MEXICO: RECIPE OF A RESOURCEFUL STAY

MEXICO'S RECIPE

Preparation time:

56 days on spot, or 4763 kms travelled

Cooking time:

117 hours spent in 74 different transports

Ingredients:

• 24 buses

• 4 subways

• 3 funiculars

• 1 minibus

• 16 colectivos

• 13 taxis

• 8 cars

• 1 tuk-tuk

• 1 quad

• 2 scooters

• 2 bikes

Seasonings:

• 300 hands disinfections and temperature checks (at least)

• 1 extended month in the country

• A slow learning and improvement of Spanish and dozens of approximate conversations

• 1 gastronomic restaurant

• 5 early bus descents, anticipated or forgotten, forcing us to walk many more kilometers loaded like mules

• 1 mexican cooking class embellished with grasshoppers

• 24 hours of travel including:

  • 1 big detour to avoid the roadblocks made by the still active zapatistas

  • 3 visits under 44°C

  • 1 night bus with full A/C

  • 1 forgotten hat

• 7 sacrified chickens during a tzotzil ceremony

• 5 kilometers of climbing for a (normally) wonderful point of view but the door was closed

• 1 hitchhiking in quad with all of our stuff

• 12 churros sized like the length of our arms

• 1 mountain cabana stay including:

  • Many hours without electricity

  • 3 overexcited night mouses

  • 1 horse ride with an indisposed horse

  • 2 showers with yellow water

• 1 afternoon of shopping to compensate for all the clothes lost at each corner of the world

• 8 round trips in a French bakery because we missed too much our dear pastries

• 1 risky border crossing for Guatemala as it was announced closed

• 2 tzetzal language classes (impossible to pronounce)

• 3 risky bathing under red flags (with repeating and inevitable loss of swimming clothes)

• 1 very stressful exhibition of momies

• 30 minutes of pseudo scandal at the immigration office thinking we were victims of corruption (surprised taxes but official ones...)

• 1 lost bus driver but guided by the passengers

• 1 scooter ride under a burning sun that could have instantly cooked an egg

• 4 doses of courage to enter the freezing water of cenotes

• 3 confined days in our hotel in Cancún because we hated the city

• 1 assumed overdose of maize flour

• 1 very agitated departure from Mexico because of:

  • 1 almost missed PCR test

  • 1h (unplanned) dedicated to the filling of a swarm of papers (immigration, health, etc.)

  • 1 cancellable urgency booking of a flight for Panama city (because it was the cheaper one) to prove that we were not about to settle in Colombia

Method (overview):

• STATE OF MEXICO

Devoting one week to the giant capital

Familiarizing ourselves with the Mexican cultural landmarks (cooking, history, language, customs)

Visiting the archeological site of Teotihuacan

• STATE OF HIDALGO

Passage in Pachuca to admire Las Palmitas, the country's biggest wall fresco

Day in the pueblo mágico of Mineral del Chico

• STATE OF QUERETARO

Roaming the beautiful streets of the colonial town of Querétaro

Excursion to Bernal to see the world's 3rd biggest monolith

• STATE OF GUANAJUATO

Strolling through the colourful streets of San Miguel de Allende

Enjoying the beautiful points of view of Guanajuato and its lively atmosphere

• STATE OF PUEBLA

Not wasting much time in the eponymous city…

• STATE OF VERACRUZ

Breathing in the fresh air of Orizaba's heights

• STATE OF OAXACA

Randomly roaming through the multicoloured and artistic city of Oaxaca

Taking a local cooking class

Dedicating one day to the Monte Albán ruins

Staying in a wooden cabin in the mountains of la Sierra Madre del Sur

Touching the powerful waves of Mazunte, Puerto Escondido and Agua Blanca

• STATE OF CHIAPAS

Discovering San Cristobal de las Casas under all its aspects (museums, markets, specialties...)

Living a cultural experience in the village of San Juan de Chamula and assisting at a ceremony in its church

Doing a humanitarian mission at a NGO fighting for young indigenous rights (to be found HERE)

Getting back to the Mayan time thanks to the impressive vestiges of Palenque

• STATE OF YUCATAN

Visiting the beautiful city of Valladolid

Renting a scooter to find the region's most beautiful cenotes

• STATE OF QUINTANA ROO

Relaxing in the turquoise waters of the Bacalar laguna

Avoiding Cancún and its total absence of authenticity

The bill (for 2): 2463€

Positive feedback:

• One of the kindest and warmest population of our world tour

• The diversity of landscapes (colonial towns, mountains, archeological sites, oceans, cenotes, waterfalls...)

• The cultural richness

• The ease of travelling and the convenience of the transportation system

• The safety (we felt really safe during the whole duration of our trip and never had a single problem)

Negative feedback:

• The extra-touristy region of Yucatan

• The disrespect of tourists towards the Mexican Covid19 measures

• The food that we personally find a little bit overrated (similar and complex tastes)

• The discrimination towards indigenous communities

To go further and read the recipe's full details, click HERE !