Parents in the City

I can't believe that my parents have already come and gone.... time goes so quickly :-(
Apart from time going to quickly, the trip with my mum and dad was really good and I am so glad that were able to come to come to Mexico City and see mine and Jose's life.

They arrived on Wednesday night, mum told me they would land about 7.45 so i assumed that they would be through at about 8.30. Of course I had a public transport nightmare. I left my class 15 minutes early just to give me a head start at about 6.30. I decided to take the metro instead of the metro bus because I thought it would be quicker.... very wrong. I waited in a very crowded station for about 15 minutes before a train came but when it did, I was almost taken down my 1000 very determined pushy Mexican ladies, needless to say I couldn't get on. I then waited another 15 minutes and the exact same situation happened again. I went barging through the station so mad and frustrated I'm sure people thought that I was about to committ murder. I got outside in the middle of rush hour, nothing but traffic and full taxis. Finally i managed to get a taxi... it's condition was a little conspicuous but 45 minutes later he had me to the airport, 10 minutes before my mum and dad came walking through.

Our building

Our street

That night we took them to an Argentinian restaurant called Quebracho, where we had excellent meat and two bottles of delicious red wine.... I accidentally didn't make it to me morning class at 7am, oh well.

finally a relaxing weekend!

yay so this weekend was so relaxing, which was great for me, but not so good for my blog. Friday we watched half of a lame movie on TV then went to bed. Saturday I had to makeup a class at 9am... of course I was 10 minutes late but I think that's ok in Mexico hehe. Then we went to the mall and watched a movie called Biutiful with Javier Bardem. It is a movie from a Mexican director called Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, who also made Amores Perros, 21 grams, and Babel. It was quite intense and a bit eery but very clever. The only problem is everyone speaks in accents from Spain which was proving to be quite the challenge, even Jose said at times it was difficult to understand. I have no idea if it is in cinemas in Canada, maybe at more alternative-ish cinemas.

On Sunday we went into the mountains that surround Mexico City to a place called Ajusco. It is about an hour drive going up and about 30 minutes coming down. So close yet you feel like you are so far from a city. It actually feels quite Veracruz like, along the highways and in the smaller towns. People selling so much food and drinks, fruits and vegetables. They have ranch style restaurants, horse riding and you can walk through the woods. We ate a restaurant that served the best food, so traditional and tasty. We laid on the grass and slept in the sun, and then we went to a place that sells strawberries and cream! There are some amazing views of the city but yesterday was a particularly smoggy day unfortunately so it was hard to see but i took some okay pictures. Last night we watched Toy Story 3 which we got for free from our points that we have collected from the department store Liverpool. I love that movie and Jose laughed the whole way through too.

So it is Monday again, I hate that the weekend goes so fast but I am also very excited for this week because my mum and dad are coming to visit on Wednesday!!

4 day weekend!

On Saturday morning we got up quite early, well actually Jose woke me up "Leanne if you want to go to Xalapa you are going to have to get up right now" definitely feeling the effects of the wine, somehow we packed and got ready in about 20 minutes and were on our way to TAPO, the bus  station. We managed to get tickets but had to wait 2 hours at the bus station. We arrived to Xalapa and went straight to Coatepec, where we went to a favourite pizza place called Roma. We ended up having 2 pizzas... but they are so good its hard to stop at just one! That night we went out with Zazyl to a place called Rabbit's.... not the classiest place in Xalapa, actually far from it but that is kind of what gives it its charm. W head a lot of fun dancing and enjoying out 80 peso litter drinks and some hotdogs along the way... a classic Xalapa night. The next day we were with Jose's mum, aunt and grandma for a bit, Jose's grandma says the funniest things. We were having breakfast and his mum and made tamales and eggs and beans and then some fried bananas, which were so nice but Jose doesn't like them, His grandma was completely shocked and said "How?? you don't like fried bananas?? you are Veracruzano!!! its is tradition" Jose's mum told her yes mum but he was born in Mexico City, he is Chilango (A person from Mex City) and she is like ohhhhh well there you go!!! por eso!! she really does believe that if you were born out of the state of Veracruz, even if you have lived there for years and years, it makes sense that you don't like fried bananas. 

On Monday we went to a small town called Naolinco. We went two years ago when we were living in Xalapa with my friends from the extranjero school. It was Dia de los muertos (day of the dead) and it was really foggy and cold and magical... or scary haha but a great place to be on that day. Really made me think of all the good memories from our year in xalapa and I though a lot about my friends that i was there with... quite a nostalgic day! 

Monday we just spent the day in Coatepec, then we went for dinner at our favourite Argentinian restaurant called La Forja, for those who know this place... lots i think haha two things that have changed, they have expanded the place so there is now like an outside patio area, but they took down the original wall with all the comments and now have a new one. Also the owner who we always remember as drinking lots of wine and smoking lots is now married, and brought his wife and 2 month old baby into the restaurant.... how things change! He did remember us which was quite nice although I think i prefer the restaurant when it was really small and he was a wino talking to everyone but constantly slurring! 

I had a really really nice weekend, I really have a soft spot for Xalapa and seeing our old apartment and all the places we used to go made me feel quite sad but in a good way. Sometimes being in the city really makes me crave small town Mexico but I realize that its nice to have really good memories of a really great year! 

Friday night

So we ended up going to a really nice restaurant here in Mexico City called El Corazon de Alcachofa (Heart of Artichoke) on Friday night. It is a beautiful restaurant on a street called Masarik in Polanco. They have a wine expert who helps you choose your bottle of wine.. even if you don't plan to buy a bottle, his pony tail sort of draws you into feeling you should also drink wine and grow long hair. Anyways the food was also nice, Jose had steak and I had ravioli with goat cheese and spinach, we also shared a greek salad which was actually not very traditional but none the less very tasty, I actually forgot my camera but here in a  picture of the outside:

things

1) I am reading a book right now which is called "Norwegian Wood"  by Haruki Murakami, who I have decided is not my favourite author. I also read another brook from his called "Sputnik sweetheart" a few years ago. If you like nostalgic Japanese themed books haha I think you will like it too!


2) I bought a new moisturizer about 2 months ago that said  "Aclara" on it which i assumed meant, clearing. Yesterday I asked Jose if he thought my skin was clearing up and he said "yeah sure" just like a typical man, then he said but why would that cream clear up you skin? so i said uh well jose it says Aclara... this actually means lightening,  so I have been pulling a Michael Jackson and whitening my skin for the past 2 months... strangely enough I haven't noticed any difference, I think the next shade for me would be transparency haha

hot hot hot!!

So I feel that it is necessary to write about the weather... basically it's hot... all day, sweaty hot and I'm starting to struggle. It's quite chilly in the mornings, about 9/10 degrees but by 12 the temperature more than doubles and in the city it's not always fun. Sometimes the bus and metro are so warm its hard to breath. Right now I have a sleeveless top on (very wild).... and the fan on and I'm still hot. People keep saying that it is really unusual this time of year, it is supposed to be quite cool so I am hoping that it does soon! Mum and dad are coming in less than two weeks so I would like the weather to stay for them and then it can leave!


This weekend is Day of the Dead (like the Mexican Halloween but it is a big celebration of life and death - it is not supposed to be scary but unfortunately the influence of the United States with Halloween is really obvious. Strange that Halloween isn't even American yet it seems as though it is.) Anyway this means we get Tuesday off ... which means Monday also because people like to extend their holidays here. Jose and i have hired a car and we are going on a little trip... we are actually just driving to Veracruz but we we feel that if we stop in lots of different places that are not planned, technically it counts as a roadtrip! I am going to make a picnic for the car like my mum used too... all the food would be eaten in the first hour haha. We hope to spend 2 nights in Veracruz, 1 in a small town and 1 in Xalapa but we will just see how it goes. 


Well I hope i have lots of good pictures from the trip for next week!
Que tengan buen fin de semana! x

Surprise Friday and Corona Capital

Beautiful sunset

Yea so I had my first 'boyfriend coming home from a trip earlier than expected surprise' this weekend. On friday I got in to bed at about 10, cool i know, but woke up to loud knocking at the door and Leeannneee, i stumbled out of the bed and Mr Jose was at the door, it was only 11 but it felt like 4am. It was soooo good to see him, and in my confused sleepy state my first thought was... oh my god I haven't shaved my legs since Sunday...
He brought back loads of free stuff from the Expo, shaving cream being one of them! but food, flashlight, water bottles, notebooks, shampoo, loads of cleaning and bathroom products which is great because that's something we wont have to spend money on for a while! Also a good collection of chocolate which will keep me amused this week.
On Saturday we went to a big outside concert/festival, 3 big statges bands form mexico, England and the states... lots of Corona.. but at $70 pesos, i almost fainted ... only had 2, although they were supposed to be doubles but it was more like a corona and a 1/4, It was a really fun day, very very hot and we were there from about 1-10, the day finished with Interpol and then the pixies. If I am honest i didn't know any any of the bands, well except for 2 door cinema club who were really good. We then took our very tired bums to our favourite Italian restaurant, Sangria, Gorfonzola pasta and mushroom pizza... a very good Staurday!
Sunday we did the usually house clean/groceries routine.. update im not drinking milk at the moment, only soya milk, Nanette... the itchy legs are back... im cutting foods to find what causes it! We then went to see Eat Pray Love which I loveddddd, and i know jose did too. it is quite long but I especially loved the Italy part... "The sweetness of doing nothing" Dolce far ninete.... I so want to learn Italian again.. well not again but better that I did last time!
ok well Ciao pescado xxx

Lots of free Chedraui stuff!

Lime and chili chips :-)

Cooling off in the heat!

Boys never grow up..

We pose

keeping it healthy