Final thoughts…

One last week of our time in Mexico and I’ve been thinking about the things I’ll miss (and the things I won’t). I’m thinking items specific to Mexico, not just to time away from work and life. Even this approach is overly general – there are many faces of Mexico – but it will have to do. I’ll also avoid too many of the obvious, political, bigger issues that Mexico grapples with (think cartels and poverty). As usual, it’s just vibes with plenty of currency bias.

I’ll miss the local municipal markets. Many are completely insane, a maze of noise and commerce. Others are well lit, even orderly. All of them are uniquely special and you’ll find yourself draw into their labyrinth at every town you visit. In many ways, the mercado is the town/city and to understand one you need to explore the other. We still haven’t unlocked all the levels of market negotiation. We are more confident with things you can count (one mango, five limes, a bag of nuts or a bottle of homemade hotsauce). The meat section remains out of reach. Where to start with a whole chicken, lying there before you, plucked but with its head firmly attached? I’ll miss the vibrancy, the feeling of finding a good deal or a really nice piece of fruit; the ability to simply step off the street and into a strange world.

I won’t miss the topes (TOE-pays). I see what they are trying to do and why they exist (road safety/forcing Mexico’s drivers to slow down). I might go so far to say that they are a good idea and ought to remain in many places. My primary issue is that they seem to create more hazards than they create. Many come out of nowhere and are unmarked. Others will leave gaps around the edges leading all traffic to veer around at speed. Although I didn’t see any rear ending, this feels surely inevitable. They are ruthless on most cars with many states and cities opting for speed bumps that are either too high or too wide, or both. The stop-go through town centers actually clogs traffic and contributes to more vehicle wear and tear, not to mention fuel consumption. Gentler bumps, more consistently marked and placed would be a start.

Obviously, there’s a lot I will miss about the temperature. Being warm, all year round is one of the reasons we came to Mexico. It’s not all easy, of course. In January, in the mountains, it gets bloody cold and there’s no indoor heating. In some of the sweatiest places, AC is costly and you have to sweat it out overnight under a ceiling fan. We’ve also had luck – in nearly five months of Mexico, it’s hardly rained and barely a cloudy day. In the rainy summer season I’m not sure it would be as much fun. Despite some of the downsides, it’s wonderful to skip the layers, dine every night outdoors, sip cooling drinks, and feel the warmth of the sun every single day.

While we’ve been enjoying so many good foods here, there are also plenty of things they just don’t do well here. Most significantly, they don’t understand baked goods. Bread is sweet and crumbly, likewise all their cakes. The Mexicans seem to love crumbly, dry cakes and cookies for all occasions. No bagels, no dense loaves – I’m done with it.

We’re tired too of how hard it is to eat healthy at restaurants. Vegetables are not for eating, apparently. This is balanced by how how cheap and varied the food scene is. At home, we’ve all but given up on eating out – too expensive, too fussy about tipping. It’s nice to grab a quick, delicious meal without anxiety over the cost. And of course the drinks are cheap too, hardly any markup. Yes, Mexican beer can get tiring, but at a couple bucks a beer you can’t say no. Then there are all the fun mixed drinks the country has concocted (micheladas, for starters) and heaps of interesting liquor and pre-hispanic, traditional beverages.

I won’t miss having to purchase water, or take care washing veggies. The demands of a cash economy have been annoying of late. I won’t miss the trash lying around, having to search out garbage cans and dodging dog crap everywhere. Likewise, all the poor street dogs – I don’t need them pulling at my heartstrings any longer. Carpeting is something I oddly look forward to, our joints feeling the pains of constant tile and concrete. A greater freedom of mobility, an open grassy field, no more church bells, firecrackers, honking – home is so much more peaceful, even as it borders on dullness.

But I will miss the diversity of this country, both the ecosystems, and the people. Canada can feel like a monoculture most times, slightly dull, overly sensitive, and lacking perspective. We came for adventure and we found it in heaps. That doesn’t mean we want to live here (although there are a few places I might want to try), but there are things I wish I could bring back home with us. The experience has been all I’ve hoped for and more. Mission accomplished.