2011-October-10: Day 56

Up at the breakabreaka dawn.  Well, 7, but it was all cold and rainy outside.  Got up, got ready, went back to my juice dude for a jugo verde, walked up Parque Lira to the Constituyentes orange line metro stop, hopped on, two stops to Polanco, got off and got lost.  Only minorly; quickly corrected it and walked and walked and worried I would be late for my Berlitz appointment!  Luckily I gave myself an extra hour or so, and made it with a couple minutes to spare.  Took my English exam...I'm assuming I didn't ace it only because there were 3 or 4 questions with whom's grammatical layout/sentence structure I disagreed.  So we'll say I scored...98.  Then the interview: swimmingly.  Then I had to pee like effin' mad.  Correction: I had to pee before arriving at the Berlitz center and now I was writhing in pain, trying to walk my ass back down to the Polanco station with as much haste as possible.  P.S. I made it.  Back home I made some ham and scrambled eggs, to be eaten with Challah bread.  Went for a run (a good-sized one at that!), walked Greta, ate way too much ice cream, and kicked it.

2011-October-9: Day 55

The exciting part of this day (yesterday! I'm almost caught up!) was the torta!  I had a cubana: milanesa, pierna, salchicha, jamon, American cheese and (I think) queso Oaxaqueno, chiles (again, just repeated the word I came closest to comprehending)...and that's it!  Fabulous.  And then I chased it with a jugo de limpia intestinos.  'Cause a sandwich like that calls for an oil change.  I sat around and did some major (pro bono) proofreading.

2011-October-8: Day 54

Sabado.  I took a walk!  Oh wait, I do that every morning.  I cruised these streets like I owned 'em, finding a few sweet-ass furniture sellers on Alfonso Reyes with whom I plan to conduct business at a later date.  Also found this interesting store claiming to be French and selling barbeque equipment along with fine wines and meats.  Go figure.  (And no cheese!)  I then made my way back home (this was in Hipodromo Condesa, near the Amsterdam Market and street market I found the other day) and...I dunno?

2011-October-7: Day 53

I'm not sure my days are exactly correct...but the activities are. So for Friday I'm gonna say I cruised into La Condesa, finding a few great finds: street market on Nuevo Leon and Campeche, Michoacan Mercado on Michoacan, and a super trendy/gringo-y/useful/European culinary store entitled Amsterdam Market on Amsterdam and ...also Michoacan I think. So that was a productive walk. And it's not over! On my way back I decide to pick up some lunch, so I try to remember which of the nigh innumerable stands on this two-block stretch of road by my place had the tastiest looking tortas. I'm not sure I went to the same one I had seen a couple days ago, but I am satisfied with my decision. I ordered a chuleta torta which included, along with the ham, nice melty cheese, tomatoes, chile peppers (don't remember which: I had a choice and just repeated the one I heard most clearly), and avocado. It was very good! Then back home.

Monolithic! ...And not my lunch

Colors. And a face!

Torta Time!

And a little later, lo and behold: Gaby wants to go out and get some lunch from a Japanese place she knows and loves! So we head out and I get my first MetroBus experience (p.s. it's waaaay more complicated than walking...). We finally end up at the Japanese market and holy ass, it's awesome! Seriously, my goodness this place is a keeper. In addition to the tasty looking prepared foods, they have a fairly large grocery section with everything you could ever need for sushi-making, including some delicious looking hunks of sashimi-grade salmon for like 80 pesos...crazy. Needless to say, I'mma be hitting that up with frequency. So Gaby gets some food and I search through the deserts, finally deciding on a green tea pudding:

2011-October-6: Day 52

Thursday! I receive an email from one of the addresses listed on the Berlitz website, but it is, of course, advising me to email my CV to someone else, who was also listed on the site and thus emailed by me, but I email her again and at the end of the day receive a reply inviting me to take an English test and interview Monday! Woo! I decided to familiarize myself with the "Observatorio" metro stop and bus station hub since it is significantly closer to me than the Norte and Sur bus stations. I make my way down to the Tacubaya metro stop, which was a nice walk, then check the map and try to head for the Observatorio station but veer SE instead of SW and end up at the San Pedro de Los Pinos (orange) station, so I again go down and check the subway map: gotta head a little N and a lotta W. Keep on walkin'. I really don't know where I am by now...it's raining, I find some park and think maybe it's a faction of Chapultepec (which is comprised of three separate areas) since it seems to take up a great deal of acreage. Aka I can't get around it, so I'mma try to go through it. I'm pretty sure this is not Chapultepec. Also, I'm pretty sure it's smaller than I thought and maybe not even a park...it's weird. But I get through it, back on the sweet, misting asphalt, and continue my trek NW. I finally find some sort of ledge overlooking a sunken part of the city (which is funny considering not only is D.F. sinking due to the fact it was built on a swamp, but we're also in a great valley in the middle of the country: Valle de Mexico) which happens to include a huge bus terminal. Voila! One of the great aspects of this city is that you always find what you're looking for, though more often than not in a fashion as circuitous as the majority of the major roads. In essence, this is the "allure" for me:

This City can be mapped out by Oxxos and Sanborns, unlabeled streets and screaming buses; measured in units of taxis and street vendors; aged in terms of dynasties or an individual's minutes and hours spent lost as Fuck; viewed between skyscrapers and parks, abandoned shacks and Argentine restaurants; heard amidst the screams and the laughs, the barks and the rustling of leaves, the airplanes and the metro rails, the suffocating fog and the liberating silence.
This City is oscillating between Alive and Dead: blanched-white walls and technicolored doors. But it cannot be defined.

So I found the bus station and did a little practice walk from the terminal to the metro station. Easy breezy. But I didn't feel like using my three pesos, so I decided to walk back; I remember seeing Av Observatorio fairly close to my apt, so I decided to take that back. However...it was leading me W and I wanted to be going NE, so I veered off the well-beaten path and took a little street perpendicular to Av Observatorio. A few blocks later and whatd'ya know, I'm back on Av Observatorio and it is now taking me in the correct direction! The main streets here are confusing...direction changes, name changes, whatever you can think of. So I stay on Observatorio until I get to the Tacubaya marketplace area that I recognize, hop on Parque Lira and it's easy pickens back home!

2011-October-5: Day 51

Wednesday and still no response from this "Edgar" Berlitz character; I also have emails out to the four D.F. email addresses provided on the Berlitz website. I did, however, get a tiny translation job for a website for a Spanish hot-air balloon company; should pocket me 20USD plus some experience! So for my morning walk I decided to head to Parque Lira (it's both a street name and a park name: I crossed the street and cruised through the park) and then head S, finding myself in Tacubaya proper and seeing/smelling the inviting wafts of a little mercado. I stroll around, pick up a pineapple and find a woman who sells albahaca (basil) which I will need later...even though it isn't the basil to which I have become accustomed. We'll see if it works. I then go home.

2011-October-4: Day 50

Tuesday. I think Gaby and I (and Greta!) took a little walk into Condesa to pay the rent, passing by some intriguing eateries (including a sushi place) along the way. We went back to the apt and...dunno.

2011-October-3: Day 49

Monday in the City! I think I cruised a little, found the Soriana just down the street and picked up some (not green) eggs and ham. I looked up further info on Berlitz and metroed up to the Reforma center in the afternoon. The guy wasn't too keen on something (me, new/more teachers, his day, I don't freaking know) and just wrote his email on a flyer and told me to send him my CV, so I went home and did that. Then...I probably walked around. Who knows.

2011-October-2: Day 48

Moving Day!  But first: Sam and I cruise down to, and then through, some little garden that was quite nice and Sunday-y.  We then met up with Jason and MaJo at...oh man I can't remember the name of the little French cafe, but it was located in a serene, sunny alley, upstairs, with a magnificent French chef; it was quite nice.  MaJo, Sam, and I all ordered the juice, "pan dulce" (read: French toast), and crepes (the choices were ham or mushroom--I opted for ham) menu.  Actually, we could have ordered a fruit bowl rather than juice, but I've had too many poor experiences with American fruit and have stricken that possibility from my ordering repertoire; but Jason ordered it and it looked fabulous, so next time I have the opportunity I will be indulging in a fruit bowl.  The pan dulce was definitely bread and Certainly sweet.  And really, really freaking good.  The crepes were also bomb.  It was the best meal I had in Cuernavaca.  Also, the freest: Jason paid with his fatty doctor paychecks.  Thanks, Jason!!! Seriously, thank you.  

So then it's back to Sam's, strap on my stuff, E on Miguel Salinas, N on Morelos, bus station on my left. Tickets to Mexico, D.F., Sur are only 86 pesos! Buy one, wait 15 minutes (the buses leave for Sur every hour on the quarter-hour), hop on, and enjoy the ride. I hadn't been to the Taquena station slash metro stop, but it was pretty standard. Except that, as in NYC, the less desirable locales (Bronx) have above-ground metro rails. So I soaked in my new city, riding the blue line like 10 stops N to...Pino Suarez, where I connected to the pink W about 8 (shorter) stops. Juanacatlan! We actually have three metro stops close enough to call home: Juanacatlan (pink), Patriotismo (brown), and Tacubaya (pink/brown/orange). Since I had planned on going back to Norte, which takes an additional hour plus a longer metro ride, I was quite early, but as luck would have it Gaby was walking Greta down to the 7-11. Timing. And then I changed a fuse. And then into the new diggs!
Shortly after moving in Gaby put me in contact with her friend who taught English for Berlitz, so we spoke on the phone and she was fully of good advice. And then she came over and we took a little cruise. And found a pumpkin in the middle of the sidewalk...

2011-October-1: Day 47

Saturday, October 1st! Hmmmmmmmmm. No idea. I'm sure we did something, then I know we went shopping and returned, then caught up with Jason and took a cab up to MaJo's place. (I write MaJo because it's short for...Maria Jose I believe. Thus the double capping.) Yet again it was a mysterious birthday party. So we met up with MaJo and went down to the palapa and...kicked it? There were a couple somber looking Judeos with whom I ended up talking a bit, though more so piggybacking off of Jason's more evolved socialization skills. A little while into the gathering, after a few more people had shown up, a drink started being made...of which I cannot remember the name. It's like...I dunno, just crazy shit: beer, soy sauce, spicy sauce, buncha shit. Sounded...odd, but at first it tasted quite exciting! And then it started tasting like barf. So Sam and I both called it quits. Then Jason fired up the grill, busted out the meat and quesadillas, and the party was on like Donkey Kong! Sam and I stayed until the last of the meat had been grilled, then bounced: we had an important date with the Wall-Mart! Not only did we go to the Wall-Mart and successfully purchase whatever it was that Sam wanted (an "egg crate"), but we also found some highly recommended restaurant--the proverbial second bird with the same stone. Then back down to Centro.

2011-September-30: Day 46

Right, so Sam's illness or whatever thingy kept her from work.  Tooooo bad.  Umm, I dunno, Sam was all sleepy from the drugs and I don't know that I went out..maybe briefly?  We probably watched some tv shows.  Anyway, we were supposed to attend a party at her Spanish teacher's in the evening, but we decided to get some fancy dinner first!  Oh!  I think we went to yoga this morning!  Or maybe that was Thursday morning...?  Anyway, we did yoga one morning and it was good.  Also, we did Zumba like Tuesday morning and it was pretty hilarious.  Ok, back to Friday: we went to India Bonita!  It has a history and is kind of a (tourist) landmark.  The food was pretty good, though maybe Sam shouldn't have ordered mole...regardless, I give her props for keepin' it real.  We then met up with Juas, Yes, and Alberth and went to the party.  I couldn't figure out why we were gathered for a while, but I guess it was a birthday party.  The gathering was a tad odd, but we had some good conversing.

Look who made Sopa! The cheese isn't cheddar though...

This is the liveliest Sam was all day. Just kidding. Kinda.

Wall Maths

Engaging convo, to be sure

and the others...

Ok, forgot a bunch of things. We did plenty and had a bunch of fun, but I was too daunted by my final two Mexico City poses and thus didn't update this shite till now... But I do know what happened next! We bounced and cruised southward to a sweet bar owned by a couple guys with whom the crew was apparently friendly. They got beers, I got a mojito and we stood around until a table freed up, at which point one of the owners came over and gabbed us up; he was very nice, a cool dude, and quite interested in my journey/plans. Next time I'm in Cuernavaca I will make it a point to return.

And call it a night!

2011-September-29: Day 45

Cuernavaca is cool.  But I have reached a decision: I am going to move to slash live in Mexico City.  So I've been devoting time to researching work and lodging.  Also, I have felt very comfortable in la casa de Lucas and Sam, naturally, so I haven't been as itchy to get out and explore.  Also, the Centro is where it's at, so, already being in it, my desired circumference of travel is quite small.  It's now Thursday: I am moving in on Sunday!  Work?  Money?  Pffft, I'm brilliant, American, and fine as hell; I'm sure I'll find something.  Well, today is our Rosh Hashashanah party!  We're doing it Mexico style, but there is a noticeable lack of beans, chile, and tortilla, so pats on the back all around.  Jason, a neighbor and ex-Jew-by-marriage, will be attending (by which I mean adding spice) along with his girlfriend, MaJo, and two other friends.  Sam's baking the challah, Jason's cookin' the brisket.  We got a couple apples, some honey, and a few pomegranates as well, so it's 'bout to be a partay!

Breakfast in the mercado: pasta soup, horchata, meatball and beans soup with tortillas (pictured).  30 pesos.  Livin' like a baller

San Cristobal and dolphin ring

Colors

Ch-Ch-Ch-Challah!!!  And it was deeelish

Pomegranate!  And apples n honey

The dinner table.  Brisket, mmmmm

The other two attendees whose names I can't remember

Dunno who this craze-o is

Jason and MaJo

Ah yes, now I remember!  Sam started developing a rash and feeling less than swell, so after the dinner we were driven to a pharmacy (thanks to the two nameless guests!) where Sam picked up some drugs that had been recommended by Jason (don't worry, he's a doctor) and walked back to the apt.

2011-September-28: Day 44

Wednesday in Cuernavaca. I have no idea. I probably cruised around a bit and went to the mercado? I think it was Rosh Hashashanah. I think we went to the supermarket.

Colors

Three squashed...things

A portal to lushness!

Copper!

This dude is Lost

THIS is RED

Asshole stole my shoes

Calle Profesor Miguel Salinas

Atop the roof

The sky

The part of the city to which I've never been

2011-September-27: Day 43

Officially in Cuernavaca and receiving the royal hospitality treatment from Samantha! I decide to cruise the town while she's at work, so we leave the house (I dunno...9 o'clock?) and I cruise around, stumbling upon the mercado, while she veers off toward IMSS. The mercado is spectacular, huge, and a fabulous place for getting lost--which I tried my best to do. I found a myriad of cool things, but bought none. I then went back to the centro around lunch time and used the internet whilst eating cheesecake in a little cafe that was quite inexpensiveness for its poshness.

Look closely and you'll see me!

Sunshine + Leaf

Flower + Dew

Texture + Color

Hello Kitty!  Umm, you're kinda scaring me though...

Whatevs

Pretty!

Wall

"Stop looking at me, Swan!"

Trizzash

At the cafe, with my internet, I receive word from Sam that she and her coworkers plan on having pizza for lunch, in about an hour, so I finish up and head down south, exploring new Cuernavacan alleyways along the way. I then make a U-turn onto Boulevard Benito Juarez and head north, passing a pizza place along the way which just happens to be housing Sam and four coworkers. So I wait with them, we take the pizza back to IMSS, and eat and talk the rest of the workday away. Mexican style. Sam and I return to the apartment and relax a bit, then I think I wanted to return to the mercado for eggs and ham (and longaniza, which I never used...), so we did and it was fun and I think that's the end of the day mainly because I can't remember and it was a long time ago.