Getting around

Coatepec is so beautiful, allow me to share some pics from the Flickr photostream of quetzalcalli.

Taxis are the best way to get around town, and the drivers have all been super helpful in walking me in and out of the cabs. As a a really nice expat said to me, "For disability standards, the Mexican buildings, streets, and sidewalks may not be up to code, but the people surpass the standards with their helpfulness." I couldn't agree more!

It's Sunday and the streets are quiet, not crowded with cars as they usually are. Jack thinks Sundays are likely to be the best day for me to explore the town on my little scooter. Should be fun!

Fruitarian Lifestyle Challenges

I LUV living the fruitarian lifestyle.

Fruit is colorful, vibrant, delicious, and the cleanest burning fuel available for human consumption. Eating a diet of primarily fruit does have its difficulties. One of the burning reasons we left the States is that it became increasingly tough to find a consistent supply of sweet fruit. Except for bananas which we pretty much lived off of, but even they are shipped in from thousands of miles away.

Finding fruit definitely got easier when we entered Mexico. Now that we are settling in, the game is on. This morning, Jack bought us mangos, a large papaya, and plump baby naners. All had a delectable flavor but needed a few more days to ripen to peak sweetness. And, baby, peak sweetness is where it's at! The key is to buy enough fruits in advance to have it ripe and sweet at every meal. This is easier once you get to know your local markets, get a sense of what to buy, and when to begin the storing & ripening process. Very intuitive. Sounds like a lot of work cuz it is :) 

We are still learning about the fruits in town and how long we need to ripen. We are dealing with cooler temps here than TX so it's a longer time curve than we're used to. The streets are lined with taquerias and sandwich shops. It would be so easy to go in one and be fed, no worrying about ripeness or sweetness. But honestly we don't want to. So we have eaten a bit skimpily the last day or so. Jack just got back from talking to the owner of the fruit market down the street and we may be in better shape in a day or so.

No doubt, eating this way often presents challenges. But the benefits are SOOO worth it! 

¡Viva la fruta!

We're here!!!

Five long, arduous days of travel and we have finally made it to Coatepec!! Posada San Jeronimo will be our temporary home. It is a charming and beautiful place with a warm and friendly staff. Here is a pic of the view outside our room.

 V  lovely. Well, I am knackered. Gotta get some rest.

Getting closer to our destination...

After leaving Cd. Victoria around noon, we drove into Tampico in the late afternoon. It was our shortest drive yet but we were both exhausted and happy to be greeted by the city.

We looked for a place to stay and after finding the ridiculously high prices offered by The Hampton Inn, we found a pleasant hotel down the street with a salmon pink decor and a more authentic local feel. They offered internet via ethernet LAN in the room and the first thing I did was setup a wireless network with our Airport Express- can take the girl out of Apple but can't take Apple out of the girl ;)

I vid chatted with my sis which was great. Jack and I then reviewed our travels for tomorrow using Yahoo! Driving Directions- Google Maps does not trace routes in Mexico :( 

We ate so well today that I must share :)

Breakfast: fresh squeezed, super-sweet o.j.

Lunch: papaya & mango chunks- great combo

Afternoon snack: orange/papaya juice- sooo good!

Dinner: large veggie salad prepared by the hotel restaurant chef specially for us - muchas gracias!

¡Hola from Ciudad Victoria!

After a hot, grueling day of travel thru Texas and an overnite stay in McAllen, we crossed the border this morning. We had been warned by many that Mexican immigration can be a bear to get through, and we had braced ourselves for a 2-3 hour ordeal. To our pleasant surprise, we were given an immediate green light to cross, and Jack obtained our six-month tourist visas within minutes. We were utterly delighted at the ease of our crossing and breathed a deep sigh of relief as we began the journey to our first stop: Ciudad Victoria

As we left the bordertown of Reynosa, I saw an older couple selling cut fruit from the back of

their pickup truck. I pointed them out to Jack who pulled right over. He had them cut a few papayas and fill our large container. Talk about fast food to go! In the U.S., you can find fast food joints on almost every corner selling unhealthy, toxic, processed junk. But you would be hard-pressed to find fresh, sweet fruit cut right in front of you. As we enjoyed our delicious papaya for lunch a couple of hours later, I thought, "Aaah, yes, we are finally here!"

The 200 mile trip to Cd. Victoria was lovely. The roads were lined with pretty, green vegetation, and delightful butterflies crossed our path for miles. The locals were kind and helpful at every stop we made. As we approached the city, the view of the mountains were spectacular.

After settling into our room at the Paradise Inn, we hung out on the big comfy couches in the lobby to access wi-fi and surf the net with our Apple laptops - MacBook for me and MacBook Pro for him :) Then we had a delish dinner at their restaurant: large veggie salads, guacamole, fresh salsa roja, nopales salad, and pints of fresh squeezed o.j.- YUM!!

We average about 50 mph in our trusty VW Westfalia. It's a total non-luxury van with no AC and pretty hard, upright seats that don't recline. Jack has pimped out the ride a bit though. The sound system is excellent with the iPod hooked into it and the speakers are killah. My seat was fitted with a lumbar support pad and a thick cushion. I can still only bear being on the road for a max of 6 hrs so we have decided to cover about 200 miles a day. Our next stop is is the seaside town of Tampico. 

Luego!

¡El Día Final!

Today is our last day in Austin, TX. While I am thankful for all this city and this country has given me, I am truly happy to be moving beyond it's borders. The last year and a half has taken me on a difficult and heart-wrenching journey. Hard work with the love & support of Jack - he'll be 'Diego' en Mexico :) - has strengthened and prepared my body for our travels. 

Physically, I have progressed quite a bit from the girl who couldn't even move around in bed or sit up on her own a year ago. It's my brain, namely the cerebellum, that still needs major healing, and my central nervous system needs regeneration. It's like my logic board needs repair ;) As a former Apple employee, I am used to troubleshooting and resolving technical issues. If only the human brain could simply be rebooted :))

The silver lining of my personal tragedy is that it has paved the way for us to do what we have always wanted- move south to a land where we are surrounded by lush nature, loving people, and fresh, sweet fruits. The pain and suffering I have endured has also brought me closer to becoming a more gentle, selfless, loving, and spiritually attuned woman.

I am hopeful and determined to make a full recovery. I believe this new environment we are moving to will provide the elements I need to heal. I am excited to begin this new chapter in my life.

Stay tuned! I plan on sharing my travel stories once we get settled and have internet.

¡Adiós para ahora!

16 days & counting!!

Wow! 16 days 'till we leave for Mexico and today is the 16th- pretty neat.  Jack has been hard at work getting us ready for our departure- with some help where I can provide it.  We have gotten rid of stuff through eBay, Craig's list, and donating. There were moments of difficulty in letting go of things that we have had for years, but overall it has been a cathartic experience. This George Carlin bit help put it into humorous perspective :-))

Out with the old, in with the new! We did buy a new stationary recumbent bike for my fitness needs. It's a NordicTrack AudioRider™ 400  and is V cool!! We test rode one at Sears, and it is a sweet ride. Plus, it's great for a techie geek like me. I can connect my iPod to it, and the music plays through the built-in speakers. There are 20 built-in workouts, and it also has a slot for the iFit Personal Training Workout Cards. I am currently watching eBay to score some iFit cards. We are also taking our rebounders, yoga mats, and hand weights down with us. When we get there, we plan on finding a local swimming pool to round out our fitness regimen.

With each passing day, the thrill of anticipation increases. Jack and I have always known we would not spend the remainder of our days here in the U.S. He was born here but spent many years living abroad including Mexico. I was born in India, grew up here, lived in Mexico for a couple of years in my childhood, and traveled through Guatemala & Mexico after graduating from college. I have often said: Mi sangre es de India pero mi corazón es Latina. (My blood is of India but my heart is Latina.)