On Friday, we had the day off so we decided to make the trip to Cholula. We braved the bus system and made it to the Zocolo in Cholula just in time for an amazing lunch at La Casa de Frida. It was colorful and bright, the food was delicious and much to our surprise, a few of the waiters and even a man playing the harp for tips could speak English. We haven't come across hardly anyone that speaks English in Puebla, but it seems that English is much more common in Cholula. They were happy to practice their English and to talk with us about what we were doing here and how we were enjoying the area. After lunch, we met up with Elanor by UDLAP and we continued on to the old Mayan pyramid, walking in the ancient tunnels and coming out about halfway up the pyramid to La Iglesia Nuestra Senora de los Remedios, a Catholic church that the Spanish built on top of the pyramid. From the church, there is a beautiful view of Popocateptl and the other volcanoes that surround Cholula. Afterwards, we met up with Kim and it was so nice to have the 4 of us reunited again. It was so nice to be able to share our stories and experiences and thoughts. Elanor and Kim took us to see their dorms, which are so nice, and meet some of their international friends. We went out for what is supposedly the best pizza in Cholula (and it was delcious!) with a group of internationals and it was nice to be in a big group. They seem like they have a really great group of friends there.
On Saturday, Miranda and I decided to take it easy, so we went shopping at a little market that happens all day on the weekends. A bunch of artistans and people selling all sorts of things gather together, set up booths and sell their crafts and products. I had a lot of luck buying gifts to take home to my friends and family, and of course a few souvenirs for myself! I feel like I'm spending so much money here, but since there are about 13 pesos to a dollar, and things are just generally cheaper here (a sit down meal at a restaurant costs about 20 or 30 pesos, or about 1.50 or 2.50 USD), then I have to constantly remind myself that I'm not spending nearly as much as I feel like I am. I love looking at my bank account at the end of the day and realize that I went shopping, ate dinner and saw a movie for less than 20 USD.
On Sunday, Miranda and I slept in and woke up to a beautiful sunny day and decided to grab some breakfast/lunch at one of our favorite little local restaurants, Las Brujas. We had a relaxing lunch while we listened to a smooth jazz rearrangement of Michael Jackson songs, and then paroozed a different local market on our way to the Casa del Alfenique, a local museum. It is meant to show what a home might have looked like for a Spaniard living in the original settlement of Puebla and is filled with artifacts from that era that really help paint the picture of what life was like then, such as clothing, paintings and lots of talavara, which is traditional pottery. The process of the making talavara is still done today in the same way that it was centuries ago, and it can be bought at many different stores throughout the city. I've already bought a mug, a candle and a mirror with the tile around the edges. They are all so classic and beautiful and I can't wait to find a place for them in my apartment when I get back! We also decided to do what is apparently the thing to do in Puebla on Sunday afternoons, go to the movies. When we arrived at about 3 pm, the line was out the door and it was even longer and more crowded when we came out at 5 pm. We saw After Earth (Despues de la Tierra), which was in English with Spanish subtitles. We love going to movies because we can pick up new words from the subtitles at the bottom of the screen. We ended our day with a quest to find a traditional Pueblan dish, Chile en Nogada. It is a poblano pepper stuffed with walnuts, fruits and other aromatics and meat, and then topped with a white walnut-based cream sauce (called nogada) and sprinkled with pomegranate seeds. The colors of the dish are red, white and green, to represent the colors of the Mexican flag. It is usually only available beginning in July or August, depending on when the pomegranates are ripe. But some places will make the dish year round with almost ripe pomegranates, and it was delicious even if the pomegranate seeds weren't perfectly red. It's one of my favorite dishes that I've had here in Puebla. It's a nice mixture of slightly spicy and nutty and sweet. I wish we could be here to enjoy it when it's at its full potential! I supposed it's just an excuse to return :)
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