New Orleans...or not

Anyone who has been to Chicago in the winter knows how miserable the weather can be.  So, when the temps started getting cold in December, I did what any jetsetter would do: planned some trips to warm weather destinations.  I figured the January marathon in Phoenix and a February half-marathon in New Orleans would keep me somewhat thawed.  Had I known I would also be sent to Mexico for 6 weeks to work, I may have saved the personal vacations for another time but you can never get enough escape from the Chicago winter, right?    

  

Apparently, you CAN get enough escape – especially after so many back-to-back trips.  By the time my flight arrived from Villahermosa, I literally had just enough time to go home, throw some clothes in a weekend bag, and get about 6 hours of sleep before heading back to the airport.  That night, I had a hard time sleeping because I kept wondering if I could even finish a half-marathon, considering that I could barely even walk a few miles without pain.  The thought had crossed my mind to just cancel the trip, but I am too stubborn to let airfare and a race entry fee go down the drain just because I'm tired of traveling and unable to run. 

The next morning, I arrived at the airport and looked at the departure board.  Basically every flight was on time…except mine.  Normally, a delay would be fine except that I had booked my flight on cheapo Spirit Airlines and this delay meant that I would miss my connection and not make it to New Orleans until after the race. 

I interpreted this flight fiasco as a sign that I should not be attempting a half-marathon with a broken toe.  As I waited to speak with a customer service agent, my mind was spinning with different things I could say to request my money back.  To my surprise, Spirit offered me a refund before I even asked.  This was too easy.  

Riding back to my apartment, I barely noticed the cold weather.  It was just nice to be at home for a few days.  

Villahermosa, Mexico

People who know me can attest that I am obsessed with running.  One lesser-known piece of information is that I’ve been battling a chronic issue with my right ankle that has bothered me since October, 2011.  Just as I was about to leave my hotel in Merida, I was stretching my ankle by leaning on the table next to the bed.  As I stood back up, I kicked a mysterious post in the middle of the bed frame.  After yelling profanities for 5 minutes, I noticed that my smallest toe had swollen to twice its normal size and was clearly broken.  This was not good news for my upcoming schedule, which included 2 half-marathons, a full marathon, and a ski trip within the next 2 months.

I finally pulled myself together enough to check out of the hotel and hobble through the airport for my third and final destination in Mexico.  One quick shuttle flight later, I was in the land of Tabasco.  Villahermosa is basically the opposite of everywhere else I have visited in Mexico.  No beach resorts, no touristy restaurants, and no real historic sites to see.  Basically, the entire city just seems to exist for the purpose of oil companies and business travelers. 

On my first day of the project, I was barely able to squeeze into my shoes but flip flops don’t exactly work with a suit so I decided to suck it up.  It’s amazing how much pain can come from such a small injury.  Obviously the Finance Director decided that it would be a lot of fun to start the project by giving me a full tour of the property.  Maybe he thought I just like to walk funny.

I never realized how much time I spend working out because the first week in Villahermosa felt like I had absolutely nothing to do.  By the weekend, I was ready to do something, so I limped my way through La Venta park, which was adjacent to my hotel. This strange zoo/archaeological site was filled with monumental “heads”, interspersed among some live animals.  There were guards everywhere to ensure that no one touched the heads but none of them seemed to know anything about their historic significance.  So, that’s all I’ve got…heads and animals, co-existing in nature.

Representing the random assortment of animals at La Venta

Representing the random assortment of heads at La Venta

After a successful limp on Saturday, I decided to go even further the next morning - this time to church.  To my surprise, it was literally overflowing with people for the mass.  They even set up a tent and chairs outside the front door!  Also, in true Mexican fashion, there were several street vendors in front selling snacks, trinkets, and balloons. 

This tent was soon to be filled with people during the mass

My eating routine in Villahermosa involved completely stuffing myself at breakfast and surviving until dinner since there was no way I would go near the food they were serving in the employee cafeteria.  On Thursday, my plan was turned upside-down when the Director of Finance offered to take me out to lunch with the entire team as a thank-you.  

The restaurant was more like someone’s back yard and involved a bunch of picnic tables and a grill.  Within a minute of sitting down, we were each given a massive grilled fish – complete with scales, eyes, and fins.  As I cut into it, I discovered that the fish had two sets of bones: one in the middle like a normal fish and another along the top.  I thought to myself: “How on earth can I de-bone this thing?”  Within a few minutes, I realized that the local approach is to just bite carefully and pull the bones out of your mouth when they poke you in the gums.

The people of Villahermosa love their VW Beetles

By the end of my six weeks in Mexico, I was ready to go home.  Professionally, the experience was highly rewarding. Socially, I found my colleagues to be extremely gracious hosts.  My biggest challenge was just stretching beyond my comfort zone to do business in another language for so long.  I couldn’t help but think about all my friends who are living (and thriving) in countries that don’t communicate in their native languages.  After this experience, I have even greater respect for them all.

PS: I’m still wondering why my bed frame in Merida had six legs. 

Mexico, Part Dos

On the last day of the Cancun project, the staff invited me to an authentic Mexican restaurant in the downtown area, which was beyond exciting after 2 weeks with tourists. As we walked in, I saw the mariachi band, gigantic margaritas, colorful sarapes, and tortilla chips on every table.  This is authentic? Really?  Honestly, the only different between this place and every Mexican restaurant in America is the Spanish menu (although who really needs an English menu to order Mexican food anyhow?)

This is what "authentic" Mexican restaurants look like

After a couple margaritas that were the size of my face, I barely noticed the mariachi band behind me.

This is how "authentic" Mexicans dress for dinner.

The next morning, some staff offered to take me out again – this time to a Playa Del Carmen.  It was such a different vibe than Cancun (in a good way) and we had a lot of fun walking along the beach and through the town.  My biggest laugh of the night was when one girl suggested a restaurant that “all Americans love” and proceeded to lead us to a Brazilian steak house.  I really appreciated the thoughtful gesture, even though I ate more meat in that one meal than I usually consume in an entire week. The day in Playa Del Carmen was the perfect end to a fun project.

Walking along the beach in Playa Del Carmen

My next project was in Merida, which is a small city with lots of Mayan influence.  The lifestyle was so relaxed and simple that I truly felt like I had gone back in time.  People were strolling through the parks, streets were closed for for bicycling, and cafes along the road were filled with people just sitting around, eating ice cream and, I assume, wondering how many more years they could get out of their VW Beetles.  No joke – these cars are everywhere in Mexico.

People don't like to drive in Merida...

...unless they're in one of these beauties! 

The downtown area is anchored around the oldest cathedral in North America and actually reminded me a lot of Morelia, which I visited in 2009.  The biggest difference is that the cathedral in Morelia has a weekly sound and light show, which seems to attract every resident of the town (even though the show is exactly the same every week).

Here's the Cathedral in Merida, lit up at night

Memories from the 2009 trip to Morelia!

On my first Friday night in Merida, I went out with some of the staff and learned that lots of locals actually still speak Mayan as a primary language. No wonder why I couldn’t understand half of what people were saying!  By this point in the trip, I was actually getting tired of speaking only Spanish so I booked myself on a full-day tour (in English) to Chichen Itza, just to let my brain relax!

I was really excited to see this Wonder of the World and it totally lived up to expectations.  The main pyramid that you see in all the pictures is overly restored, but one side is maintained in its original condition and the rest of the site also remains largely untouched.  These Mayans were incredibly advanced for their time and it was amazing to hear the stories about how life may have been for them. 

The observatory was my favorite part of the Mayan ruins

For my second weekend, I found out that I couldn’t have picked a better time to visit Merida because they host a killer parade for Carnival.  Normally, I only watch parades when drum corps are involved, but I eagerly made an exception in this case.  The dancing, floats, lights, and overall atmosphere was a fun way to spend my last nights in Merida.  I was also amazed at how well-controlled the viewing areas were.  Just when I thought Americans were masters at making money, the Mexicans proved superior by fencing off literally the entire sidewalk and requiring all spectators to pay a minimum of 30 pesos for a chair.  Best $3 I have ever spent!    

Here's the queen and her little munchkins

I almost felt like I was in Rio

They serve lots of healthy food at Carnival

I just can't get enough of these Mexican ladies dancing to Gangnam Style!  They were probably the highlight of the entire parade for me: