Donde se esconde el Gran Piramide?

For all of you that took one look at the last blog and said WTF I don't speak Spanish, here's one just for you. To bring y'all up to speed, basically we took the Arco Norte around Mexico City so we didn't have to go into a metropolis of 25 million people on our humble little transportation devices. And it was polluted. Air, water, land, you name it. Looming mountains were barely visible in the not-too-far distance. Passing by bodies of water was enough to make us gag.Passing by huge, unofficial dump sites didn't smell as bad as any of the creeks. A massive oil refinery the size of Wallingford made for an unusual inhabitant of a lush, sprawling valley. So we desperately clapped our bandannas over our noses and mouths in an attempt to make it out alive. We did, but Eric could do a killer rendition of 'What a Wonderful World' for several days thereafter. Perhaps the most surreal part of the ride was that we were out in the boonies. The air was brown and heavy for days, evidence of the unbelievable population just beyond sight, but we were mostly apart from civilization, so much so that it was tough to find places to get food, water, and a place to crash at night. The coolest part was the fact that we had beautiful, albeit hazy, views of the smoking volcano! Anyway, there is something seductive about Mexico City. It's hard to put my finger on it, but I'm incredibly drawn to it's unparalleled population and insistent, constant presence. It gives me that sensation that I have when I stay home on a Saturday night, and I just have this feeling that I'm going to miss something amazing because I did. All roads lead to Mexico City...

Our first stop after the Arco was Cholula. We decided to take a detour there because we read about the Great Pyramid, the largest in the world by volume, and wanted to check it out. We arrived in the mid-afternoon, found the main plaza, and the police helped us find the DIF office, a social program in all Mexican cities designed to provide support for families and their communities. After a bit of a wait and a few phone calls made on our behalf, we were found a place to stay - the DIF patio. Unceremonious but perfect (simple yet secure), we gratefully pushed our bikes on over to what we thought would be our bed for the night. Shortly thereafter, however, we met David, the director of DIF. He offered to take us on into Puebla, a big city just East of Cholula, to do an errand, and assured us that he was not a kidnapper or drug trafficker :c) So, we went to Angelopolis, a huge luxury mall that was by far the most like being in the US (Bellevue to be exact - Dave, you would have loved it :c) that we have yet experienced. Anyway, one thing led to another, and we ended up hanging out with David for 3 days in Puebla and having a fantabulous time!

Next up on the menu of Mexico for us was a whirlwind eating tour a la Puebla. David wouldn't let us pay for practically anything, and he seemed to thoroughly enjoy being our tour/food guide - how amazing! We tried more things than I remember names for, but they included arabic tacos (think Mexican pita), oriental tacos (the same but with corn tortillas), sandwiches on deep fried buns, tortillas stuffed with an array of fillings, folded and deep fried, pig feet tostatas, cemitas (sandwiches piled high with Oaxacan quesilla cheese), and more kinds of ice cream than I have ever seen in my entire life. Baskin Robbins and, I hate to say it, Molly Moon's...move over. Pitaya, tequila, corn, watermelon, passionfruit, cactus...sorbet, milk-based...cone, cup, popsicle...I literally stood mute at the counter for a good 5 minutes completely unable to choose one to try. Ultimately I went for my go-to of guava, but I snapped out of my daze the next night to try avocado and rompope (egg liquer).

We happened to be in Puebla for 5 de Mayo, and the battle that was won by the Mexicans against the French happened just outside the city. So, there was a massive parade that passed down one of the principal boulevards. Eric got to see most of it, but I mostly just saw heads marching by - there were so many people! In the evening we were extremely lucky to stumble across a beautiful encore of dances that were performed in Barroquisimo, an annual cultural festival. My favorite group were the charros - boot stomping, sombrero wearing, rhinestone cowboys with great legs in tight pants. This is Merilee writing, by the way :c) After the performances we wandered out into the zocalo, and were attacked by street clowns. I managed to hide myself in the crowd, but Eric couldn't duck low enough to avoid being seen. So the blonde, lanky, blue eyed gringo was dragged into the spotlight for some wash-your-mouth-out-with-soap double entendres. Eric was actually quite hillarious and had the crowd roaring as he stole one of the clown's vests and chased him around the plaza trying to kiss him. I mean seriously, it was the ONLY time the camera had run out of battery power...I would have killed for video documentation!!!

En fin, we had a fantastic time in Puebla. David, muchiiisimas gracias a ti - nos divertimos un monton y nos sentimos superagradecidos haberte conocido. Un beson!

Next up: Oaxaca...Stay tuned.

Photos: Cathedral in Puebla; Eric and David; tourist shop; Barroquisimo marquee; Eric looking pious in front of an ex-convent