Sociological Research Adventures in Puebla : Museums, Waterfalls and Lucha Libre

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Thursday we went to an Alice in Wonderland-inspired play at a local gallery downtown called La Casa Mendruga. We learned when we walked in, that it was actually an interactive performance, and the audience is meant to represent Alice. The group of about 8 of us walked from room to room, which had different themes. The first room was set up like the tea party, hosted by the Mad Hatter (El Sombrerero Loco) and we sat at the table with the characters while the mad hatter told us a story that we added bits and pieces to as it developed. Every now and then, they would exclaim that it was 6 oclock and we would all get up from our seats and run around until we found a new seat. At one point, I was even at the head of the table, which was strange but exciting! The next room was set up like the caterpillar who asked us deep questions about ourselves, like what our dreams are, while she smoked hookah. There was also a room with the cat and with the Queen of Hearts. The whole performance was something that I had never experienced before, but I’m so glad that we did it. The interaction with the players, especially with it being in Spanish, was really fun. We had no idea what we were getting into when we bought our tickets, but it was a nice surprise to find out what we had actually signed up for! Earlier today, Miranda and I made a trip to Walmart out of curiousity, and it was a lot like any other Walmart. It had a McDonalds in the front, large produce, frozen foods and processed food sections. Except here they can sell liquor. That was the only addition that I noticed. It was weird to be in a place so familiar yet so foreign at the same time.

Friday we decided to be tourists so we went to a cute little art deco type café near our apartment, Café Milagro, got some bagels (!) and coffee and pulled out the map to mark all the landmarks and sites that we wanted to see. We still hadn’t been to the Cathedral, so that was the first thing we did. It was of course beautiful and everything from the ceiling to the floor was a work of art. It’s so nice to be in a place as quiet and spacious and beautiful as a cathedral, especially when it’s in the middle of downtown, which can seem a little cramped and busy. It’s a nice sanctuary to relax and collect thoughts. We meandered our way through the cathedral, and then made our way to another landmark, the Palofaxiona Library, which was the most complete library of printed text in Spanish America when it was donated by a bishop in the 17^th century. It was really interesting to see something that historically significant up close. The Library is located in the Cultural Center, where there are a lot of pamplets and announcements about current and upcoming events in Puebla. We found out that night was the one night of the each month that is the Noche de los Museos, where several museums in Puebla offers free entrance at special hours from 5pm to 10pm. We knew that there were a few museums we would want to see, but we still had a few hours until the event began, so we went to get lunch at Los Nevados, a restaurant that offers a tourist menu that includes several courses of traditional Pueblan dishes. It was a good deal, and the restaurant was on the 2^nd floor with tables on a balcony that overlooks the zocolo. We had a delicious and filling lunch of pipian verde, mole poblano, and other dishes I don’t quite remember the names of. We enjoyed a delicious meal with a great view and then continued on our way, wandering down a pedestrian shopping street and came across a church that contains a famous chapel, the Capilla del Rosario. It is a relatively small chapel, but it is adorned with gold at every opportunity possible and is incredibly beautiful. We marveled at that for some time and then continued on our mission to find traditional candies on a street famous for them, called calle Santa Clara. We tried a bunch of sweets like comotes, borrachitos, tortitas santa clara, and something similar to a coconut macaroon that also had pineapple in it. I’ll definitely be returning to that street to bring some of those goodies home with me! Later that evening, we took advantage of free entrance to La Casa de los Muñecos, Museo Amparo and the Museo Viviente. We were so lucky to have noticed that event and to have been able to see all the museums that we wanted to, and completely for free too!

The next day, we were up bright and early to begin our journey to Tolantongo to visit the hot springs and waterfalls with Elanor and Kim. We caught a city bus to the bus station, met at the bus station at 6:30 am, took the 7 am bus to Ixmilquipan, then walked to a little bus station where we took a van to Tolantongo. It was a long journey, but once we got there, it was all worth it. The natural beauty of the turquoise river (which we got a glimpse of as we drove down the dirt road switchbacks on the mountains), the waterfalls, and the caves was amazing. They were out of rooms in the hotel, but it was completely fine because they have the option to rent camping gear so that you can camp by the river. We had a really fun time being adventurous and outdoorsy the entire weekend. It was nice to be able to relax and take in some nature. We even did a little hike where we saw some breathtaking vistas and plenty of cacti that were about 3 times as tall as we are!

Sunday we visited the hot springs in the grotto one more time and Kim and I walked through some tunnels, and then we packed up to begin our journey home. Van followed by bus followed by bus followed by bus led us back to our apartment at about 7 pm where it felt oh-so-nice to take a hot shower. After we refreshed, we walked to the city center to get some dinner and some wifi to tell our families that we were in fact alive after the earthquake that we apparently missed while we were at Tolantongo. We didn’t even see any signs of it when we arrived back in Puebla, so it must not have been too devastating. We were pretty exhausted by then and slept very soundly on our bed that now seems much more comfortable after sleeping on the ground the night before!

Today some of the people in the international office took us out to lunch, which was a very kind gesture. It was nice to check in with them, talk with them about how things are going and just get to talk about Puebla and Mexico. They are very accommodating and want to make sure that we are enjoying our stay as much as possible. They treated us to an amazingly delicious lunch of sopa poblana, ensalada de pepinos, mole poblano, and fresh pineapple for dessert. It was the best meal I’ve had in Puebla thus far and they mentioned that they would have Chile en Nogada at the end of the month, so I know where I’ll be in a few weeks! I also worked a lot on my paper and am making a lot of progress, which is a nice feeling. Hopefully the ball keeps rolling the rest of this week. Tonight Frank, my friend that studied abroad at Appalachian last year, too Miranda and me to a Lucha Libre for some traditional Pueblan entertainment. It was so interesting! It looks exactly like it does on the TV, it’s so dramatic and overacted. The whole thing is a show, with the intention to look like actual fighting but without actually injuring the other person. It’s a lot like watching a dance performance. It was such an amazing cultural experience. There are people from all walks of life; everyone from 5 year old little girls to 80 year old men with walkers. And everyone gets so into it, screaming and yelling (mostly insults and curse words). Frank says that is a place that people go and they can get out all of their frustrations and angers by screaming profanities as loud as they can. Seems very cathartic to me! After dinner, we picked up one of his friends and went to a little outdoor restaurant with plastic chairs (which are the best places with the best and most authentic food!) to try some cemitas. They were unfortunately out of cemitas for the evening, but we tried their quesadillas that were the best I’ve ever had in my life. They were filled with chorizo and some other kind of meat, cheese, onions and guacamole. Add some habanero hot sauce and they are perfect. I wish we didn’t have to have a car to get to this place because I would go back every day if I could! After dinner, Frank took us to the highest park in the city which overlooked all of Puebla. Even the busy city looked so tranquil and beautiful all lit up at night. It was a perfect way to end our amazing evening. Frank is hospitable and proud to show us around his town and I am so grateful to him for that. He even promised to take us to barbeque on Sunday and I can’t wait. I’d follow him anywhere; he hasn’t disappointed me yet!