Aztec Wonders
by Havelock Ellis
Okay, so I am sure you are all wondering what this quote on failure has to do with traveling in Mexico. Don’t worry, I will explain.
I failed today… miserably. No “ifs”, “ands” or “buts” about it. Failed. For the last six months, I have been training for a half-marathon that was to be run this morning. And so I did… out there in the rain, ready and willing to go. About 2 kilometers into the 21 kilometer run, my knee started acting up… but I pushed through. Then again, acting up, kept on pushing. Then around kilometer 6, I thought I should probably stop to stretch it out. Well, once I stopped, there was no starting again. My knee completely seized up and I couldn’t even walk. I cannot tell you the feeling of disappointment that washed over me. It was brutal. As I was hobbling back to the car, my lovely trainer was reminding me that it was not about the race, but the process of training that was what was important and impressive. I tried to buck up, but man was it ever hard when I couldn’t put weight on my left foot to save my life.
But then, I got home and I started looking online for other races, and I found this quote. I thought to myself, “You know what? He is so right! I can just fix whatever is wrong with my leg; do a little research about what is up with my leg and how I can prevent this from happening next time.” If I choose to look at the bright side of this whole ordeal, I really did learn quite a bit about where my body is right now, and the things I need to do in order to get into the most ideal shape so as not to hurt myself. So there is a silver lining!
I just wanted to share that with all you. I found it quite inspiring and so awesomely profound. I get so caught up in the result “the race” and I completely overlook the amount of triumph and learning that I gained during the process of training and even failing. It is such a gift and this whole experience just supports the phrase that I am trying to live my life by, “Life is a journey, not a destination.”
So true, so true.
Okay, so, enough of that failure talk, back to my trip to Mexico. The Aztec ruins were awesome! I woke up early in the morning after having an evening of incredibly strong cactus alcohol and traditional Aztec dancing, to go for a beautiful sunrise run around the temples.
There are two temples in this specific spot; the sun and the moon. They almost look like natural hills because of all the trees and nature growing over them, but once inside the park, you can see evidence of a truly amazing and sophisticated community of people. I was so amazed by the art and architectural design of the place. It was truly overwhelming. I will admit that the human sacrifice table was a bit creepy and the fact they the world is predicted to end in 2012 is also a bit unsettling, but other than that it was fantastic.
I have attached a few pics of the trip and some fun stuff from the day! Enjoy and let me know your own thoughts and experiences around failure. I’m sorry to keep bringing it up, but it was really a cool experience today.
Ciao, my fellow thinkers!
Allison
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Tags: Aztec, Half-Marathon, Havelock Ellis, Photography, Travelling
Coming Home
by Herman Melville
And so after a month of traveling throughout the beautiful country of MEXICO, I am back in my home country… in my most favorite city in the world, MANHATTAN!! As much as I love blowing off and being in a place that is so ultimately different that the only thing I can find familiar is a Coca-Cola, there is nothing that feels as good as coming home. I have been in the city for 2 days now and there is something so wonderful about the energy of this place. It really feels all-consuming. There are so many cultural outlets and it feels like around every corner you find a beautiful piece of self-expression. When I’m here, it truly feels like I am home!
But, enough about the Big Apple for now! I must update you on my adventures in MEXICO!!!!
What an absolutely rich and exciting country. There is this pride and culture that oozes out of the people of this place! I had great plans of blogging and capturing every day while I was on the trip, but I honestly had very little access to my computer. I have decided to give you all a recap over the next couple of blog entries. And, once I go through my favorite pics, I will throw those up as well. That way you all can have a visual frame of reference for my stories.
Ok, so I’ll start with our first leg of the trip, MEXICO CITY. What an unbelievable place! There’s something like 25 million people, all cohabiting in one space. It’s so incredibly exciting and overwhelming all at once. When we arrived, we were greeted by our good friend, Yuri and her aunt and uncle. After speaking to them for less than 2 minutes we were officially adopted and from then on they were our Mexican Tio and Tia (uncle and aunt). We jumped into their van and went on a little architectural tour of Mexico City.
It is such a visually stimulating place. The buildings are everything from Aztec and Mayan to French and Spanish, and because Mexico City was built on a lagoon, the city is sinking. So, you will be driving along, look to your right, and see what looks like a 15th century cathedral being swallowed, slowly by the ground. It was such a trip! The next day, after we settled into our beautiful downtown apartment, we decided to go to the city center square, the Zocalo! There is a gorgeous cathedral on one side of the square and the President’s Palace on another. There are other big gorgeous buildings on the other two sides as well. It was Sunday when we went; the whole square was filled with people protesting different things, Aztec shamans cleansing people with sage and incense, different natives doing ritual dances for the Virgin Mary, and families watching and enjoying each other and the happenings. It was a total sensory overload! I was in cultural heaven!
After spending the day wandering around the city and enjoying the sights and smells, we went with Tia and Tio and the rest of the family to a fabulous Japanese restaurant. Now, I am not usually an advocate of trying food that is not native to the place I am visiting, but I am so glad I bent my rules to accommodate this place. The soy sauce had chili in it! It had Mexican sushi!!!! So good! I love how every culture has its own take on all the different world cultures… it is so fascinating. I know for myself that I often forget that “my way” is not the true “authentic” way all the time…everyone has their own slants and opinions. It’s what makes the world go round! And so, with our bellies filled with sushi, our noses filled with incense and sage, and our minds spinning with traditional folk dancing and shaman tributes, we went back to the apartment to rest up for our big adventure the following day. Yuri and Tia had planned a nice little road trip to the second largest Aztec ruins in all of Mexico, Teotihuacán!
Stay tuned for adventures and opinions of the amazing Aztecs! Hopefully I will have my photos sorted out for you all by the next entry! I am still sorting out how to handle my mac! Ok all! So nice to be back and thanks for all the continued support!
Ciao
Allison
Tags: Herman Melville, Manhattan, Mexico, Photography, Travelling
