El Petén

Below is a picture of a bank that is a couple of blocks away from my hostel. It was Thursday the 10th of January, 2013 and I had about another three nights left to stay in Mexico before my flight, scheduled to leave early Sunday morning the 13th of January. I went to the "cajero" to make a withdrawal but it wouldn't cough up my cash. I hate it when that happens, don't you?

Bank in Coyoacan

Thursday morning the internet was down at the hostel so I decided to go to a cafe nearby and use their wi-fi to check my account online. I apparently kept typing the wrong password because the bank "froze" my account for twenty-four hours which (I believe) is why I couldn't withdraw funds. I was successful the following morning though.

Hours later, on Thursday afternoon I told my new Italian friend Eola Benedetta what had happened. "I am definitely going to have to watch my spending now", I told her. I needed to either change to a more inexpensive place to stay or buy no more beer and that is not fun in warm Mexican weather. She said "just come stay with us". So, in the interest of saving money and hanging out with these guys that were very nice, I accepted her offer. Eola Benedetta and American Bryant Bell, whom I had met in Oaxaca a week earlier, came to see me in Coyoacán so that the three of us could hang out and go see the Leon Trotsky museum together. After seeing the museum I returned with Eola to her home on Petén street, Colonia Letrán Valle, Mexico City. Here she shared a house with about nine others, sort of a frat house.

Leon Trotsky Museum.

 For Petén definition, click here: Petén

Mention should be made that these two, Eola and Bryant, both foreigners, had become a part of Mexican living with such great Spanish and people skills. I tip my sombrero to these guys who were so kind to me as well.

Eola Benedetta and Bryant Bell in Oaxaca.



Here are some images of my last three days at Calle Petén. 

Getting ready to eat Maya's delicious Chicken Tikka Masala.

Eola and Oscar.

Daniela and Julio.

A walk in the park with Paola and her dog Tulio.

Shopping with Maya.

One more of Tulio because he was such a good boy.

Eola is now back in Italy. She and the rest were very hospitable and fun to hang out with. Traveling without veering off the beaten path is in my view boring and can also be expensive. More on that in a later post.

In this household there were people from at least four differing countries aside from various regions of Mexico. 

Below is a list of countries represented by other interesting and fun people I have met over the past year on my three trips to Mexico. 

Canada

Dominican Republic

Brazil

Argentina

Peru

Venezuela

Korea

Austria

Spain

Italy

Australia

Taiwan

France

Algeria

Bulgaria

Germany

Denmark

Israel

U.S.A.

Holland

Switzerland

Cuba                                                               Hasta pronto amigos.

                                                                        

                                                                       Eric

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