Acapulco - beach from postcards

For next week in MC we decided to have team building weekend and go to Acapulco. Everyone agreed, we bought tickets (normal price is 35 USD, for students 50% off) and at Friday at 4pm we finished our working day and at 6pm took our bus. Only Octavio (president) didn´t go with us, because had exams in the weekend. Before go here, Dante and Martha was researching hotels to make our stay there cheaper, they found and booked one.

Acapulco is not so far from Mexico city, the way took around 5 hours. To hotel we arrived at midnight. In hotel they told us that they don´t have our reservation and they also don´t have free place. So it started to become even more interesting – resort in the period when everything is booked, midnight outside and we don´t have place to stay. We were lucky and after 15-20 we found other hotel where were free space.

To make it cheaper we took only one room for 4 people (we were 6). To manage sleeping of 6 people in the room with 2 big beds, we from one bed took out 1 matras and put in on the floor.
So we went to put our stuffs into the room, change clothes and went to party on the opposite side of the road from our hotel.

From first minutes I understood that Acapulco is party city. During the night is more people on the streets then during the day. All around lights, music, people - amazing night atmosphere.

Entrance was for free, but you have to buy drinks (2 drinks for 6 USD). We bought our drinks and went to dance. As usually in Mexico, in disco they play mainly latino or music in Spanish. It was pretty nice place, on the air (not bar with a walls) and with view to the ocean. After disco we went to the beach just to touch water and to sleep.

I woke up first at 10:00 in the morning, aprox. in the same time woke up Ligia and went to shower. I was thinking she is going to the beach, but after shower she went to continue sleeping. When I was almost ready to go, woke up Dante and asked to wait him 5 minutes. After 5 minutes we went with him to the beach. The beach was like on postcards. Blue water, yellow send, sun, umbrellas, hot weather (it was aprox. 35 degrees)… We made some photos and after 5 minutes I was already sweaming. Water was kind of 28 degrees. It was like – on the sun you are hot, you go to the water and you don´t refresh yourself. The only things I didn´t like is water. It is very salty - if you get a bit in your mouth then you in the same time want to drink very much and if you get in eyes, then it hurts. And second thing is sand is too big. After some time it is painful to walk without shoes. After sweeming I came under umbrella, where was Dante, who had one of more exciting elements from postcards – coconut. In reality coconuts are not brown, they are much much bigger and green. I couldn´t not to buy one for my self. I ordered one and couldn´t believe I´m sitting on the beach of the paradise place and drinking fresh coconut juice from real coconut. Later came Martha and we with her were playing Frisbee on the beach.

Strange thing for me was that other part of team woke up only at 1 pm. Juan Manuel went to the sweeming pool in the hotel and girls came for 1-2 hours to the beach.
On the beach there are a lot sellers, who is walking and selling different stuffs from massage and souvenirs till silver and …. drugs. Interesting dialog was:
- Do you want silver?
- No
- Listen, do you wanna get high? Do you wanna blow? Do you want Marihuana?
- No, gracias.

Once I ask how much does it cost to buy one cigarette with Marihuana and in the beginning it was like 70 USD, but then he told, special price 20 USD. My answer was ¨no gracias, yo no uso¨. After 10 minutes, I hardly get out of him.

I also bought t-shirt on the beach. Start price was 160 pesos, after some bargaining it became 80 pesos and my friends told buy it, because it is final price that he propose. Finally I bought it for 60 pesos.
At 4pm we went to hotel to sweam in a pool and later tried to find good and cheap place to eat. Finally we found not so cheap but good place – Pica Hut.

After lunch we went to watch some places in Acapulco, but Juan Manuel, went to hotel to watch soccer. After watching downtown, part of team was very tired and wanted go to rest, but we with Dante and Mariana went to watch very unique performance, when people jumping into water from very high hill. There were a lot of people, but it was really exciting.

Then we return to hotel and only me, Mariana, Martha and her friend agreed to go to party, to spend last night in Acapulco for taking everything, but not for sleeping that we can make at home too.
We went to party, to club called ¨Paradise¨, where for entrance we had to pay 7 USD, but for it we could take 2 drinks for free. We took some cocktails, danced a lot (till 3pm) and then decided to go to the beach to drink beer. We went to shop to buy beer and then went to the beach to enjoy very warm, dark night on the beach. We returned at hotel around 5am.
Next day was pretty hard. First of all I felt that I burned from sun yesterday. In the morning we went with Dante to bus station to put him to bus to home and then went to buy our tickets to home. On way back to hotel, we took bus (normal bus in Acapulco, old one) and it broke in the middle of the way. After arriving close to hotel, we decide go to eat to¨100% Natural¨ restraint. We eat quite good and expensive food there. On our table also was bottle of mineral water and as normally, I was thinking this water is included into service. But in Mexico I meet many cases, when shops are cheating you, putting different price then it is real. And here was similar case and for that small bottle of water, that I thought was for free, I had to pay 2 USD, when it´s real price is 0.6 USD.
That day was also very hot, and because I burned last day, it was even harder time for me. After lunch I went to enjoy ocean last time. I was sweaming around 30 minutes, then bought some souvenirs and went to hotel. From there we took a taxi to bus station.
Next surprise was, when we got into the bus. The bus inside was just … amazing. I think it was bus for executives. It looked so business inside – it was like office, with sits from skin, with opportunity to make coffee for free, …

Next 4 days I was sick, I think because burning very strong in Acapulco.

Zoo in Mexico city

Last week I wanted to write more then one story, but managed to write only one :(
Continue of the retelling what I am doing here.

Next week, after father´s birthday, I wanted to take everyone from my friends to Zoo, but I managed to take only Vikus. So in the morning we went with her to Chapultepec park, where is based Zoo. Interesting thing of the zoo is that you cannot bring inside any food (police check your bags at the entrance) and entrance is for free, yuhuuu.

This is really big Zoo (it is biggest Zoo in Mexico). We spent here kind of 4-5 hours going around.
Comparing to zoo in Latvia, this is much bigger (2-3 times) and here is animals, whom you cannot meet in Latvian zoo. Such animals like kangaroo, giraffe, elephants, crocodile (from not long time ago, in Latvian zoo crocodile cannot be met), …





























Interesting is part of zoo, where are only birds. Many and very interesting birds, from which are many parrots. Those birds are not sitting in the cage, but can fly and walk free.
I think it is better to show, then to tell :)







Also when you walk in Zoo, you can meet growing bambus, and I think, this is very interesting only for me ;)


What was strange for me (not very, but still), that in zoo was a loooot of people and kids was very strange. It was kind of fashion for kids (and some adults too) to paint their faces. Most popular was Spiderman and cats. In this park there were special places, where for 1 USD you can paint your face to whatever you want.


















Also interesting way how they make not to loose they clidren. I meet it pretty often in the city.




After zoo, we went out, I saw Freesbee and decide to buy it. We were playing it the park and everyone was watching surprised on us. Then in the evening we went to home. We were walking to home direction and on the wall of park was put many different and really beautiful and interesting photos. When photo wall finished, we took bus and went to home.

Continue my stories

It is 1 months from a moment I posted something here last time, I think, I need to give more time for my blog, but it is hard because I don't have so much free time - even I have few friends I have something to do all the time.

At 21 of July I went shopping with Vikus(Marianas sister), where I bought 2 shoes, after that we went to my home by metrobus and hardly found my home :). From my home we decide to take metro, which is closer, easier, cheaper and faster then metrobus. This day was Mariana's father's birthday what need to start at 6-7 pm. But on time arrived few people, most of people arrived around 10 pm and some even much later.

At celebrations came a lot of people and whole evening we were talking and drinking good drinks. The most interesting part started after 1am, when came Mariachi (traditional singers). 5 men dressed very fancy and traditional were playing and singing traditinal songs and party guests was helping to sing :)

and after that started dancing part, when they were dancing (and I was studying) latino dances - it was a lot of fun. Then I was singing songs from new Brainstorm (latvian band) CD, making head massage to sisters and then we went to sleep at 5:30 am.
Next day we woke up at 10:30 am, we eat breakfast and I went home to sleep 2 hours more till moment, when we with my team went to old house to bring last things from there to new flat and I finanlly got my own separated bed (before I was sleeping in 2 levels bed).

Soon will post news, what happened it other 3-4 weeks :)

Next shock about Mexico

New shocks about country:

1) In Mexico they don't have centralized pipes with cold and hot water, and gas. They have pump in every house, that get cold water. They have boilers that warm up cold water and they use big reservuars for gas. So they don't have and didn't know that it is possible to have it centralized underground that one company can service.

2) To get driving licence in country with crazy trafik you need only ... 30$ and you get licence. You don't need to pass any exams, go to school and it is official way to get them :| Also here they don't have many signs on the roads, everythings is automatically understandable.

3) They are crazy on taxi. Sometimes we even go home from work or to work from home by taxi, when are lazy to walk. But distance is 20 minutes walking only and taxi cost only 1 USD.

4) Credit cards are useful in few place. It is not very popular way to pay (even you cannot pay for movie in cinema with credit/debit card).

I'm starting to get used to country more and more, understand and talk Spanish more and more and enjoy my time and this country more and more :)

Sighseeing Mexico city center

Sunday...
We agreed today meet at 12:00, and that means that I had only 6 hours to sleep. My mexican friends (with whom I spent saturday) arrived only at 13:30.

Today we had plan to go to Chapultepec - big park with a lot of interesting places. First adventure was traffic on the roads. It was midday of Sunday, but traffic was huge. We were going on Reforma avenue (one of the largest streets in the world) - this street is really beautiful, One day I will have just to walk there.

Then we arrived to place close to Anthropology museum - famous museum about ancient civilizations. It was big challenge to find parking place, all places was full and also parking places for money was full. Finally ... we didn´t find place for a car and went just to walk in the park. Weather was almost wonderful, almost is because it was hot and some parts of my body (hands and face) was additionally hot from prev. day.

We wanted to rent a bicycle in the park, but didn´t do it because there was no place for renting a bicycle, only boats for driving in the lake.
After walking a bit in the nice park we decide to go to History museum. It was good and boring in the same time, but I enjoyed it.

Then we went to the place, that was goal for the day - Anthropology museum. Finally we managed to park our car on parking place for money and in the park on the way to museum I saw action, which I wanted to see and about what I was reading in my book about Mexico.

I liked it a lot. Then we went to Anthropology museum and that was very nice museum, you can feel there, how ancient civilizations were living.

After museum we went to Plaza de la tres culturas, where you can see in one place buildings of 3 different cultures - ancient, Spanish, modern.



Then we went to Marianas grandparents place, where I met her grandpa, grandma and uncle, and at that house that time was her mom and dad. We eat dinner(very tasty one) and together with mom and dad went to their home. That evening was relaxed, we were talking about different things and half of evening was talking about anatomy, when Vikus brought her notes from university (she study medicine) and we were discussing different things in anatomy in Spanglish :) It was interesting experience to talk about anatomy in spanish.I returned at home aprox. at midnight.Next day, after work I met again with same friends (Fernando, Vikus, Mariana) and we went to to drink beer with Mariana´s french friends, after pub we went to eat Tacos (at 12 of the night) and I arrived at home at 1 am.

Totally it was very exciting weekends and beginning of the week.

Teotihuacan and second sightseeing Mexico city

Saturday, it means that it is time to sightseeing. This day I was going with Mariana to see some place in Mexico city, but she decide that want to show me pyramids.
In the morning she arrived with mother by car, picked me up and went back to home. There was waiting her sister Vikus and Fernando (good friend of family). This day Fernando was driving car. So we took car and went to pyramids...
Way was very interesting, because I could see mountains all around the highway and after 1-1.5 hours driving we arrived to Teotihuacan. When I saw far away pyramide, I was soo happy that finally I will watch them in reality not in the postcard.

We arrived to the place and second thing what I saw was kiosks with souvenirs where sombreras cost only 1 USD.

We climbed to the pyramide de Lunes, what was not so easy, because stairs on pyramid was high and pyramid by itself is very high. Next view from the top I cannot describe, you should see and feel it.

When we made thousands of photos we went down to walk further and climb to pyramide de Sol (Sun), which can be seen on pictures above.

During way to pyramide de Sol, we climbed to ruins and also to small piramids, as well I bought new t-shirt with Mexico and picture of pyramids.

Pyramide de Sol was opened only partly, top part was closed for climbing, but it didn´t disturbed to enjoy dream view to buildings of Teotihuacan civilization.

After watching piramids I was going to buy souvenirs from sellers, who was everywhere. Firstly I entered kiosks to watch what can they propose and when I was buying postcard, I saw ... latvian money

Then I was buying souvenirs from sellers in the street and it was very interesting process, because I look like foreigner and prices of course they put very high, but I was bargaining and could decrease price very almost twice. For 1 thing I bargain price from 200 pesos to 65 pesos and everything in spanish.

In that place there are very many cactuses and very big one. Here you understand why we say that Mexico is cactus country.

We finished our trip and went to eat. And then I recognized that sun during the day was pretty strong and I got a it sunburned.

After Teotihuacan we went to my ¨second home¨, where we with family and family friends (aprox. 12 people) were drinking beer (a lot of it) and talking in spanish, good that there were people who talked english and could help me with translation. Day finished at 4 am, when father brought me home.