The trip: Ten days in Mexico

The travel companions: my friend Beth, one of her delightful daughters Sydney (also my friend and nearly six months pregnant), and her Husband Lalo who is born and raised in the main places we are to visit in Mexico.

The trip began with a trip down memory lane, as right there in the Denver airport concourse, there are photos and memorabilia of airlines and their staff over the years. We took a moment to stop and take a photo of three generations of Adam’s women as Beth’s mom is there in remembrance as large as life.

The plane ride to Mexico City was good. We flew AeroMexico airlines and like much of this trip, it was a mix of the past and ‘the now’ combined. All the seats reclined and there was free food and free full beverage service as well. Not that I often drink on a plane, but I can’t even remember the last time I was offered a beer on a plane and wouldn’t have to pay stadium prices for it. The plane was not full and I had entire row to myself. Everyone on the plane was good with masks (I have flown in the past year where people were taken off the plane for not abiding). They also unboard the plane by rows and everyone actually sat until their rows were called and it wasn’t the free for all that is always the case on domestic flights. Quite amazing.

Flying into Mexico City was jaw dropping at how big it was. I can only imagine that living in Mexico City is like living in your own small country. You could never explore each corner and area. It is a high plains city surrounded by mountains, so it is cooler there than the coastal regions. The view shown in the photo below would be the same no matter which direction you were viewing as you literally cannot see the entire city no matter what your viewpoint is.

We had a two hour layover in Mexico City and found a nice little bar and ordered Margaritas for Beth and I while Lalo had coffee and Syd had a little cheesecake. The flight from Mex Cty to Veracruz was only just short of an hour, but again there was a quick snack and beverage service.

Lalo’s parents picked us up and took us back to the house that Lalo’s sister Paola lives with her two delightful children Matias and Meranda. It was after 10:00pm, but They had procured many different meat tacos – pastor, different porks, some kidney and something else that I couldn’t identify and they couldn’t think of a translation for – but still delicious – and salsas and onions with cilantro and limes and fresh corn tortillas. It was fantastic.

Paola spoke some English with us, but Spanish was the main mode of communication. I had never taken any Spanish classes in school, so my immersion into Spanish had begun . Meranda, who is almost five and doesn’t speak any English, would come over and speak to me so earnestly. I would try to discern what she was conveying, but alas I always needed one of my interpreters. I decided that given time, I could likely learn Spanish much more quickly being with her – as those dark beautiful eyes conveyed so much on their own and well, she, being young, spoke much simpler than all the grown ups with their rapid fire conversations. Lalo and Sydney translated most everything that Beth and I couldn’t catch on our own. (which in my case was everything)

After catching up with the family, we headed over and checked into a nearby hotel that they had booked for us. We were told it was on the coast and facing the beach, but it was dark and cloudy and we couldn’t see anything as it was now 1:00am and the hotel did not light up the back of the space. Luzma, Lalo’s mom, had given us her car to use, so we said we would wake whenever it naturally happened and then go explore Veracruz in the morning and some of the afternoon. We would then meet up once more with the family for the main meal – 4:00 pm or so.

Slumber came easily after a full day of travel.