August 22, 2012

• Report # 913

  Hey everyone, I hope that you are all having a great start to the week. I am typing this up from my friend's house here in Hermosillo Sonora and it has been super hot to say the least. I spent my last day at home on Sunday and basically had planned on relaxing the whole day until I got a surprise call from my friend Domingo. It was his and his twin brother Pedro's birthday and they were in town as Pedro had went for a job interview.

  I was going to send them both messages to wish them each a happy birthday but I never imagined that they would be in town so it was a very nice surprise to see them and their mom before going to Mexico. My dad drove me to the Arby's in Langley (not so sure why they wanted to be there and I had something to eat and we just all talked for a while. They all came over to see the house quickly and say hi to my mom as well and after they were on there way as they had a dinner at the Keg to get ready for.

  So it worked out very well that Domingo just happened to call me the day before I left.... talk about perfect timing. I was up way too late on Sunday night getting my bags ready as I wanted to make sure I had everything. On Monday morning my brother helped me weigh my luggage and I was able to get it just under 50 pounds so I could get it on the plane without paying extra for over-sized bags. I had to stuff some of my Spanish books in my laptop case but it worked so I  was happy.

  My brother had a little trouble finding the airport once we got super close but we found it after using the GPS on his phone. I had so much time that it was no worry at all though. I checked through with my bag in the airport very fast and I had one last meal at Tim Hortons. While I was awaiting to board the flight at the gate I really thought I saw a girl who I had worked my internship with about two years ago and for the longest while I thought it was her, but when she got close to me and I heard her talking I knew it definitely wasn't her..... they definitely look alike though.

  On the flight I watched The Avengers, ate, and closed my eyes for a while, so the five hour and fifteen minute flight went by pretty well. When I got to Mexico City I had to wait for a while to get off the plane as I was near the back, and then I had to walk quite away, just like in Vancouver, to get to the customs. It was very convenient to get through and I was past everything in less than 20 minutes. I had dinner at a restaurant called Wings when I noticed a big storm starting outside.

  It was pouring rain and there was lightning and thunder. I spent a few hours talking to a guy and a girl in the airport and before I knew it, it was just after 2:00 am. At this point it made no sense to rent a hotel room for just a few hours, so I stayed at the booth in the restaurant and closed my eyes and rested until after 4:00 am when I got ready to board my plane to Hermosillo. I definitely wasn't the only person who was "sleeping" in the restaurant so I didn't feel too ridiculous. The staff members basically told me it was ok anyways so I was glad I was able to do that.

  I boarded my plane to Hermosillo at around 5:45 am and the plane left half hour later. I basically kept my eyes closed for the majority of the flight, though I actually sleep. I picked up my bags at the carousel, where they had a dog sniffing each one, and then I walked over and found my friend Maria and her mom. We drove back to their house and had something to eat and talked for a while before I went to take a nap. I actually slept for about 3 hours so I definitely felt better afterwards.

  In the afternoon I ate some tamales and then Maria and I walked to the bus station to go to the Sonora Zoo. It was a fairly cloudy day but I definitely felt the heat as it was close to 38 C (100 F) and even hotter with the humidity. Every once and a while there was a somewhat cool breeze and while the clouds were covering the sun it was bearable. I'm still amazed that people can wear jeans and long sleeved shirts when its this hot, it's truly amazing how well they can handle the heat.

  The zoo was huge and we saw everything from antelopes, llamas, tigers, crocodiles, lions, lynxs, ostriches, and so many more. We did manage to miss the Giraffes though ! Maria's dad came to pick us up and we went to buy some horchata and coco, which was a coconut filled with water. I had another type of coco with pieces of the coconut that everyone else was putting salt and salsa on but that would have been too much spice for me. We drove to a place with many stairs that led up to a huge painting of the Virgin Guadalupe on the mountain side.

  There were plaques commemorating all of the miracles that had happened and giving thanks to the Virgin. It was such a cool place to visit and the view from on top the mountain was very nice. Afterwards we drove back into town and we went to eat hotdogs. Maria's dad was telling me there were the best hotdogs in the world so I had to try them. Basically it was a hot dog with chili and cheese and pretty much all of the ingredients possible to put on it. So I have to say it was one of the best hot dogs I ever had.

  Afterwards we walked through the University of Sonora and a plaza downtown and made a stop to pick up some churros before returning home. I just love churros and it's always great to have them ! It was a great day and I slept very well, sleeping about the eight hours that I needed. I was woken up before 8:00 am as we had to get up early to drive to the beach. I had some quesadillas and eggs for breakfast and than we were off to go to Bahía de Kino which is a coastal town in the state of Sonora.

  We drove for about an hour and it wasn't too hot as a lot of wind was being blown into the car as we went down the highway. The beach was absolutely beautiful and as it was a weekday it was almost empty. We arrived on the beach and walked down a fairly long pier that had a lot of pelicans and seagulls sitting. Some guys started talking to us and convinced us to take a boat tour to an island off the coach.

  It was great fun as the boat sped super fast out into the ocean riding the waves. We save a number of seals sitting on the rocks of the island and swimming in the water as well. I told Maria that the seals were the owners of the island as they were really the only ones there. The island was fairly rocky though there were tons of super fascinating seashells, some that looked so human made that it was incredible knowing they were 100 % natural. I was surprised I didn't get sick on the boat though obviously very happy.

  After taking the boat back to the shore we all climbed up the ladder back up to the dock and set ourselves up under a canopy, or a palapa as they are called here in Mexico. It reminds me of the time I was in Oaxaca with Pili where we ate at a restaurant called La palapa de Raul, and that was under a giant canopy.  We had sandwhiches for lunch and there were lots of cold drinks as the cooler was filled with ice.

  I swam in the ocean with Maria's dad and brother for a good hour. It was some of the warmest water I had ever been in before as it just felt like warm bath water. It was definitely perfect ! Unfortunately Maria's dad got bitten by what they call aguas malas which are a small type of jellyfish. I saw one in the water but I made sure not to let it touch me as I had no intention on finding out how a jellyfish sting would feel like. Her dad ended up being ok as it just stung for a while.

  I had my own misfortune as I went to use the bathroom. I couldn't get the door open so I was basically a prisoner in the bathroom. I  banged on the door with my 5 peso coin and eventually someone heard me and I explained that I was stuck. He let me out and I gave him the 5 pesos as they were being charged to support the community. Overall though it was a wonderful day and I took so many pictures and left with many memories.

  Maria's dad is very proud of Sonora and everything that there is here which I think is great. It's wonderful for me to meet people who are passionate about where they live and the wonderful places there are to see. The whole family has been very good to me and I am very appreciative of everything that they've done for me and how welcoming and friendly they've all been. They have already said they'll take me to even more places in the future. So it's wonderful that I have met such great people.

  We returned home from the beach just before 5:00 pm and we all took turns having a shower and after we went to Maria's grandparent's house. They were very friendly as well and it was very nice to meet them. They live in a nice rural property within the city limits of Hermosillo and they have chickens, roosters, dogs, goats, and sheep. I got along great with the little dogs that they had. We all sat down and had some coffee and talked for about an hour and then we headed home.

  On the way home we could see all the lights of Hermosillo at night but there wasn't really a place to pull over. I've taken sooooo many pictures so far so I suppose it won't kill me to miss out on a few. I talked to Dora as well the other night for a while before bed and I'm so excited that in just three days I'll see Dora in Mexico City. It will also give me a break from the heat for a couple of days before we go to Lázaro Cárdenas together.

  So overall my first few full days in Mexico have been incredible and I'm really looking forward to my next couple of days here in Hermosillo and my days with Dora in Mexico City. After arriving in Lázaro Cárdenas it will soon be time to get around to finding a job. I am here in Mexico so I can find a job and stay with Dora not as tourist, so it's very important for me to be able to do that. Anyways, that's all I have for today. For the next question:

  Who is the nicest person you know ? What makes them so nice ?

  I'll leave you all with some more pictures from Calgary. Take care and I'll talk to you all on Saturday, bye for now.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  • 11:37 pm
  • 5 Comments