Leaving for Mexico in a few days, our first trip really (I was there many, many years ago, it really doesn’t count).

We are going for 7 weeks, so quite a chunk of time, and spending most of it in a relatively small geographic region. Focusing on the capital, what D.F has to offer, then off to Puebla for a few days and the rest of the time spent in the state and city of Oaxaca.

Focus of the trip is food, culture, drinking, learning, vibing…

I’ve been practicing Spanish every day for 5 or 6 weeks, am feeling more comfortable than ever with the language and can say with relative confidence that I can speak it even if I can’t say or understand every single thing.

Had a dream that I was speaking perfect Spanglish.

In the past I thought that Mexican and Indian food share much in common (beans/lentils, smooth creamy textures, lots of cumin, garlic, chili, some tomato, meats as accents rather than as main events, etc).

This may be true in general of some flavors and textures. However, Watching some episodes of Bourdain and Zimmern are revealing the depth of the food culture in Mexico, and the closest thing it reminds me of is Singapore, Thailand, China, and Hong Kong with the level of complexity of food preparation and ingredient detail, but also the consumer obsession with food. People seem genuinely passionate about food, and this makes me feel very happy as we embark on this journey.

I am also excited for the urban culture of D.F., with the hipster stuff but also the regular working class everyday pulse of the place.

That’s it for now, we have a few days in Seattle before takeoff. Goal is to fit everything we need into our carry-ons. Wish us luck, packing for urban & rural, hot & cold, wet & dry, mountain & beach all in a carry-on is challenging.

Peace out.