Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Hey hey! Well, so we've finally been to Veracruz. Sadly, it wasn't really anything special. On thursday night, after our english lesson with the older becarios, some of the consejeros showed up, and we managed to crash a really freaky campfire slash cirus show that was going on over the other side of the camp. Several amusing photos we're taken of us being eaten by a lion, but I think sadly, they were all deleted. Oops.
So we laughed at small children dragging fluffy dogs along on wires and watched the odd firework shoot up, then hit the cabana. We told Andres and Abram and the other two who were there who's names escape me that we were off to Veracruz the next day, and I sat there and listened to them wind me up about the 7/8 hour journey (which was really onley 5 and a half), before we finally crashed about 12ish. Bright and early the next morning we went to school and taught a couple of classes, then we got the bus to the caseta, then to the city, metroed it to the north bus station, ate a quick torta (kind of like, uber toasted sandwiches) and then got on the bus to Veracruz. The journey was kind of boring, and it went really misty at one point, but I watched casino royale in spanish and napped a bit.
We landed at Veracruz about 8ish, and hopped in a taxi to a hotel that we were told was bastante fea. A bit ugly. But, only a tenner each for two nights, and even though you could technically open the door without the key by pushing open the window slats and sliding your hand through, it didn't matter. It was clean and central, and there was nothing worth stealing anyway.
Lizzie and I went for a drink in the square and for something to eat, then we wandered round whilst we waited for ed to get there, taking in the delights of a band outside a photo gallery playing samba stylee smells like teen spirit. I almost wet myself laughing. We checked out the market and the port too, but it was really dead, even for a Friday night, so we headed back to the hotel via a supermarket. When Ed arrived, we hunted for a burger or something, and ended up eating some top notch tacos al pastor, kind of like tortillas with lamb and pinapple, smelt amazing, so we had to get them.
In the morning, we grabbed some bread from the bakery across the street and had a quick drink at the massive, and famous (apparently) cafe del gran parroquia. You get given a glass with a bit of coffee in, and then you're supposed to tap it with your spoon so that the guy with the huge kettle of milk comes and fills your glass. Some cool marimba playing also.
We then wandered along the front, it was really cloudy and drizzling. We could have been in blackpool. We walked past all the various stalls selling everything you could imagine, and the small boys willing to dive into the sea after small change etc. and we found the acuario, and of course, Matias the gardener having recommended it to us, we had to check it out. Many fishes and sharks etc. although not quite as impressive as the blue planet, it was fun nontheless.
We then questioned several people which bus we needed to take to get to morcambo beach. All the beaches get cleaner and prettier as you travel further south, the sand up near the town was quite oily. We made it to morcambo, and ditched the shoes and paddled along the beach for a bit. After declining several offers of tables and chairs on the beach (you have to pay stupid money to sit on them) we finally managed to barter one for free as long as we bought a coconut and watched ed try and swim but chicken out. We also ate these really nice pasty pie things, ham and pinapple with sugar round the outside. Dead nice.
We saw a tent for the cirque du soleil en route, and tried to see if there were tickets, but no, so we went back to town and wandered round the shops for a couple of hours, before we went back to the hotel, showered, and went out for some fish a la veracruzana at the parroquia cafe. It was well nice. Packed in the cafe, but hey.
We checked out the market again, it was well busier on the saturday night, then sat in the hotel for the evening, I fell asleep, completely shattered.
In the morning, we headed to the bus station and dropped our bags, then got the bus to the boca del rio, one of the beaches furthest south, and sat at a 20peso table for a bit taking in the sun, which had finally decided to shine! I paddled in my shorts and got soaked by a huge wave, so I gave up trying to stay dry and just went for it. I dried out after about an hour. We ate more nice pasty thingies, and I had a mango cut like a flower type thing covered with chili salt and lime. Mmmmm.
We then had to head back to the bus station to catch the buses home, ours was like, uber 1st class (we only got it cos it went to the south bus station and it meant we wouldn't have to go on the metro in the dark). It had male and female loos, ace films and a free refreshement. Very nice indeed.
We got back to mexico city in time for the 9 o'clock bus back to tepoztlan, and got back to the camp around 10. What a weekend.
This week has been quite eventful too. On monday, a load of americans from the university of kentucky showed up to play with the becarios and stuff. They were all fairly friendly, but only a few of them could speak any decent spanish. They made flower things with the kids, and then we had a bit of a choice between footy, basketball and kickball. I went for basketball, and we had an epic match, about 10 on each team. I haven't been that sweaty for quite a while. It was a laugh though. I way prefer basketball to netball, you can shove people and its allowed (I think).
In the evening, we had a bit of a game where we had to collect cards from 1 to 9 with our team symbol on, which basically involved constant running from corner to corner of the camp for an hour (our team won!) and doing really wierd challenges like singin 'la cucaracha' and rolling over each other in a line. The americans in my team didn't have a clue what was going one. It was great telling them we had to run back to where we'd just come from! haha, their faces! Mind you, I had to hold onto the hand of Monserrat all the way round cos she was scared of the dark, and lift her up and down big steps. Jeez. Who knew a 7yr old would weigh so much. We had a campfire, some amusing songs, and then we had a bit of a thankyou speech session with some appauling translation, and Ali saying thankyou in about 18 different ways, then it was time for bed.
Tuesday was just as eventful. Lizzie and I (after avoiding it for a month) had to work in the farm, feeding the rabbits and the ducks and chickens. Fortunately, the water supply wasn't working, so we didn't have to clean out the pond, BUT, the only rabbit that has ever bitten anyone happened to bite me when I was feeding it. Little rascal.
I showed my bite to Alfredo (farmer) and he said to go and find the key to the infermary and disinfect it. So we trekked to find the keyholder, came across a cleaner in the dining room who went to ask admin alfredo for the key who also happened to be inthe dining room, and after Al looked at my arm, he decided that I needed to go to the medical centre. Argh. Just for a rabbit bite. What an idiot I felt.
The nice nurse cleaned my minisule bit, and gave me a tetanus shot, and the doctor lady gave me anitbiotics (which look like horse tranquilizers), and I got a bandage thingy and we went back to camp. I wanted to tell all the becarios a story about resucing a baby from a huge dog, but saying a rabbit bit me was easier.
The dispensa wasn't too bad, Lizzie and I busied ourselves with dividing 3 boxes of loose oreos into plastic bags, so we avoided all the bossy old ladies.
Wednesday morning, we had the class from hell. The 5th year was fine, they made easter cards (you ar the best ticher), but the 6th class. ARGH! 15 mins from the end, we gave up, yelled at them all to get outside NOW, and made them stand in a line along the wall in silence for 15 mins. I so wanted to laugh. Every now and then, we yelled at them to stand up and be quiet, and when the class was over, we told their tea her that we couldn't take any more and didn't want to teach the class.
We went to talk to the head, and she said that she would sit in on the lesson with us after the holidays. Thank god.
Anyway, all that happened yesterday afternoon (after we pro-raked our patch of garden in olnly 45 mins), was another quick basketball game, a quick rules of cricket english lesson (We`re going to play it this afternoon) and some arm wrestling with the older lads over supper. I so nearly won. Although the only time I did win, I pretended to take my watch off and slammed Japo`s hand down! HA!
Off to Guadalajara this weekend, then puerto vallerta, holiday time!
Hasta luego
- comments