Viva Mexico!
It is incredible to me how quickly Mexico is becoming less and less Mexican - for the average traveler, that is. I'm not sure what brought this to my mind today - maybe wishing I were somewhere warm again. Or not wanting to work. Anyhow...
My first trip to Mexico was freshman year of high school. My family went to Puerto Vallarta, where we stayed at a nice resort and spent our days swimming in their myriad of pools and walking on the beach. Aside from an afternoon at the local market (where we were convinced to pay for pictures with a massive iguana on our shoulder, which I highly doubt is typical Mexican behavior), and the local staff working at the resort, we were not really experiencing anything Mexican. Even the food I'm pretty sure was more of an American-Mexican twist. Heavy on the American.
After college, I took classes to get my TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certificate in Guadalajara, Mexico. This was probably my most authentic Mexican experience. I lived with a local family (which oddly enough were Peruvian but of Japanese decent), ate typical Mexican food, took public transportation, and stayed clear of tourists for the most part. I had immersed myself in their culture and LOVED it. I traveled around to a few cities and learned a lot about the indigenous people of Mexico. I am also very proud to say that I visited the town of Tequila (birthplace of actual tequila) and, despite my hatred for the taste, tried over 5 different flavors of tequila! Can you believe that?
Last year Jon and I took a trip to Cancun. Again, my experience was far from true Mexican - our resort was fancy, all-inclusive, and prided itself on its Italian and Thai restaurants. Our first dinner there, our waiter (very obviously Mexican) asked what we would like to drink. I responded, "Dos Equis, por favor" (which translates to "Two X"). The waiter replies, "Two X? Ok." I said, "Muchas gracias" and he replied, "You're welcome." I was clearly speaking Spanish to him, and I know my pronunciation is still right on, but he would have nothing of it! I couldn't even go to Mexico and speak their own language...
This year we had some flight vouchers to use and were lucky enough to make it back to Mexico - this time Cabo. To no one's surprise, this place was as touristy and "Americanized" as you can get. We walked to the marina, where we found a shopping mall with Cartier, Coach, and Ralph Lauren stores, and big name restaurants like Ruth's Chris Steakhouse and Hard Rock Cafe. Not a sliver of anything resembling authentic Mexico. We were also convinced to attend another timeshare presentation (easy cash on a rainy day), where we saw what our Cabo experience would really be like. Marble countertops, swiveling flat screen tvs so you can watch tv on the balcony, fancy decorations, and fine dining. I can see why so many celebrities vacation here!
It was this last trip that I realized that I did not feel like I was in another country. There's nothing wrong with that, as I thoroughly enjoyed all of these trips. They are beautiful locations, with a lot of fun activities and great entertainment. We relaxed and had a great time. However, the cultural nut in me finds it so sad that you can spend a whole week in another country, supposedly another culture, and yet feel like you never crossed the border. I suppose I have plenty of other places I can always plan to visit to get my “new culture fix.” :)
I’ll end with a picture from our last trip. Though lacking Mexican authenticity (and way too little sunshine), we had a wonderful time. Excuse my hair - we had just gotten off a boat!
My first trip to Mexico was freshman year of high school. My family went to Puerto Vallarta, where we stayed at a nice resort and spent our days swimming in their myriad of pools and walking on the beach. Aside from an afternoon at the local market (where we were convinced to pay for pictures with a massive iguana on our shoulder, which I highly doubt is typical Mexican behavior), and the local staff working at the resort, we were not really experiencing anything Mexican. Even the food I'm pretty sure was more of an American-Mexican twist. Heavy on the American.
After college, I took classes to get my TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certificate in Guadalajara, Mexico. This was probably my most authentic Mexican experience. I lived with a local family (which oddly enough were Peruvian but of Japanese decent), ate typical Mexican food, took public transportation, and stayed clear of tourists for the most part. I had immersed myself in their culture and LOVED it. I traveled around to a few cities and learned a lot about the indigenous people of Mexico. I am also very proud to say that I visited the town of Tequila (birthplace of actual tequila) and, despite my hatred for the taste, tried over 5 different flavors of tequila! Can you believe that?
Last year Jon and I took a trip to Cancun. Again, my experience was far from true Mexican - our resort was fancy, all-inclusive, and prided itself on its Italian and Thai restaurants. Our first dinner there, our waiter (very obviously Mexican) asked what we would like to drink. I responded, "Dos Equis, por favor" (which translates to "Two X"). The waiter replies, "Two X? Ok." I said, "Muchas gracias" and he replied, "You're welcome." I was clearly speaking Spanish to him, and I know my pronunciation is still right on, but he would have nothing of it! I couldn't even go to Mexico and speak their own language...
This year we had some flight vouchers to use and were lucky enough to make it back to Mexico - this time Cabo. To no one's surprise, this place was as touristy and "Americanized" as you can get. We walked to the marina, where we found a shopping mall with Cartier, Coach, and Ralph Lauren stores, and big name restaurants like Ruth's Chris Steakhouse and Hard Rock Cafe. Not a sliver of anything resembling authentic Mexico. We were also convinced to attend another timeshare presentation (easy cash on a rainy day), where we saw what our Cabo experience would really be like. Marble countertops, swiveling flat screen tvs so you can watch tv on the balcony, fancy decorations, and fine dining. I can see why so many celebrities vacation here!
It was this last trip that I realized that I did not feel like I was in another country. There's nothing wrong with that, as I thoroughly enjoyed all of these trips. They are beautiful locations, with a lot of fun activities and great entertainment. We relaxed and had a great time. However, the cultural nut in me finds it so sad that you can spend a whole week in another country, supposedly another culture, and yet feel like you never crossed the border. I suppose I have plenty of other places I can always plan to visit to get my “new culture fix.” :)
I’ll end with a picture from our last trip. Though lacking Mexican authenticity (and way too little sunshine), we had a wonderful time. Excuse my hair - we had just gotten off a boat!
My first trip to Mexico my friend was nearly arrested by Mexican cops for "having sex" on the beach. I had no clue what the cops were saying, and they were holding my friend and the guy by the wrists about to cuff them! Terrifying. That's about as much Mexican culture that I've encountered on both of my Puerto Vallarta vacations.
ReplyDeleteI've still NEVER been to Mexico. Amazing.
ReplyDeleteI have never been to Mexico either. Well that is a lie, when we were in New Mexico we drove to the border and walked across into Mexico just to say we did it but I don't think that really counts!
ReplyDeleteNever been myself either. Interesting observations Lisa.
ReplyDeleteThis last time we were there, we ran into a couple of ladies that were escaping home/kids/work for a long girls weekend, and it sounded like such a wonderful idea!
ReplyDeleteSo I am determined to have a girls weekend/mini-trip to Mexico for us someday. It may be years from now, and god knows how we'll ever coordinate all of our schedules, but I'll do my best to make it happen. :)