LOOKING BACK

When we got to Laredo, TX last week we asked the boys to help us make a list of the things they were going to miss about Mexico and things they had missed about the US.  Here is the list:

THINGS WE WILL MISS ABOUT MEXICO (SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE)

1-The Jardin-  The Jardin is a great place to hang out.  For less than $5 we could buy bouncy balls, large balloons, and other toys.  There were also Mariachi bands, comedians, magicians, and breakdancers.  We went there almost everyday because there was always something going on.

2-The Blue Door Bakery-  We loved this bakery.  We tried to go back a second morning and it was closed.  After spending $23 dollars in KC for 2 dozen donuts, we missed the $7 dozen of homemade pastries even more.

3-Walking everywhere- We loved walking to and from town and taking a taxi when we got tired.

4-Tortillas at every meal-Mason added this one.  They boys learned to love the corn and flour tortillas that came with every meal.

5-Quiet-  We had very few american tv channels and no american radio stations so it was quiet around the house in a lot of ways.

6-Outside- We loved having the windows and doors open and just hearing the sounds around town.

7-Guapo-Porter loved taking care of the neighborhood cat.

8-Heat from the fireplace-There is no central heat in the houses so when you come home and it's chilly you turn on the gas fireplace in whatever room you are in to get cozy.  There's something really fun about that.

9-It's so laid back-We don't wear watches and since our phones didn't have signals, we didn't carry them.  Therefore we rarely knew what time it was and we just did what we wanted to do when we wanted to do it.  The stores don't have an hours sign on their door so they may or may not be open when you go there.  The people are very laid back and not hurried.  The waiters don't rush to bring your check and hurry you out.  It takes some getting used to, but you learn to like it.

THINGS WE REALLY LIKE ABOUT THE US

1-Fountain drinks with ice.  Drinking warm pop gets old really fast.

2-There are no fireworks and roosters crowing.  This was a drawback to the outside living.  One night the fireworks started at 4am, one night they ended at 4 am.  When you go to bed in KC, you are unlikely to hear chaos outside of your door everynight.

3-US bathrooms-It Mexico you pay 4pesos to use a public restroom.  It may or may not be clean, and it may be in someones house or back yard.  Also no toilet paper goes in the toilet.  It all goes in a trash can.  We like US bathrooms better.

4-In the US your lights don't flicker.  At our Mexico house the lights would flicker and dim at random times every evening.

5-Safe food- For the most part in the US, you don't have to worry if the food is safe.  You also know what you are getting when you order it.  One night at Pollo Feliz we ordered "hamburguesas" We thought we were getting hamburgers, but in fact we got chicken patty sandwiches.  It's nice to order off the menu and know what you're getting.

6-Fast food- There is fast food in Mexico at the street vendors.  It looks delicious but they are not regulated at all so we didn't eat at any of them.  Therefore every meal was at a sit down restaurant.  It was nice for the most part, but sometimes you just want to eat and run.

7-You don't have to speak spanish-  no explanation needed...added by the Phillips boys.


We really loved our time in SMA and it was a great experience for our family.  We met several people while we were there that said they fell in love with SMA so they moved there.  I can't say that, but I can say that I learned a lot about a different part of the world as well as family.

BACK IN THE USA

We made it back.  It's such a funny feeling.  We had a great time in SMA.  We enjoyed almost every minute of our trip, but as Dexter said at dinner, "I'm almost giddy to be back."

Perspective is an amazing thing.  The trip today seemed so much easier than on the way down.  We knew we were more relaxed becuase we all got hungry today.  On the way down no one wanted to eat.  We knew what to expect at the gas stations and bathrooms.  We stopped at one gas station that was very similar to a large truck stop in the US.  (the bathrooms were free and clean!! Bonus points)

It rained almost the entire 500 miles.  It made for a long boring ride, but there were significantly fewer street peddlers and beggers on the rode.  At the tolls on the way down, there were between 25 and 50 people vying for our spare change.  This was a little nerve wracking and slowed  the traffic quite a bit.  Imagine as you approach the toll on I-70, there are women, children, old men all standing on the highway with their hands out.  You definitely slow down.

Rainy and foggy

The actual driving time was about 10 hours.  We left the house at 6:45am and arrived at the Border at 4:45pm.  Unfortunately it took us 2 1/2 hours to cross the border.  Dexter and I nearly went crazy, but man our kids are good travellers.  No complaining at all.

In line to cross the border

We're staying at the same hotel in Laredo that we stayed in on the way down.  The first time it seemed kind of scary, close to the border, maybe something dangerous could happen here.  This time we are feeling so safe and dancing a little jig because we are in the US.

Delicious dinner at Texas Roadhouse...with ice in our cups and ALL the pop you can drink!!!

Stay tuned tomorrow for our list of things we love about the US and the things we loved about SMA.  You'll find some of them pretty entertaining.

DAY 10-OUR LAST DAY

Tonight we went to El Correo for dinner, but thareal t was not the original plan. We were going to go back to Mama Mia but there was 2 hour wait so we went to El Correo for dinner, and it was delicious. the cheese dip was the best we had yet. Also we had crispy chicken tacos and they were a soft shell taco that they cooked to make really chrispy  with chicken inside like a QT taquito.

(Witten by Mason)

  I'm excited about going home to seen Lincoln because I wants to snuggle Lincoln. I really wants to see Lincoln. Porter said "I really want to snuggle Lincoln really bad."

(Dictated by Porter to Walker)

  Today I drove my MONSTER truck!!!!!  Lots of  kids came to watch me.  I did not have to use training mode! I LOVE MY MONSTER TRUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Dictated by Carson to Walker)

    Today I loved the Artesian Market.We got a foosball table and the balls she gave us were bouncy balls. So when we get home we need new balls! We got necklaces also they were harts.They are for mom.

Carson got a airplane bomber that he drove for a while. Until it broke and we had to tape it already.

Porter got a flute. He used it the whole time we were at the market. He annoyed Mason and I the whole time.IT is green with a rope around it he wants to show everybody how cool it is. We also got three movies for while were in the car we got Monsters University,The Croods,and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2. I can't wait to watch them on the way back.

(Written by Walker)

DAY 9-GUANAJUATO and the MUMMY MUSEUM

Well it was still raining this morning so we took an adventure to Guanajuato.  It is about an hour and 15 minutes away.  Our friend recommended we go there because it is beautiful and the boys would like the Mummy Museum.   Just getting anywhere in Mexico is an adventure.  The roads are not great.  (I think Dexter has talked about that.)

So we're realizing that whenever we have any expectations of where we are going, they are totally wrong.  For example, I went to the spa yesterday.  It was at one of the nice hotels in town and recommended by the homeowner.  I arrive expecting it to look like a Hyatt in Scottsdale, complete with luxurious lounge chairs and a nice steam room.  Nope...that's not it at all.  It's in a small garage like building.  There is no heat and its raining and cold.  The masseuse says, "I just can't get my hands warm, I hope they're OK."  Now in America we would have a fit at this, because our expectations are different.  It ended up being a pretty good massage, once I got over my preconceived notions of what a spa looks like.

Another example, La Guta, the hot springs.  The reviews we've read rave about how wonderful it is.  Again I think it will be similar to a Scottsdale.  Nope...that's not it at all.  It is crowded.  The changing rooms are in little cave like buildings.  Our first thought is, "I thought it would be nicer than this."  Actually, the changing rooms are all very clean.  We manage to find a comfy chair for Dexter to read in.  There is a simple, old school swing set that the boys are thrilled with and a great grassy area to order lunch.  So once we get over our expectations it ends up being just fine.  

The Mummy Museum is the same way.  There is a beautiful website that tells about the collection and includes there is a  parking lot for 7 pesos an hour ($0.54). (Mummy Museum website) Well the parking lot is packed, there are a ton of people milling around, selling their wares, its wet and muddy. We're a tad overwhelmed.  There is one space left at the end of the lot.  To quote Dexter, "Thank you, Jesus." There is a long line to get in the museum but we decide to stick it out.  It just isn't what we pictured in our heads.

It is more of a tour through the museum.  We can pick up bits and pieces of what they are telling us and there are a few signs in English.  It's definitely more fun when you can understand what you are looking at.  Dexter didn't think they were really mummies.  More like people that died and they dug them up.  One died in 1941 and was exhumed in 1946.  One was dug up because the family couldn't pay for the burial.  So some interesting stories, but not ancient mummies.  

The worlds smallest mummy.  A 6 month old fetus.

This was the only mummy with pants on.  Why?

Eating in another town is always a challenge, but much to the kids delight we found a mall food court with a McDonalds.  It hit the spot for everyone.  

The really exciting part of the day happened on the way back to SMA.  We approach a T in the road and there are policemen standing outside a police tow truck in the median.  Dexter makes a complete stop and turns and the policemen flags us over to stop.  Our hearts start beating a mile a minute.  These are the local police, not the federal, and we've heard they are more dishonest.  We roll the window down and the policeman hands us a brochure on how to prevent your car from getting stolen and waves us on our way.  We let out a huge sigh of relief, and try to catch our breath.   In Mexico you are guilty until proven innocent so we have a long discussion with the kids about what that means and how that's different from the US.

We are crossing things off our to do list and think we will begin driving home on Tuesday.  We still have a few more adventures to share with you in the next few days.  

Day 8-- RAIN!

Today we didn't do much (it rained ALL day) so we nixed our plans to go to Guanajuto (another day trip about an hour away). Pretty much everything you do here is outside so we hung out at the house a lot of the day.

We took a taxi (it was raining) to La Colmena Panaderia (The Beehive Bakery).  They had a bunch of breads and pastries that we’ve never seen before.  We got a little bit of everything for about $7.  Most of it was really good.  (Walker didn’t think I included enough details so he wrote the next paragraph).

We went to the bakery and Walker jumped in a giant puddle and got soaked.  He splashed Mason on the way to find a taxi.  While we were at the bakery we were clueless at the beginning, until we found out you go in the back, and get tongs and pick up what you want.   We got a lot of pastries and tonight we are ready to go back because it was so good. (written by Walker the AMAZING)

Allison found a “spa” and got a hour long massage in what looked like a garage for $40 while I hung out with the kids at the house.  She said the massage was great the environment not so great……

We NEEDED to get the kids out of the house towards the end of the day so we drove to Pollo Feliz (Happy Chicken).  We drove there in the dark in the rain (breaking the cardinal rules of driving in Mexico).  We really are feeling more comfortable here. 

Again, Mason said I was short on details….

At Pollo Feliz it was the most kid friendly place we have been to so far. In the restrooms there was a bench for the little kids that were not tall enough to reach the sink to stand on.  Even the hot springs where there were tons of kids, did not have a bench.  There was a play area like the ones at McDonalds. To eat we bought a medium chicken, 12 or so chicken nuggets that were 40 pesos (less than 4 U.S. dollars.), a huge quesadilla, and chicken hamburgers.  (written by Mason)

DAY 7-HOT SPRINGS

    Once again we planned to go to the Hot Springs and the weather wasn't great.  We couldn't tell the kids no again, but they agreed to go to the traditional hot springs, rather than the water park hot springs.  Sitting in a hot springs pool when it's cloudy and 62' sounds bearable.  Going down water slides does not.

   We forgot the camera so there are no pictures.  Dexter read in a chair in his jeans and sweatshirt while the boys and I swam.  It was pretty fun.  There were 3 pools and each one got hotter, until you got to a cave that led to a super hot pool deep inside.  Mason didn't like the heat, but the rest of the boys loved going in the cave.  Is there anything more fun than swimming in a dark tunnel deep into a cave?  We  had a great lunch there.  The boys got chicken nuggets and Dexter I had shared a Club Sandwich.  It was nice to have something similar to at home.

   We found a Dominos pizza down the road and they boys have been begging to have it delivered.  The delivery drivers drive motorcycles.  Cool, huh?  We tried to call to order, but our spanish skills are not that good so Dexter ended up walking down and back.  It tasted just like home....gross, cardboard pizza.

The boys in front of the house.  You have to go through this huge metal door to get up to the front door.

It's a pretty tight squeeze to get my car in. Dexter has to get in and out on the passenger side.

All of the walls have this pointy glass on them.  Assuming to keep people from climbing over?

CHRISTMAS EVE AND CHRISTMAS DAY

So it's been really weird being here for Christmas.  Mostly because we just don't what the protocol is, and there are no traditions to follow.  We read that things would be closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but as we walked to the park yesterday afternoon, we saw lots of shops open that we hadn't ever seen open.  I really still wanted to catch La Posadas so we went up to el Jardin.  The place was hopping.  The boys love hanging out up there. Unfortunately we never saw it, but we saw the live animals in the nativity.

    Luckily we had our little restaurant guide with us and found a place to eat.  It was delicious.  Every time we go somewhere to eat the boys whine, "What will they have?  I wanted______!" And each time we leave a restaurant, it is their new favorite place and they want to go back.  They have done a great job of trying new things.  Not really anything out of the ordinary, but the steak tacos, instead of shredded beef, different salsas, different toppings on breads, etc.  It has made it much easier on everybody and most of the stuff they find they really like.


    So today is Christmas. We all slept awful last night!!!  Fireworks went off until about 3am.  All 4 kids were up at some point.  I think about 4:30 Mason and Walker watched TV in their room.  So we got up about 7am, exhausted.  Presents didn't take too long, but the boys were happy with what they got.  It was just kind of weird all day.  Finally about 5:00 we took a cab to dinner.  Again shops were open, restaurants were open, people were strolling the streets, the same as any other day.

So happy with his my little ponies.

Santa brought this one a MU basketball!!

Christmas dinner at Tio Lucas

   So the verdict is still out...do we like being away from home on Christmas?  Mason thinks he'd rather be at home.  Walker, Carson and Porter like being here.  Carson got a remote control car and it would have been too cold at home today to play with it outside.  It was perfect to play outside today.  I don't miss the rushing around, but here after listening to fireworks for the second night in a row, I'm missing the quietness of Christmas at home.