Learning about Mexico

Every country we go to we learn different things about the culture, country and their standards of living. Doing a two week vacation to a resort is great and one way to see a country. However that is not how we prefer travel, we like to get into the nitty gritty of a country and actually see how the people live their dialy lives. See what their standards of living are, what they eat and things that the locals say you should see or do.

We spent a month in Mexico during the winter in 2022 and really enjoy ourselves. We found that the food was amazing, the people were warm and welcoming and the country itself is beautiful. The beauty of the landscapes from the mountains to the beachs, watch the sun set over the lake Chapala or just walking the old streets in Ajijic everything is so picturequest you can't help but take your camera out.

Here are so of the things we noticed about Mexico after being there a month.

Upside Down Horse Shoes

The first time I saw this was at our first AirBnB and at first I was a little bit concerned. I am not normally a superstitious person but this is one superstition in Canada I have always followed. In Canada we hang our horse shoes with the ends up to catch good luck, so it does not run out. In Mexico they hang the horse shoes with end going down so that good luck can pour on you.

ALL Food is Spicy

I have always heard that Mexican food is super spicy and thats why some people avoid it. I can tell you this is not the case, the food is only as spicy as you make it. If it's taco's it all about how much of the spicy sauce you put on or if you are ordering in a resturuant or at a food truck they will ask "how spicy". I never had a meal in Mecixo that I could not finish because of it being too spicy.

Taco's

I am a taco fene, when it came around to figure out what we wanted for dinner every night. Everyone stopped asking me by the third day because I would always answer " TACO'S!" I could not get enough of them. The taco carts in Mexico are EVERYWHERE and they are by far the best taco's I have ever had. With saying that, there are more food options to pick from other than tacos. There are Chilaquiles, Wet Burritos, Quesadas and so many more amazing local food opitions. We also found there to be a lot of Western food options as well.

Do Not Drink The Water

Another country and still the same situation do not drink the tap water. Bottles of water are fairly inexpensive at the corner store and there is also a daily truck that goes around exchanging and selling 18L jugs of water.

Do Not Flush Toilet Paper

Mexico has full bathrooms, yes toilet and sink. However we did find similar to Sout East Asia and Greece that you should not flush the toilet paper or any other items down the toilet. There are signs posted in every bathroom where we went requesting this.

Finding Help

We never had any issues finding help in Mexico it did not matter if we asked people in restuarants or bars, in shops or small vendors people are extermly helpful. They are friendly and if they do not speake English they will try their hardest to help you or ask a friend for help. We found Mexico to friendly, helpful and genorous always offering us snacks or beverages.

Spiders, Snakes & Scorpions

A lot of the general population has a fear of spiders or snakes and rightfully so. While we were in Mexico our friend Rhonda found a juivenil Black Widow spider, personally I was as far away as I could get from the spider. Rhonda however sat and let it crawl all over her hand because it was a baby and posionous, I was not taking chances. At the barn we were riding out of the one farm hand found a baby scorpion to show us. GREAT!! As a result I highly recommend you shake out your shoes, clothes, bang your chairs off (outside by the pool) and just take percautions that these creatures live here and could be a danger to you.

Shop Hours

We run into this all the time and all over the world. Just because it is say the open to close hours on Google and says the store or attraction is open, does not mean it actually is. I can not count how many times we went somewhere restuarants, attractions or small shops and found them closed. Sometimes all it is is a "closed" sign and other times a locked door.

As a result we try other place or do something different or we come back to it in a few days and try again. Online is not always right.

Mexico is a warm and vibrant place, you can not help but smile as you walk down the road. Every country has it's dangers and issues, however same as other places or even being at home as long as you are smart and keep you wits about you, you will be fine.

Cheers!

**Please note that all opinions and views expressed in this post are my own, from my own experiences. If you would like to see more pictures follow me on Instagram vikki.gray **