Mexico Journal: 8 Abril 06

It's out of focus, I know. But I just love something about this picture. I'm looking up at one of the towers of the cathedral, which is surrounded by a massive stone-and-iron gate. Each stone pillar of the gate is capped with an angel. There are 30 on each side, for 120 ringing the grounds of Puebla's most prominent holy site.

Seth wrote:

Portland to Atlanta to Mexico City to Puebla. Makes for one long but extremely rewarding day.

Didn't really know what to expect, but I had faith in Amy taking us to special places she'd been before and in our finding all new ones together.

One day in and we're well on our way.

"Carts will be waiting on the roof of the plane for those who need them..." so the flight attendant mistakenly said as we rolled up to the gate at the airport in Atlanta after an overnight flight from Portland. Thus began my first visit of any sort in the Deep South. Made me wonder if our bags were strapped up there too rather than stowed in the luggage compartment beneath our seats.

Getting a good glass of sweet tea surely would have been easier than a good cup of coffee, even at 6 in the morning. I might as well have been speaking Spanish when I asked for a soy chai at the Starbucks counter. But I shouldn't complain. Whatever they made me, although it took about 10 minutes, tasted decent. Caffienated tar, though, would have done the job at that hour.

Soon enough we were back in the air, over the Gulf of Mexico and headed for Mexico City. The approach to that monstrous city was obscured by a thick brown haze. (I'm sure it was mostly smog, but on the bus ride to Puebla we passed several wildfires that were pouring smoke into the sky.)

The Mexico City airport is a zoo, as is the drive out of town. Some of the poverty-stricken neighborhoods, we later learned, are regularly the site of kidnappings. That said, no matter what Amy thinks, I'm confident I could have driven us out of the metropolis if necessary!

I fell asleep pretty quickly on the bus ride to Puebla. First decent sleep I'd gotten in 24 hours. Woke up to scenes of Mexico I'd never expected. Mountains. Sweeping, rolling hillsides. Steep cliffs. Towering trees, even. Cancun it ain't. And that's a good thing.

The approach to Puebla runs through some pretty grim urban areas. Kind of wondered what was to come, but Amy, as almost always, was dead-on right. We caught a taxi at the bus station and the driver took us into the old colonial part of downtown, and it's just magnificent. Must be like Spain. Can't wait for the rest of the trip -- after a good night's sleep.

The streets of Puebla, as seen looking west from around the corner from our hotel.

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Amy wrote:

That seemed to be the longest day ever. We went from Portland to Atlanta to Mexico City to Puebla.


What a relief to finally arrive in familiar Puebla.

We relaxed a bit. Showered and went out to the zocalo. Balloons and bustling people filled the square's sidewalks. We visited the cathedral, taking a few moments to stand before the building and marvel at its architecture. It seems amazing by today's standards. Hard to believe it's about 400 years old.

Seth caught his first glimpses of this beautiful colonial city. He seemed surprised and enchanted all at the same time.

For the foodies:

For dinner we had Victoria beer. i had a soup with chicken, cilantro and avocado floating in a delicious broth. A squeeze of lime on top. Heaven.

Seth had a tlayco -- yummy. Masa, beans, salsa verde, creme and lime.

For the main dishes we each had moles.

I had chicken enchiladas smothered in the traditional mole poblano -- thick, dark, rich, sweet and a spicy kick at the end.

Seth had a chicken breast covered in mole made from pumpkin seeds. The sage-colored sauce was the perfect balance of savory -- not over powering the chicken, but complimenting it nicely.