NEW YEARS TRAVEL: Mexico City, Xalapa, Orizaba, Huatulco, Puerto Escondido
Hello, Hello everybody! Last Blog I mentioned how Valladolid was starting to feel like home! Well as that development was happening I had to leave for some New Years Travel. Let me rephrase that, I got* to leave for some New Years Travel. It has been so fun and I am so grateful for the chance to see more of this beautiful country!
Let me give you a little recap of the places I visited. Maybe you will want to add these places to you travel list as well!
First stop was MEXICO CITY: I had been there one time before for the FULBRIGHT-COMEXUS Welcome Orientation in August. Though most of that week was spent in the hotel conference room I did get to see a few sights of the city. This second trip, though short, also made for a fun experience! Over both visits I have seen El Museo de Arte Popular, The Angel of Independence, El Mirador Torre Latino (which is a tall tower that has a stunning view of the entire city at the top), Lucha Libre, and more. This Most recent trip was extra special for a few reasons. One, was that I was there with other Fulbrighters to ring in the new year. I got to know people better in my cohort that I hadn't been able to before. This second time I stayed in a hostel which is an experience in and of itself. There I met lots of interesting solo travelers and even enjoyed reading my book in the common room while a few of them softly played the guitar.
Above, pictured left to right: Me at the Museum of Popular Art (We had a little welcome party there curtesy of COMEXUS), A fellow Fulbrighter named Asa playing guitar in the Hostal while I read, Lucha Libre fighters doing what they do best.
Okay guys, you KNOW a trip would Mexico City would not be complete without a visit to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe! Did you really think I would leave that out?! It is always by far my favorite part of visiting the city. I have been blessed to be able to go twice now, each time such a sweet encounter with the Blessed Mother. I formed a devotion to the Blessed Mother, Our Lady of Guadalupe in particular, at the beginning of 2021. She has changed my life and has lead me directly to her Son each time I ask for her Intercession. It was absolutely surreal to see this Basilica and the Tilma of Juan Diego in person and thank her for all the blessings she has brought me. My relationship with Mary wasn't always how it is now. There was a period on my life where I knew all the teachings of the Catholic Church about her, but still struggled with them. I struggled to connect with her, to truly treat her as my Mother like Jesus said she was while He suffered on the cross. (John 19:27 Then He said to His disciple "Behold your Mother" and from that hour the disciple took her into his home.) Desperate to love Jesus' mother the way He did and the way He desires us to, I reluctantly started reading 33 Days to Morning Glory by Michael E. Gaitley. It was through this book and through lots of desperate surrender and prayer that she absolutely swept me of my feet and showed me the graces she is so eager to give us if we only ask. So, if you are in a similar season that I was in with your relationship to your Mother, I encourage you to read that books and just ask for the graces she is so patiently waiting to bestow on you.
Pictured: Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us!
Next up on the tour was XALAPA, VERACRUZ: I loved this city so much! It was cute and colorful, and it is especially known for its coffee. I went with three people from my Fulbright cohort and we had a grand ole time sipping lattes every few hours while seeing the sights. While there we took a tour of the Anthropology Museum, and our tour guide was fantastic (Shoutout to Eric). We also took a day trip to two Pueblos Mágicos (which if you remember from my last blog post are towns that are especially known for something whether it be an archeological site, historical significance, or good old fashioned charm.) The first pueblito was named Xico (Hee-koh), there we took a small hike to see a beautiful natural waterfall. Next we visited Coatepec (Koh-ah-teh-peck) where it was raining so hard we sought refuge in a restaurant where we enjoyed delicious fried plantains, rice and beans, and fresh guacamole. Yum. And Duh, you best believe while meandering through these towns I stopped into every lil Catholic Church that I could.
Pictured left to right: Waterfall of Texolo, Yummy plantain dinner, Cathedral in Xalapa.
Continuing our exploration of Veracruz, my next stop was ORIZABA, VERACRUZ: This city has been MY FAVORITE city in Mexico so far. Gasp* I know...that's a strong claim...but its true. I LOVED Orizaba. Why you ask? Maybe it was the weather, or that fact they had a Catholic Church on every block, or a beautiful river walk running through the center of the city, or the family friendly parks, or the pure charm that this town exuded. I loved everything about it. Also, in Mexico, most towns and cities will have a patron saint and Orizaba's patron saint is Saint Michael the Archangel whom I love and have prayed to for intercession and protection since I was a little girl. While there my travel Partner Izzy and I ate good food, and had a great time exploring. We hiked up a giant mountain (I was dying. I need to do more cardio, 😂 but Izzy was killing it) so we could watch the sunset before we rode the teleférico down, which is like a cable car going up and down the mountain. However, when we reached the top, we were literally in a cloud, so no pretty sunset for us...womp womp. But we did get to see a beautiful botanical gardin along the river where we stopped to read for a bit, and the Palacio de Hierro (Palace of Iron) which was designed by Gustave Eiffel as in the Eiffel Tower. I had a near death experience (not really) at dinner one night where I mixed up my Spanish vocab and accidentally ordered CRICKETS on top of my guacamole. EWWWW. I was in fact a wuss and did not try them, but instead picked them out and tried not to think about it too hard. The mistake was completely mine because I messed up my Spanish, but the NEXT NIGHT I ordered a little cocktail with my dinner and NOWHERE in the description did it mention crickets, but when the waiter brought it out he said that it had a ground-up cricket rim! What!? I did try it that time because A. I wanted my drink and B. they were all ground up into dust so I didn't have to think about the fact that the rim of my cocktail was CRICKETS. They tasted like dirt. What an experience. Have you ever or would you ever try a cricket?
Pictured top row left to right: Riverwalk, One of the many churches, Saint Michael Statue (Pray for us!)
Pictured middle row left to right: Palace of Iron, Izzy on our hike 💗, View from the teleférico
Pictured bottom row left to right: Botanical gardin, THE CRICKETS in my guac 🤢, My cricket rimmed drink.
After Orizaba, COMEXUS flew all the Fulbrighters to HUATULCO, OAXACA: There we stayed in a lovely hotel by the beach for our Midterm reunion. During the reunion each Fulbrighter gave a short presentation on their experience in Mexico so far. I loved hearing them, as most of them were a hoot. They made me excited to get back to Valladolid and get involved in my community that much more. Unfortunately, just like the Orientation in August, we were stuck in a conference room most of the time, with a taunting view of the ocean just right outside. But blessed be the Lord, haha, because on the day it counted most, COMEXUS treated us to a boat tour of the Huatulco Bays, some much needed beach time, and a fun bonfire on the beach with GIANT marsh mellows to roast. Why did this day count the most you ask? Well that day just so happened to also be my birthday! Yay to 23! I couldn't have asked for a better day.
Pictured left to right: Huatulco bay, me representing Fulbright!, me being silly blowing out my birthday "candle"
To top off the almost three weeks of travel, my last stop was PUERTO ESCONDIDO, OAXACA: This was a lovely beach town that honestly reminded me a lot of 30A for all my Alabama people who know which beach that is near us. While I enjoyed and savored every minute of beach time I got there before returning to work, I am honestly so spoiled by the Alabama beaches from home! They have Beautiful white sands and blue waters, while most of the beaches here have dark coarse sands. So let that be a reminder while you're scrolling on instagram seeing people posting vacations you wish you had, the Alabama beaches are STUNNING haha. The best part about Puerto Escondido was the food. I ate at a delicious Poke place, Mediterranean place, and a Cafe where I got a yummy gooey croissant straight from the oven.
Pictured top row left to right: Sunset on the beach, poke, ya girl
Pictured bottom row left to right: croissant and Jesus time, Mediterranean salad, beach
Thank you for coming along with me on the New Years Travel Recap! I realize that most of my viewers are my parent's friends from home who are curious as to what I am up to, and I just want to say I am so thankful to have you here with me! I pray for all my readers consistent or not. Be blessed!