Hi all! Sorry for the lack of updates - to the surprise of nobody, I’ve been sick! While the rest of the family went to Taxco, I spent a couple days in Morelia exploring the medical system of Mexico.
Through broken Spanglish my doctor and I determined I have a stomach infection, so I spent a few days laying low. Stay tuned for an update from the rest of the family on how Taxco was!
We returned to Morelia on Sunday via bus. It is a nice way to travel in Mexico. Buses are very clean, safe and efficient. Our Spanish lesson on Monday was focused on common phrases that are heard when shopping or eating in a restaurant. We have become quite proficient at reading a menu and communicating our needs to the staff. We worked on recognizing words that we might not be used to hearing but probably mean the same as a phrase we already know. This is difficult in Mexico. Locals speak very quickly and there is often a lot of background noise and music. We role played different situations when buying a coffee or looking for a pair of shoes. Everyone is very patient when they realize you are trying to speak Spanish. Our confidence is growing every day!
¡Bueno Días!
We’re checking in from the town of Zihuatanejo where we have spent the last 4 days. About 5 hours from Morelia, Zihuatanejo is sunny and beautiful, with a daytime temp of around 30° (a welcome change from the rain in Morelia!).
Most of our time has been spent swimming in the pool and eating/drinking. The views in Zihuatanejo are incredible - it’s clear why mom and dad renewed their vows here!
Buenos noches everyone! (Good night)
After a busy day of learning Spanish and eating / drinking, we are heading to bed before we head to Zijuatanejo tomorrow for some SUN! Zijuatanejo is a 5 hour drive from Morelia, and we will be taking the bus. Fun fact: it’s also where mom and dad renewed their vows last year!
¡We made sure to take advantage of the 2 for 1 drink deal this evening!
My LEAST favourite word of the day was gustar. Gustar means “to like”. We have been practicing it for 3 classes, and all I can say is “No me gusta gustar” (I do not like gustar).
Talk soon!
Editor’s note: this is a (delayed) guest blog from Sheila. She did not want to type it, so this is the editor transcribing it as she explained her cooking experience.
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On Lunes (Monday) we took part in a Mexican cooking class at a popular restaraunt in Morelia. I don’t know what we made. It took a long time. We chopped a lot.
The class was a challenge to our limited Spanish vocabulary but we met some great people and had a wonderful lunch with drink pairings at the end. When I say lunch, I mean 3PM, because that is when everyone eats lunch here.
In conclusion: Sheila does not like cooking in Mexico any more than she does at home in Canada.
This evening we had a delicious dinner at a nearby restaurant. This is the same restaurant Sheila, Rob, and Tess did their cooking class (sorry I never mentioned that - I was sick and missed it!). The food was fantastic, and we got rained in, which made a perfect excuse to have another copa de vino (glass of wine… or 2).
Hi! It’s Grant! I continue to be sick, and I am eating these delicious crackers because nothing else will agree with me. Xoxo!
While touring, we saw a town that produces a lot of copper products (Santa Clara) and then went for lunch at a restaraunt that used to be an ostrich farm!
One of our favourite drinks is a Bandera - which is actually 3 drinks in one! The colours of the Mexican flag 🇲🇽 (green, white, and red), the shots are lime juice, tequila, and tomato juice.
Some members out of group had more than a couple shots and began to feel them later in the afternoon!
As is our luck, we also managed to get caught in a rain storm.
An update on the last few days!
I (Grant) have been sick, so I apologize for the lack of updates:
- we went to see the Lion King at a nearby movie theatre. The movie was in English, but the subtitles were in Spanish which helped us practice
- earlier in the day, we went to Las Americas, a large shopping mall about 20 minutes from where we are staying. Mom was able to find a pair of shoes, and the rest of the family realized how bad our Spanish is.
The following day, we went to explore SW of the city - this included the city of Pátzcuaro and the site of ancient pyramids!
(Editor’s note: this is a guest feature by Tess McNaughton)
Hola - The fave daughter of the McNaughton duo giving you a little jueves (Thursday, and yes you aren’t suppose to capitalize it) update! Today, we went to a super cute lunch cafe that was half cafe half bookstore. After eating and looking at the books (as if we knew how to read the titles) we walked around the Cathedral since it was such a beautiful day.
We then narrowly avoided a thunderstorm on our way back home where we learned about tequila bandera - named after the Mexico flag that is green white and red. This shot contains limón (lime for green), tequila (for white), and sangrita (a spice red mixture for red).
Stay tuned for more fun adventures (and if we actually try tequila bandera)!
¡Hola!
Today we continued learning Spanish in the city of Morelia. Sheila and Tess went to grab breakfast (eggs, fruit, and churros) while Rob worked and Grant slept in.
Sheila did laundry in the “dual” washer/drying machine, however, it took a little over 5 hours to bring the clothes to semi-damp.
For lunch, we ate at one of Sheila and Rob’s favourite restaurants in Morelia - it is a beautiful building that has a courtyard in the middle of it!
Finally, we had dinner at a restaurant across from the square in the middle of the city.
Stay tuned for more updates!
Today, our favourite words were the numerous variations of “sorry” in Español, including: lo siento, desculpe, con permiso, y pardon.
This afternoon, we practiced Spanish with Ramses for a couple of hours. Somehow he manages to put up with us and our neverending attempts to try and create Spanish words (i.e. “possiblimo” - it means “possibly”, Grant) that do not exist.
We then had dinner at a restaurant that served entirely local cuisine. Google Translate was very little help, as most of the dishes were local words that don’t exist in the dictionary! Therefore, a bit of luck was involved in getting the meal you wanted, hoping it “sounded good” in Spanish.
Tess learned she is not a fan of Mezcal, a Mexican distilled beverage that can be substituted for Tequila. It tastes very smoky, and both kids have determined it is NOT an appropriate substitute for tequila. However, they did manage to suffer through their cocktails. It’s a tough life being on vacation.
Some favourite words today: le molestó (not to bother you, but would like…), Norte (North), abajo (down)
Buenos Dias / good morning!!
This morning Sheila and Grant went to breakfast while Rob worked and Tess slept. Some highlights from breakfast:
- Grant & Sheila attempting to order a “takeaway” meal for Rob & Tess
- Sheila calling Tess her sister
- Grant mistakenly ordering two omelettes
While we did struggle navigating through ordering, our waitress spoke the following sentence in perfect English at the end of our meal; “the tip is not included” 😂
After breakfast, we went to explore the city of Morelia and stock up on some essentials at Woolworths. Highlights included Sheila trying to find a suitable lipstick:
And discovering some eclectic fashion:
Shopping was a fantastic way to learn Spanish! Sometimes you are unsure whether you are getting hand cream, hand sanitizer, a face mask, or a combination of all three. Google Translate has proved invaluable.
Some of my favourite words so far today: Azucar (sugar), Taza (cup - small), Vaso (glass - large).
Hola! This is us getting ready for our midnight red-eye from Calgary to Mexico City. Unfortunately, the flight was delayed, but we made it safe!
Upon arriving in Mexico City, we met our guide Ramses and then drove 4 hours to the city of Morelia where we are spending the next few weeks.
Morelia is in southern Mexico and has a population of around 800,000. A UNESCO world heritage site, it’s known for its well preserved colonial buildings and historic city centre.
After arriving in Morelia, we met a friend (Doreen) who is from Chicago and now lives in Morelia full-time. We spent the afternoon learning Spanish, walking around Morelia, checking into our Airbnb, and fighting off jet lag.
We had a delicious dinner with a number of local dishes, including a steak with pineapple & spices as well as a dessert featuring flowers, chocolate, and tea combined with pasta!
Today’s Spanish phrase of the day: “Listo Colisto”, which roughly translates to “Ready Freddy”, with Colisto being a common male name in Spanish.
Time to nap! Buenos noches!
