For some reason as we leave Mexico, the Back Street Boys (or is it N'Synch) song "Bye, bye, bye" is in my head.  I doubt the lyrics of the song have anything to do with leaving a country, but maybe it has some subliminal meaning that I will let you, dear reader, decipher.  

Anyway, it's pretty tough to sum up a whole country, especially considering we saw such a weenie little slice of it, but I'm going to do it anyway.  So if anyone from Mexico says "Hey, it's not like that", then that's probably true as all I have to go on is a 6 week romantic tryst through its expanses.

Culture
Mexico has a great way of being firmly in the present while remembering the past.  Every town has at least some old or restored buildings and there are many places that kept the cobblestone roads intact as well.  It's almost a given that every town has at least one 100+ year old church that hasn't changed much throughout the years. 


There also seems to be a lot of effort to preserve not only the history of the Mexican Revolution, but the spirit of it as well.  It seems as if when there is a current problem, people think back to Emiliano Zapatista or Migel Hidalgo and conjure up their image to help promote their cause, whether it be for land distribution rights or for any grudge against the government.  This would be like having a protest in Chicago where people would make posters saying: "Be like Abraham Lincoln: go protest!".  It sounds absurd in those terms, but Mexico really does strive to keep its rebelliousness attitude alive and well.  Being of the "challenge authority" kind of mindset, I always appreciate a good protest or challenge to the status quo. 


Language
Mexican Spanish is a little more difficult to understand, especially coming from Guatemala, but it does have a way of growing on you.  I particularly like the directness of it, especially people using commands like "Mande" (I mandate you...people use it when they can't hear or understand someone) and "Sale" (leave...usually said when the conversation is finished).  There are some words that I refuse to except they exist such as "alberca" (swimming pool) and "cacahuates" (peanuts) but then again, I also don't like british words such as "lorry" and "lift".  So I guess I'm a language snob, then.

Food
Mmmm...Mexican food.  There's so much variety not only within the country itself, but sometimes within the same city.  I thought that we would eat nothing but beans and rice for a year, but Mexico pulled some culinary delights out of its hat.  In fact, I can't really say that I had a bad meal in Mexico and I never got bored with what I was eating.  Even the most hole in the wall places would have something tasty and filling.


My only complaint about the food was this one foray we had into a place called VIPS.  There was one of these about every other block in Mexico City with large mouth-watering posters advertising heaps of food for a good price.  We decided to try one out for breakfast, only to find out the place was owned by Wal-Mart!  Needless to say, it tasted like Wal-Mart food: it met the minimum standards of tastiness and in return, you didn't pay too much.  But still, damn you Wal-Mart!

Moving Around
Since we are traveling, we spent quite a lot of time getting from point A to B and if there is a more organized Spanish speaking country than this one about their bus system, I would like to see it.  Buses to destinations were always plentiful, on-time, and comfortable.  Just to give you a comparison, to get a bus in Guatemala, you generally wait by a dusty road somewhere and ask all the buses as they go by if they are headed your direction.  If they are, they put your stuff on top of the bus, and you take a seat (if there is one) in a 30 year old school bus that's driven as if it is a Mazda Miata.  Don't get me wrong, that has it's merits, too, but it is always nice to be able to put on some headphones (or watch the on-board movie!) and relax.  The buses quite often blew our budget but it was nice to ride in style while we could.


Mexico Changed Me!
So, here's a picture of me when I entered Mexico (I'm on the left):


Overall, Mexico rocks out with it's...ummm...sombrero out.  I'm glad it's so close to the US so that we can easily come back if we wanted to.  It's like having a really cool neighbor that you want to invite to all of your parties because everyone likes to be around him and he always knows how to have a good time.  Kegger at my place and, Mexico, you're invited!

After 6 short weeks traveling through Mexico, it's time to bid this fare country farewell and head south.    In the next two weeks we'll be passing through Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras to settle in roots for a few months in El Salvador.  More to come about those adventures, for now, we'll get nostalgic about Mexico, and reveal secrets we haven't yet.


Despite leaving the states with no concrete plans to travel in Mexico, it will probably rank high in my list of favorite countries we visit.  The relaxed, true to life people, beautiful scenery, and delicious food would make it an easy place for me to settle in for a while.  Here are some things I learned about Mexico:

Tradition & Celebrations
Mexico is a hugely diverse country where the locals speak dozens of languages (Spanish dominates, but there are oodles of indigenous languages still spoken.)  Towns big and small, this country is rich in tradition.  People here are proud of their indigenous culture, despite the majority of them getting whiped out when the Spanish came.  They love celebrating, too.  Call it a holiday, and it's fiesta time with tequila, loads of people and even more food.  Saints days, revolutionary leaders, remembering the dead, everything is cause for celebration, and Mexicans seem to do it well.  There's no shortage of fireworks either.

Mariachi bands are not a rare site, and it's music that always puts a smile on my face.  It helps that the 10 or more guys all wear matching outfits bedazzled with sparkles and charms on their hats and pantlegs.  I heart them.  Back when Kyle got the guitarron (mariachi bass) lesson, I tried to get him a matching outfit, sadly, it was to no avail.


Oh, yeah, Cinco de Mayo is a national holiday, and celebrates the French getting beaten down after taking over land to get back some money.  It's not nearly as big a deal here as 16 de septiembre, marking the day the spanish rule left Mexico.  So when you see more Mexican flags in September than in May, you'll know why.

Patriotism & Culture
There are big flags here, like those huge mondo ones I started noticing after 9/11.  They fly high over the cities, beaches, wherever, but I see a lot less Mexican flags here than in Chicago and more soccer team banners.  People here seem to be very proud to be Mexican though, and I don't blame them, they're a beautiful people in a beautiful land.


I've seen many a cute chihuahua dogs running around here on cute leashes with even cuter t-shirts, usually with a soccer team on them.  There's not a big dog culture here, because strays can be a problem, so there definitely less pets than back home, but way more chihuahuas than any other kinds of dogs are adored.

Food
The right mole is simply delicious.  The thing about it, is that it's pretty complex to make with lots dozens of ingredients (including chili pepper and cocoa), it's easy to understand how I've had so many versions that went bad back home.  I'll forever be picky about mole and in search of someplace delicious stateside.

Burritos don't exist in Mexico!  Big shocker, right?  I couldn't believe it, but they're just not here.  I hear that they're an American thing.  Tacos are super diverse here with so many different kinds of meat and sauces it's hard to even wrap my head around how many different yummy kinds of Mexican food I've eaten.  Oh, big bonus, cream cheese back home is a substitute for delicious fresh cheeses.  I'm sure they're all cholesterol free too.




Siestas
We stayed in hot dry deserts, cool mountain terrain, and on picture-perfect beaches, and everywhere we went people worked hard.  Granted some of these hard working people were annoyingly trying to sell us bead necklaces and jade masks (special price just for us), but it's normal to work a long day here, say from 8-8; some even start at sun-up in the fields.  That said, siestas are fairly common, and I did see people here and there escaping the scorching mid-afternoon sun leaned against a wall to find shade with their hat pulled down over their face.  Siestas definitely don't = laziness.


Family
Strange to make it to the last on the list, but family is a major deal in Mexico.  It's pretty much the trump card, and it's expected.  Children are very integrated into society here, much more than in the US, and there are far less socially unacceptable places to take a child.  It's not uncommon to see women breast-feeding in public, and there's much more of a sense of a village raising a child here.  Kids have a lot of freedom too, and parents don't seem to have the same fears of kidnappings, cuz the kids are pretty free to run around and have fun.
 
Overall Mexico rocked my socks off, and the US has a pretty super neighbor to the south.  Looking for an affordable place for your next vacation (or to retire) strongly consider Mexico.  It's got so many of the conveniences of home (reliable internet, great highways and bus service, cell phones, etc.) with a much lower price tag and more temperate climates.  Mexico, expect me back.