Las Bocas Latas (The Silver Mouths)

17 Jan 2010

Well, I've only been in Mexico for 10 days and I've already joined a gang: Las Bocas Latas (The Silver Mouths). How did such a thing happen?

Today was an awesomely great day: a lazy sunday. I woke up when I felt like it. Piddled around. Chatted on the phone. Climbed up on the room and laid in the sun. (Calm down! Its not as dangerous as you think. There is a stair case leading onto the roof and it's meant to be walked on. I laid out there for a good 15 minutes and could have easily drifted to sleep in the sun if not for my fear of rolling off the roof during a crazy dream.)

I ate a turkey wrap and decided to head downtown for some interneting and cultural observations. I figured people must get out and about on Sunday afternoons. The weather is perfect. 65-70f and sunny. I bought myself an ice cream cone (one scoop lime, one scoop mandarin) and walked down the my street into downtown. Lots of shops were closed but and my street was much more quiet than usual. I saw some people walking their children and pets but not many of my usual vendors.

Outside the cathedral

When I hit the business district that changed. LOTS of families scurrying around enjoying their Sunday afternoon. I went to the old Cathedral on the square and peeked in hoping to see some Catholic goodness. I think I came right at the end of one service and the beginning of another people people were filing and and out at an incredible pace and nothing was happening at the alter.

Corn pancakes

There were street vendors on every corner selling food: sweets, fresh made corn pancakes, popcorn, ice cream and tortas. There were little trinkets, toys, and balloons also being sold all over the place. I noticed an abundance of couples holding hands, kissing, and giving each other the looks of love. Lots of the women had little trinkets, flowers, or stuffed animals. I bought an order of the corn pancakes. I couldn't resist. They looked so ETHNIC! They were pretty good, but a bit dry for what I was expecting.

A CLOWN!

Apparently clowns are very popular around here...

I walked through the open air traditional candy market to the main plaza. Performers claimed different little seating areas and put on shows. There was a clown troupe that was particularly popular and had the kiddoes rolling with laughter. In the part I watched the main clown promised a balloon to the first kid to bring him their mother's shoe. When a kid brought the shoe the clown then pretended the shoe was a cell phone and scolded the person on the other end of not brushing his teeth.

Mariachi Row

Next I wandered over down Mariachi row (another plaza with fountains where Mariachi's hang out). I sat beside a pretty fountain and opened up my laptop... would there be internetting today?

My fountain

SUCCESS!! I connected, facebooked, recorded a vlog, and chatted on gmail. I relaxed and watched little kids playing in fountain. I was there for at least an hour and a half. I had just told Amber that I was surprised at how little attention I attracted, being the only non-hispanic I had seen all day, when suddenly a girl's voice asked me which country I was from, in Spanish. I looked up and two teenage girls with silver paint smeared on their faces staring curiously at me.

BOCAS LATAS

I told them I was from Texas, USA and explained that I am doing a year long study abroad here in Toluca. We chatted for a few minutes and exchanged biographical information. Then I asked them what was up with the silver paint. They had given the silver miner (I suspect this is the same man who was the silver cowboy when I went down there with Katie) and had gotten more than they had bargined for.

true love?

Then they asked me if I loved Robert Pattinson. I laughed.

They seemed a bit surprised to find out that I am 25 years old and were really shocked when I guess they were 15 on my first try.

Not far from us there was another clown show going on. I told them that I was planning on buying a guitar and doing my own show here in the plaza: The Blue Eyed Busker. They really liked that idea. I told them that I had to save my money because a guitar was like 1600 pesos ($130USD). They excitedly told me that they could take me somewhere where I could buy an acostic guitar for only 300 pesos ($25USD). Next thing I knew I was riding through the plaza on Angie's bicycle while she chased behind and Greta lead the way.

On the way we passed the Silver Miner and, guess who had to give him a peso... yep, me. Who knew I would give in to peer pressure from 15 year olds?! The three of us looked so ridiculous with the silver paint on our faces and I dubbed us the "Bocas Latas" (silver mouths).

We trasped across the city to the guitar shop, sometimes riding, sometimes walking. We chatted about random things and they asked me to teach them English. It was fun giving little impromptu lessons to my new friends. We stopped by a pet shop on the way and I taught them the names of different animals. They were really good at PUPPY. The guitar shop was closed, of course, but now I know where it is. I am definitely going to go check it out soon.

We were all hungry and they girls decided we should eat Chinese food. I'm not a huge fan of Chinese food BUT I decided to be go along girl. I was pleasantly surprised!

Chinese food in Mexico

The food was good, fresh, and cheap. (Plus I ate some steamed broccoli. I need to get more veggies in my diet!) I got to speak Chinese with the guy in the kitchen and, of course, that made me happy.

After Chinese food, the Bocas Latas rocked the local mall. We walked around, looked at random stuff in stores, and basically had as much fun as a group of 15 year old girls (including one in a 25 year old body) can hope to have. We took goofy pictures, played in the Arcade, and made plans to go to the movies on Thursday.

I WIN!

I had such a great time.

By the time we left the mall it had started to get dark and they had to go home I asked them to point me in the right direction to get to my street. Greta was very concerned about me walking alone in the dark but they lived in the opposite direction as me and so couldn't walk me. I told them I would be fine but Greta wouldn't hear it. She hailed a cab, told the driver to take me home, and gave him money for the cab fare. I thanked her and insisted on paying for my own cab. Why is it that even 15 year olds treat me like I'm a little kid? LOL.

They are really fun girls and I am so glad I made some friends. I hope I can be some sort of good example for them. I am an educated, independent (hahaha, kinda) woman who has traveled the world and doesn't engage in any sort of illegal activity. BESIDES... we had such a blast and have already made plans to hang out again Monday AND Thursday!! Is it weird that I fit in with teenagers so well?

I guess now I'll have to read Twilight. =P J/K.

After I got home I decided it was TIME for my SHOWER. I hadn't had a shower in two days. Friday night when Katie and I came home the water was turned off. We made jokes about having to dig and outhouse in the backyard (it's all cement) but, fortunately, when we woke up Saturday morning the water was back (hooray!) so we just shrugged and attributed it to being in Mexico. Things happen.

I went to take a shower Saturday afternoon and when I turned the hot water knob nothing came out. Not even cold water. I ran to the sink and turned the water on... and it came on just fine... hot and cold. I left the hot water knob in the shower on hoping maybe it just needed a kick start but still no hot water. I had nothing particular to do that day so I figured, okay, one day without a shower isn't going to kill me. I was not about to take a cold shower in this cold house! So I told myself that I'll take a shower before bed. Night time came... still nothing. I hop up Sunday morning... guess what... still nothing. I resolved myself to email Kristan about this (I have no one else to contact) and hope for the best.

When I got home tonight I was feeling super grimey. I had been running around with Angie and Greta all day. I decided a cold shower was better than no shower at all.

I went into the bathroom. Stripped. Turned the cold water on. Grit my teeth. Stepped into the back of the shower. Touched the water with my hand. Uh-uh. Nope. Not gonna happen.

I sighed miserably. Then I saw the sink. The sink that was directly next to the back of the shower...almost touching it. The sink from which pours hot water. On the sink was an almost empty water bottle....

This morning, when I was complaining about the cold water, Lakshmi told me that in India they don't always have a shower or bathtub... that sometimes they just get water from a facet and fill up buckets of water, then pour them on themselves.

I turned off the cold shower. I grabbed the bottle of water on the sink and emptied the rest of the water that was in it. Then I took an 'Indian Shower'. I filled the water bottle up with hot water from the sink and poured it on myself, over and over and over again. I washed my hair and soaped by my body. The hot water felt SO good.

After that I felt ready to take on anything... even RICE.

Rice and I have a strained relationship. I love to eat it but am completely incapable of cooking it correctly. I've tried many methods and many kinds of rice... it always ends up burnt or hard, or burnt and hard. I don't know what is up with me and rice. It's one of the most basic kinds of food prepared worldwide for centuries! People with nothing but rocks and sticks have successfully prepared rice since fire was first tamed. WHY CAN'T A GIRL WITH A MASTERS DEGREE COOK RICE CORRECTLY?!

Tonight I wanted black beans and rice with chicken. I called Amber and got her 'fool proof' rice cooking method. The last time I tried it I messed it up by checking on the rice every 5 minutes (therefore lifting the lid every 5 minutes). This time I WOULD be triumphant. I wouldn't touch that lid. I wouldn't even THINK about touching that lid!

The rice turned out kinda hard. Edible, but hard. This time I think I went wrong by assuming that I could actually cook rice. Next time I'll just wander through the streets and offer the first plump woman I see 10 pesos to cook my rice for me. (Never trust a skinny chef.)

The rest of the meal turned out delicious! I am loving my chicken and purple onions sauteed with nothing but fresh lime juice and salt. It's basically the best thing I have ever cooked. (Probably because it's the only thing I have ever cooked that I couldn't screw up by adding a crazy mix of random seasons that I find in my cabinet that I think sound good together. Don't you laugh at me Janice Diane!!)

IN CONCLUSION: Great food, new friends, fun times. Another day in Mexico.

The end.