be pretty obscene from what I've heard.
Yeah well, thats about all I have to say for awhile. If there are any Mexicans reading this please correct me if I'm wrong about anything and tell me why you shove people's head into cakes.
January 26, 2007
Fotos.
[That is how we spell 'photos' in Spanish]
I put some of my photos on flickr. They didn't work very well, but I think most of that is due to the poor editing software here. When I acquire better programs I shall re-post everything so they look better.
First glimpse of America
Leaving New Zealand
And thats all I have for you today. I was going to write about my scary as bus experience today, but that can wait until tomorrow.
I put some of my photos on flickr. They didn't work very well, but I think most of that is due to the poor editing software here. When I acquire better programs I shall re-post everything so they look better.
And now... some photos...
Somewhere in Mexico...
Somewhere in Mexico...
First glimpse of America
Leaving New ZealandAnd thats all I have for you today. I was going to write about my scary as bus experience today, but that can wait until tomorrow.
La escuela.
I had my first day of school yesterday. Contrary to what I was told by the other exchange students everyone was really, really nice. I think that might be because we (Greg, the other Australian exchange student, and I) are a bit of a novelty at this stage because we don't speak Spanish, but there were a few people who were genuinely interested in helping me, which was good.
School in México is very different to school in Australia. For one thing it starts at 7am and finishes around 1-2pm, so you have the whole afternoon to go and do stuff. Another huge difference is how it is actually run. There are no school bells... you just have to know what time it is (which is hard seeing as there are no clocks in the classrooms). And the teachers are so not strict. Kids walk around all the time and yell and do no work and no one cares. They use their mobile phones all the time in class and if their phone rings they just answer it and start chatting away. And everyone smokes. Its so gross. At recess 90% of the class went out and had a cigarette. Yuck!
Spanish lessons were pretty fun too. Our teacher is very nice, but we are going very fast... its a bit hard, but its do-able as long as we do our homework... which i am going to start very soon.
I´ve loaded my photos onto the computer... but I have to convert them from RAW format and then edit them first, which might take a while. But as soon as I've finished I will post the photos from the flight over.
Anyway... dinner is soon so I must go. (I guess you've figured out that I generally use the computer before dinner ;-))
January 24, 2007
Mazatlán, Sinaloa, México.
I arrived in Mazatlán, México two days ago at around 3pm. Our flight was delayed a little at LA. Yes, I was in Los Angeles! I took a photo of the HOLLYWOOD sign as we flew into the airport, but it was too far away, so it didn´t really work.
My family is very nice. Jorge (pronounced Hore-hey) is the name of both my 'father' and 'little brother,' which can be quite confusing, but at the moment I just call them Jorge grande y Jorge poqueño (big and little). Luckily for me Jorge grande speaks pretty good English, because I speak no Spanish. Although that will hopefully change very soon. I actually have my first Spanish lesson today, so that should be good.
Tomorrow I start school at the Universided de Techmilenio, Mazatlán,which looks pretty nice. Greg, the other Australian exchange student, and I are the first International students at the school and neither of us speak Spanish, so it should be interesting... and hard.
Already I have made a few friends... well sort of. They are exchanges students from various parts of the globe, who stick together because, aparently, the Méxican girls are too snobby at their schools. I hope that isn´t the case at my school.
Mazatlán is a very nice looking place. There are parts that are very, very run down, as is the case in any Méxican city, but even in those places everyone looks happy... As in everywhere you go everyone is smiling. In a way its pretty strange because everyone is SO friendly. Especially when you introduce yourself like this: 'Buenos días. Me llama Niki y soy de Australiana. No habla Español.' They all find it amusing that I can´t speak their language and a lot of people think I´m very strange for coming to a Spanish speaking country when I have not learnt Spanish before. I don´t think they understand that not many people choose to study a language in Australia and that for us the best way to learn it is by going to a Spanish speaking country.
Once I have sorted out the problem of USB converters and other technological problems I will post some photos of my house, family and the city.
On the 7th February I am going on a trip around Baja California to see the whales mating... It goes for about 5 days and everyone says it is awesome. Then in April/May I travel through the 'Ruta Maya,' which is basically a 17 day trip around México. Everyone says its very expensive, but I worked out that it is pretty damn cheap in Australian dollars... just like pretty much everything else here. Its good.
Anyway... I don´t really have anything else to say. Plus, it is lunch time y tengo muy hambre.
My family is very nice. Jorge (pronounced Hore-hey) is the name of both my 'father' and 'little brother,' which can be quite confusing, but at the moment I just call them Jorge grande y Jorge poqueño (big and little). Luckily for me Jorge grande speaks pretty good English, because I speak no Spanish. Although that will hopefully change very soon. I actually have my first Spanish lesson today, so that should be good.
Tomorrow I start school at the Universided de Techmilenio, Mazatlán,which looks pretty nice. Greg, the other Australian exchange student, and I are the first International students at the school and neither of us speak Spanish, so it should be interesting... and hard.
Already I have made a few friends... well sort of. They are exchanges students from various parts of the globe, who stick together because, aparently, the Méxican girls are too snobby at their schools. I hope that isn´t the case at my school.
Mazatlán is a very nice looking place. There are parts that are very, very run down, as is the case in any Méxican city, but even in those places everyone looks happy... As in everywhere you go everyone is smiling. In a way its pretty strange because everyone is SO friendly. Especially when you introduce yourself like this: 'Buenos días. Me llama Niki y soy de Australiana. No habla Español.' They all find it amusing that I can´t speak their language and a lot of people think I´m very strange for coming to a Spanish speaking country when I have not learnt Spanish before. I don´t think they understand that not many people choose to study a language in Australia and that for us the best way to learn it is by going to a Spanish speaking country.
Once I have sorted out the problem of USB converters and other technological problems I will post some photos of my house, family and the city.
On the 7th February I am going on a trip around Baja California to see the whales mating... It goes for about 5 days and everyone says it is awesome. Then in April/May I travel through the 'Ruta Maya,' which is basically a 17 day trip around México. Everyone says its very expensive, but I worked out that it is pretty damn cheap in Australian dollars... just like pretty much everything else here. Its good.
Anyway... I don´t really have anything else to say. Plus, it is lunch time y tengo muy hambre.
January 13, 2007
Fire Twirling
I figure that I can use this blog to record things that happen before I go to Mexico as well so... here is something for the record.
On Wednesday night I had a 'surprise' going away party. We all went out and had dinner at the new 'Woodfire Pizza and Modern Mexican' (which, according to Ely, is nothing like actual Mexican food) restaurant and then went fire twirling. All my friends have been fire twirling for yonks so they're all fantastic, but that night was my first go at lighting them on fire. Considering that I haven't used poi in about 6 months and that I only know two tricks I think I did rather well. I have some photos too... (You can see more by visiting my flickr account)
So there... that was my first twirling experience. How absolutely exciting. We are doing another burn tonight and I will give it another go, although my sunburn could prove to be problematic. Anyway... We'll see how it all goes.
On Wednesday night I had a 'surprise' going away party. We all went out and had dinner at the new 'Woodfire Pizza and Modern Mexican' (which, according to Ely, is nothing like actual Mexican food) restaurant and then went fire twirling. All my friends have been fire twirling for yonks so they're all fantastic, but that night was my first go at lighting them on fire. Considering that I haven't used poi in about 6 months and that I only know two tricks I think I did rather well. I have some photos too... (You can see more by visiting my flickr account)
So there... that was my first twirling experience. How absolutely exciting. We are doing another burn tonight and I will give it another go, although my sunburn could prove to be problematic. Anyway... We'll see how it all goes.
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