Feliz Navidad!

I can't believe Christmas is here! The last few months have passed so quickly! It's going to be a quiet Christmas this year, just Jose and I! I did buy some Christmas lights for the house but when i got home, only every other bulb works and the only setting is on off on off on off on off, so when you yurn the lights off in the living room it feels like a rave. I also bought a poinsettia *Noche Buena in mexico, they are actually native to Mexico and Central America. Today I am going to make meatballs... not very traditional but maybe a new one for us. Jose has to work today until one so i am happily going to be doing Christmas makeup and hair... I've actually been excited all week haha. I hope everybody has a really great Christmas, I send all my love to my family... next year I promise!


So now it's the 27th... part 2! here are some pictures from our weekend.
x


My poinsettia 

Christmas eve :-) con tequila

Goat cheese with honey and patatas bravas... very good!

Love you my man in pink

Going to an italian restaurant all dressed up

It's been 3 weeks...

So I haven't written a blog in over 3 weeks... mostly because I haven't had anything too exciting to blog about and after my mum and dad left i did like 6 blogs in 2 hours.. and I just felt a bit blogged out. Anyway, life has been pretty normal for the last few weeks. Very busy with work but things are starting to slow down now Christmas is coming, most of the students take 2-3 week vacations, which is great for them but bad for me because I will be making no money for a few weeks!
So i am trying to think of things that are interesting that have happened... We went to see Harry Potter, I actually liked it, usually i feel quite bla toward those films but I really loved the story of the 3 brothers, I think that's why I like the movie haha. We found a really great Indian restaurant finally! I have been craving Indian food for months now so we checked the internet, we went, we ate and we loved it! We had pupadums which is probably spelt wrong and Farhaz told me that is the incorrect word anyways, we had chicken pakora, butter chicken, a coconut chicken thing and then strange milk dough lumps for dessert that were also very yummy. I bought a new long white coat that I am very excited about-although I'm too scared to wear it incase it gets dirty, but i LOVE it. I switched from a cappuccino to a mint tea at starbucks, but for tea they don't ask for your name so i haven't been Ana for a while, quite sad. I saw a car crash last week, well actually i was about 2 metre from it and the car hit the other car from the back and then the car spun around in a circle... except very strange, the lady who was hit, spun in her car, stopped cried, then shout to the other driver something along the lines of F*** you, you something or other and then sped away although her car was completely crushed at the back. Then the guy who hit her went chasing after her although the front of his car was smashed up.... it was very odd and I think i just stood watching in amazement.
I have actually been going to the gym again, only a few times a week but its been about a month now and i am feeling much better, I really hate going in the evening so i go during the day and the it's empty at that time which is even better.
Ok well I think we might be going to a concert this weekend and I really want to go on a picnic.. I will be sure to blog about it though!
bye

Day cinco

The next morning we spent some time by the Angel, it was Sunday so Reforma was closed and everybody was riding bikes and skating. We then took them to an Antiques market, where i knew they would both be in "old smelly furniture heaven." Dad found some very graphic ancient artifacts which he took photos off and giggled like a 5 year old and then said "lots of bottoms and bosoms in here!"

We had lunch at a great french restaurant called cluny's in a place called San Angel. The streets still have original cobble stones and it feels much older than the rest of the city. I think by this point we were all a bit "food-ed out" as we put it. The food is really really good and the sweet German wine that I chose was even better. I left feeling like a little fat piggy.

We then went down town again and took some amazing pictures of the church. Because of the lakes that used to be under mexico City, the ground is quite unstable and when you walk into the church you can see that it is wonky and all to one side because it is actually sinking. It is an incredible church but quite busy and touristy. Because this week is 100 years since revolution, they have put on the most incredible light show in the square. The church was lit up with all different colours and it looked amazing. On the way home I got a nice cuddle from a horse and then we went back to their hotel and order room service, which was horrible, apart from dad's mushroom soup, which of course was the best mushroom soup ever.
It was really horrible saying goodbye at the airport, I get anxious their anyway because i have had to say goodbye to Jose many times there. I think they had a really good time and they were completely surprised by Mexico City. It was so nice to have them here, I love spending time with them. They are very generous and kind and i am luck to have them. love you both lots x
p.s my favourite quote of the trip - "Leanne, I want you to explain that i am growing a beard for Movember (prostate cancer month) not because I want to look like a wally"

Day cuatro

We decided to take them to a place called Xochimilco, which is a district south of the city, which is famous for its canals. Of there were loads of traffic on the way, but when we arrived Jose and I couldn't quite remember our way to the part where you take the boat canals from. There were men all around the car trying to get us to come to their boats... basically a very typical Mexican situation, it is chaotic and a little bit intimidating of you are not used to it. At some point we were following a man around on a bike that claimed to be from the tourism department... who knows. We got to one canal area that seemed suspiciously small and .. well we were the only ones there. We clambered onto the boat which seemed to be in a state of decay. After the gave us a price of 1400 pesos for an hour and a half we said on ya bike mate and then we all clambered back out. I could see that my parents we a little dubious of the situation and at this point I just wanted to drive away, or better said, make Jose drive away. Eventually we got to a nice launching area, we agreed on a good price and away we went on the rickety boat down the canal. It turned out to be fantastic time. Lots of boats full of families, attached to their boats that had mariaichi bands. There was food and music everywhere, the weather was great and we took some very colourful pictures.

After the boat ride we went home, but on the way home we were driving along Reform when a bus pulled out without signalling or looking so we had to brake and then a few seconds later.... bump. My first thought was "I can't believe this, the one time we drive with my parents we have a crash." Nobody was hurt because it wasn't very bad but i got out and it was one of the construction trucks that has about 20 men hanging off the back. He was trying to change lanes and so wasn't looking ahead and so he went into the back of us. Somehow there wasn't a scratch, which was lucky because we were in a hire car. First bumper crash in Mexico City! We then went and had a sleep, Jose and i watched a Mexican version of Ricky Lake, episode: "you adopted me and then you treated me badly" very entertaining.
We then went to the zocaolo to have a look at the church and what not but the crowds were rather big and i think my mum was ever so slightly terrified of crossing the road Mexico City style "find a space and then run for your life".

We finished our day at our favourite Chinese restaurant "P.F Changs". The food is excellent and the waitress spoke English for my parents which resulted in a 15% tip. We shared all of our food which included Dan Dan noodles, duck, chicken and shrimp... we decided to take it easy on the meat.

day tres

Unfortunately Jose had to work on the friday but I took mum and dad on the open top Tourist bus, which may sound cheesy, but the price is great and it's the best way to see lots of different places without having to worry about parking or public transport... which are always my biggest issues in this city.
First they came to see my apartment, and then we took a taxi to the Auditorio where the buses leave from. The taxi driver spent 20 minutes talking about the corruption and drug trafficking problems in Mexico... luckily it was in Spanish!
We saw all of Reforma, Condesa, Roma, Downtown, Polanco and other parts that I didn't know. It was very hot, although we were the only whites smothering ourselves in SPF 30.
We had lunch in a mall called Antara at a restaurant in 50 friends, not the most traditional but it was good to see a salad! Dad then got told off by the security guard because he was taken too many photos of the fountain outside.
That evening, we first went to an irish pub called celtics in Polanco for a light drink... Jose ordered a litre of dark beer.

 We had dinner in a fantastic restaurant called Puerto Madero. We had too wait a while but we got talking to a nice couple who guessed we were not Mexican because my parents were commenting on how warm it was, she guessed Canada first, which which although is not completely true, we have been there over 6 years now so it was a very good guess. Dad absolutely loved the food and expressed his joy at every moment possible. He had fish which he said was the best fish he has ever tried in his life. Me and mum shared some white wine and the boys had red. The service was great, although embarrassing when the waiter came up to me with a serviette because i had creme burl all over the back of my hand, I sort of give up trying to be classy! I think we were all very full and maybe a bit tipsy and giggled all the way home. Excellent day :-)

day dos

I have just realized that all my posts about my parent's trip will be in reverse order... but I guess it doesn't really matter!
The first day we went to a district in the city called Coyocan. It is one of the oldest establishments in the city and really has a small town fell. We got a bit lost on the way but we finally made it and started the day with a really excellent breakfast of eggs, beans, bread, coffee... lots of coffee.
We walked around the town which is so pretty and the highlight is definitely the church. It really is one of the most beautiful that I have seen, the details and painting inside are incredible. We had nieces, which are typical fruit sorbets from Coyocan, although i had an ice cream that was choco choco chips, what can I say, I have a sugar problem.
We then went to the Friday Kahlo museum which I wasn't sure if they would like it because they had never heard of her. They absolutely loved it and my dad is convinced Frida was a hermaphrodite.

I then had to go to my afternoon classes which I managed to get out of, although my parents were able to see the school and meet some of the people that I work with. I love hearing my dad say "Buenoz diazzz" to everyone.
That night we went a spontaneously chosen restaurant in La Condesa called Jolie.. I think. It is was advertising New Latin Food and looked very cozy. The chef is from Argentina (of course) where he travelled from Buenos Aired to Mexico City and learned lots of recipes from all over Latin America. The food was absolutely excellent, My mum had an amazing lamb dish, dad had tuna, Jose had chicken and I   had fish. Me and mum had two Tom Collins and then we got some watermelon shots on the house. The interior is very cool, lots of old furniture and paintings and watching all the waiters trying to say the specials in English was really rather very entertaining.

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.