Pyramids of Monte Alban

Monte Alban is one more very important historical place in Mexico, where you can see pyramids. This place is based on the mountain, for this you have to go by bus to mountain.






Famous place by its ¨Ball game¨, after which one person, who lost the game was sacrificed.









And this is how looks way to/from Monte Alban. That was trip with adrenalin, because street wasn´t wide at all, but it was used for driving both directions and as you can see on photo, it was a bit high.




After Monte Alban we came back to Oaxaca city to sightseeing there and when we came there, it started to rain really hard, so he had to run and wait for rain finished. We decide during this time to eat lunch on marketplace.
To be continued...

Nochixtlan

Continuing to telling about my trips and new experiences, trying new things, I will move with retelling what happened in the August.

We with Mariana, while rest of the team went to International Congress, decided to go to Oaxaca state, to visit her friend. We went 3 of us - Mariana, me and David. Mariana´s friend, who´s name is Elizabeth (Eli) live in small town called Nochixtlan, what is 6 hours from Mexico city.
We arrived there at 6am, in the beginning eat different tasty things and then went a bit to sleep.

First of all we went for a walk around the city. We arrived in this dates also because city had big celebrations and city was making many nice activities inside. Already from the first minutes I was feeling very good, because I was outside of Mexico city, where is hard to relax, but here was silent, not in rush and also people was excited about coming celebrations.




al

After half an hour we finish to watch the city :) and we can hope just to relax. I was first time in my life sleeping in the hamak of course with my iPod :)




Then during the day started carnival. It was big one, dance groups came here from all Oaxaca state and atmosphere around was just amazing.

















This day was special for the city and for this people was allow to drink alcohol on the street. So we also wanted to enjoy this opportunity :D and we created our own cocktails from Rum Malibu and second from Tequila.




In the night was happening second part of carnival, where some people from carnival was going to special houses to eat and drink. In the front of everyone was going city council (at photo in the middle in a blue shirt). When they were entering house where we were waiting for them, started to rain and a bit later it was really strong rain. Funny was that city is based on the hill, so when we were going to home under the rain, you feel that you are going through river, because water has flow :) So finally we got completely wet.


We returned to house and Eli´s family gave us clothes to change and we were waiting for rain to finish and also for 4 am, to go to dance. 4 am, because till this party disco was asking entrance fee and we didn´t want to pay it :) We went to dance salsa and then to sleep, because in the morning at 9am we wanted go to Oaxaca and Monte Alban to watch this famous places.

So finally we managed to leave city at 12 pm and arrive to Oaxaca at 2pm and from this place we left directly to Monte Alban to watch pyramids.

Looking for solution

2 posts ago I was writing that had problems with their culture, with making friends, ... I know that I always have Vikus with her family (who is like my family), but I need more friends, one friend can not be with you all the time.

For solution of problems I met with mom of one of my ex-friend (intelegent women and speaks english well). We met with her for 2 hours talk, where we were discussing very different topic, where biggest part was talk about Mexican culture, making relations (friends and more serious). I got really good inputs, what should I do and also understood that mexican too big flexibility is not very bad thing and there are many good things inside (for example being less stressed in the life).

After meeting I decide to make personal goal setting for next 6 month. It looks this:


Let's see how will it work. It won't be easy, but I need to try.

Example of planing skills and punctuality

This weekend we with my some people from my team were planed to go to Puebla for weekend, for attending Posada (kind of Christmas party) and also to visit Africa Safari - famous museum, like zoo, but without borders, so animals can easily walk around.

We planed to live office at 4 pm to arrive there at 8-9 pm. So finally only Mariana and I left at 4:30 pm office and other 2 collegs stayed because didn't finish their work and guy because didn't want to pack his bag, had to go from office to home (but much comfortable to go directly from office to metro). They arrived to party after 11, when dinner already finished, when we broke all pinatas - activities finished and left only siting and drinking activities.

After party, I decide to not push anyone to wake up early(it wouldn't work anywhere) and I hoped that someone researched how can we get to Africa safari. So finally Juan Manuel told let's meet at 12:00 in the center to go to Africa safari at Saturday. Finally next day everyone gathered only after 2 pm and it was already late to go to Africa Safari, so finally our plan to go at Saturday there failt and we just were hanging around the city all the day.
I was talking with some of people(who came also from Mexico city), who wanted to go with me and Fabian (friend from Germany) to Africa safari at sunday morning. 2 from them (colombian girl and one mexican boy) told that want to go and may be will go. Everything finished, that in the evening everyone (except me and Fabian) left to home (to Mexico city), I was shocked that they just decide that they want to go home and don't care about that they have opportunity to visit unique place. To live to Mexico city, most of them needed to take bags from home. From place where we were staying at that time, were going buses to house, but they as I understand from culture are "whatever to money" and lazy to put some effort in order to economy money, so we could go there for 2 USD (5 people) by bus, but they just "I feel I want comfort" took taxi and we paid 8 USD for it. I completelly understood their culture of lazyness and don't care about expensies and if someone decide something, all others don't say "no, I don't want", they just follow.
So without planing and don't care about time, 5 people, who come from Mexico city, just lost opportunity and spent a lot of money just for 1 party and hanging around city.

Next day came. We with Fabian had plan to visit Africa Safari and we decide to not invite anyone with us, because it will make our life just harder and we will loose much time in the morning. In the Saturday evening, from one local girl we got to know that to Africa Safari is going public transport and from center of city is going special bus what cost 20 USD and include transportation there, ticket, transport inside the museum and back and everything for 6 hours. We counted and if we take public transport and go there by ourself and will use 25% discount coupon, then we will make trip on 13 USD. So we decide that we can make a bit effort and economy good amount of money and we went there and made all trip more interesting and only for 13 USD. So on economied money we could buy lunch and dinner.

In the bus was very interesting situation for us. As we already got used, that if you plan something, only in 10% cases things things will go on time, in others case, things will be delayed 1.5-2 times. So bus, what was driving us inside the Africa Safari made stop and told that it is for 20 minutes. There was toilets and food places. That food places was only with most popular food - cheaps, coca cola and beer (only things to buy and nothing too healthy, but if you want to eat healthy generally in Mexico you can find something, so situation with food here is OK, you can buy what you like and what is healthy).

After 20 minutes only we were next to the bus and when we came to bus driver, when passed already 25 minutes and we told him, lets go inside the bus, he told "yes let's go" and he stend up and ... went to toilet, I was thinking that he had to be first in the bus. So finally the break took ... 40 minutes.

Then was second stop for 10 minutes.
This is time when break started.


How bus looked after 14 minutes:

And we left after ... 22 minutes.


I'm already not angry about this punctuality and not feeling comitement from people to others' time, I'm just loughing about this "efficiency".

One more interesting thing happened in the end of our visit, when we were waiting the bus on the sun and didn't know, when will it come. So we decide for fun make hitchhike (here noone is doing it, because is very dangerous). The most interesting is that we MANAGED to stop ... first car and it took from us 1 minute :)



Here is some picture from my trip, just to see what a great ideas to create such park - Africa Safari (as always all pics you can find www.flickr.com/photos/sergejs/sets ).

Feeling after leaving here for 5 months

Sorry, for not updating it too often, don't have time and too much internet access at my home during the evening.

Just want to share how do I feel living here.

I feel that I don't have any real friend. Sometimes you meet person, you have great talk, great time and you feel that this person is becoming your friend. And then happened one of such things:
1) They don't have time for meeting you.
2) They just don't pick up the phone, when you want to talk or to agree in some meeting.
3) If you agreed on some meeting, they just cancel it in the last moment, when you even cannot find anyone more to spend the evening.

Today I feel that here is no person (except some european friends, who is in another city), whom you can trust. If some person from latino america tells you "YES", I want to accept it like "YES", but I need to accept it like "There is some posibility" (here easily can be told NO, to some your plan in the last minute, when you need to go/do and they don't feel bad about it). And I feel that I cannot live with it, I'm feeling so lonely with "friends", who in order to say that cannot or don't want, just don't pick up the phone. Do they feel that if they say me true situation, I will scream on them or I will be angry? I will be good with it, I will see the reason and will understand, but when you, in place to hear what is happening, hear just "beep" in you phone and think does it mean that person don't hear your call or just don't want pick up, I cannot stand it, I feel really disappointed in people, I feel that all this friendship what they show is just "artificial" and in reality they don't care about you.
I have no idea, what should I do, in order to find at least 1-2 good friends. I really hope I can change my this opinion, but I don't really believe that it is possible.

I want my latvian friends here, whom I can trust, whom I can meet when I feel alone, ...
I'm thinking what is better to hear from people "I don't have time" or to hear "Yes" and then don't meet person.

Seems I need to wait it for long time or to do something to change this bad situation with "friends".

I had one case with mexican friend, who told me how it is in reality. "If someone don't pick up the phone, it means you can cancel that plan and make another". But it is not right way to do things, in my opinion. What to do?

And also about do something. So many times happened here, that you ask someone to do something, he/she told you "Yes" and then you ask it later, when things should be done and you hear, I will do it now, when you already lost the time. I had sooo many such cases. Do people has responsibility feeling for their words? Seems words for them is just words, not promise or commitement.

It is easy to say just adapt, but I don't want to become the same, I don't want to be the person "What I feel, that I will do", I want to be person, who use time in productive way, live is going and opportunities is passing. I don't want to lie on the bed and see, how they are going, I want to take them. May be it is my first on last time in Mexico ...
AND I WANT TO TRUST PEOPLE...

Here comes new pack of cultural differences and some facts

Here comes new pack of cultural differences and some facts:
1. Inside house/flat everyone is walking in shoes never saw someone use indoor shoes.
2. They have a lot of highway for which you have to pay, but also with this payment they give you insurance and it is much safer to drive highways, then free roads.
3. The most reach areas in the market own government companies with monopoly. For example, oil – get and sell on gas stations only one company Pemex, what is government company.
4. Here they give a lot of different services, like washing window of your car, making shows while drivers are waiting for green light in a cross street, helping to put bags to a taxi, in FREE parking place there are guy, who like watching your car that no one do any bad to it, children in shops, who pack your stuffs into a plastic bag, and … SHOCK – in toilet is a boy, who is giving you a piece of paper for dry your hands. BUT all of them want some money for it. Sometimes you thing “what a hell, why I need it and why I need to pay”. For example, for boy in toilet.
5. You always can find place to eat during the night. Here all the time are opened places to eat tacos – very tasty and quite cheap.
6. Some inner country buses are really good quality, I never used such level buses in Europe and at least this buses has enough space for my legs.
7. People are extremely friendly and they don’t say so much ¨I don’t have time¨ as in Europe.
8. A lot of people have cars, rarely I can meet someone even my age without a car
9. Too bureaucratic and too official everything. Often you have to put suit and tie.
10. What should be green color in Mexico city is not green. It is like dirty green, but outside Mexico city it is normal green.
11. In public schools people don´t study English, only in private schools. Very weird taking into consideration that they have border with US.
12. Here is not many GOOD PRIVATE universities, what has good education, but private universities is very good and many of them are very expensive.
13. They don’t use so much normal plates; they use a lot one-time plates or use plates made from plastic. In fast food places, they put plastic plates into plastic bag and put on it food, after you ate, they took away bag and don’t need to wash plate.
14. Metro in peak time is a mess. If you don’t push people, you never will enter metro train.
15. Here are extremely many gays and lesbians. You can meet them very many on the streets. Here no one surprised about them.
16. Mexicans smoke a lot and in the flat to smoke is normal, even if your child is not smoking.
17. Very many young people has cars, almost all my friends has car and they always drive you to home.
18. In Mexico don’t have bath in the flats, only showers. Baths are only for reach families.
19. They dance and sing very much. They can dance and sing everywhere – mostly latino musica.
20. They have big family connections. When have celebrations, are invited all family and it is a lot of people. And invited family can invite some friends too. So celebrations have a lot of people. And celebrations mostly are: eat a bit (not too much), chat and dance salsa or reggeaton.
21. Don’t drink tea. Here is not so much choice of tea and expensive. Noone use it. They drink or coffee or soda. And soda/lemonade is extremely popular here.
22. During birthdays of children they have Pinata (box of candies in form of some cartoon hero), what they need to destroy with by kicking it with stick and then all guests try to grab some candies.

23. When you meet someone, it is opposite sex person, you need to give kiss into cheek, but generally no one gives kiss, they just put their cheek to other person cheek and make noise like kissing :D. Very strange.
24. The very weird thing!!! They always ask you “Como estas” = “How are you doing” and in 90% of time they don’t care and often they even don’t listen your answer. Some times you can hear “Como estas? Hola.” = “How are you. Hi”. In this case for sure no one is waiting for your answer, to question “how are you?”. This question I don’t like the most.