A Trip to Mexico
A journey to one of the most beautful countries in the Americas
Alfredo Ascanio (askain)
Published 2007-02-10 17:17 (KST)
One Saturday morning in May my daughter Marisela went to my wife Judith's room on the second floor of our house in Venezuela. The sunlight pooled and dropped through the narrow slats in the window shutters.
"It'll be a devil of a job to persuade Dad to go on this trip," she said, addressing Judith.
"Everyone should go to Mexico once a year," replied my wife. She is Mexican and an ardent nationalist.
They went to speak to me about it, and I thought a while as I sat in a wicker chair on the porch. The light had slowly come some distance before I decided on an answer.
"It would be wiser to save for a rainy day," I said, after some thought.
Judith insisted.
"Don't fool around any more Alfredo and come to Mexico. It's a long time since we have seen our family there."
No one is as persuasive as my wife, so it was easier to give in than to quarrel.
"OK, your wish is my command, with a month in Mexico City and Cuernavaca you'll regain peace of mind," I affirmed, glad to finish the controversy.
We were very tired because we had worked hard all year round, so we decided to take a rest for one whole month.
Planning the trip was a family affair. We discussed the day we could leave, the clothes we would wear to cope with the heat, whether we would stay in my wife's sister's apartment or the house of the cousins in Cuernavaca, and how long we would remain there.
After we had thoroughly discussed the matter we decided to leave on Monday morning at 9 a.m. It was a very beautiful morning and the weather in Caracas was fine.
We had a very pleasant five-hour flight with the Mexican state airline, arriving in Mexico in the late afternoon. The further we went from Venezuela the more we entered into the holiday spirit.
Mexico is one of the most beautiful countries in the Americas. If you want to live there you can choose whichever climate suits you best. If you like hot weather you can live near the sea, if you want something different you can stay in Cuernavaca, in the heart of the country. In that city it is neither too cold nor too hot. That is why they call it the city of the eternal spring.
There are only two seasons in Mexico. A rainy season lasting from June to September and a dry one going from October to May. The rains are very heavy but of very short duration and after they stop the sun shines again.
Mexican towns are very agreeable. Cuernavaca is full of sunshine and there are lovely flowers everywhere. They sell all kinds of craftsmanship in their markets once a week.
Tourists are treated to a rich cultural heritage. There is a 16th-century fort that once belonged to the conquistador Hernan Cortes, and a morning's car ride away there is the ancient archaeological site of Xochicalco. It was built by the indigenous people of the area many centuries before the arrival of the Europeans.
Mexico City, 85 kilometers to the north, is different to Cuernavaca. It has long wide avenues with grand names like "La Reforma", "Insurgentes" and "La Alameda." There are many modern and tall buildings, but also beautiful well-conserved constructions preserved from its historical patrimony. There has been a city here since the first half of the 14th century, before the arrival of Hernan Cortes.
The streets are always hustling and bustling with people. The crowds of eager tourists add numbers to a city that already has well over 8 million inhabitants.
If you visit Mexico City you should be prepared for some transportation frustration. It's very difficult to find and get a taxi, simply because there are too many people and very few taxis! The best way for tourists to get around is for them to use special double-decker buses.
There are many beautiful parks in the city but "Chapultetepec" is just wonderful, with its special museum of anthropology and history. Everything there is pleasant to your eyes. I enjoyed the old and tall trees and the big multicolored flowers.
Mexican food is delicious. They prepare many different dishes: "tortillas," "tacos," "enchiladas," "mole poblano," "guacamole," and "tamales." Some people do not like these dishes because they are heavily seasoned and hot. "Tamales" is the main dish and "tequila" the main drink.
A very special place in Mexico City that pleases us is "the Pink Zone" (Zona Rosa in Spanish).
It is a captivating place, iridescent with many lights. Shoppers love the intoxicating displays in shop window after shop window, and the multicolored dazzle of the finest craft objects gathered from every corner of the nation. It is a center of cosmopolitan gaiety, filled with conversations in many languages.
As night falls the area's neon signs tempt the passerby with a diversity of pleasures. There are open-air cafes, fine restaurants offering the cuisines of many nationalities of the East and West, discotheques, art galleries, hotels, movie theaters, boutiques, and bookstores. It is truly a delightful and colorful experience.
I was glad that Judith persuaded me to go. Sometimes I think:
"Everybody who visits Mexico City and Cuernavaca for the first time wishes to go for a second time because Mexicans are very nice people and are also great singers. They always sing when they are glad, sad or angry. The music of the 'Mariachis' is something you never forget."
©2007 OhmyNews
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