Mexico

Our trip from San Antonio to Monterry was a night bus. Normally, we are big supporters of night buses for long trips. You sleep the entire time, save money on a night in a hotel and you don’t waste an entire day just sitting on a bus. This time, however, we would actually recommend that you not take a night bus for this trip, if you can avoid it. The reason is because when you arrive at the border, you first have to wake up and get off on the American side to check out of the states. You then get back on the bus, drive accross the boarder, where you have to wake up, get off again, and check in to Mexico. This process can be a bit long and is fairly disruptive, so we arrived in Monterrey feeling like zombies.

That being said, Monterrey is a beautiful city. We stayed in the part of town called barrio antiguo, which means old neighborhood. It is all spanish colonial architechture and is really quite beautiful. There are plenty of wonderful cafes and restaurants around, and we quickly went to seek out one of my favourite Mexican foods (and now Jo’s favourite, too): Chilaquiles! If you have never been to Mexico, chilaquiles are like the grandfather of nachos. They are crunchy tortilla chips bathed in either a red or green sauce - or, if you can’t choose, you can order divorciados, where have the plate is in the red sauce and the other half is in green. They can have shredded chicken, a fried egg, or both, on top. That, paired with an agua de jamaica, another one of Julie’s favourite things from mexican cuisine, and you’ve got yourself a perfect breakfast.

Another great thing about Monterrey is that the city is surrounded by mountains. Jo and I quickly jumped on Facebook and Instagram, seeking out run clubs in the city who could give us tips for the trails and even who might let us join them. The trail runners of the city were more than happy to give us all the tips we could ever want, and we recieved an invitation to join a group for a couple of runs. The first one was a gorgeous morning trail run, and the second was an evening trail in a place called Parque El Chipinque. This park is like a trail runner’s dream: Laid out almost like a ski resort, there are maps marking out all the trails with their distances as well as colours noting how difficult they are (both in elevation gain and technique). If you’re a trail runner travelling to Mexico, Monterrey certainly isn’t a city to miss.

Monterrey doesn’t only offer trails and cafes, however. It also has a really cool music scene and a beautiful museum where you can learn all about Mexican history. Mexico has a steep musical tradition, however, in Monterrey they have something specific - a Mexican rock scene. No other group represents this side of Monterrey better than The Warning - a rock band made up of three sisters who have been playing together since they were little girls. They rose to fame on YouTube when they were all under the age of 10. The internet couldn’t seem to comprehend how such young girls could have such mastery over their instruments. Now, they sell out stadiums all over the world, but no where do they put on bigger shows than in their home town.

The Museum of Mexican History is also a highly recommended visit. You can learn about the history and geography of Mexico as far back as the most ancient indigenous tribes of the region, to the time of Spanish conquor, through the independance and up to modern day. It is fascinating to learn about, and in particular to learn how the indigenous peoples of Mexico fought to keep their cultures, languages, and traditions alive. They are still very much present all over Mexico and add so much richness to the culture of the country as a whole.

From Monterrey, we went to Morelia in the state of Michoacan to visit another Midnight Runners friend of ours, Esteban. Julie and Esteban met when he came to help with the set up of Midnight Runners Mexico City and the two became fast friends. Michoacan is a very special region of Mexico. It has an incredibly rich culture and history of its own, as well as its own cuisine. The first thing we did was go and get a gazpacho. No, not the cold soup from Spain. In Michoacan, gazpacho is a big cup of finely chopped pineapple, mango, and jicima, with a splash of cider vinegar, some spicy tamarind, and a sprinkle of queso fresco (fresh cheese). It sounds a bit odd, but it is delicious. We also shared another food of the region: gordas. This are little sweet breads made with nata and are quite tasty.

We stayed in Esteban’s late grandmother’s home, a beautiful old colonial-style house. Esteban, along with another friend of Julie’s Iker, toured us around, teaching us about Morelia’s history. I had visited Morelia once before, for the festivities of Dia de Los Muertos - Mexico’s traditional day of the dead celebrations. While it is now celebrated all over the country, the tradition comes from Michoacan. It is in the small towns surrounding Morelia where families decorate the graveyards and spend the whole night there singing, dancing, eating, and being together on the night of November 1.

Esteban and Iker took us out of the city to go for a run around Lake Patzcuaro, before visiting the gorgous colonial-style town of Patzcuaro. It was here, after this run, that we tried two more of Michoacan’s delicacies: Carnitas, which is esesntially a pile of strips of cooked beef with tortillas and salsas, and palitas de aguacate - an avocado popsicle. Again, this sounds weird, but it is actually delicious. So good, in fact, that now whenever it’s hot out, it’s one of the first things Jo and I both crave. Unfortunately, they’re nearly impossible to come by outside of Michoacan. While Esteban worked, Iker toured Jo and I around Patzcuaro, again learning about the history, taking in the beauty that is this small town, and trying some really tasty Mezcal.

It was then that Esteban gifted us one of the most magical experiences we’d had yet on the trip: A night in his A-frame cabin in the countryside. Since moving back to Mexico a few years ago, Esteban has been hard at work building an off-grid-style cabin where people can rent out to stay at or even just to do special events. It sits next to his other project: A permaculture farm. The whole idea is to promote sustainability and a different type of “luxury”. The cabin itself is beautiful, with a small pond for swimming next to it, an outdoor kitchen and shower, and complete, utter tranquility. Some bonuses are Esteban’s donkey, Simone, who likes to come in the morning for some head scratches, the cows and magestic pack of horses that live on the neighboring property, and the small cat that has decided that Esteban’s farm is it’s home. He is so precious and loves people. He even came in the cabin to snuggle with us on the couch, then curled up in a basket downstairs when we went to sleep in the loft above.

The next day, we got to participate in another project that Esteban has been working on since he arrived back in Morelia: Manada Runners. Similar to Midnight Runners, it is a running community that gets together for fun and to build community, not for competition. Esteban had Jo and I lead the entire run -  warm up, exercise stops, and cool down. We hadn’t done a run like this since leaving Paris, and it was incredibly to feel that energy again. On top of that, Morelia is a truly beautiful city to run in.

The day after the run, we said goodbye to Esteban and Iker and took a bus to Mexico City. Julie used to live here when she worked for Midnight Runners, and was looking forward to seeing some old friends as well as meeting the new crew captains. Coming into the city was quite overwhelming. First of all, it is a huge, densely populated city. Even in the rainy season the air quality is really not very good. March is in the latter half of the dry season, meaning the air is even worse than usual. As we approached the city on the bus, we could see a dense grey cloud of smog just envoloping the entire city. That, in addition to the altitude which sits at 2200m, we new running was going to be a bit challenging.

We stayed at our friend Josephine’s apartment in the neighborhood of Polanco. Most of our days were spent running, getting work done, and catching up with friends - but we made sure to get as much site-seeing in as possible, too. It was jacarinda season in Mexico city, so across the entire city the trees were all covered in beautiful purple flowers. We arrived on a Thursday, which meant that very night we would join up with Midnight Runners Mexico City for their weekly bootcamp run. For me, it was amazing to run with this team again. The team had been through a lot in the years since I left, and there was at one point when some thought that maybe MR Mexico would just have to no longer exist. The team persevered, however, and are now stronger than ever. It was an absolute pleasure to see them succeeding like that. At the run, we reunited with some old friends and made some new ones while meeting the new team captains. The most fun part of the night was when we got the entire community of Midnight Runners Mexico City to do the Pena Baiona, a game from France that involves essentially crowd surfing down a line of people.

We spent quite a bit of time running in parque Chapultapek while in CMDX, which is a massive park in Mexico City that is even bigger than Central Park. it is definitely the best place to run in the city. We also went on a tourist run where we went around some of Mexico City’s most iconic landmarks: The Angel of Independance, the Opera, the Monument of the Revolution, and La Plaza de la Independencia. We also did one of Mexico City’s must-do attractions: Lucha Libre. It’s a night that involves gigantic beers and both men and women in tight, flashy clothes throwing each other around the ring while people in the stands either cheer them on or enthusiastically boo them. It is ridiculous, hilarious, and all-out entertaining.

One of the luckiest parts of our time in Mexico City was that our friend Cesar, who housed us when we were in Madrid, happened to be in Mexico for a wedding, so we got to see him for a second time on our trip. We went to a house party at our friend Malo’s, who is also French but is living in Mexico City and is one of the volunteer leaders for the Midnight Runners community there. Malo used to do some ecological work in an area of Mexico City called Xochimilco, where he still ocasionally leads kayak tours. One Saturday morning, we got up ridiculously early, around 3am, to go to Xochimilco in time to kayak down the river during sunrise, all the while learning about the area and its ecological and economical importance for the city. After the kayak tour, we stopped off at one of the permaculture farms that Malo helped to create, where a chef made us lunch with the products that were grown in the garden. It was a beautiful experience that we couldn’t recommend more.

Another one of our favourite experiences from our time in CDMX was the hike we went on in the forest outside of the city, called El Desierto de Los Leones. The hike was lead by one of Julie’s best friends, Andy, who has been a hiking guide there for a few years now. It’s one of my absolute favourite places in the region of Mexico City and is a fantastic place for hiking and trail running. As a bonus, it was a hike with a wine tasting part way through. Nature and wine are two of mine and Jo’s favourite things, so naturally, it was a match. The hike also gave Andy and I plenty of time to chat and catch up. While we talk often over the phone and through texting, it’s never quite the same as chatting in person, face-to-face.

Our time in Mexico City was really wonderful. We slowed down, relaxed, did plenty of running, and spent as much time with friends as possible. One of the hardest parts of this trip is the amount of time we spend far away from everyone we know, so spending time around people who know and care about you really gives you the boost that you need to keep going.

From Mexico City, we took another night bus to Oaxaca. This is one of my personal favourite cities in Mexico. It is stunning, with it’s colourful buildings and colonial architecture. The food in Oaxaca is incredbile, known especially for its Moles, chocolates, and Mezcals, and the mountains surrounding the city are beautiful. It also as a strong indigenous culture, which you see in the street art and decorations around the city. We only had one full day in Oaxaca, but I was excited to show Jo why I loved it so much. Unfortunately, we will have to return to Oaxaca one day, because all Jo really got to see was the pharmacy, because I came down with one of the worst cases of what we think was food poisoning that I have ever had. I will spare the details, but it meant no site-seeing and no fancy Oaxacan dinners for us. Thankfully, one of our friends in Mexico City is a doctor, so he was able to help us from a distance know what medicines to get and what protocols to follow.

The next day I was feeling a bit stronger, enough to at least leave the hotel to get food. Not well enough, however, because in another one of my most embarassing moments, I nearly fainted in a restaurant trying to eat a bowl of chicken soup. How did I avoid fainting? I, in the middle of the restaurant, laid down on the ground beside our table. Mortifying, though admittedly less-so than if I had actually fainted in the restaurant. I can tell you one thing, I slept like a baby on our night bus from Oaxaca to San Cristobal de las Casas that night.

Upon arriving in San Cristobal, I was definitely feeling a lot better. Well enough to have a Mexican hot chocolate, and even eventually some real food. The city of San Cristobal is absolutely gorgeous. Its another one of Mexicos pueblos magicos, with its colonial architecture mixing in with its ancient Mayan roots. We spent the first day just walking around the city, working in some cafes, and waiting to see how I was feeling before we tried to do anything more extreme. As I regained strength, we began to do more. Our favourite activity that we did was a mountain bike tour of the countryside and some indigenous towns. We found the tour on AirBnb Experiences. It was just Jo, myself, and our guide - who, although he has lived in San Cristobal for many years, is actually from the Tarahumara tribe that live and run in the canyons in the north of the country. Having both read Born To Run and knowing quite a lot about this tribe, we were both a little star-struck.

As for myself, I was excited about the tour as it sounded like a fun, culturally immersive, and educational experience - not to mention the countryside around San Cristobal is stunning. I was nervous, however, because while I enjoy a leasurily bike ride, mountain biking is a sport that I have generally thought to be quite terrifying. Jo used to do quite a lot of forest biking when he was younger, so he was fairly adept to it. Me? Not so much. Nonetheless, I thought it would be fun, and I knew Jo would like it, so I decided to give it a shot. The truth? Overall, it was a lot of fun. Some of the downhills were really scary, and there were a couple of technical parts that I simply got off the bike and walked - I had no where near the skill or experience to navigate them. With Jo’s support, however, I found myself generally enjoying the experience. We learned more about the mayan culture and how the local mayan people’s still keep their culture and traditions alive. Interestingly, we learned about how when the Spanish conquored Mexico, rather than trying to forbid people from practising their own religions and cultures, they instead just made changes to the catholic religion so that it would be more appealing to the indigenous peoples. What ended up happening was a really interesting blending of the two. Do get me wrong - it wasn’t so hunky-dory, friendly sharing of cultures that I may have just made it sound, however, it certainly wasn’t the complete culture wipe-out that happened to the indigenous peoples of Canada.

With that, our time in Mexico was coming to an end. We felt a bit sad, as we really enjoyed our time there. For me, I got to explore a couple parts of Mexico that I had never been to, as well as got to revisit some of those that I know and love, as well as see old friends and new. If you ask Jo, he will tell you that Mexico is now one of his favourite countries that he has ever visited. That, and that chilaquiles are now solidly in his top 5 favourite dishes of all-time.

Next stop: Guatemala and Central America!