vw mexico

Just getting around to uploading more Puebla pictures from last year. Volkswagen has a large plant in Puebla that supplies vehicles throughout North America (our own Jetta was born there) and kept on manufacturing the old Beetles long after they took it off the market in the United States, so you'll see a ton of them roaming around there . . .

cuetzalan

A couple of days ago we took a trip to Cuetzalan, a small mountain town located in the Sierra Norte region of Puebla. We went on a Sunday, the day of its bustling and colorful tianguis (market), where indigenous people from surrounding villages (mostly Nahua, I'm told) come to gather to buy, sell, and trade goods.



When I have more time I'll add captions to the photos.

birthday adventures

Tacos árabes con queso, limon, y salsa roja para el birthday boy.

A taco árabe is a chewy, pita-like tortilla (pan árabe) loaded with roasted pork that is thinly carved from a vertical rotisserie. The dish was invented by Lebanese immigrants and have become a tradition in Puebla.

On the recommendation of a local, for dinner we tried the taco árabes from Antigua Taqueria La Oriental. Unsurprisingly, it was really good. To go with the tacos they served two different kinds of salsa—a smoky and spicy red (TJ's favorite) and a limon-y green (my favorite) speckled with oregano (at least I think).

Next we tried some ice cream from a shop located a block away from El Parian crafts market...

Make mine uva (grape) con vanilla! TJ had galleta (cookies and cream). I think the flavor in the upper right corner is chicle . . . interesting. But so many flavors to choose from . . . good thing we're here for four more days.

Before the feast of tacos árabes and ice cream we took a day-long trip to Cuetzalan, an indigenous mountain town about 2-3 hours away from Puebla City. I'll get around to posting pictures from that adventure soon.

Tomorrow: hitting the talavera shops and candy street.

aqui estamos

After driving to Virginia, taking flights from Washington to Miami to Cancun to Puebla, and getting stuck in traffic on the autopista, we finally arrived at our hotel late Friday night. So far we have:

Taken a day trip to Cholula and had our picture taken in front of Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de los Remedios, a church built by the Spanish on top of a pre-Columbian pyramid (the world's largest, at least when measured by volume);

Eaten mole poblano, tinga, and various types of pipianes;

And walked around the zocalo and rode the double-decker turibus for a quick tour of Puebla City.

Lots more things to do in the next few days, and more pictures and blogging to come. Just wanted all concerned parties (i.e. my mom and dad) to know that we've arrived safely and having a good time so far.

puebla here we come

Just booked a week in Puebla, the land of my ancestors, in May.  Yes!