Rover Meetings organised: 1
Games of Jenga played: 20 (at least)
Miles travelled:
Tacos eaten: 3
National Scout chiefs met: 1
Bowls of cereal eaten: 4
Well, another week has gone by, and this time I find myself sitting in a Mexican university computer suite writing this post while waiting for my friend Carina to finish submitting her coursework before we walk to her Mum´s work to get a lift to the Scout Cabaña for a rover meeting which I´m running. That´s pretty much been the way it´s gone in Mexico city; constant activity. The hustle and bustle is relentless, even when out in the ´suburb´of Tlalnepantla, where I am staying in a Primary School run by my host´s Mother.
But I´m getting ahead of myself.
Where did I leave you last? If memory serves, I left you in Tuxtla, about to go teach some rovers some songs and hop on an overnight bus to Puebla. The songs went ok, though the focus of the evening was definitely on the many games of Jenga we played (sadly, my Jenga skills are not up to the same standard as my singing skills). I was even donated a miniature Neckerchief (did I already mention that they are called Pañoletas over here?) belonging to Patty´s stuffed rabbit; of course, when I get home I will give it to my stuffed rabbit Otto, thus promoting international scouting links in the animal kingdom too.
The overnight bus to Puebla was fine, though I made the same mistake as I have made with every bus I have got so far. Always, if you can, ask how many stops the bus will make before reaching your destination! In Mexico especially, the bus stations don't always have their names in an obvious place. And if, like me, you didn't get a photo of your destination before you left, you may find yourself sitting in your seat, stationary at a bus station, panicking that you should be getting off, and wondering: would I be better getting off an risking getting left behind, or staying on and ending up somewhere I didn't mean to go? This was especially true when the bus suddenly announced that it was on a 13 hour journey to somewhere that definitely wasn't Puebla; thankfully a kind lady managed to explain to me that Puebla was the next stop and that I should really stop gripping the armrest so hard.
Unfortunately, I only got to stay in Puebla one night. But that night was great; I saw Cholula (giant pyramid with a church on top), and their beautiful cathedral, and I was offered salsa lessons by a waitress who took a little bit of a shine to me; she, like everyone else, was adamant that I should stay for at least three days, and learn to dance (my new friends were very helpful at this point, needless to say). A few beers in the evening helped to wash away the taste of the ash that was still falling in Puebla after their volcano erupted, and the next morning I was back on the bus to Mexico City.
Mexico City, to put it into perspective, houses 22 million people. That's three times the size of London. You can drive for 50km through the city and not get to the other side. It's one of the only places in Mexico that still has a working train system (a very efficient, French-built metro system) and the smog means that you can rarely see from one end to the other.
Their metro stations also have symbols that look like
they were taken from the Crystal Maze
I loved it though. The pace of life was definitely faster than in Merida or Tuxtla, but there was always something to do. If I wasn’t off to visit the ruins, it was to see the scouts, or to go for a drink, or see the museum, or go and try sushi (turns out I don't like sushi). And, as before, the generosity and friendliness of people never failed to amaze me. In some places when you are travelling, it can be a bit scary when someone new starts chatting to you, even if you are with people you know, but in Mexico the people I met were always quick to let me know they were just joking around, and that I was very welcome.
My new friends even managed to get out to a nightclub, which for those of you who know me you will appreciate is no easy task! I don't know if it was just the club I was in, but unlike the UK you could buy your spirits by the bottle, at which point a waiter would come over, armed with cans of mixers and a bucket of ice, and make the drinks for you! I also tried Mezcal, which is like Tequila but more disgusting, though the shot of what I can only describe as fruit salad that came afterwards made it all better. But I digress.
I saw ruins:
I saw museums:
I met one of my international patrol for the Moot!
Though both of them are going, only Raul on the left is in my patrol
I also met the national chief scout of Mexico, though you will need to look here for the picture of that. Needless to say, by the time I arrived in Celaya to meet Grupo 5, one of whom used to work in Kandersteg International Scout Centre, I was so tired that I ran out of time to finish this post, hence why I'm publishing it now, almost a week late! Sorry guys! I'm off to meet some of the Mexican Moot contingent along with my bestest Mexican pal Miguel (sorry all of my other Mexican friends, but Miguel and I were roomates for three months in KISC!) You will have to wait to hear about my adventures in Guanajuato and Guadalajara though, so here's a question to keep you occupied in the meantime: Where can you find the world's smallest mummy?
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