Hola Amigos,

The oh-so-enthusiastic travellers, Eric and Natia, have once again ecstatically set foot on foreign land !

This year, our target is the not-so-far off from home but just as wild and wonderful Mexico -- Actually, it is just an excuse for us to speak spanish regularly again and to discover new land and culture!!

We landed in Mexico city last week (wow, it's already been a week!) with a multitude of other expectations for our big Mexican journey -- See the Day of the Dead celebrations, check out ancient ruins across the country, try out the traditional hot chocolate of Oaxaca, explore the lush southern state of Chiapas (yes, I have not seen enough rainforests yet!), discover underwater stalagmites and stalactites by cave scuba diving, and try all the different types of food Mexico has to offer!!

DAY OF THE DEAD CELEBRATION IN PATZCUARO
Our arrival a week before Halloween was set purposefully to prepare ourselves for Mexican celebration of the Day of the Dead (Dia de Muertos) in the Patzcuaro area (State of Michoacan), on the evening of Nov 1st (the same day as the christian holiday All Saints Day).

On the night of Nov 1st, families across Mexico (and several Latin American countries too) celebrate their ancestors by preparing their favourite food and drink, traditional day of the dead food (day of the dead bread and sugar skulls), bringing it to the cemetery and dressing up the cemetary with tons of flowers (mostly marigolds), candles, and offerings (traditional and preferred foods, plus often a big bottle of Tequila!).

The family either makes a prayer for their dead family members and leaves, or they stay up all night next to the tomb in 7 degrees celcius with only the heat from the candles keeping them warm (almost Toronto weather during the day right now!... but not quite as cold...brrr.). Alternatively, some families create shrines (big piles of food, flowers and lit candles with a picture of the passed-on individual) in their houses to commemorate the dead (maybe it's just too cold outside for some people).

Even though we paid about $40 CAD for a tour that started at 7pm and ended at 4am (visiting five small towns and included dinner), we felt very privileged to be allowed in one lady's home whose husband had just recently passed away and in cemeteries where people were mourning and celebrating their dead family members.

Working up to the Day of the Dead it was odd to see the celebrations of Day of the Dead and Halloween (which they call here The Night of the Witches) meshed together. Several days during the week leading up to Nov 1st, kids dressed up in costumes paraded together in the street. Other times, kids (some in costumes, some not) walked around in the evening with Jack-O-Lanterns (carved pumpkins with candles inside) asking for money (we found out later they were collecting money to buy candy skulls and other Halloween treats -- this is different from kids in North America who just go around asking for candy directly and families are expected to have them available).

DECONSTRUCTING THE MYTH OF MEXICO CITY
I was relieved to find Mexico City much safer than I expected it to be. That doesn't mean its high crime rate doesn't exist. As of today, we have been in Mexico City for a total of about five days. Still, we walked around safely day and night in the downtown area of Historical Mexico and several other areas (not necessarily touristy), took the local metro (even during rush hour - which seemed all the time), and took 1st and 2nd class buses to and from surrounding towns and sites just outside of Mexico. No problems so far -- Toco madera ("Knock on wood") !!

Now I certainly have to admit it is said that it is not safe to take taxis from the street (due to several robbery incidents and even kidnappings!), traffic can be excrutiatingly slow at times, and a few times (but no more than 10% of the time) the smell from the sewers hijacked our noses. Still, visiting Mexico City -- a city of 20 Million -- holds many interesting nooks and crannies for those willing to explore it.

TEOTIHUACAN RUINS - THIRD LARGEST PYRAMID IN THE WORLD
Just an hour outside of Mexico city, lies the great and vast pre-Aztec ruins of Teotihuacan (built near 150 AD). A conglomeration of two pyramids (Temple of the Moon and Temple of the Sun), several plazas and smaller temples make up this small city. Several coloured hieroglyphs of birds and jaguars are still visible on the walls themselves. The larger pyramid, the Temple of the Sun, is the third largest in the world (surpassed only by Cholula (#2), which is another pyramid in Mexico, and Cheops in Egypt (#1)).

Sounds high doesn't it? Well, I couldn't help but exclaim -- after climbing all 248 steps (70 meters high) -- "You know Eric, I expected the third largest pyramid in the world to be much higher." It's not like climbing the Toronto CN Tower, but it's pretty damned good for its time! And you are rewarded by a beautiful view of the whole area, so it's worth it!

WHERE TO NEXT?
Well, as they say, there's just no rest for the wicked! We're hopping on a 24 hour bus tomorrow to land in the beautiful Cozumel area for some Ocean scuba diving, and then inland on the Yucatan Peninsula for Cenotes (Freshwater Cave) diving and exploring more ruins before moving on to the southern states of Chiapas and Oaxaca.

Hope you are also having a great time these days and planning some exciting adventures of your own !!

Hasta Luego Chicos y Chicas (Until Later Boys and Girls),
Eric and Natia