Parque Ecologico Chapultapec

Salutations family and friends! 

A few weeks ago we decided an escape from the city-life in Cuernavaca was in order. And so we readied our covered wagon...

...and headed on down to PARQUE ECOLOGICO CHAPULTAPEC! It was such a pleasant day! The park itself was green and lush (compared to the rest of the country, it's dry season here in Mexico), full of palms, leafy green plants, and the biggest flowers you've ever seen! There was also a small zoo exhibit with birds, chimps and even a dog! 

This one's for Sonja. I'm convinced the peacock is her spirit animal. 

Also for Sonja and her dirty mind. No, you sick person, 'moleste' means 'to annoy' or 'to bother!'

Sleepy guy...

Look out below!!!  :)

The animal facility was housed in a giant, bird cage-like structure. NEAT-ure at it's best!! 

In case you've forgotten what we our faces look like!

May this picture show you (and maybe make you a little jealous of) how perfect a Mexican February can be! You never need to check what the weather will be like as it remains a sunny 80 degree day, everyday. Sometimes there will be a cloud or two, or even an overcast day. The nights have been cool and sometimes require a jacket. Other than that, not too shabby!

Ah, young love....or should I say, a little too young? Too bad Andrea and Obed got yelled at by the security guard and had to get off! 

There was even a petting zoo! 

What kind of honest person would I be if I didn't reveal Andrea's true self? 

Best cuzins 4eves!

There they go again...

That's right! Our camera has a fish-eye lens!!

It was truly a wonderful and relaxing day! Much needed after a long week of teaching. After the park we went to a taqueria (taco shop) for pastor! Pastor is amazing. Maybe it is made and eaten in the southern United States, but overall, it's very specific to Mexico. Bright red, marinated pork is thinly sliced and stacked on a vertical spit. It is then flame roasted and the sides are shaved off to be put into tacos, or in our case, on a torta (tortas are like hoagie sandwiches!). So very delicious and I wish you could all try a bit! We didn't take this picture, but you need to see it to believe it!

Since we're talking about grub, here is a spinach strata Andrea made for us! She's the best!

And to end, here is the gang hanging out on the balcony! Obed brought his guitar over for Matt to play, while old-man-Andrea (note the pipe) watches over...

Hasta luego! 

Destination: Tepoztlán

Last Saturday, our little family (Matt, Marissa, and Andrea) took a day trip to the 'magic town' of Tepoztlán! Magic towns in Mexico are kept very nice and clean because they are frequently visited by tourists. The main attraction of Tepoztlán is the ancient pyramid that you can not only view, but climb as well! Our bus ride from Cuernavaca was a little less than an hour, and upon arrival, we were greeted with paths of cobble-stoned streets. Many shops and sellers were displaying crafts, jewelry, clothes, food, alcohol, and other regional goods to the passerbys. Our destination was the pyramid, which took us a good hour's hike to the top!

It being a Sunday, there were many people ascending and descending the mountain. We saw many folks from various parts of the world, and also witnessed people of all ages. From parents with babies held at their hips to elderly women with canes, everyone was making their way to the top (or bottom!). 

So close! The pyramid is just on top of this cliff! 

It was perfect weather for a hike, sunny and breezy, and not a cloud in the sky! 

This is where we were perched when we snapped the pictures below: 

Happy (and tired) hikers!

The descent wasn't so bad, Andrea knew 'the local's' way out, which was a path through the woods. Much more manageable, and far less rocky! We continued to walk through the streets and to the outdoor market. We were too tired to take pictures but we did get one of our lunch:

You guess correctly, crunchy grasshopper quesadillas! 

After all, we gotta regain all that protein after mountain climbing! :)

El Carnival

Here goes nothing, post number two! Marissa here, wanting to share my amazing day with you! This very day, Andrea, her boyfriend Obed, and I ventured to the nearby town of Jiutepec. Beginning this past weekend is a series of traveling carnivals throughout the Mexican state of Morelos (also where Cuernavaca is located, don't-cha-know!?). 

The festivities celebrate historical and religious aspects of Mexican culture. From what I learned via Obed (and the Internet), the carnival takes place in various towns and cities, up until the week before Ash Wednesday. Many people attend to dance with 'los chinelos,' which are people dressed in elaborate costumes meant to represent and mock the early Spaniards who came to Mexico. It blends the image of early Europeans with the colors and embellishments of indigenous traditions. In Jiutepec, the carnival took place in it's plaza, beautifully adorned with colorful 'papel picado,' as you can see below:

As you can see, it was an unusually cloudy and cool day! This made for gloomy pictures, but made the dancing much more bearable! 

Here is a statue of un chinelo in the plaza,

followed by the real life versions! 

These cool costumed cats had a roped off area of their own to get down and boogie! 

But there was plenty of room for everybody to dance! The parade was followed or led by a local marching band, and everyone packed in like sardines while they moved their way down the street. 

My favorite were the dressed-up kids, so dang cute!

Two great videos above!

Another popular feature of the carnival is this! It's a liter of beer, with a smear of 'michelada' around the rim. Michelada is a spicy and sweet chili sauce, that mixes in with the liquid as you take many, many sips! It was obvious to see who had drank the most by how red their lips and teeth had become! Don't worry, we shared one of these three ways! 

Check out this makeshift cotton candy machine! 

Not only was this the biggest balloon of cotton candy ever...

...it was also blessed by the overlooking Our Lady of Guadeloupe! How could we pass that up?!

The Wisconsin State Fair is really behind on this human hamster mechanism! 

My goal is for no blog post to be published without the mention of food. This is 'elote,' corn on the cob (boiled, but even better roasted!) and smothered in a lime-mayo, rolled in grated cheese, and sprinkled with chili powder! Don't knock it 'til you try it, trust me! 

 Finally, due to the readers' requests for more pictures of myself (actually, it was only my mom who asked that...) here I am, dimple aglow, with some chinelos! Too bad I am almost as tall as them, even with their hats on! :) 

Wish you all could have been here! 

¡Bienvenidos!

Well...there wasn't really an iguana in the bathroom. But when you are from the Wisconsin/Minnesota region, a small lizard above the sink takes on the form of a giant reptile! This was just one of the momentous events that occurred during our first week in Cuernavaca, Mexico. So far we have settled into our new apartment, begun observing at the school where we will be teaching, and have pleased our palettes with many Mexican dishes!

Our first glimpse of Mexico via the plane window! Cuernavaca is a valley, and so the southern part of the city is considerably warmer than the north.

This is Andrea (Marissa's cousin), but you can call her "Big 'Drea." She hails from Florida and has been living in Cuernavaca for four months! She got us the teaching positions at the Cuauhnáhuac Institute of Languages and Cultures. We'd be lost without her!

Here she is, with Matt, in a cafe appropriately titled Cafe del Gringas (a gringo or gringa is someone from the United States). Here we feasted upon huevos rancheros, enchiladas verdes, and chilequiles. Sorry, no pictures of the food :(

Andrea took us to a park in the Centro (city center), it was a perfect getaway from the busy streets.

                 Meanwhile, Matt magnificently models in Mexico...

   Saaaah Happaaay!

    So very, very, VERY happy!!

   I DEMAND HAPPINESS NOW!!!!!

Now that's settled, let's take a stroll through the school's entrance. Or should we say paradise?!

Walking to early morning class! Classes take place from 8-9:30 a.m., while the rest of the classes occur in the evenings. This is because many of the students work or go to school in the day, and are only able to take their English courses at this time. 

The school also requires students to take 4 workshops a month, which are led by the teachers. They are more like specialized presentations, ranging from 'Redneck Culture' to 'Art Appreciation.' We can also write our own workshops, so if anyone has any suggestions or ideas, please share! 

Though you can't swim in this pool, it's still pretty darn awesome the school has one.

This classroom resembles a small chapel! All the rooms are open and sunny like this! We will include pictures of our very own classrooms in a later post. 

This one speaks for itself....yikes-a-bee! 

This is the extremely empty apartment! Andrea's two previous roommates had all the furniture, and it went with them after they moved! And so, we are trying to think of creative ways to furnish/decorate without accumulating a lot of stuff...which, we discovered, is actually quite a contradicting idea! We'll probably pull a Kara and Erik, and sit on the floor for everything! 

But whatta view, eh??

Every morning, we hear the rooster cock-a-doodle before sunrise! He lives in this coop, though Matt's friend Tony believes we will be fed the rooster before our stay is through! 

Which brings us to 'la comida' (the food)! So far, our favorite part of Mexican life. Many of the restaurants are run by families out of small hole-in-the-wall places, and have picnic style chairs and tables set up outside. Here, we had late night fried quesadillas. That's right, deep friend tortillas filled with beans, cheese, mushrooms, and chicken, topped with salsa, crema, fresh cilantro and lime! 

'Agua frescas' are also very popular and beyond delicious! Here we were having lunch at a neighboring restaurant to the school called 'Luma's.' This cucumber-lime water is wonderfully refreshing on a 85 degree day in Cuernavaca, ahhhhh....

Matt ordering his food, in Spanish! Muy bien, Matthew. 

There do not seem to be any food restrictions or rules for vendors here in Mexico. Which means the risk of Montezuma's Revenge runs a bit higher, but it is worth every delicious bite! Besides, everywhere you eat is truly homemade and feels like you have your very own 'abuelita!' 

Here, Marissa ordered gorditas frijoles! See that avocado slice? The woman who took our order brought over the biggest avocado in the world, and with her small machete, sliced off a chunk for all of us. She also let us sample a piece of chicken off someone else's plate, right before she served it to them!!!

We repeat, no rules. 

(Note: we were not under water, but rather sitting under a blue tarp).

This fierce face is here to let you know, we are going to work really, really hard to continuously document our adventures here in Cuernavaca and throughout Mexico. Here's to many more weeks just as great as the first one!  

We love and miss you all! 

¡Hasta luego!