January 22, 2013

• Report # 964

  I saw my 10th movie of 2013 in theatres on Saturday as I went to see El Cartel de Los Sapos, which was a Colombian movie about drug trafficking. I think it sent a good message to people who are interested in getting into that line of work to make some quick money, as almost all of the characters in the movie ended up dead ! Before the movie I went to Wok and had some sushi and soup, another place that I’ve been to tons of times since around Christmas.

  As I was buying the popcorn the guy asked me where I was from. I said something like “I don’t look Mexican ?” And he said no and that he saw me there many times. I think you know you are going to a place too often when the employees start to recognize you ! I had the same “problem” at Tim Hortons and Starbucks in the past. I went for a run on Sunday and once again I was pretty sore after finishing, so it’s clear that the shoes that I’m using are not meant for heavy duty 10 kilometer runs.

  I will hold out for a while, at least until I make it home and can get some other shoes, but I don’t think I’ll be running every single day for a bit. After my run on Sunday I came home and had a shower and headed out to VIPS to have lunch. Like the previous times I was just eating slowly and sitting and reading the newspaper for a couple of hours. I had a soup, a plate with fries and chicken, and a chocolate cheesecake for dessert. I got it all for 40 % off, and I will return one more time to get the 50 % discount.

  Afterwards I walked along Paseo Santa Lucía and headed through Fundidora Park and to the metro to go home. Yesterday I met a friend in Fundidora Park in the morning and we walked through the park and Santa Lucía before going a bit through downtown and walking through Barrio Antiguo, which is an old neighourhood in Monterrey with lots of old style buildings, mostly houses, schools, restaurants, and cafeterias, with a few stores.

  My friend was telling me that five years ago there were so many bars and clubs in the area though the majority of them had closed down due to the insecurity and violence that was in the area due to the drug gangs. It’s always interesting hearing these stories because in all of my time in the city I’ve never seen one bad thing. I’ve read some stories in the paper, and I’ve heard of what has happened in the past few years, but personally I’ve never seen anything.

  Maybe I’m just lucky, but I still believe that the situation has improved in the last year or so, and that in most cases, only the people involved in those drug gangs will be the ones in major danger. Clearly the neighbourhood is in need of a revitalization project though as there are many empty buildings. So the potential is there, and from what I’ve read in the paper, they do plan on doing something in the next couple of months, but I’m not sure if that will be more centered in this neighbourhood or the downtown in general.

  After walking through the neighbourhood we found a bench and sat down. Monday’s are always a quiet day in Monterrey as a lot of places aren’t open and it’s just more laid back. Of course there is more traffic on the roads than a Sunday, but the stores and the streets and parks just don’t have much people. On a nearby bench two guys were sitting and I think they were gay. This was interesting for me to see as this was the first time I’ve seen two guys out in public in Monterrey where it was very obvious they were gay.

  It’s a lot different in Mexico City where you can walk down the streets of downtown and seeing guys and girls holding hands is much more a normal thing. It’s just fascinating to me to see and notice the difference in the cultures of the different cities that I have been in. Ultimately people just have to be respectful and let others live their lives like they want, and if we can all do that I think acceptance will be a much easier thing. Unfortunately I still think too many people struggle with this idea, so there is still much work to be done around the world.

  Afterwards we headed downtown and we took a bus to the south of the city to have lunch at a place called Bonkey Sushi. I have no idea how they got that name, but the restaurant had been there since 1995 so it was obviously not a bad place. And after eating the food I was very impressed and I would love to return again. I had some California rolls with octopus and some rice, fried cheese, and a desert which was fried ice cream. For some reason they brought me the dessert right away and I actually had dessert before I had lunch !

  We stayed in the restaurant for a couple of hours before heading out and walking around a nearby park. We sat in the park for a while too on a very uncomfortable bench as the sun went down and the air got a bit cooler. It wasn’t a cold day though as it was around 23 C (73 F), it just felt cooler once the sun was gone and the wind was still there. We started walking along the highway to get to where I had to take the bus and it was already coming so I quickly gave my friend a hug and headed on the bus.

  Overall it was a great day and I didn’t get back to the house until around 7:00 pm. It’s amazing how the time flies when you spend a full day with someone. I actually now have three ideas for places to go and take photos after yesterday, but today is super cloudy and I think I’ll wait until the sun comes back as that always makes for nicer photos. There were tons of apartments around where we were walking, so if everything goes well with the visa and I start working, maybe eventually I would move to an apartment if I can find one at a good price.

  I read some signs of places with services included, including internet, and if I did find something good I would probably go eventually, as I’m sure just by buying groceries, I’d be saving enough money from not eating out everyday to pay more to rent. These are questions for the future though and I won’t worry about them right now. I have a skype call with a friend to make at 4:00 pm, so maybe I’ll try to squeeze in a movie before.

  Anyways, that’s all I have for today, for the next question:

  Is the Super Bowl Over-hyped ?

  I would have to say yes ! While it’s the championship game, at the end of the day, it’s still a football game. It’s interesting how it attracts attention of people who are not even really football fans, and I’m sure a lot of people only really care about the half time show. I would say unless someone is a football fan from either of the two cities playing in the final, it’s really not that big of a deal.

  Some years the game is very entertaining, other years not so much. In the end it’s a bigger day for advertising dollars and talking about the half time show than the actual game itself…. it’s definitely been overshadowed in my opinion. I always read about who wins and about the game, but I don’t think I’ve ever sat down and watched a championship game from start to finish…. guess I’m no super fan !

  I wish everyone all of the best with everything. Take care and I’ll talk to you all on Friday, bye for now.

  • 12:17 pm
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