I feel the earth move under my feet...

I experienced my first earthquake today.  It was small but exciting, for me anyways.  I was eating lunch and I noticed the table swaying back and forth and thought "hmm...that's odd..." then I realized it wasn't just the table swaying it was our entire apartment.  Then it was over.  So it really wasn't that intense but I'd never felt anything like it! 

Walmart thought they'd make a funny joke about the earthquake and tweeted that their competitors were "shaking" over their everyday low prices.  I thought it was kind of funny, especially since all the news sources were reporting at that time that no one had been injured in the earthquake (the joke would have been in totally bad taste otherwise!) and people freaked out over it and how they shouldn't laugh about other people's misfortune or joke about things like natural disasters.  Maybe it was too soon and they should have waited to see how much damage the earthquake caused but it wouldn't have been as timely or funny (depending on who you asked obviously!) if they had waited until everything had passed.  Then again, maybe it's just too easy to make Walmart out to be the bad guy. 

Playing With Fire

Last night Octavio's friend Soco invited us to an event at a bar his friends own and work at, La Otra.  It was an exhibition of sorts of fire jugglers.  Soco, the jack of all trades, was going to preform as well so we went to support him and check it out.  It's a really nice little quirky bar and we got to sit outside which I loved since it was so beautiful out!  While watching the fire jugglers though I felt a lot like the mom of the group.  I gasped every time someone dropped something and I kept worrying they were going to set their hair on fire or something.  Especially at one point when three boys went out who were clearly just messing around.  I thought for sure it was going to end badly and I was trying to figure out how to say "stop, drop, and roll" in Spanish.  In the end, only the grass got singed.  All fingers, hair, and clothing was safe.

Another interesting aspect of the night was the amount of mullets in this bar!  Apparently the mullet is a very popular hairstyle among young Mexican hipsters because it was everywhere!  I've never seen so many mullets in one place in my entire life and that's including Worlds/Oceans of Fun.

Outside on the patio area.  The boys are bad at posing for pictures.

The area the jugglers performed in.

The first fire juggler.

Everyone gathering to watch the show.

Soco's turn.

Inside a dance party broke out to what sounded to me like a mix of middle eastern music set to a mexican beat. 

more dancing.

dancing in the tiny bar.

I have a video of the fire juggling but for some reason it's not letting me upload it so...you may or may not get to see that eventually.  It was pretty neat though.

Another lazy Sunday in Coatepec

We returned to Coatepec last Sunday this time with two of Octavio's friends.  It was a lot more wandering around and exploring than the last time when I was on a mad hunt for the perfect Mexican Christmas presents for everyone.  Sunday is definitely the day to visit Coatepec though.  The City Hall is open and filled with vendors selling everything from handmade crafts to homemade salsas, coffees, breads, and cakes.  I have my eye on something for my dad that we need to go back for another Sunday before I leave!  Octavio's friend Soco met us there with his nephew and after lunch they went around with their guitars singing to earn some extra money.  Soco is a jack of all trades.  He's a crazy musician, playing several instruments and singing, he makes jewelry with wire and beads (my mom is the proud owner of his dragonfly pin) and I just found out he also knows how to juggle...with fire.  All learned by pretty much watching other people do it.  He's crazy talented.  Anyways, when we parted ways Octavio, Itzel, and I decided to take a guided bus tour of the historic town.  I enjoyed the sights but am still working on improving my "bus driver Spanish" so I didn't understand all of the information given.  Over the microphone the guide sounded a lot like Charlie Brown's teacher to me. 

Walking in the center of Coatepec

pinatas, pinatas, and more pinatas

the church in the center of Coatepec

people waiting outside a very busy church

the view of the church from our little bus

Itzel on the bus with the taste test of toritos, a milky type alcohol made in Veracruz especially Coatepec

our tour bus

another mini bus complete with a kind of creepy Dora the Explorer & Diego for kids.

streets of Coatepec

a little shop in Coatepec

another bus, this one was fancier, they gave you snacks also.

part of the market

We passed Soco & his nephew playing on our bus!

when we came home we found our cat/goat eating stray receipts.

Coffee Country

A few weekends ago Octavio, some of his friends from school and I went to visit his friend Azucena's home town, Cosautlan, about an hour and a half away from Xalapa.  The bus ride there was harrowing.  It was an hour and a half up into the mountains on little winding mountain roads.  Add to that the fact that we were sitting in the very back and every time we hit the smallest of bumps I went flying and you can maybe understand the level of carsickness I was feeling.  The scenery was beautiful at least.  We got there and Azucena showed us around the town and introduced us to the whole family.  Octavio & his friends kept making fun of her because it seemed like every other person we passed was either an aunt or a cousin of some sort.  Her mom made us a delicious lunch of pozole, a kind of soup that is really good!  Octavio & I tried to make it for my parents once in Kansas but it didn't turn out so great.  After lunch her dad and brother took us for a tour of their coffee farm.  We road in the back of their truck and saw all kinds of coffee plants!  They ship their coffee to all over Mexico and man, is it good!

The super intricate decoration outside the church made out of corn leaves, palms, flowers, and some sort of bamboo.

Inside the church.

In the center of their park.  Javier & I got the smile for the picture memo, Soco & Azucena got the be goofy one.

Octavio & I in the gazebo in the center of the park .

more gazebo.

At night you can see Xalapa and Veracruz from here.  We were really high up in the mountains.

more views.  We climbed up on her grandma's roof to see better.

The church.

everyone was very impressed by who Octavio called "quasi moto" ringing those big bells by hand.

Coffee plants

In the back of the truck cruising through the coffee plants

more of the farm.

coffee plants, coffee plants, and more coffee plants

they were shaded by banana trees

Azucena's dad teaching us about the different types of coffee.

view of the town. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Parks & Recreation

If Kansas City is the city of fountains I feel like Xalapa might well be the city of parks.  We've explored so many parks already and there are still a ton we haven't been to and many that we just seem to stumble upon as well.  Some of them are little with just a few vendors and some are intense rain forests almost.  Here are a few pictures of our many park explorations.

Parque de los Berros

more of Los Berros

more

lots of fun stuff for kids, including pony rides!

Part of Los Lagos, a park with three connecting lakes.

More of Los Lagos

The USBI, it belongs to the Universidad Veracruzana

trails in the USBI.

more USBI

a little pond in the usbi

crossing the little pond in the usbi

ridges that were slightly difficult to walk up!

still in the usbi

a different part of the usbi (I'm telling you, this thing is big!  We were exhausted by the time we got home!)

more usbi!

Octavio en Parque Los Tecajetes

The pictures are kind of dark and super green because it was about to rain.

Little waterfall, kind of hard to see.

Little pond in the park

Two paths converging.

giant fish in the pond.

they were not hurting for food that's for sure!

more of the park

There was a little building with a bunch of snakes you could look at.  Outside were these birds.

They started fighting shortly after this picture was taken.

I've decided I would have liked to go to Hogwarts for the sole reason of being able to own an owl as a pet.