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Travel

Viva Mexico City

I recently had the luxury of skipping town with my husband. With the help of both of our parents, who kept our kids, we were able to explore a place I’d never been to, Mexico City. I’ve always associated Mexico with beach towns like Cancun and Puerto Vallarta. When an opportunity presented itself to check it out, I said “Si!”

With a population of about 21 million (including the metropolitan area) I had thoughts of what the city might look like. Much to my surprise Mexico City turned out to be completely different than I had imagined. As Americans, we have a decent amount of exposure to Mexican culture – language, food and some customs.  Growing up as an Indian American, I’ve always drawn parallels between the Mexican culture and Indian culture as both are filled with lots of color, food and deep-rooted customs. Mexico City did not let down in any of those categories.

I wanted to break down the 3 things I would recommend checking out if you make your way over to Mexico City!

The Houseboats in Xochimilco (Pronouced
So-chee-MEEL-ko )

House Boat Tour

This is a one of a kind authentic Mexican experience that can’t be missed!  It takes about an hour to get to from Mexico City, but is totally worth the drive!  Upon arrival it will be suggested to use the restroom, make sure you have some money on you…. they charge 5 pesos to use the facilities. There are dozens of brightly colored house boats waiting for you, if you plan ahead you can even have one of them personalized just for you.  You will have someone on board to do the rowing, it feels like Venice but with a Mexican twist. There are two long tables with chairs to seat 20. Many people pack large picnics and make a day out of the excursion.

While rowing down the river you can see other houseboats with mariachis on them. If summoned they come on board and perform (for a nominal fee). Of course we did this and what a treat it was!  They also have boats with fully equipped kitchens, so you can order hot and ready to eat quesadillas and tacos, so fun!

  • The beautiful houseboats!
  • Mariachi on board performing

A Soccer Game at the Aztec Stadium

We scored tickets to see Cruz Azul play Pachuca. This was my first soccer game, ever!  The stadium was clean and for about $50/tickets we had some pretty awesome seats!  Soccer is a huge sport for Mexicans so to see their excitement and loyalty to their team was a treat!  I would recommend a stop in if you have time!

Sporting my new Cruz Azul gear!
Sporting my new Cruz Azul gear!
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  • Tickets to my first soccer game!
  • National Anthem, let’s the games begin!

The Culinary Scene

I’m not quite sure what I expected from the culinary scene in Mexico City, but I was pleasantly surprised by the number of beautiful restaurants and the delicious food that we had! There were two particular restaurants that stood out to me that I wanted to share.

Azul Restaurantes
Situated right in the middle of the city Square, this location would be an easy one to squeeze into your itinerary. The restaurant is absolutely stunning! As you first walk in you’ll see women making fresh corn tortillas which was a nice first impression!  The service was impeccable as was the food. As a vegetarian I can vouch for their selection. The molè sauce was one of the best I’ve ever had!  Make sure to try one of their delicious Mezcals. Mezcal has more of a smoky flavor than tequila and requires a little bit of getting used to. I found it to be a little too strong for my taste buds, but it is a must try anyway!

Azul Restaurante

Blanco Castelar
This particular restaurant is in Palanco.  Our hotel (Las Alcobas) was in Palanco which is considered one of the posh-ier sides of Mexico City.  Blanco Castelar is stunningly beautiful to the eye, but the food is also fantastic!  Although it was not a full Mexican menu, a lot of their items had a Mexican twist to them.  It wasn’t the most vegetarian friendly place, but I still had enough options. I ordered the risotto de esparragos and it did not disappoint. Stop in for a cocktail and bite, you will be glad you did!

Blanco Castelar

Mexico City is a beautiful culture-rich city!  If you’ve done the beach towns, consider Mexico City on your next trip south of the border!

Your Chick,
Sonia

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Why São Paulo, Brazil Should Be On Your Bucket List

My husband and I were excited to attend our friend’s wedding this past October in São Paulo, Brazil. I’m anxious to share my first travel post about our trip. I hope I could do justice to all of my memorable experiences. Luckily, I have pictures to help. 🙂

We stayed at the Radisson Blu São Paulo, which was the official hotel for all the wedding guests. The hotel rooms were clean and spacious and our bathroom was equipped with L’Occitane products, which are a personal favorite. I have to mention, the Radisson Blu São Paulo, did a fantastic job with the daily buffet breakfast which includes an extensive offering of fresh coffee, cereals, pastries, eggs, cured meats, fresh juices and a whole lot more.

I can admit, as a vegetarian I was concerned about traveling to a country that relishes their meat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I was surprised to find there were quite a few highly recommended vegetarian restaurants.  In between our time attending wedding events, we had a chance to visit ‘Goa’ a fusion cuisine with Indo-Brazilian influence. They source fresh ingredients from their farm right in their very own backyard.

We even had a chance to go to the ‘Mercado Municipal’ and try countless exotic fruit sourced from all over the world including the Amazon. One delicious fruit after another, we were in heaven and wanted to purchase crates full of the delectable variety. But beware! This is a tourist hot-spot so all the fruit is marked up considerably and you are better off just taste testing.

By the way, here’s what I wore to the market that day: A simple white button down with a bright red ruffled skirt with brown flats (for comfort). I fit right in!

São Paulo is quite populated and there are many impoverished areas yet it’s easy to find people smiling, especially seen on the portraits of city walls drenched in lively graffiti at every turn. One such place is Beco do Batman, English: Batman’s Alley. Along with street art, which serve as great photo-ops, this area is host to cool art galleries, co-working spaces and amazing fine dining.

Beco Do Batman

Beco Do Batman

It was wedding day in São Paulo and we were ready to witness our friends tie the knot and celebrate Brazil style. Receptions in Brazil go on till 5AM! It seemed like an impossible task but if anyone was up to it, it was we New Yorkers. They served multiple courses throughout the night to keep us fueled and the bar kept flowing. We were such troopers; we partied hard all night and shut the place down. We still got it!

Here’s what I wore to this fabulous event. This sparkly maxi was a big hit and so comfortable to dance in:

…and here’s Mr. Sagir making a cameo.

The wedding was followed by a buddy-moon in Bahia, Brazil. For those who may not know of this new trend, a buddy-moon incorporates your friends on your honeymoon. It’s the official after-party to your wedding! Although, the reception was nothing short of fantastic! Buddy-moons are a fun way to continue the celebrations with friends.

We took a short flight from São Paulo to Bahia, then a bus and finally a boat in the dark underneath the starlit sky to a place called Barra Grande, a beach town on the Marau peninsula. On the way to the boat, we stopped at a local eatery off the highway specializing in empadas. The palm heart flavored empadas were a favorite amongst us and we even stopped to get more on our return trip. Here’s a quick video I took of the quaint eatery while we waited for our food.

Having returned for a month now, I’m missing the warmth. I don’t just mean the weather, but the familiarity of the locals. I understand more about the inviting culture after having been there and miss it so much. I’ll share more about the second half of our trip soon so stay tuned for my next post!

XO,
Puja
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