Hello Mexico!

and then.....bamm,  I'm in Mexico, I know I am jumping ahead here, I have a summer summary post for you  but I am so excited to be here I felt I needed to share  the excitement.

I probably had the most surreal trip from the airport to the Island ever.

My Mexican brother picked me up at the airport, he was late, I didn't care, the airport smelled like Mexico and it was humid and hot. I was over dressed.

 He tied my carry on to the box of his truck with a string and made room for me on the seat, I commented that he needed an assistant to organize his life, he figured he could keep 2 assistants busy.

As we weaved in and out of traffic he filled me in on the family drama, so much drama. He loves being the first to fill me in, so i can hear his side of the story first. (he of course is always the innocent bystander in everything). The Mexico 15 through the city is under construction but unlike at home they don't detour the traffic they let you find your own way around, it was a mess, he never stopped talking, he didn't make a detour plan at all, we just weaved in and out of parking lots, across sidewalks, through back alleys, over driveways, cut across gas station lots and all the time he is talking and talking. We stop at the Marine school to pick up some important papers, as he walks away from his truck it starts to roll forward, I try to put it in neutral but can't reach the clutch, I try to crawl over to the driver side but he makes it back in time to rescue me a mili-second before we slam into the back of another car. By now I am sweating, my black leather boots are stuck to my legs, sweat is running down my back and into my pants. It's hot.

We stop at an Oxxo to transfer some money, I watch as he greets the dirty homeless guy sitting by the door as he walks in, I sit in the truck and notice how every single Mexican man greets him verbally or with a slight nod of the head. It is not in their nature to not acknowledge a person even a begger on the street. 3 out of the 5 men that walked into that store gave him some change as they came out.

I am in dire need of tacos, we choose a street taco stand on the busy Mexican 15, the owner proudly bring us a small sample of his carne asada while we wait for our order, the flavor explodes in my mouth, how can it be so good? "why do you North Americans always cut your steaks so thick?" brother asks, we 've had this conversation before, "I don't know why", ( I really don't)  I can't figure it out either, just because we don't know better I guess. This guy had the best carne asada ( or maybe it was just that I was so carne starved) his salsa and quac was the best, he had roasted onions and peppers, as the traffic roared by and the dust floated in the air, horns honked, and the music played I felt my body sink into contentment and once again I knew I was in love....with my Mexico. Everyone has a different experience in Mexico, this may  not be your Mexico, but this is mine.

 

 We take many detours and short cuts I get lost as I listen to the rest of the family drama stories, a lot has happened while I was gone, seriously a lot. I look around and think how beautiful my Mexico is and feel  so grateful to be here,  I wonder if my skin will rip off when I peel my boots off, I think it will.

He drops me off at the dock, he has more errands to do, he says he will stop by later tonight to see if I need anything, he won't come. I am welcomed home by the ticket taker guy, the parking lot attendant and my boats captain. I see the Norwegian Jewel in port,  I remember it's Wednesday, Wednesday used to be the day for 3 ships in port, now we are lucky to get one.  The vegetable guy  hollers "welcome home" as my taxi drives by on the other side. My house looks beautiful, there is a new gate in the front, my laundry station has some new posts, my garden looks great, my bricks are moldy, my screens all fell out, some plants died but have been replaced with some new ones. Before I do anything I need to get these boots off....fast.