I had only moved to Mexico a week and a bit earlier, but already I was going to have my first visitors - one of the exchange students, and a very special one at that, from the university where I had been working for the final nine years of my working life, Winston-Salem State Unviersity. Yoonyoung, and her sister were coming, both on the start of their weeks long Latin American journey, a journey that would ultimately take them to Tikal in Guatemala, the Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia, and ultimately to Macchu Pichu in Peru.
For me this was a big event. Not only was it going to be my first visitor since moving to Mexico, but it was also going to be my first visitor from anywhere since moving away from Los Angeles so many many years before. 19 years I lived in Japan and, save for my mother, no one came to visit; 2 years in Portland, Oregon, and no one, save for my mother, came to visit; 2 years in New Jersey, and no one came to visit, not even my mother; and 9 years in North Carolina, and no one, save for my mother (and during my last month there, a quick lunch stop by my high school days friend, Doug Boethin on his way to take his daughter to DC to take up her job at the Pentagon - good to see you, Doug!), came to visit. So this visit for me was symbolically sort of something monumental, even if it was just a short visit. It was also going to be nice to see a familiar face from back "home."
Interestingly, what I remember most about that day was that I was pretty excited. Yoonyoung messaged me when they arrived in town, and we decided on when and what time to meet. Then, shortly before I left the house, it began to rain. It was the first time it rained since my coming to Guanajuato. In fact, it had not rained during my previous visit to Guanajuato a year earlier either, though at that time there was a sudden morning snow - the first snow in over twenty years! At any rate, I had no idea what an afternoon Guanajuato rain was like and so I was a bit worried that it would all spoil the touristic side of our initial meeting. Just in case, I bought and brought an umbrella.
As luck would have it, however, by the time I got to our appointed meeting place in front of the big yellow basílica, a mere 10 minute walk away, the weather had changed so much that it was hard to imagine that there had ever been eve the chance of rain that day. There Yoonyoung appeared, and it was like old times - good times revisted. Then I got to meet her sister, Hayoung, and then, of course, the first thing we did was take some pics of that historic first meeting abroad, including this "Onward" shot, as we prepared to get on our way up the top of the Pípila, which is the bluff overlooking the city, to get a good postcard view.
Luckily for all, the funicular tram was in operation (it hadn't been just days before, and it was out of service again just days after their departure), so getting up to the top was a pretty easy task compared to the alternatives, which were bus (fun, but time consuming), taxi, and walking (out of the question, especially at 6800 feet).
It is hard not to be a bit awestruck by the view up from the top. The colorful buildings covering the hillsides of the city make for a wonderful backdrop, just waiting for tourists to snap photos of. It was up there on top of the hill that I also first learned that Koreans were pretty popular in Mexico, as least in that part, as we, rather they, had their first photo request, this one by a girl who was a fan of K-Pop. I remember how she came up to them, and asked "where are you from." When they said Korea, her face lit up, obviously pleased by that fact. "Cool," she said, clearly really meaning it. You can see her, her family, and Yoonyoung and her sister Hayoung in the following photo.
Later we ate dinner and looked around the city a bit. They were interested in seeing sites upon which scenes in the movie Coco were based, and they actually knew better than I what those sites were, one of which was the statue of Mexican singer and actor Jorge Negrete.
The next day was supposed to be a trip to the Mummy Museum, which I had never been to and to which they wanted to go. As it turned out, however, this and that intervened, and we never did quite get there. But we did start the day by trying out a dish that Guanajuato is noted for, guacamaya. A guacamaya is a torta that consists of a French roll filled with pieces of chicharrón (pork rinds), avocado slices, and red salsa. The colors supposedly look like those of a macaw, and that is what guacamaya means - macaw. It actually tasted better than I had imagined, but I don't think it is something I would get into the habit of craving. The three of us shared one, and that was good enough for the job of trying it out.
After sharing one of the guacamayas, we visited the mercado, and then, everyone still being a bit hungry, we had a proper sit-down lunch at one of the outdoor restaurants in the closest of the plazuelas. And after that the girls bought a necklace and bracelet being made on the spot by some local vendors. That was followed by a stop at the nearby gelato shop.
After all that, we had a look at the Diego Garcia Casa Museo (he was a Guanajuato native, in case you're wondering) and then we headed over to the Alhóndiga de Granaditas historic site (click here to learn more about it) to have a look, and there again the girls were asked by a random mother who happened to be there if they would take a photo with her son, which they did. After that she came back to ask them to each give the boy a kiss, which seemed bizarrely over the top to all three of us, but they obliged, and the woman was extremely grateful, while the poor boy seemed to have no idea what was going on.
By that time everyone was pretty tired, but the sister, still recovering from jet lag, even more so. We stopped in a church to rest while she took an unplanned nap, and then we headed back to the big yellow basilica to take one more trip up the to the top of the Pípila for an evening, though not before getting stuck in a street parade, of which Guanajuato has many.
After that, we had one more dinner together (tacos), and then it was time for them to go back to their hotel so they could get ready for their departure for Mexico City the next morning. And so it was time for goodbyes.
And with that they were off, and I was back onto my Mexico adventure track, though I must admit that it was a bit empty feeling for a few days after that since home was now gone, and where I was now was now home. I already missed the greatly as I walked back home.
But later, even though they were gone, I would be reminded of their visit every day I was in Guanajuato due to a very common graffitti phrase painted on walls all over town. 던대르 (dondelu) or sometimes 단대르 (dandelu) was the word, but the funny thing is that it doesn't mean anything in Korean, and I could not find anyone in Guanajuato who had any idea what it meant or what it might be. Some people thought it might be a band, others thought it might be a shop, others thought it could be the name of a taekwondo school, and others said it could be a gang tag. At any rate, to me it was a reminder of a very nice time, wonderful people, and from there on out, with those two, a form of greeting.
던대르!!!
For me this was a big event. Not only was it going to be my first visitor since moving to Mexico, but it was also going to be my first visitor from anywhere since moving away from Los Angeles so many many years before. 19 years I lived in Japan and, save for my mother, no one came to visit; 2 years in Portland, Oregon, and no one, save for my mother, came to visit; 2 years in New Jersey, and no one came to visit, not even my mother; and 9 years in North Carolina, and no one, save for my mother (and during my last month there, a quick lunch stop by my high school days friend, Doug Boethin on his way to take his daughter to DC to take up her job at the Pentagon - good to see you, Doug!), came to visit. So this visit for me was symbolically sort of something monumental, even if it was just a short visit. It was also going to be nice to see a familiar face from back "home."
Interestingly, what I remember most about that day was that I was pretty excited. Yoonyoung messaged me when they arrived in town, and we decided on when and what time to meet. Then, shortly before I left the house, it began to rain. It was the first time it rained since my coming to Guanajuato. In fact, it had not rained during my previous visit to Guanajuato a year earlier either, though at that time there was a sudden morning snow - the first snow in over twenty years! At any rate, I had no idea what an afternoon Guanajuato rain was like and so I was a bit worried that it would all spoil the touristic side of our initial meeting. Just in case, I bought and brought an umbrella.
Luckily for all, the funicular tram was in operation (it hadn't been just days before, and it was out of service again just days after their departure), so getting up to the top was a pretty easy task compared to the alternatives, which were bus (fun, but time consuming), taxi, and walking (out of the question, especially at 6800 feet).
It is hard not to be a bit awestruck by the view up from the top. The colorful buildings covering the hillsides of the city make for a wonderful backdrop, just waiting for tourists to snap photos of. It was up there on top of the hill that I also first learned that Koreans were pretty popular in Mexico, as least in that part, as we, rather they, had their first photo request, this one by a girl who was a fan of K-Pop. I remember how she came up to them, and asked "where are you from." When they said Korea, her face lit up, obviously pleased by that fact. "Cool," she said, clearly really meaning it. You can see her, her family, and Yoonyoung and her sister Hayoung in the following photo.
Later we ate dinner and looked around the city a bit. They were interested in seeing sites upon which scenes in the movie Coco were based, and they actually knew better than I what those sites were, one of which was the statue of Mexican singer and actor Jorge Negrete.
The next day was supposed to be a trip to the Mummy Museum, which I had never been to and to which they wanted to go. As it turned out, however, this and that intervened, and we never did quite get there. But we did start the day by trying out a dish that Guanajuato is noted for, guacamaya. A guacamaya is a torta that consists of a French roll filled with pieces of chicharrón (pork rinds), avocado slices, and red salsa. The colors supposedly look like those of a macaw, and that is what guacamaya means - macaw. It actually tasted better than I had imagined, but I don't think it is something I would get into the habit of craving. The three of us shared one, and that was good enough for the job of trying it out.
After sharing one of the guacamayas, we visited the mercado, and then, everyone still being a bit hungry, we had a proper sit-down lunch at one of the outdoor restaurants in the closest of the plazuelas. And after that the girls bought a necklace and bracelet being made on the spot by some local vendors. That was followed by a stop at the nearby gelato shop.
After all that, we had a look at the Diego Garcia Casa Museo (he was a Guanajuato native, in case you're wondering) and then we headed over to the Alhóndiga de Granaditas historic site (click here to learn more about it) to have a look, and there again the girls were asked by a random mother who happened to be there if they would take a photo with her son, which they did. After that she came back to ask them to each give the boy a kiss, which seemed bizarrely over the top to all three of us, but they obliged, and the woman was extremely grateful, while the poor boy seemed to have no idea what was going on.
By that time everyone was pretty tired, but the sister, still recovering from jet lag, even more so. We stopped in a church to rest while she took an unplanned nap, and then we headed back to the big yellow basilica to take one more trip up the to the top of the Pípila for an evening, though not before getting stuck in a street parade, of which Guanajuato has many.
After that, we had one more dinner together (tacos), and then it was time for them to go back to their hotel so they could get ready for their departure for Mexico City the next morning. And so it was time for goodbyes.
And with that they were off, and I was back onto my Mexico adventure track, though I must admit that it was a bit empty feeling for a few days after that since home was now gone, and where I was now was now home. I already missed the greatly as I walked back home.
But later, even though they were gone, I would be reminded of their visit every day I was in Guanajuato due to a very common graffitti phrase painted on walls all over town. 던대르 (dondelu) or sometimes 단대르 (dandelu) was the word, but the funny thing is that it doesn't mean anything in Korean, and I could not find anyone in Guanajuato who had any idea what it meant or what it might be. Some people thought it might be a band, others thought it might be a shop, others thought it could be the name of a taekwondo school, and others said it could be a gang tag. At any rate, to me it was a reminder of a very nice time, wonderful people, and from there on out, with those two, a form of greeting.
던대르!!!
I found my way to your blog from one of your FaceBook posts. I had no idea you'd moved to Mexico! I hope you love it, and love your newest home there. These photos with your visitors are just beautiful! That evening shot... WOW! ...I'm thinking if that Korean tag is nonsense, than it's a gang tag. We used to have a lot of that in the Frogtown Riverside part of Silverlake, near Dad's HS (we lived in Glendale at the time).
ReplyDeleteOops! I meant to type "then", not "than", and don't know how to edit it.
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