Monthly Archives February 2010

Back to Canada

En route back to Canada today through Charlotte, North Carolina.
I still have much more to write about Latin America, so that is what will probably fill the blog while I’m doing nothing in Canada for a bit.

Cuidate.

Papaya: great travel food

An ode to my most beloved fruit
Travelers, don’t get scurvy.
No, seriously. I’ve had several stretches during my travels when I was eating badly. You know, mostly heavy carbs. (Or as they say in Mexico: vitamin T. Tacos, Tamales, Tortas, Tostadas, Tortillas…)
During these times, I always ended up feeling awful by the end. I [...]

Condesa: an oasis in Mexico City (and muy fresa)

Mexico City can at times be an overwhelming place. The traffic, the smog and ginormous crowds of people can really make a person crave a bit of tranquilidad.
Luckily, the city is filled with loads of distinct neighborhoods, and some will give you a bit of that calm you’ve been craving.
One of such oases [...]

More than tacos (but the tacos are great)

Food is an important part of travel for me. Wait. Food is an important part of life for me. This is partly why I will never be a great budget traveler along the likes of Wade and his family from Vagabond Journey. I just love restaurants, pastries, street food, fruit and, well, eating all the [...]

Back to Canada this Sunday

For the time being, Yelkaye.net is saying goodbye to all things latin. Brightly coloured houses with peeling paint, salsa and reggaeton, tacos, mangy street dogs, beautiful Latin men… all of these I am leaving behind on Sunday. (So much for finding a gorgeous Mexican husband.)
What’s happening?
When it comes down to it, there just aren’t [...]

Morelia… why did you have to break my heart?

I’ve been looking for someone like you for awhile. Something special. I had my tulmultuous relationship with Quetzaltenango, but it just didn’t work out in the end. I’ve been with Mexico City, but sometimes it’s just too much. I dallied a bit with Queretaro and Gualajara, but we just didn’t click.
Morelia, we clicked.
At [...]

Solo Travel: the need to be alone

I recently read a great article on one of my favourite travel magazines, Brave New Traveler. In her article “In Defense of the Introverted Traveler”, the author Christine Garvin admits to needing some serious alone time but at the same time being slightly envious of the benefits extroversion brings.
This article struck a chord with [...]

Sometimes, being a silly tourist is just the right thing

Guadalajara’s answer to Mexico City’s Coyoacan is Tlaquepaque. It’s a pretty colonial suburb, complete with brightly coloured houses, cobblestone streets and overpriced cafes. It’s a strong artisan community, and showrooms of art and kitschy ceramics are everywhere.
It’s apparently also tourism central in Guadalajara. My friends and I had to put our rousing game of [...]

“Taco Gays” and mariachi: Guadalajara, Jalisco

The next stop of this fairly unfruitful “finding a decent teaching job” trip is Guadalajara, Mexico’s second city. With about four million people, this is a big place, but is a lot calmer than the capital.
Strangely enough, Guadalajara reminds me in some ways of Toronto in the summer. Wide streets, warm weather, grey buildings… [...]

Queretaro is Nice

But I don’t think I would want to live there.
Funny though, what makes some places touristy and others not. San Cristobal de las Casas, for instance, is a beautiful colonial city almost overrun with foreigners. Queretaro is a colonial city probably just as beautiful (except maybe the lack of surrounding mountains) but I spotted maybe [...]