thisIsTheNextCallFor: Mont Blanc

I have just finished packing my big bag. I think I put all I will need. I can't find my bloody torch, but that's fine, Oleg should have one.

Tomorrow wake up at 5, or 4.50, to be sure, but still I am here, picturing the trip, feeling the magic emotion of each beginning. This time is more than an adventure: this time is almost random. We have vague ideas of where to go, what to see, where to sleep. We don't care. We like freestyle.

Tents, sleeping bags, wonderful montains: Mont Blanc is right there, waiting for us. And there we go.

Which bag is whose? Any guesses?

Mexican Food!

Overall Mexican food is very good, and very spicy. I mean, if you are looking for spicy, you will get spicy. In general, being a very big country, there is quite a bit of everything, from fish (mariscos, if you are not allergic to it is great!) to meat (chicken, pork, cows, beef...). Our (European) bread is replaced by the tortillas, that they fill with a lot of stuff (and here you got your taco!). And another thing I find extremely delicious is the horchata, a refreshing beverage made with water and some concentrate of rice milk or coconuts. It is very delicious, nicely sweet and super thirst quenching. I loved it. Here few pics of what I got here and there! (and when I remember to shoot a pic before put everything in my mouth!).

 "should I try that? is not spicy right? yeah, I know, but here also water is spicy, Rodri!" 

 candies and colors in the Coyotepec night

they know how to party in Coyotepec 

Mezcal with insects... I have the proof that I ate those.. crunchy things, before drinking the Mezcal (which is a bit like the Tequila.. somehow). Check out the video..

              Did you say.. insects?

 Soup?

Many tasty different plates!

....and again...

.. and more...

and... dessert!

 Tacos with Gloria!!

Tequila.. drinking.. poor guy...

having breakfast with the future Manager of DuPont (choccolate and pepper is amazing!!)

Maya: a nice trip to Chichen Itza, Uxmal, Palenque.

The Maya were a very interesting and technologically advance population. In some way, they reminds me of the Greek, for their knowledge of math and astronomy, but also for their religion (kind of the same Gods everywhere in the world) and their general attitude to life. Politically organized in independent state-city, based on trading, religion and science. Architecturally they were as impressive as the Egyptians (and the Greeks, and the Romans..).

For example, one of the funniest thing of Chichen Itza (and the pyramid of Uxmal as well) is that when you clap your hands, the echo gives you back exactly the sound of the Quetzcoal bird. Exactly it. It is amazing and fascinating. An impressing place is the game field for the pelota game. As in the cartoon "The Road to El Dorado" the game field is exactly as it is in the movie: two rings and a huge field in between. The ball was touched only by elbows, arms, hips, thigh and leg: no feet or hands or head were allowed to touch the ball, which was supposed to enter in one of the two rings hung up in a quite high position. According to one historian it was the captain of the losing team to be sacrificed to the Gods; another historian believes it was the winner. In any case it was an honour to be sacrificed, and the violent death was the only way to reach straightly the heaven, otherwise there were 9 levels of "hell" (which was not really an hell.. at least no flames). Funny how similar is the idea of hell - underground - with levels, and heaven, in the sky. The style in Chichen Itza is not purely Mayan: there is a Toltec influence. Infact the pyramid is different than the one in Uxmal, and there are many references to human sacrifices and violent rituals, which are not present in Uxmal.

 El juego de la pelota in Chichen Itza, the biggest in the world!

 Chichen Itza Majestic Pyramid (and me in my standard position copy-pasted from the previous pic..!)

 Uxmal: the Pyramid of the Sourcerer

 Uxmal: the Observatory

 Uxmal: a fancy building, probably a temple.

Uxmal was a probably quite calm and devoted to religion, science and possibly trading. It is interesting, even in this part of the world, the close relationship between drugs and alcohol and ancient religious rituals (even if also modern religion has some echoes of this relationship): drug and alcohol were a mean to get in touch with the spirit, to learn and gain knowledge through hallucinatory experiences (Peyote, Mescaline), or simply to purify your body (through ingesting substances inducing vomit). Uxmal is the only city without a Cenote (the natural water supply that was used for religious but also practical uses), and therefore the main decoration -pretty much everywhere- is the face of the God Chaak, the God of the rain. The survival of the city depended on the rain, gathered in huge tanks hidden here and there. The presence of people trying to sell everything on the one side annoys me, since it kills a bit the magic effect of the ruins, on the other side it makes the city looked a bit alived again, gaining colors and other noise than the voice of the guides. With a bit of creativity you can picture them as ancient Mayan citizen living their trading life in the city, while the rich visitor goes from one temple to the next one...

 

Way less the presence of sellers and locals in Palenque: there is the Indiana Jones land, letting you climbing and losing yourself among the ruins! Palenque is quite amazing: you can freely climb around and explore almost everywhere (unfortunately the famous tomb of the Maya astronaut is not open to the public anymore: this tomb represents a man painted in a position as if he was driving a spaceship.. how easy is to imagine fascinating theories about aliens, pyramids and reptilians?). On the other side, the tomb of the red queen was open, and it was possible to slink inside: it's a famous queen whose name is due to the fact that the tomb is completely red inside, due to the presence of the cinnabar. But.. why do they put cinnabar? 

the tomb of the red Queen

Palenque: climbing in the ruins!

 Palenque: where everyone can feel like Indiana Jones!

6 things you did not know about Mexico city (special guest: Gonzalo, the best guide in town!)

Crossing the road in Mexico city: when instinct is a matter of survival! Things you should know to improve your chance to survive in a Mexican crosswalk:

A) the colors of the traffic lights are merely decorative. Green, yellow, red... doesn't really matter. Actually, the light could have also been blue or purple for what it matters: only, it wouldn't fit with the colors of the leaves in autumn;

B) when more than 5 people are crossing the same way you are supposed to, go with them: you will be enough to protect each other and have higher chance to reach the other side alive;

C) eye contact with car drivers is useless: they don't see you, and don't want to. You are a mere pedestrian piece of human with basically no rights to be on their way.

Gonzalo and me, at the top of the castle!

Birds here and there in the trees. Many of them. You don't see them, but you clearly hear them, way more than in Europe. Sometime also a squirrel just runs from one tree to the next. They are not scared at all: once one climbed on me looking for food. Literally on me. Overall the wood of Chapultepec  can be summarized in few words: singing birds, brave squirrels and cars.

Fun fact from the Anthropologic Museum : Indigenous people of Gran Nayak still veneherate Christ mainly as the creator of cattle, metal tools and money (new Gods for new ideas/words).

 

                                                                                                         Antropologic museum: scaaary stuff!






Calendar.. quite sure is Aztec!

stone snake heads, at the museum 

The main Cathedral of the city is a piece of art. Fun fact (thanks Gonzalo..!): the cathedral was supposed to be built in Perù, and the one now in Perù was supposed to be built in Mexico. Unfortunately, few centuries ago, they swapped the plans. Stuff that happens at the no-internet (and phone, and telegraph, and...) time. The other interesting thing is that.. the Cathedral is actually sinking, since it has been built over a swamp. Centimeter after centimeter, they are fighting to hold it at the right level. Maybe, it's just the previous Aztec temple which is trying to win its place back...

The cathedral and 4 particularly beautiful persons.

The castle looks more like a Palace, and thanks to the amazing Gonzalo (who guided me to the castle, telling me all the anecdotes in a super interesting way!). In it the carriage of the Austrian queen (Carlotta) who lived there, while Mexico was still under European influence, even though she was kind of obliged to live there.. she would have preferred European courts and lounges... When Mexico asked Austria to give back the majestic crown of Montezuma (the one at the Anthropologic museum is a replica), Austria asked back for the carriage. Of course, no one did anything else, yet. From the castle the view is amazing, and the inside of the room is kept as it was 2 centuries ago. Very European!

That should be the castle part of the castle. It's more a palace, but let's call it castle!

When I asked Gonzalo what he would change of Mexico, his replied hit me: he would change the feeling of the Mexicans about their past. It means, he would erase the idea that they were conquered by the Spanish, and that they were defeated: they were not. The Mexican are a melange of people, new people who should have a new language and a new identity more free from a difficult past. "We (the Mexican) blame and criticize the Spanish, but we do that in Spanish! We should do that in Mexican, however it could sound!" 

  

At a very famous hotel in the center of the city: Gonzalo knows any corner (and if you look like you know what you are doing, you can go everywhere. For free).

At the museum: you can throw stones to the head of that guy. For real. I have a video. Was fun.

Mexico: The drug control and the army (and the police, and the federal police, and the state police, and the traffic police... and my forgotten immigration paper).

I was in the car with Licinio, enjoying the Yucatan landscapes, after a day spent at the Cenotes and Uxmal. We were heading back to Merida, when we got stopped at a checkpoint of the army. There were a few cars in a queue, and at each side of the street 2 agents in riot uniform with huge riot shield. We slowly proceeded in the queue, until a soldier approached us. Automatic rifle clearly in sight, steadily in his arms:

- license and car document - to Licinio, who promptly winded down and handed the documents to the officer. 

- Portuguese...  - continued the military - Living in Merida? Yes? All right. Then he glanced at me - He is not Mexican - he continued.

-He is Italian

- Relative? - raising an eyebrown

- Amigo

- Pull over - pointing at the other side of the street, without taking off his eyes from me.

He asked us to go out of the car, slowly. We did. We stayed at the side of the car, while the man very meticulously  checked every centimeters of the car. Once finished, 10 minutes later, he pointed at my rucksack:

- On that table. Open all the pockets. - firm, not so kind request. I didn't get the reason of such a bad temper.

He looked inside, pull out all my stuff and checked all the items. One by one. It's quite stressful to have the rucksack checked by a guy with a grim and very little reassuring grimace on his face, shouldering a machine gun. It took him 5 full minutes to check every item in the bag. Then, as if it was nothing and without even looking at us, he said:

- Gracias, adios. - already headed to the next car.

I forgot my immigration paper in Mexico city, during my trip in Yucatan and Palenque. Well, not really forgot: I just thought that in this way I would have not lost it somewhere. I didn't know it was not supposed to leave my passport. Therefore, every time they (army twice, police once) checked me, it took me half hour of spanish/italian/body language (not gazing too much into the eyes, surprise/apologizing face expression, innocent look at the passport) to explain that my paper was in Mexico city, where I have a friend hosting me, and yes, I am not illegally in the country trying to import the italian mafia model in your economy, I am a simple traveller. I have to say that, despite their not very kind temper (it was my fault overall, no complains) they never did nothing more than explaining me that I was supposed to have that paper with me. All the time. Next time, por favor, remember that, 'hoja de inmigración', in the passport. Yes, you can go, stupid tourist..  

With Licinio at Uxmal & Cenotes

He couldn't come picking me up at the airport in Merida. After a while waiting for no one, and having asked a couple of people "Mr. Licinio? No.. I am sorry..", he phoned me he would have reached me at the hotel. No problem: 200 pesos to the taxi guy and there I am. In less than 10 minutes from my arrival at the hotel, a very interesting character crosses the threshold of the hotel, lightened from the back by a very warm sun. He stands still in the very middle of the door, looks inside, gazing at the people at the reception, then he looks at me. Smile: a warm, nice, intense smile, enriched by a flourished beard who reminds me of a St. Claus, or some American actor playing his role.

- You must be Andrea! Here you are. Very good. - vigorous shake of hand.

That "very good" is going to be a mantra during the trip. Anything that pleases him, from a good meal to a nice joke, would be inevitably accompanied by a half whispered "very good". Few minutes to make sure everything is fine at the hotel, then we go for lunch. I'll be his guest. We are supposed to plan my few days in Merida and surroundings, but we actually end up talking about everything but that: from Neuroscience to his view about life and his job now as a retired man.

We will spend a whole day on Wednesday, just 2 days after. We will go to Uxmal first, then to the Cenotes, where no one will be there and I will be free to swim in a wonderful water! Discussing about his view, about his projects, South America economy and politics, and his life philosophy gave me a wonderful and super exciting day. A character that in one day has been able to give me a huge example of a man who does what he believes in, that behaves very coherently and charismatically, and is very clever (sorry Licinio, not clever, only very old and expert!). By the way, do you know how an Argentinean decides to suicide? He jumps from his ego! ..very good..

Cenotes: Mexican heaven of refreshing water in the middle of the jungle

Bon appetit! 

The bribe and the cops

I was in a car with a friend of Rodrigo, heading to a restaurant to get tacos and meet the rest of the group. But, unfortunately, at some point we got lost in the huge traffic jam of Mexico city. The passenger next to the driver (I was in the backseat trying to grasp their Spanish) said something about going to the left. Not now, you cannot go now to the left, it's forbidden, but just after that traffic light, you can... not even finished the sentence that the driver went left. Immediately, at the first curve. He could not have done that, and the cop in the car just next to us was very intentioned to let us know. We got stopped: shit, fine on sight.

After have taken the document and showed us a paper with the rule of the street (specifically the one the driver violated), he told us to follow him, to a place where we could have paid the fine (around 2000 pesos), and not sure what else. I did not get why we could not have paid the fine right there. As a matter of fact, after few minutes of following his car, he pull over, and with the left hand signed us to get next to him:

- you work for a company, right? - he asked from the window of his car

- yes, yes.

- ok. - Then he continued to drive. We keep following him. It did not make any sense to me: why did he asked from the car about the company? what was the point? Again, after few minutes, he just pulled over, and signaled us to pull over in front of him. We did. He did not get off his car. The driver look at the passenger, then at me. Then he get off his car and went toward the police car. After few minutes he came back, asked his friend for 100 pesos (not much in fact, almost 6 euros) and went back to the police car. When he came back, the police car was leaving in the other direction: no fine, no police, no problem. I was confused.

That's the conversation my friend had with the police officer, as my friend reported to me: 

- where are you working? before I couldn't hear you, and there were camera recording us.

- I work for the Something company (I don't remember the actual name)

- you know what is going to happen now?

- yes. But if you want money, I have only 100 pesos.

- yeah I did not heard before. I could have left you the first time I stopped you.

- yes, but I have only 100 pesos.

- ok, but you give me those money with your heart, no remorse or regret. all right? we could also go on with the fine.

- no no, ok, thanks.

Apparently, as they explained me later on, the bribes are very common in Mexico city with the traffic police (yes, there is a police specifically for the traffic and circulation). Even though they are very common, there is still some kind of play to do to get there, to make it smooth. Corruption is at every level, and, quoting Shantaram: " The worst thing about corruption as a system of governance is that it works".   

Mexico - I have to go to Mexico to find out about my food allergy

It's only 14. I have just finished the lunch with Rodrigo. Just finished. It’s my first day in Mexico city. I am supposed now to go to the castle, to visit it, while Rodrigo ends his week (it was Friday), and then to meet him again around 17. It's only 14. I walk slowly through the wood of Chapultepec, enjoying the sunny day. Sunny, warm, sure.. but why am I feeling so cold now? Maybe it's just fatigue.. but a shiver runs through my back. A shiver? I realized something is wrong.. As soon as I manage to cross Paseo de la Reforma (not an easy task), I find myself looking for a bench where I can stay few seconds, the time to recover from a sudden hit of fatigue. Uff... Cold and warm at the same time.. I am definitely not feeling good. I hold my face with my hands, a bit bended forward, but something else is wrong.. It takes me a while to realize that my face feels different. Very different. At first I don't get what's wrong: I keep touching myself, grabbing my skin to understand what's wrong.. It does not look elastic anymore.. it's.. like.. unsensitive. I start, vaguely, to get scared. My eyes also start to feel weird. If I close them, or move them, they hurt. Not too much, but I prefer not to move them. I decide to stand up, I am afraid I will never move from that bench if I don't do something. I start walking very fast, in no direction, touching my face and pushing my brain at top speed to figure out a reason of what's going on. Jet lag? Come on Andrea, you can do better than that! Sun? Insect? Tropical something hitting you? The food? Damn it, the food.. What did I eat? It was Mariscos, fish, crab. The crab. I already ate it before, I am not allergic. Or maybe I didn't. Did I? Shit, it hurts. My face is weird. People are looking at me. I take a few photos of myself to be able to look at me. There are no mirrors, no cars, no windows, I am in the middle of the wood somewhere in Chapultepec, not many people around, it's just too hot to go around, probably. I am feeling cold. The photos don't look good at all. Shit, something is badly wrong. Don't stop, keep moving, go somewhere, reach people. Check your wallet, still there. Ok. Phone. Ok, is there. Should I call Rodri? What can he do? Maybe a message would be fine, I don't want to disturb him while he is working.

"sorry to bother you.. I may have a problem. when you can, could you give me a call? thanks!"

Rodri will tell me later that he thought they robbed me or something. His call reaches me 10 seconds later. I tell him that I am feeling puffy, not very good. He asks me for a pic with the phone. I send him. He replies with a sharp "shit!". Super efficiently, he tells me where to find a pharmacy and what to pick up to fight the allergic reaction. What I will do is laying on a bench for the next 2 hours under some shadows kindly provided by a tree, feeling too tired to move but not too bad to feel the urge to do something. I am just scared because I have no idea what I have, how long it will last, and what is going to happen if I go to a Mexican hospital. I should be insured, but I don't have much desire to visit an hospital in Mexico city. Anyway, I have the feeling it will get better, besides the eyes that are puffy and swollen: but however knowing that Rodrigo knows is somehow reassuring. After few time Gloria (that I haven't met before yet) calls me, and we meet. We decide to meet in front of the Anthropologic Museum: she is with a colleague from work, and be introduced to them for the first time, without having never met them before, with my face looking that funnily weird and sick, is something I will never forget. "Ehy, Gloria! Hi, Rodrigo told me about you. Yes, I am Andrea, nice to meet you. I don't know if Rodrigo told you, but actually I don't feel very good and... oh, you know. Pharmacy, immediately. Taxi. Perfect, good, thanks a lot for being here. It's awesome. Thanks.". She brings me to the pharmacy, looks for a taxi, it’s hard to find, and the one we get is too expensive, so we decide to walk (it was only 15 minutes, not too bad). She buys medicines for me and, when Rodrigo gets out of work, they bring me home. I feel like having friends is the most important thing in life, and in that moment I love them and feel super grateful, even though my stomach is not part of my body anymore, and is fighting for its independence. As soon as I get home, I throw up the hell out of me (I was pretty sure I didn't eat that many mariscos.. they should have multiplied in my stomach...). The father of Rodri takes very good care of me, as well as Rodri and all of them. It took me one night of full sleep, 4 days of funny puffiness, and voilà, I am almost as new. The morning I wake up, the next day, the nicely clumsy hug of the father is something that feel my heart nicely: I already feel way better.

Mexico - Thoughts, facts, feelings, trip notes

The city from the plane is amazing: this city is boundless, its hug unique.

Being stopped at the airport because my face doesn't look like the picture in the passport. It took me 5 minutes and 3 documents to convince the guards that yes, the guy in the picture was actually me!

Being used to Ryanair, KLM and AirFrance are heaven: something to eat or drink almost every hour, videogame and movies and everything you want. Super cosy travel.

 OK, Mexico: let’s get started!

Approach to overcome linguist barrier in Mexico:

·        - first start with something that sounds enough Spanish.

·        - Then go with Italian.

·        - Then Spanian, or Italish.

·        - No understading yet? No problem, you still have French,  

      - English

·        - and then a purposeful body language.

·    If that doesn't work too... well.. just try to use some creative periphrasis to overcome the problem. Most of the time it won't work anyway, and you will wish any sort of dictionary.

The food and the Mexican. After having spent an evening eating pretty much everything in the Movida at Coyoacan (artistic candy floss, icecream, corncob with sauces, spicy sauces with potatoes, churros, and I am sure I am forgetting something...), around 10pm my friends want to go for dinner. For dinner. Really guys??

Epic moment with my Hermano Rodrigo: singing like crazy, loudly, lustily, italian hardcore hip hop songs while driving on the 'Periferico' of Mexico city, with the windows down and the music pumping the hell out of the car. La Famiglia, Huga Flames, Turi... echoes from a far past that clearly sounds in the present! Awesome.

In a supermarket I saw a cop with a gun. A double shotgun, like the one in the movie. In a supermarket. Unbelievable.

Drinking coffee in Palenque, served by a 12 or 13 years old. The coffee, very long, was ok, even though it came with a sugar infested by mosquitos inside (pics!). The girl was very nice, we smiled at each other a couple of time, as an homage at her clumsiness: she forgot the coffee machine on (basically it was burning) and it took her a lifetime to remember how to prepare it.. fortunately the mother was just in the back room - probably watching something on the television- just screaming at her a couple of time.

.If you look closely, you will see insects in the sugar. A lot. I took it bitter.

I like bakeries in Merida. You enter, you take a tray and put some breads, brioches, whatever is exposed in the windows. You go at the desk, smile at the young bored girl (when she stops playing with her cellphone), pay, and then you realize that is super cheap. Cool! I did a couple of dinners like that.

At the airport in Palenque the hostess at the desk was not speaking in English. Neither at the reception at the hotel. Come on, ladies! At least a few basic, work-related words. Vamos!

Super cool artistic candy floss eaten by Gloria (with Rodrigo stealing puffy clouds her eand there)!

 Could the breakdance picture miss? Only a freeze of Oleg is missing in the picture!

Mexico - Mi hermano Rodrigo, the beautiful Gloria and my Mexican family

9 years ago it was the last time I hugged Rodrigo before this Febraury. 9 years. We shared so many things together back when I was at the first year of university: from never ending hours attending boring classes at university, to kind of funny lunches in which Rodri can eat either nothing or a whole huge pizza (usually shared by -at least- three persons). Discussion on girls, on problems, on life. Time spent trying break move, or telling me his adventure as a free runner with a new group in Milano. Now it's weird to think I will see him again. Could friendship lasts 8 years without sharing nothing but memories from an epic past? In this case, it can. I was welcomed as a VIP at his place but the whole family, not only Rodri but everyone greeted me as a long-time family member, in an incredibly gentle and warm way. I am deeply thankful and grateful for the time they dedicated to me: from organizing the visits here and there, to buying a cell phone to make it simpler to comunicate, to introducing me to friends and relatives as if I have always been there. Rodri gave me his bedroom for the 2 long weekends I was at his place, and share with me amazing moments rapping italian songs from the 90's on the roads of Mexico city (unforgettable moments).  

And what about the beautiful Gloria, the amazing girlfriend of Rodri? A big, big thank to her charming smile, her positive attitude and happy and silvery voice. And not only because she took care of me when I was going to die for the food poison (yeah, ok, die probably it's too much, but I wasn't feeling really good...), but because she made me think how awesome would be to see them (her and Rodri) everyday in my daily life. And I like to think: never say never...!   

 The complete team standing in front of the Pyramid of the Moon - Teotihuacan

 Gonzalo tells me some intersting story on the top of the Pyramid of the Moon - Teotihuacan

  
          Coyotepec: drinking Mezcal, eating insects and enjoying a very good time! - Mexico City

 Mexico City - The beautiful Gloria and the great Rodrigo