My Main Jam!

When I decided to extend my trip in Mexico, I was forewarned by one of the volunteer coordinators that it would be really hard to leave after an extended stay, and she sure was right.

I never expected to meet really great, awesome friends from all over the world here in Mexico but that's pretty much what's been happening. I made a really really great friend at a crucial time during my journey and her name is Bek, short for Rebekah. She's a kick-ass awesome chick from the great state of Washington, think Seattle not white house.

It has been beyond a luxury to have a great friend who actually understands me here. As you can imagine, being a head-strong, gringa in a house full of indigenous young Mexicans with varying levels of English can be a challenge. So, it was so nice to have a really great friend to reassure me that I wasn't losing my mind :)


She understands the frustrations that come with not being able to understand Spanish as quickly as one would like, and  how different it is being so far away from home. (Mexico isn't too far away in terms of mileage, but in terms of lifestyle, daily routines even jokes, it can feel like another planet at times.)

She also knows how blessed we are to have the opportunity to live in another country, and have that country be as amazingly wonderful as Mexico.

She's the best wingWOMAN ever! She took a bullet for the team when we hung out with my crush and two of his super annoying friends.  She was always  willing to lend a listening ear and good advice.

If it was the end of the night and I was out of cash, she'd loan me the cash to take a cab home, just so I wouldn't have to walk.

If I was late to the party, which I usually am, she'd wait for me and make sure the group didn't make any big decisions for the night with out me.

She helped me with my spanish!!

When I was annoyed with a mutual friend, she listened to my side and gave me her honest opinion.

She introduced me to La Cruz, the black market here in Queretaro and we drank a milkshake out of a bag!!! (it's more gangster that way, picture a clear plastic bag with a straw)

WE WATCHED OLD SEASONS OF The REN AND STIMPY show!!!!  A show that I'm so happy I revisited as an adult because it's hysterical,  and totally inappropriate for children. Did you know that the sound track for the show incorporated really good music like from all sorts of genres from classical to jazz and swing? That's right, it went waaay beyond Happy Happy Joy Joy-- which still jams btw.

Anyhoo, needless to say I was heartbroken when she told me she some asses to kick back home in the U.S. and she had to go back with in a week! I was so sad, I cried. The tears just flowed and flowed, it was crazy! I think I'm a lot more emotional here because of the sun. But yep, I cried, it was just too sad that the bestest friend I made here has to go home, and soon I'd be back on my own.

I came here on this trip by myself to prove that I could do it. I'm a 25 year old woman, living in a foreign country where I'm not fluent in the language,  and Lord knows I've gained some Phoenix feathers by being here.

 Although I had to travel around the world to find her, I'm so glad that we now know each other, and instead of being sad that our time here in Mexico is finished, I'm grateful that it happened.

Bek, I miss you so much girl but I'll see you back home in the states!

Me and Bek with part of the crew #LostBoys Photo by Joel Maurico Perez Cano

Phenomenal Fish Tacos!

Marisqueria Pastuer 32 Sur, Queretaro Qro. That is the address to the restaurant of your dreams.

These fish tacos were so damn good I decided to write a blog post for them. We stumbled upon this place by accident, I walked past it quite often but didn't know it was a restaurant. Anyways, one afternoon the crew and I decided to go inside. Sophie already knew exactly what she wanted. "Fish tacos-- 2 fish tacos to be exact.  When her fish tacos arrived, her food came first because she was the most decisive she squeezed some fresh lime juice on top and started feasting. "If I could eat just one thing for the rest of my life they would be fish tacos." She offers me a bite. They're delicious. Absolutely delightful. "Every time I come here I cry." she continues. " These fish tacos remind me of the fish tacos near my home in Ensenada." I ordered two of my own and add the lime juice and a little chipotle sauce. They're delicious. Crisp, juicy, crunchy, lightly salted and gone too soon.

These fish tacos are really really good ya'll. They're made fresh when you order. These tacos are flaky, delicious skin on the outside and succulent delectable fish on the inside. For only 15 pesos each. Which is $1.20!!!!!!!! 

Inside of Marisqueira. 

They're made with salt, pepper, flour baking soda and Marlin fish. The red cabbage adds the perfect crunch.

Welcome to paradise. The inside of the delectable fish taco. 

We also ordered the ceviche with shrimp. It was so good. They only gave us two crackers. 

Meditating in a Temazcal!

Do you know what a Temazcal (tay mask al) is? I myself never heard of such a thing until my friend Rosa, invited me to join her for one. She described it as a mystical experience, that would leave me feeling purified, tranquil and restored.

As she continued to describe the Temazcal, I pictured an outdoor sauna, with slabs of smooth rocks underneath us, and a soft, foaming water fountain flowing behind us.

As I woke up the day of the Temazcal, I grabbed a towel put on some gym shorts and headed out the door. The only thing Rosa told me to bring was a towel and some cookies or a snack to share. After the meditation we were to share a meal with the other people inside the Temazcal with us.

My vision was so off! Turns out this Temazcal was a clay tee-pee with a frame made of sticks.

So to answer the original question, what in Sam Hill is a Temazcal?

A Temazcal is a sauna-like structure that originated in MesoAmerica. For those of you who slept through geography class like me, I've included a map.

MesoAmerica includes: Mexico to Belize, Costa Rica, Guatamala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicoraguaga. The  indigenous people here started the tradition. Originally it was used to purify and cleanse the body after battle or after a ceremonial ball game. In the U.S. there are some Native American groups that use Temazcals as well.

Here we're prepping for the Temazcal. It's a lengthy process that can take up to an hour.

Rosa chopping the wood. 

The wood is chopped and laid out like this. 

The purpose of our trip to the Temazcal was to cleanse our bodies, minds and spirits. Inside the Temazcal you share what you'd like to get rid of, and you leave it in the Temazcal, and the fire literally burns it out of you.

The rocks are laid strategicly on the wood, then set on fire. 

This is how the ceremony works.

First you  must ask for permission for yourself, your entire family and all of your ancestors to enter the Temazcal. Then you must kiss the ground in front of the Temazcal before entering the sacred space.  Once inside you chant and ask for the person outside to close the door. Puerta! Once you say puerta the door is closed and it is pitch black. You can't see anything.

 The rocks are hot because they are set on  fire in layers. The biggest rocks are at the bottom and are the hottest because they are the closest to the fire.  There are four rounds with each round getting hotter than the last (except for the fourth round which is after the hottest round.)

 This cross is used to pray in the four cardinal directions before starting/enterting the Temazcal. 

 During the first round you say prayers for your family and your ancestors. Everyone takes a turn and after you are finished with your turn you have to chant El es Dios( He is God). If the heat gets too hot you are instructed to put your face to the Earth because the air is coolest down below. Also after each person prays you sing a song with the group. Most of the group songs were traditional spanish songs so I didn't know the words. When it was my turn to sing, I sang Man in the Mirror rip M.J. and James Brown's I feel Good. I don't know why those were just the songs that came to mind. The great thing is that the other people in the Temazcal knew the words and sang along with me! Ah, the power of music.

The rocks being set on fire. 

In between the rounds we passed around a pitcher of iced fruit water. The water tasted so good and absolutely amazing.

Oh, I forgot to mention, once you're in the Temazcal you can't leave!

 The third round is the most brutal. We were all (4 of us in total) on the floor trying to stay calm. During that round you have to say what you want to leave behind. I left behind self-doubt and distrust.  I also left behind worrying about the unknown. During this round the heat was so hot that I screamed out in pain, and that's when the owner of the Temazcal put his body right in between mine and the rocks.

That was one of the most beautiful things I've ever experienced in my whole entire life. This complete stranger who doesn't even know me put his entire body right near the fire to protect me.

By the fourth round I was so ready to jet. I didn't want to be there but the fourth round was much easier than the third.

Had to change my clothes to enter the Temazcal. 

Afterwards when it was all over, I felt incredible. I was overflowing with gratitude. I also felt fearless and more self-assured.

Raw Yucca flowers. 

Sauteed Yucca flower petals. 

After the Temazcal we ate an actual flower called the Yucca flower. One of the people in the Temazcal said it was a gift from the gods, the flowers bloom only once a year. It had an interesting, somewhat bitter taste.

The Temazcal was definately the craziest thing I've ever done in my life!!! But it was a worth while experience.

Rosa told me we were lucky it was just the four of us in there because if there were more people there wouldn't have been space to lay down!!! Also, if there were more people we would have had LONGER rounds while we waited for everyone to finish their prayers. The Temazcal we went to can hold up to 16 people!

Rosa says she's going back again to the Temazcal, she invited me to join her but I think one Temazcal is enough for this chick.