August 2018 – Teha's Travels- Sometimes You Just Gotta…

August 27, 2018September 4, 2018

Viva Mexico!

I have to admit that the country of Mexico was not on my short list of places to visit during my travels. Don’t get me wrong, I love Mexico but figured I had seen most of what I needed to see and would go back after I was working again when I needed a chill-ax beach holiday. I mean, I’d been to Cancun (not once but TWICE), Playa del Carmen once (okay, not so far from Cancun), AND even tacked onto one of the trips with a few days traveling solo in Tulum (actually Tulum may have been the first time I’d ever traveled solo, and it was less than two years ago! Wow). Anyways, fast-forward to a few months ago when I chatted with my friends at my favorite travel company, Flash Pack, who told me about a new “Chief Insider” initiative they are doing and asked ME if I wanted to BE a “Chief Insider”!!! Um, beyond having an awesome title, what else do I have to do?

Basically, the company does a lot careful planning around each of their trips but realizes that you can only plan so much and have to actually experience the trip to know if everything works how it should. So, for the first run of each new trip they have an “Insider” group, where everyone gets a discounted rate for providing feedback and being understanding that there may be first-time glitches. As the CHIEF Insider (I preferred to go by Chief) I was responsible for providing an additional layer of support, basically making sure things went okay with the Insiders, mitigating glitches, and providing some iterative feedback. But really I was just on the trip like everyone else and doing what I usually do on my Flash Pack trips. [Hmmm….maybe I should ask for some retroactive CHIEF discounts?]

So, (I bet you can see where this is going), there was a CHIEF Insider opportunity for a new trip to Mexico and I looked at the itinerary and couldn’t believe there were so many cool things I hadn’t seen or done in the country. A sampling:

So, of course I signed up! Then, it was time, and I eased into my next international travel junket by not straying too far from los Estados Unidos. I arrived to Mexico City a few days early, to visit the Amazing Ana, who is from there and I’d met during my Turkey travels. I stayed with her for a few days and she gave me a wonderful tour of her city- including the incredible Frida Kahlo museum (seriously, Frida was one inspirational muchacha), the really interesting Archeological Museum, and many other sights, smells and sounds (the best sound in Mexico is the music, which is everywhere. And real music, actually being played!). Ana is also a talented artist with a great eye and she took me to the most beautiful places in her city, all while making me smile with her infectious giggle. It was so good to see her again!

After bidding Ana farewell I met my tour group, who I felt like I kind of knew already from pre-trip What’s App banter. Most were from the UK or Europe and had had long travel days (for once I was the one with the least travel time!) yet everyone was very excited and lively during our initial dinner. Most of us made it out to a salsa club after dinner and we even danced with some locals. While I can’t speak for the others, I don’t think my partners were particularly impressed with my salsa skills. Still, it was a great first night!

We all loved our guide, Fransciso, right away as he’s one of those people you can tell just loves what he does. He’s clearly enthusiastic about his country and sharing his impressive knowledge about it (the guy majored in History and seems to literally know everything).
We spent three nights in Mexico City and, despite my pre-tour with Amazing Ana, I felt like I had so much more to see and there was a new surprise around every corner. The city really does have a ton to offer and despite being one of the most populated cities in the entire world, it really doesn’t feel that way. I expected it to be overly congested and maybe a bit sterile in parts, but instead I felt like it exuded charm, appeal, and history. Plus, just enough people speak just enough English that you can get by but you still have to work at it. I love that! While of course it’s easier to communicate in foreign countries where everyone speaks English, it doesn’t really seem fair for them to have to speak my language and I actually like to have to make an effort (I especially like making an effort when in a Spanish speaking country, as that is the one language I know more than a handful of words in, albeit not as many as I should given that I had to take classes through the “literature level” in college- it was a struggle for me and it took a while to stop having nightmares about Don Quixote). Anyways, Francisco took us on a walking tour of the city, to the main area downtown where there used to be a huge pyramid back in the day, until the Spanish came and ripped it apart to use the bricks to build a massive cathedral just a stone’s throw away. How rude!

We then moved on to the bustling market where we did an authentic food tour. And authentic it was! I even found myself eating insects for the first time! Although I was dubious and thought maybe it was a trick for tourists, I learned that the Mexicans really do eat insects themselves and sometimes even with a fancy presentation as if an expensive cheese board. We got them straight from the market vendor, though, which I thought was pretty bad-ass of us. [The lady selling them even looks a little worried for us.]

We also tried the most delectable fruits from the market- it really is SO much better there! In fact, the food overall is absolutely incredible and far surpassed my expectations. In a way I’m a smidge disappointed as I feel like “Mexican food” in the U.S. may have been ruined for me, for a while at least…I’m sure the memories of my taste buds will fade over time, though.

That night we were whisked off to a “Lucha Libre” wrestling match, which is the first type of wrestling where they wore whacky masks and had crazy names. It started in the early 1900s during the Mexican Revolution as a means of distraction/entertainment and has thrived ever since then, becoming an international cultural icon of sorts. I wasn’t sure what to expect exactly and I think we were all surprised how much fun it was….the ABSOLUTE BLAST kind of fun! There was much energy and excitement and we even got into it enough to get masks and choose favorites! I will admit that I wasn’t the only one who didn’t think I would like it very much (I’m decidedly not a big WWF or UFC fan) but was so pleasantly surprised. I really think you need to experience it to understand but trust me- it’s totally worth it!

The next day there was no rest for the weary and we were whisked off to a colorful traditional trajinera boat where we cruised through canals and enjoyed a home-cooked lunch while being regaled by mariachi bands. I told you, music is literally everywhere in this country!

That evening we had a delicious dinner at a restaurant overlooking the massive cathedral. I mean…no words describe this Mexico City view.

Then it was off to our second destination, the town of Puebla which is also Francisco’s hometown. We settled into our Puebla accommodations before Francisco proudly showed us around his city. We later met for a traditional (and delicious) meal in a local restaurant.

We were up and out early the next day for a hike in between two huge volcanos. This required a two-hour drive that turned into a four-hour drive after some interference by unpredictable traffic and unpredictability closed roads (both apparently part of the “authentic” Mexico experience). This meant that we didn’t have time to do the full hike but instead did a mini-hike up to a picnic spot where we enjoyed the volcano views as we ate delicious boxed lunches.

Despite making the best of it, the group was disappointed that the hike was cut short and that we had much longer travel day than expected. I put my CHIEF hat on and messaged the peeps back at FP HQ with the latest – knowing they would want to fix timing issues around the hike for next time and also know that the group was not thrilled about missing the hike. Well, a series of messages later, a reservation at a local speakeasy had been arranged for that evening, courtesy of Flash Pack (thanks to Jenni for recommending the speakeasy!). It was one of those authentic yet trendy places where you enter though a hidden entrance (this one was a barbershop) and it was open mic night to boot! The comedians all gamely did their best to accommodate the English-speaking group sitting at the big table, yet I found even the Spanish bits entertaining especially the crowd reactions.

We were treated to even clearer views the next morning as we departed Puebla- maybe too clear – and we could see smoke coming out of one of the volcanos (thankfully not the one we had been on). Locals swear it will be a good 25 years before the next eruption, but who know, really?!

We then moved on along to our final destination, the town of Oaxaca. It’s funny as Oaxaca is the smallest of the three places we visited, but it was the place I’d heard the most about from friends who had travelled to non-beach areas of Mexico. I’d enjoyed Mexico City and Puebla so much that it was hard to imagine Oaxaca could somehow be better. Now, in hindsight, I refuse to pick favorites but will say that I definitely see what all the Oaxaca hype is about. It’s a quaint city, full of character and charm and bustling with artists and musicians of all sorts. And while it’s easy to get around and you feel like a local almost immediately, there is lots to see and do. In fact, I stayed for two nights after the tour and I still felt like there were still things I hadn’t seen! Guess I’ll have to go back 🙂 And just like that, Mexico is back on the list. A few glimpses of the Oaxaca beauty:

I found this especially beautiful-

Highlights in Oaxaca were a traditional cooking class, that began with a lesson in making three different types of delicious cheeses. We then split into groups to each make a course in a most delectable 5-course lunch that we later enjoyed. It was so much fun (both the cooking and the eating!).

We also had a beer tasting at a local brewery, where Hirin pulled some Rainman stuff by guessing the alcohol percentage of 5 out of six beers, within .1%! It was pretty impressive, as far as party tricks go. We also travelled to the stunning Hierve del Agua which is a natural petrified waterfall (not a real waterfall but a huge rock cliff with petrified rock that looks like cascading water). There were some pretty spectacular springs in the adjacent rocks that serve as a convenient viewing area.

We also swung by a mescal distillery to get an up close and personal demo on how agave magically turns into mescal. Here’s me and the proprietor –

I’ll skip right over our farewell dinner as those are always bittersweet, recounting memories from the trip and accepting that it’s, sadly, ending.

This goodbye was more gradual, though, as about half the group wasn’t leaving until later the next day and we made our way to the Monte Alban pyramids in the morning. Talk about spectacular! We hired a guide outside (Julio) who walked us through the massive Aztec heritage site explaining meaning behind the relics. They really did it up back in the day, and the Aztecs must have been in great shape to climb all those steps every day.

The next day the cheese stands alone, as the last of my new friends departed. And, did I mention how solid this group was?? Hailing from the UK, US, and Italy, everyone got along as evidenced by the fact that we even spent our limited free-time together. It’s always a little jarring to go from being with a group of friends and having a handler (poor Francisco, but he loved it!) to being left to your own devices. I even had to set my own alarm in the morning (my amazing roomie Jo from Wales had taken care of that -only one of the many reasons she’s amazing). Here’s Jo and I:

It ended up being for the best that I was solo for my last two days in Oaxaca though, as I quickly succumbed to what I first described as the Mexican Plague and later learned is also known as Montezuma’s Revenge. Not sure exactly what that means but it definitely felt like someone’s revenge! I tried fight it and convince myself that I did not, in fact, feel horrible. But it was a futile battle and I got in bed at 2pm, and slept on and off (mostly on) until 11am the next day. Apparently this Revenge is common in Mexico and surrounding countries and is likely from something I ate or maybe ice from water that wasn’t purified. I admit I wasn’t the most careful with that stuff, thinking all my traveling had helped me to develop a stomach of steel. Incorrect. Lesson learned.

On the upside I was feeling much better the day I was leaving and had most of the day to do a final farewell tour of Oaxaca before heading to the airport again.

Next up…pisco sour country!

August 12, 2018November 12, 2018

An Americana Month

I couldn’t believe it but I realized I hadn’t been in the U.S. over a full month in an entire year! July was the first month in a good while and it seemed appropriate that it was the Americana month of July. I kicked off my domestic stint with a long weekend in New York, visiting a friend, Courtney, who I met on my tour of South Africa and attending the wedding of my cousin, Curtis. Courtney lives on Long Island, and despite spending fair amount of time in New York, I had never made it there myself, so visiting Courtney was the perfect excuse! Meeting Courtney in South Africa was like meeting someone you feel like you already know. She recalls the first night of our tour, when she made a quip at my expense to which my response was “You don’t know me well enough to give me shit yet.” That was when I knew we would definitely be friends.
My Long Island experience was everything I hoped for and more. Courtney really provided the experience package. Just check out her stocked fridge (a plethora of beer options that you can’t see behind the yogurt) and sunblock buffet (as in every type you could imagine. That little travel bottle to the right is my sad SPF 15)

Maker:S,Date:2017-8-23,Ver:6,Lens:Kan03,Act:Lar02,E-Y

She also has a most fantastic condo, RIGHT on the beach. Meaning that she can hear and even see the waves crashing onto the beach from her window or balcony. Whenever she wants. And walk there in about two minutes. Yes, she can be HERE in two minutes.

This is just about the best thing ever in my book and I think I commented something along those lines about 25 times during my two-day visit! Also, I really think Courtney’s building could be the basis of a reality TV show. I thought my building in DC had an eclectic population but it doesn’t hold a candle to the entertainment value Courtney’s building provides. Everyone knows everyone, of course, and everyone has the best Long Island accent (usually spoken loudly or yelled). Not only does everyone know everyone but everyone knows everything about everyone (or thinks they do at least). Courtney told me about the time she stopped to chat with an elderly neighbor in the lobby one day and a week later learned that the whole building thought were dating. There’s also not a lot of boundaries at play, and at one point we ended up on an involuntary tour of a new neighbor’s apartment (we were literally dragged in from the hallway)- a tour given by the neighbor’s friend while the neighbor (and resident) wasn’t even home! But, there’s also so many benefits from this communal approach. For example.one night we sat on her balcony one night, catching up with neighbor-friend Donna (via yelling from balcony to balcony) and the next day Donna randomly yelled over that she had extra avocados if I wanted to take any with me. What a fantastic offer! That would never happen in my building.
I was sad to have to leave Courtney’s after just a few days, as neighbor friends had conjured up fun sounding plans for the rest of the weekend. And, to the honest, I could just sit in the lobby of her building and be completely entertained for days. Alas, it was onto the train to travel from Long Island to Westchester, NY, where cousin Curtis was tying the knot with the lovely Corrine. It was an absolutely beautiful wedding, featuring two beautiful human beings and with fantastic family members (and also great food and music and dancing!!).

My parents both hailed from the Westcester area so I spent one day driving around with them (me in the backseat, like when I was a little kid) and looking at their respective childhood homes, schools, and various haunting grounds (despite growing up in nearby towns they met when they were 18 and working at the same summer camp, and got married at the ripe old age of 20).

I did find it interesting that (despite meeting at such a young age) they both pointed out multiple homes of past boyfriends and girlfriends. Plus my Dad was shipped off to a prep school and wasn’t even in that town for much of his high school years! I would make comments to this effect from the back seat, trying to incite some jealous drama between my parents…and was mostly ignored. I guess after 45 years of marriage it’s kind of a moot point.

So, two weeks of my Americana month were spent at my Happy Place, Cape Cod. Yes, the Cape has hung onto this title throughout my travels over the past year! That’s how much I love it. I’m admittedly biased as I was born at Hyannis hospital, so it’s actually in my blood and I feel preprogrammed to release endorphins as I cross the Sagamore bridge. The past few years, though, I’ve updated my mode of travel to the Cape and have given up the 8-10 hour drive from DC or flight to Boston followed a long, traffic-filled drive. This is because I discovered a little known (and, strangely inexpensive) flight from DC to the tiny Nantucket airport (ACK) which is just a short ferry ride from Cape Cod. I must say, it’s a very civilized way to travel and I sense more than a smidge of envy from my two siblings as I arrive for our vacation, refreshed from the boat ride and having had enjoyed a delicious lunch and stroll around beautiful Nantucket. In contrast, my siblings look a combination of frazzled and exhausted as they emerged from their respective mini-vans, that each hold three adorable (and loud) children DYING to know if they are there yet. [Okay, so I feel a little bad for them but also get some sick satisfaction from the whole thing]. Anyways, this year we spent two glorious weeks at the Cape and it was amazing how quickly the days flew by. To say things were fast-paced is an understatement- it’s a good thing I like things fast paced.

And, with six kids for the first time this year (my sister’s youngest is seven months old) the adult-to-child ratio was tipped dangerously close to what would require a man-to-man defense. But having little Theodore was so much fun, especially so for his cousins meeting them him for the first time. He was our trusty vacation mascot, for sure!

Ok, so that last photo is from our World Cup Finals viewing, where we watched the poor Croatians get squashed by elitist French (us Americans were rooting for the underdog and my Dutch brother-in-law was pulling for what he thought was the “better team.” And I guess he was correct. So annoying). You can now understand why Teddy is focusing his attention on that cup!

Bottom line is that we had a LOT of fun on the Cape. A TON of fun!

A few other Cape highlights (in no particular order)-

Turkish contingent- Cape Cod isn’t exactly known for being the diverse of locations, or so I thought. One morning our gang rallied to ride bikes to a coffee shop (which also sells lemonade and candy, which is how we convinced the kiddos to go). Felix wore a t-shirt I’d brought him from Turkey and we were surprised when a coffee shop employee excitedly ran out from behind the counter to greet us. Turns out that the Cape hosts a lot of Turkish students, as part of a university program! This Turk must have been disappointed to learn we weren’t from his homeland and didn’t speak Turkish, but he hid it well and just seemed happy I had been. He even wanted to take pictures with Felix to show his friends.

Felix seemed a little confused about the whole thing and Ella was just a little bit jealous that Felix was being treated like a celebrity. A few days later we rallied (aka bribed) the troops for another such bike ride and Ella looked frantically for her Turkey t-shirt to wear. Well, our friend was not there, but another Turk was, who reacted with equal enthusiasm to our Turkey-adorned crew.

When in Turkey I found the people extremely friendly and welcoming, and this experience extended to the students I met at Cape Cod. I was glad my nieces and nephews had a better understanding of what the thing on the t-shirts I gave them means, and even have people to associate the country with now. Turkey will always have a special place in my heart.

Orleans Firebirds Storytime. In case you aren’t familiar with the Cape Cod league, it’s a prestigious summer league for college baseball players (the only summer league that uses wooden bats and for this reason it attracts many pro scouts). I grew up going to these games- idolozing the players as a child, and then having massive crushes on them as a teenager. Anyways, a few years ago I saw a sign for Storytime at the library with members of the local team, the Orleans Cardinals, and thought it sounded like a great activity for our tribe. As we mini-vanned there, Ella asked if they should be sure to be sure to call me as AUNTIE Teha at Storytime again this year (okay, so I may have made this request in the past. Just wanted to avoid any confusion and sometimes they drop the formality!) I responded that the players were probably too young for me but that it wouldn’t hurt to call me by my proper title anyways (I mean, look at the age difference between the President of France and his wife!) So, following the reading of the story the players opened the floor for questions. After several Cape-league obsessed adults got their questions out-of-the-way, a child finally raised their hand! The librarian looked pleased and gestured to Ella, in the front row, who inquired “How old are all of you?” That’s my girl! Looking out for her Auntie! [They were only 19, btw, which is a bit of a deal-breaker. Except, now Storytime has become an annual tradition so we’ll be there next year. We’re pretty much locked in for life].

Capt Curley’s Sunset Sail. My parents kindly offered to babysit one night and sent “the big kids” on a sunset sailing trip out of Wellfleet harbor. We happily left the chaos of the house for the serenity of the water, joining “Capt Curly” on his vessel and taking in stunning sunset views from the sea. But then…disaster at sea! The trouble began when I joined the First Mate on the bow (sounding dramatic already!) to take photos and then rested my phone on a wooden ledge. A few moments later a gust of wind tipped the boat in a way where I felt like I was in the America’s Cup and I grabbed a rope with my hand and a metal rail with my toes to brace myself and stay on the boat. The First Mate complimented my hanging on skills and, of course, my siblings commented how funny it would have been if I’d fallen in and it was too bad I hadn’t, etc, etc. Laughs all around! A few minutes later I went to take another picture and was no longer laughing when I realized my phone was not where I had left it! Capt Curley thought maybe it was somewhere in the boat but I was pretty certain it had plunged overboard (which the “Find My Device” feature later confirmed).

Despite this travesty, I do highly recommend Capt Curley’s cruise out of Wellfleet. Just consider leaving your phone on-shore. (This was taken with someone else’s camera, btw. Aren’t you impressed I’m still smiling?)

And, lucky for me the phone was only a month old and was still covered under purchase protection, so all’s well that ends well. And, for those inquiring minds, of which I know for a fact there are several… this would be my third new phone in a year. The other two were victims of whitewater kayaking in Croatia and a toilet in a campground in Namibia. At least I have good stories!

The rest of the month was spent mostly in DC and it was wonderful to see and spend time with the friends I’ve missed terribly. I also had some administrivia to tend to, such as procuring a new phone, license (lost with the phone), and passport (unrelated to the phone but needed to turn in that temporary emergency passport from Zimbabwe). I did zoom up to New Hampshire for a long weekend and helped celebrate my fabulous Aunt Lindi’s 70th (doesn’t she look amazing?!) as well as catch up with some of my favorite New England people and places.

Many thanks to cousiin Kate’s husband, Nick, for providing quite the Fenway experience package. It was a far cry from the bleachers where I enjoyed games as a kid (wearing my glove, of course). I also enjoyed more QT with my sister and her tribe- a few weeks of a break had brought my stamina back with the kiddos.

Ah, what a month it was! A HUGE thanks to everyone for being so accommodating and helping me to make the most of my time stateside! I do realize I’m not the easiest human being to make plans with these days.

And, suddenly there I was packing for another series of adventures! (I mean it’s already been a year so why stop now??) Teaser: heading south towards the equator and beyond!