Traveling to central Mexico

I recently had the once in a lifetime experience of traveling to central Mexico.  For this trip we flew into Mexico city and then took a bus to the city of Huajuapan.   This trip was unlike anything that I have ever experienced and has left impressions on me that will last a lifetime.  I am sure that everyone who has traveled to the beach cities in Mexico looks around at the beautiful water, nice hotels and stores and thinks, "this is Mexico".  But in all reality although that is a little part of Mexico it isn't all that it is.  When we had finished our trip I kept saying that I was glad that I had seen the "real Mexico".  I want to take some time to explain what I mean by that. 

Yes I know that the beautiful beach cities in Mexico are also a part of the "real Mexico" and they are every bit as special as all of the other areas.  But with that being said central Mexico is very different in so many ways.  The first is that in the small towns you don't have the sprawling beautiful hotels with first class service. Instead what you have are homes and small hotels that are staffed with the friendly local people.  When you go to do shopping you go to the Mercado just like everyone else in town.  You will of course find trinkets and items to take back from you trip but instead of it being somewhat of a souvenir shop it is a store that many people who live in the town might go to when they need a pair of shoes or a shirt.  Of course in every town you might find one or two small shops that are for the tourists but the majority of the shops in the small towns are built for the locals.  Shopping and walking around town leaves you with a feeling that you are really experiencing the town and the location that you are in. 

The other thing that was very different is the scenery.  Instead of the ocean you see small streams that are sometimes dried up if it's not the rainy season, fruit trees and flowers.  It is just as beautiful as the ocean and you really get a sense of what the land provides for people. The fruit trees have fruits that you have never tasted before.  It is so fresh, you can pick it, wash it off and eat it.  The trees provide shade from the hot sun and after a few days of rain the streams fill with water.   You see school children on their way to classes, men on their way to work and people at home working in their yards.  This trip allowed me to see the day to day life of the people who lived there.  When I walked down the street and said hello to someone I felt at times like I almost was a part of their community. 

This trip changed me in ways and left lasting impressions on me.  I saw a different way of life, in ways a much simpler way of life and this was not a bad thing.  People weren't worried about what someone was wearing, if they were going to make it to the movie on time and going to the mall.  They instead were going about their day, doing the grocery shopping and at the end of their day spending time with their family and friends.  They made meals and ate together, sat around and talked.  No one had to get dressed up, there wasn't a fancy restaurant waiting, instead it was everyone sitting outside or around a table in one of their homes and enjoying each other.  I wonder how different it would be where we all live today if we took some time to make our lives simpler, if we took the time to look around us at our family and friends and spent the time that we should with them, really appreciate them.  I can't wait to go back and visit more places like this and really gain even a better understanding of traditions and values that I admire so much. 

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