All in all, it was an amazing vacation. It was wonderful to see where Cinthia grew up and finally meet her VERY LARGE and lovely family. I enjoyed every moment...........every day was chocked full of sight-seeing, trying new foods and spending time with her family and friends. The food was incredible........I have to say that I never thought I liked tamales..........until I tried them in Mexico City. Hmmmmm, still dreaming about them. They are so much different there - super moist and packed full of flavor. Oh, and the lamb barbacoa........that was my favorite local dish. It is a famous dish in the region where they dig a hole in the ground and cook lamb overnight in a pit covered with Maguey leaves. Maguey is a local cactus type plant (cousin of the agave plant used to make tequila). The maguey leaves impart an amazing flavour and the meat is so tender, it falls off the bone.
To start our road trip to Mexico City, we took the overnight bus. We boarded at 9:30pm and arrived there at 9:00am the following morning.
Cinthia was super excited as she had not visited her family in over a year
The seats on the bus were very comfy and extend back quite far. We managed to get a good sleep and arrived in Mexico City reasonably well rested. Cinthia's childhood friend Berenice came to pick us up from the bus station and we immediately went for a hearty breakfast of carnitas (chopped pork tacos), chicharon (fried pig skin) and arrachera (flank steak)tacos. Hmmm, delicious!!! This meal was definitely a sign of wonderful culinary delights to come.
We then went to Berenice's house to shower and change. Her and her mother Hilda, had graciously offered for Cinthia and I to stay the week in their home. Their house is conveniently located three houses down from the house of Cinthia's family. And since 12 people live in Cinthia's house, this was definitely the best option!
We then went to Cinthia's house where I was graciously welcomed by her large family. It was a tearful reunion with Cinthia and her family - it was heartwarming to witness. Of the 12 family members that live there, there are 7 nieces/nephews, her parents, 2 sisters, and one spouse. Her brother and his two children live in another house and arrived later.
Cinthia, with 7 of her 9 nieces/nephews
The children were very excited to see their aunty and the girls had dressed up in special dresses to welcome their "tia".
Out of her 9 nieces/nephews, there are only 2 girls
After visiting and getting to know the family, we sat down to eat a delicious meal of tacos and nopales (vegetable prepared from the native cactus plant - they shave off all the spines). Her mom definitely deserves an award for cooking 3 meals on a daily basis for 12 or more people!
Stay tuned for more of our adventures in Mexico City!
2 comments:
I always appreciate stories about Mexico City. One of these days, I need to get over there.
Yes, you must get there, it is amazing. By the way, I ran into Dr Zoo the other day and he asked how you were doing.
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