Independence Day

Mexican Independence Day and it’s raining. The town centre, usually packed for the event, is half-filled with a sodden crowd of Mexicans; their beautiful traditional dress covered by raincoats. One baby braving the climate has a raincoat that looks like a duck. The Mother looks bemused when I take a photo of it; but not angry so I guess I got away with it!

Grumpy policemen also donned their raincoats. (But the baby's one is better, of course!)

The reason it’s such miserable weather at the moment is due to hurricanes in nearby Guerrero and Cuernavaca. About 20 people have died and the roads are flooded.

Back in rainy (but not hurricaney) Puebla, we saw some traditional folk dancing which was beautiful and the music was really good as well. They played songs like Viva Mexico!, Ojala que llueva café en el campo and other Mexican classics. There were Mexican flags everywhere as well as masks, hairbands, horns & all sorts of tatt emblazoned with the national colours: red, white and green.

Undeterred by the rain, market sellers advertise their goods and the people missing from the Town Square take shelter under their tents. They gorge on tacos, gorditos, molletes, tamales, lotes, nopales and pozole, or a combination of the above.

Returning to the car at dusk, Edu couldn’t open the car door. The lock had been broken as some hooligans had evidently tried to wrench it off. We waited by the car as Edu went to find help and felt very tense because some dodgy looking people were passing. Maybe we were just being paranoid but given the vandalism we had just encountered then it was probably wise to be alert.

Eventually, Edu stumbled upon a mechanic while asking where to find a locksmith in the pastelería. He managed to prise the lock off the car so the door opens but now it doesn’t shut. He didn’t charge for his service but offered to put the handle back on so I’m sure Edu will pay him handsomely for his services.

Given the course of events, we were late to dinner at Nadya’s house. Her Mother’s food was famous in DF (=Mexico City) where she sold fried fish and a fiery prawn soup (which I’ve tried but don’t remember the name of. ) She served pozole, frijoles, patos and much more and although I was hungry when I came, I was achingly full when I left.

Frustratingly, I’m still in culture shock when it comes to the food. Although I’ve recovered from gastroenteritis and I’ve been here for over a month, my British belly can’t stomach a plato fuerte. In Britain, I thought I was fairly good with chilli but now I realize that I barely knew the meaning of spicy food until I came to Mexico!

                                                    Source:Icanhascheezburger.com. 

By the time we had finished eating, it was about 10.30pm and almost time to leave for the club. We had a table reserved (all Mexican clubs have tables so you buy more drinks/fall onto table and bruise self by accident) but we wanted to stay and watch the telly to see President Peña Nieto and his telenovela wife announce ‘El Grito de Dolores’ in Mexico City.

11pm and the bells sounded for ‘El Grito’. This marks the moment when in 1810, the priest Hidalgo rang the bells to gather a congregation and proclaim Mexico’s independence against the Spanish. The sky lit up with fireworks across the whole of Mexico.

Zocalo, Mexico City. Photo from noticierostelevisa.esmas.com