Mexican Inspiration- Full of Flowers

Over the past year or so I’ve found a whole new appreciation for flowers. I love discovering new types of flowers and that is one of my favorite things to do now when I travel. Mexico has not disappointed when it comes to flowers- I’ve even added a new favorite to my list! So here are some pictures that I’ve snapped around Mexico of flowers. 
  Beautiful little guy in the middle of a yard.  

We visited a quinta (or country home) that had the most beautiful landscaping!   

Another snap of the quinta! 

  My newst favorite flower- lluvia de oro // gold rain  

     

Pictures of the flower vendors at some of the markets I have visited! 

Thanks for reading and hasta luego! 

What’s Cookin’ Good Lookin’ – Mexican Cooking Class

Through my study abroad program I’ve been able to go on guided excursions, trips to the beach, take salsa classes and cooking classes! We had one cooking class earlier this month and we had another one a few days ago. I was excited for these classes because one of my favorite things to do with my mom is cook. I love food too, so that probably played into it. I loved this class in particular because we went to a “Quinta” or country home on the outskirts of Merida. The quinta was beautiful and we had so much space to work in. Our lovely teacher Señora Gloria taught us how to make two traditional Yucatecan dishes- Panucho and Chayitas. She even threw in a desert and we learned how to make sweet empanadas as well! Usually when I cook or bake I try not to stray too far from the measurements. But, in Mexico they follow family recipes that aren’t written down. A little flour here and dash of salt there and you have your dough! Although it’s a little intimidating to cook without explicit measurements or instructions I put some faith in Señora Gloria (and myself) and went for it! The results were delicious!  

 Beautiful bowl of Chaya leaves. If you aren’t familiar with Chaya it is a leaf similar to spinach and grows on trees here in the Yucatan! 

 Here’s me chopping up some Chaya and trying not chop off my fingers.

   
 We mixed the chopped Chaya with some simple dough and fried it up to create Chayitas! Some people put salsa on theirs but I preferred some shredded chicken! 

   

 For the base of the Panucho we stuffed the inside of some corn tortillas with beans and fried those as well. 

   
The Panuchos were topped with a little bit of lettuce, seasoned shredded chicken, cabbage, tomato and red onion soaked in sour orange juice. These were delicious! 

   

 For desert we made sweet empanadas. We made a simple sweet dough and pressed it into circles. We filled them with a cream cheese filling and then brushed melted butter on top. And for an extra bit of sweetness we sprinkled some sugar on top before baking. These weren’t like our typical American desert but they were delicious! I hope I can try to recreate some of these recipes when I get home! 

Thanks for reading and hasta luego! 

Adventure Time- Uxmal Mayan Ruins

Today my group ventured to the Mayan ruins of Uxmal in the state of the Yucatan! You may think that once you have seen one Mayan ruins site you’ve seen them all but you would be wrong my friends. I have been to three different sites with Mayan ruins (two in Mexico, one in Belize) and they are all completely different. Uxmal has by far been my favorite! My group was lucky in that fact that we went on a cloudy day when the temperatures were only in the mid nineties. Although it is not as large as Chichen Itza, you are able to climb to the top of most of the structures. The structures also have crazy details that are very well preserved. Uxmal is really relaxed. No crazy vendors shouting at you while you look, no huge swarms of tourists surrounding you and a nice breeze while you’re climbing. So if you are only in the Yucatan for a short time I would make a point of seeing Uxmal! Don’t forget to wear good walking sounds because you will be climbing and exploring for hours!

Here are some of my favorite shots from today:

  
Here’s a shot of the main temple at Uxmal! 

 Pretending I’m a Mayan princess after climbing up one of the temples! 

   

 Some of the crazy cool details I found on top of the temple. 

 Taking in the view from the top of the temple! 

   

 Mayan rain gods lined up the side of the temple. 
Thanks for reading and hasta luego!  

Study Abroad Struggle- Trying New Foods

Hola amigos! I’m not going to lie when I decided to come to Mexico for a month I had high expectations for the food. I want to preface this by saying I am not a picky eater and will try almost anything at least once. But, I dreamt of burritos smothered with queso and chicken quesadillas topped with sour cream. Well I was surprised to say the least when I actually made to Mexico. The food here hasn’t been bad but, it definitely wasn’t what I expected. The food is nothing like our americanized version of Mexican food here in the Yucatan. My house mom cooks the majority of my meals and I’ve tried some things I really like here and tried some things that weren’t hitting on much. My advice is if you’re studying abroad or traveling in general it is in all part of the experience to try the local food. Give it a try and if it’s not your thing you don’t have eat it again! (Probably.)

Now let’s get into what food I’ve tried since I have been here! In this tropical environment it’s not surprising that fruit is a staple here. Sadly, I’m not a huge fruit person but, I’ve had some delicious pineapple, grapes and apples. So, when one of those shows up on my plate for breakfast I am a happy camper.

They also love there veggies here and luckily I love vegetables. So, I’ve had some delicious stews with veggies. The stew here usually has pork or chicken and lentils. It’s different but it is tasty!

     

Probably my favorite food I’ve had here is my mama’s homemade cheese. It has some magical seasoning on top and little bit of olive oil. With some chips they make the perfect snack.

They also know how to make a good sorbet here. A place called “Colon” is super popular here. Their sorbets are delicious and super refreshing. (My personal favorite flavor is Lemon!)

Those are some of my favorites I’ve had since I have been in Merida. One of my biggest disappointments since I have been here would be Tamales. I was excited to try these because I know there are very popular in Mexico. Unfortunately I was not a fan of these but, if you get a chance try them. They may not be for me but, you may love them! My biggest advice is just to give new foods a try- you may find a new favorite!

Thanks for reading and hasta luego!

Adventure Time – Chichen Itza & Ik Kil Cenotes

Hey y’all! Yesterday was by far my favorite day so far since I have been to Mexico! Our group took a trip to the famous Chichen Itza. If you aren’t familiar Chichen Itza it is huge Mayan archeological site and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Since I’m a huge nerd I was super excited to explore the site. It may have been over 100 degrees and I may have walked six miles on an injured hip but, it was totally worth it! I truly was in awe of how huge and intricate the structures are, especially to have been built without any modern technology! After we took our tour we headed to the Ik Kil Cenote! Cenotes are underground fresh water pools that were caused by meteorites crashing into the earth. Ik Kil is about 70 degrees and is 150 feet deep. Swimming in it was not only super fun but also super refreshing! Can’t wait for more adventures with this great group of people!

Cue the pictures….

The iconic temple of Chichen Itza!

Altar where sacrifices were made…

View from inside the cenote

View from above the cenote

Taking the plunge into the cenote!

Thanks for reading and hasta luego!

Mérida, Mexico- Semana Una

So I made it to Mexico safely! This is my sixth day here and it has been crazy so I haven’t found the time to blog. After two flights and a four hour drive my group arrived in Mexico. When we arrived my señora greeted me with a big hug and drove me to her house! My señora, Dulce Maria, has been super welcoming and made me feel right at home. She is always ready to have a long conversation. At first that was really intimidating to me but, I can tell my Spanish is already getting better. Like I said these first few days were a blur because we have done so much already! We had an orientation, went to a concert, had our first classes, went to the beach and experienced “Mérida en Domingo”. I’m going to try to post every couple days and share what I am up to! But until then here are some pictures from the past few days!

A shot of the iconic Mérida Cathedral

First night out with some of the girls in my group

Group selfie before the beach

Enjoying playa progreso last weekend

Hasta luego!