at last, méxico!

Mexico was absolutely wonderful! We arrived in Morelia (via Chicago) on Friday, March 13, at 1:30 am, and were picked up at the airport by my Papa Horacio and his lovely fiancee, Eva. It was the first time I'd seen my dad since Kevin's and my wedding in 2006, and it was the first time I had ever met (or even heard of!) Eva. My dad was there, with flowers, a huge grin, and a giant hug for me, and it was wonderful.

That very night, we drove straight to a little taco place in the historic downtown (we were famished after a long night of travel), and had our first vacation meal of authentic Mexican food (yum - tacos al pastor!). We then headed to the lovely Posada del Artista, a gorgeous old house that my dad's childhood friend grew up in, and converted into a hotel (which my dad is one of the managers of), and we were asleep by 4 am. We woke up to a seriously relaxed and delicious late breakfast in the stunning courtyard - amazing! At breakfast, Kevin and I just kept looking at each other and grinning like a couple of nuts. It had been a while since we had been on a real vacation, and we were loving it. A perfect start to a whirlwind tour of central Mexico/

That first day was spent exploring Morelia, a gorgeous 500-year-old colonial city, and the place I lived in right before moving to the U.S. Morelia is full of plazas, museums, old colonial houses, shops, and history. I'd forgotten just how beautiful it is, and Kevin completely fell in love with the city (it was great to see him experiencing Mexico for the first time). Day two was spent about 45 minutes away from Morelia, in Patzcuaro, a quaint and idyllic town next to a large lake, where we walked, shopped, and then ate some seriously good tiny fried lake-fish called charales, at a restaurant overlooking the lake.

The first half of day three was spent exploring the Casa de Las Artesanias (literally, an old colonial house filled with artisan works) in Morelia, and then my dad picked us up and, with Eva, we all headed to the bus stop to catch a luxury (seriously) ride to Mexico City. We arrived in Mexico City at about 9 pm, and went straight to my grandmother Graciela's posh house for supper with her and my awesome step-grandfather, Pepe. I hadn't seen my grandma and Pepe for 9 years, so it was great to see them and introduce them to Kev (who, by the way, made an incredible effort to speak Spanish during the trip - it was great!).

On day four, we met up with Dad and Eva, then we hopped on the Mexico City metro, and spent the day exploring the amazing Zocalo, the Templo Mayor (whoa!), and the temple's incredible museum. By 6 pm we were having dinner on the balcony of a hotel overlooking the Zocalo, just in time to watch the military lowering of the giant flag in the middle of the plaza. That evening took us to the Latin American Tower for a spectacular view of the city, and then we grabbed some churros from a street vendor (yum), and hopped the metro back to our hotel - a seriously great day!

On day five, I woke up with a nasty eye irritation that hurt like heck, and had my eye watering all day long. A bit of a bummer, but we stopped at a little pharmacy and picked up some ointment, then we picked up some yummy tortas for lunch, and headed out to do some more Mexico City sight-seeing (I was determined not to let my eye take over the day). We spent most of the day at the Museum of Anthropology (one of the best museums in the world), where, at one point, I was left on a bench for about a half an hour to sleep and rest my eye, then we met back at my grandmother's for supper (and, for Kevin to check out pictures of Pepe's awesome car collection, and his model car collection).

Day six, Kev and I woke up early and took a taxi (don't worry mom, it was a hotel taxi, so it was safe) to the nearest bus station, to catch a ride to Queretaro (my dad and Eva drove there with my grandma and Pepe). It was great to have a bit of alone time, and, again, I can't emphasize enough how efficient, safe, and clean the Mexican travel bus system is - luxury! We were picked up in Queretaro by my beloved aunt, Lula (my dad's youngest sister), who I also had not seen in 9 years. Supper with some of the family, and then a night-time tour of lovely Queretaro.

Woke up early on day seven, were picked up by my dad, Eva, and my aunt Lula, and we headed out to one of my new favorite places in the world - the historic and colorful city of Guanajuato. We spent the entire day in Guanajuato, walking the winding streets, doing some shopping in the giant central mercado, and eating one of the best meals of our entire trip. Back to Queretaro that afternoon for a family dinner at my grandmother's apartment, and then to bed to rest after a long and fun-filled day.

On day eight, we woke up a little sad, knowing that it was our last full day in Mexico, and we met my aunt Lula, uncle Vic, cousins Jimena and Fernanda, and my aunt Ireri, for breakfast at a great little restaurant near the Plaza de los Perritos. After breakfast, we met up with the rest of the family (grandma, Pepe, dad, and Eva) for a visit to a local museum to see the traveling Tibetan relics exhibit (very cool), and then everyone went back to my aunt Ireri and uncle Fonso's house for a wonderful lunch of paella (made by my uncle, who is from Spain). Finally, at around 6 pm, my dad, Eva, Kev, and I got on a bus back to Morelia - it was hard to say goodbye to my family after such a quick visit. We arrived in Morelia at around 10 pm, went back to my dad's apartment to repack our bags, and then it was time to go to the airport and check in for our 2 am flight. Saying goodbye to my dad at the airport was incredibly difficult for me. I started to miss him the minute we hugged goodbye.

There were two difficult parts to the trip, one being that I did not get to see my youngest sister, Samantha, as I had hoped to. Sam is my dad and ex-stepmother, Yolanda's, daughter, and I have only met her once, when she was 6 months old (she just turned 9 this past February). It was a matter of miscommunication, and I deeply regret not having been more proactive in organizing a meet-up with her. The good news is that she will likely be at Mel and Alex's weding this October, and I am VERY much looking forward to seeing her then!

The second difficult part of the trip was learning from my dad that at his last 6-month check-up, the doctor discovered another tumor, this time in his bladder. As I type this, I am choking up thinking about what the future might hold for my dad, and, selfishly, for me; I cannot imagine not having his presence in my life. My dad has made many mistakes in his life - he has not always been the ideal husband, or an ideal father - but, he is a wonderful man, and I feel that we are getting a second chance to really get to know each other, and to spend some time together. He has made so many positive changes in his life over the past few years - he's met and fallen in love with a wonderful woman, he's reached out to his three daughters in a meaningful way - and it seems so unfair that his time with all of us could be cut short by cancer. I am anxious, sad, confused, and trying to remain hopeful despite the facts.

Finding out about the tumor made the trip that much more meaningful, and I am incredibly grateful that Kevin was there to experience this amazing time with me. I am excited to have been able to reconnect with that side of my family, and I look forward to more trips to Mexico, much more often.

Here are just a few pictures from the trip - to see all of them (all 500 + of them!), look here, and here. Enjoy!

By the way, my dad and Eva were married this past Saturday, April 3rd. A GIANT congratulations, and all our love, to them!