Toluca

Yesterday Alexander took me to Toluca, a small city outside the limits of Mexico City. It was quite nice.

"Toluca" is a náhuatl word meaning "lugar del dios Tolo," or "the place of the god Tolo." Apparently, Tolo was one of the gods worshiped by the Aztecs. We visited two large churches around the centro, the Catadral de Toluca and the Templo de Carmen. They contain some of the bloodiest Jesus statues I've ever seen. There was also the Cosmovital Jardín Botanico, a large building containing all native plants of Mexico. The plants add to the stunning beauty of the stained-glass mural which starts at the entrance, runs along either side of the walls (showering the plants in light of all colors, making them look almost alien at times), over to the back and along the ceiling. The Garden was designed by a Japanese artist who moved to Mexico in the late 19th century. This garden is well worth the 10 peso entrance fee; it is one of those marvelous fusions of art and nature of which we do not see enough.


A few times, I heard locals calling out in English to us. One man passing us on the street did a dead-on impression: "Hey, what's going on, guys?" You would think he was Dave Chappelle imitating white people.

If you wander outside the centro there are some stunningly cheap places to get food. We had a feast of chilaquiles and sopes. I also got a chance to try my first "gordita." Now, some of you probably have had gorditas in Mexican restaurants in America, which tend to be deep-fried burritos. A true Mexican gordita is not the same, though the two are probably on par with each other in terms of health benefits. A Mexican gordita is closer to a Mexican dim-sum. It is a thick corn tortilla stuffed with just about anything, ranging from meat to fruit or anything else. The meat is deep-fried. The tortilla is deep-fried. There is not a single part of this marvelous concoction that isn't attempting to give you a heart attack. There is a reason they call it "the little fat girl." Oh, and I found out afterwards that the stuffing inside my gordita was deep-fried pig skin. I do believe this is what Ambrosia tasted like.

Sadly, the next new experience was not as orgasmic-ally satisfying. After wandering around for awhile searching for a bar, we finally found one thanks to a tip from the lovely ladies at the Fiesta Inn. It was a little tavern in the second story of a building, up a narrow flight of stairs. There, I tried my very first "cubana." This recipe describes a cubana as "10 oz beer, 1 oz lime juice, 9 dashes tabasco and 2 oz clamato juice." I would also add to that list of ingredients "1 heaping spoonful of pure nasty." It is not exactly a pleasant drink to imbibe. In fact, it has the curious effect of getting more repulsive as you drink it. It looks kind of like the tarred-up sludge water at the bottom of a bong that hasn't been cleaned in a year. But, as was my duty, I pressed on and finished the whole thing.

Drunk and tired, Alexander and I made our way back to the bus terminal. Missing the bus by only seconds, we got the next one out, leaving a half-hour later. This gave us an opportunity to wander the terminal which must have been created by some monster from the 70's with an interior design degree. Pure whites and bright orange-browns clashed like titans across the ceiling and floor. Tiring of the visually depleting ensemble, we got pastries and ate them on a walkway looking out over the Toluca freeway. It was a lovely, surreal sight of urban beauty. A concrete pillar walkway merging off in different directions like a spiderweb. In one direction, the lights of a far-off city and the vague outline of a placid hillside. In another, a large set of windows looking in on a karate dojo on the third floor of the building attached to the bus terminal. All along the walkway vendors sat next to large blankets selling strange assortments of goods, like watches, scarves, and batteries. We almost missed the next bus when we got a little too carried away making fun of Catwoman, playing in a Spanish dub on the terminal telly.

It was nice to get out of the city, even if only to a smaller city. Returning to the hustle and bustle of Mexico City felt a little surreal. Next time, I really want to get out of my element and visit a pueblo. Thank goodness there are a multitude of ways to keep your mind open in this world.