So I have already discussed all the basic things to avoid as far as gringo tourists go. Now I want to go through a few more common things to avoid.
Let's start of with typical gringo attire for trips and expeditions. Let's say you make a trip to go to the Coba ruins, or Chichen Itza in Quintana Roo. Yes, it is in the jungle and it is hot, but you are not on an African safari from the 1980s, so leaver your safari outfit at home. I know you have one. Maybe you should even throw it away.
Image from Buy Something Sexy
When I first came to Mexico, the first thing everyone told me was 'don't drink the water, or you will get the shits'. Okay, it is true, you don't want to drink the water out of most faucets. However, being overly concerned with where your ice came from and where you water was bottled will only ruin your trip. Relax and enjoy yourself, just have a little bit of common sense. And always remember, no matter how tired, hungover or thirsty you are that morning you wake up after a night out, don't drink the water from the shower, trust me.
Food
Yes, Mexico DOES have more than tacos and quesadillas, however you can find them just about anywhere you go. Some of the best and authentic Mexican food is found on the street and it won't dent your wallet. The best places to go in the street are the places that are full, you know it is delicious and you know the food hasn't killed anyone. The best tacos, burgers, quesadillas and esquites I have had while staying here are from vendors on the streets so I would definitely recommend you step out of your regular restaurant routine and try it. You may just surprise yourself.
If you are looking for something a little different than Mexican food, you can find it here. In my neighborhood Roma, we have all kinds of different kinds of food. Within 5 blocks from where I live we have Lebanese, Chinese, Italian, Japanese, Greek, Thai, French, American, Mexican and a lot more. There is basically and kind of dish in Mexico you could ever want.
The seafood in Mexico is some of the best I have ever had. My favorite seafood here is the ceviche, and you can find it at most places that serve seafood. Ceviche is seafood, anything from octopus, shrimp, fish or crab. It's basically like a coctail with spiced peppers, tomato, cilantro, avocado and lime juice and it is delicious, if you haven't tried it I recommend that you do.
One thing that annoys me about eating out in Mexico and being gringa, is everyones concern for my stomach and the salsa. Everytime I go for the salsa, I have got some random person telling me to be careful because it is 'spicy'. Look I know you are only trying to help, but I have been eating salsa since the day I was born (well practically since my dad thought it would be funny to let me try jalapenos when I was a baby). I have a tongue and stomach of iron and love spicy foods, so when you tell me it is too spicy, I am just going to ask you for the spicier one.
Music
Mexican music is not all mariachis and banda. It is not all club music and Black Eyed Peas either, whom I cannot stand after spending two months in Playa del Carmen and hearing it 5 times every night we went out. Some of my favorite musicians and bands are from Mexico and the music ranges from anything you could imagine, indie, pop, rock, blues, rockabilly, orchestra, electronic, dance, salsa, reggae and more. Here is a list of some of my favorite artists from Mexico, and if you have not heard of them you should check them out.
Lupe Dalessio
(and yes for you gringos who don't know Spanish, there are artists from Mexico who have songs in English :) )
Drinks
Gringo's and their tequila, they just can't get enough. Well Mexico offers a lot more than quality tequila. There are a lot of good drinks in Mexico, not just Pina Coladas and Margheritas. One of my favorite drinks in Mexico is the Mezcal from Oaxaca. In my opinion it is a lot smoother than tequila and tastier. Micheladas are another one of my favorite drinks here. They are beer with lime juice, spicy chili, salt, and depending on where you go, they come topped of with candies, peppers or peanuts. The best Micheladas I have tried here are in the state of Morelos, they are the Michelada geniuses.
Image from Chimarro
One last thing I want to note for my fellow gringo travelers is the restrooms. In Mexico it is almost impossible to find a public restroom, let alone one that is free. When I first arrived I was not used to it at all because you can basically go to the bathroom anywhere in the US. So this sucked for me, especially when you are stuck in traffic for hours and can't find a place to go. So if you are planning a long road trip or just have bad luck and get stuck in traffic forever, wear your grown up diaper or bring a few pesos for 'el bano'. You don't want to be like me, stuck in traffic and frantically running around searching for an ATM so I can take out money to pay only 3 pesos for the nearest bathroom, that was not very near.
With that I hope my gringo tourists have a better idea about what to expect when they come to Mexico, and what not to wear and how not to act ;) Hopefully you will get a little more out of your trip now.
xoxo,
pinche gringa loca
You can also find me on Twitter @LaTortuturtle
For the gringos... don't worry about the restrooms just look for the restaurants with the 3 owls... they are almost everywhere. The name of them is "Sanborns", have a nice trip =oD
ReplyDeleteHaha that is true, I learned that a while ago and go there all the time when I have to. Should have mentioned that, thanks!
ReplyDelete