This is a $5 bouquet in Mexico City. Fresh flowers may be the thing that most makes me believe in Marie Kondo-ing your life and mine will be filled with flowers. I think it’s one of the few unadulterated experiences of pure joy. They just delight me and it’s a powerful and palpable feeling with no strings nor consequence. And omigosh, how did I not know about nardo (I’m pretty sure it’s tuberose in english)? These fragrant little badboys in no way resemble a rose and mix the smell of jasmine and gardenia and they are potent!
Nardo is endemic to central and southern Mexico and was cultivated by the Aztecs for both religious purposes and perfumery. It’s apparently quite difficult to find growing wild now. The plant is highly adaptable and has been exported the world over. Both Madonna & Dior later followed suit on the perfumery front and it was one of Marie Antoinette’s favs. The flowers are used in Indonesian cooking and Hawaiian leis.
In the agave sub family (which I learned today is part of the Asparagaceae family, yes so is asparagus), its grasslike foliage sends up a 2.5 foot tall flower stalk with up to 50 flowers! Pictured to the left is the Pearl variety which features a double petal. The rhizomatic friend can overwinter in zones 8-10 (Portland peeps, ya might be able to swing it!)
In other news, I went up a thing last Saturday. Mt Ajusco to be specific.
This climb, somehow rated “basic”, was literally up the whole way capping at the peak at 3880m (just shy of 12,800ft) with an elevation gain of about 3000 feet in 2 miles. First hike at elevation. Check.
Located to the southwest of city proper, Mt Ajusco is the highest point in Mexico City with oak & fir trees and the occassional fern, opening to grass with sparse pine trees. According to the guides, hiking is a newly fashionable pastime in Mexico, with family establishments managing most of the trails even though they are technically in national parks and forests. This means trails are fairly rudimentary and definitely more on the “get there in the shortest possible distance” mindset. Startling lack of switchbacks for the gain if you are coming from the northwest. As in none. Just straight. UP, through the clouds and coming to sun atop the mountain. The trail was clear and decently marked if you knew that’s what a coyote image tied to a tree with a pink plastic strip meant. Some mud, lots of scree which always makes for slow going.
The latter part to the peak was actually bouldering. Certainly not as hardcore as rock climbing, but those of us less familiar definitely got some guidelines around maintaining 3 points of contact at all times and some pointers on the best route. While I am very glad I did it, I also was pretty ill prepared for what the hike actually was having been misled by the “basic” designation of the hiking group. That said, I made it, sun burnt and sore and a bit too tired to feel proud. Probably would’ve gone a little gentler on myself for my first hike at elevation, but am super glad to have done it and would definitely go again.
Above on the left, you can kinda make out the people in the top right hand corner, climbing over rocks to summit. Looking west over the Sierra de Ajusco-Chichinauhtzin mountain range. Peak achieved. Amazing view of the valley of Mexico City and in the distance peaking through the clouds you could see snow capped Iztaccíhuatl and more distantly Popocatépetl. Unfortunately the clouds made it challenging to get a good picture of their snow capped selves. Iztaccíhuatl, also known as the Sleeping Lady, is the most famous trek outside of Mexico City.
The plus of going up things is that it doesn’t leave a lot of room for thinking about other things. A lot of my life, a lot of the reading and reflection I’ve done, centers around being present in a moment and recognizing the transitoriness of experience, even when the change is small. Hiking up a thing (lol, or down a thing) is a remarkably clarifying demonstration of this concept. Each step demanding your attention and requiring focus. Each pause a new point of view. And for me, this hike was all consuming, there was no space in which my mind could wander. I don’t know if in general I’m succeeding at living in the moment, at allowing my emotions to be without overly dwelling or trying to logic them out. Sometimes it feels as though I’m more successful in that regard than I’ve ever been and other times it simply feels like I’ve put a veneer over all of it. There’s a very real part of me that expects to “wake up” back into my Portland life, back into my marriage and I don’t really know what to think about that. It’s not that I’m unaware that that will not be happening, it’s not like I’m waiting with baited breath, it’s not like I’m consciously wanting that, but it’s there nonetheless. Going up things seems to offer a reprieve.
In other exciting news, I had a lovely weekend visit from my Aunt Joni & Uncle Wayne during which I dragged them all over the city and became increasingly aware of my growth opportunities as a tour guide. We ate some fabulous raw fish in various places, some excellent tacos, and I dragged them to churros. They stayed in amazing old hotel about 15 minutes away and I’m sure Joni will have pictures to share! Here you will see photos of me forcing people into having their picture taken and Wayne trying to decipher which camera to smile at.
Leo had his first trip to the pet spa this week, largely because of my deep seated fear of trimming his nails combined with the fact that my bathroom and closet are one, so wet dog in there is a little less than ideal. They returned him smelling like lavendar. Intensely so. Like if you’ve ever had your laundry done in Mexico, that’s what my dog smells like. It’s disconcerting. As always, he was extremely popular, called amoroso repeatedly, given 6 million premios (treats/rewards) and a bandana. I read for a bit in Plaza Rio de Janeiro and listened to an old timey jazz quartet and watched Leo’s doppelganger chase a stick into the fountain, including the area with the jets shooting water up into the air around a 17 ft David replica. On closer examination, the dog was pretty distinct from Leo, looking a bit more shepherdy, but definitely had Leo’s build, outline of contained energy, intensity of focus, and similar coloration with a slightly longer coat, slightly narrower nose.
Our walkabout of the week took us through Roma to Mercado 100, an organic farmers market that sets up every Sunday and has ridiculously beautiful beans and a bevy of produce that I can’t identify in English, but it’s definitely overflowing in a cornucopia aesthetic. And, perhaps most importantly, a table dedicated to natural dog treats and samples thereof. Leo got his picture taken, several times, as he wildly spun through every trick he knows to get another treat. The weather here is insanely lovely right now with sunny afternoons in the mid 70s and in Roma the growth of trees makes dappled sun and the light plays through in ways that make you pause.
Fountain at Plaza Luis Cabrera, building art on Alvaro Obregon, looking up a random street in Roma Sur.
Tacos of the week are brought to us by Taqueria Orinoco, widely considered one of the best taco places in cdmx on the english speaking internet, widely felt to be overrated in Mexico City, I actually had somehow not been there yet. First thing noted, was a pleasant shift in branded tables from Corona to Coca Cola. We had a sour creamy, oniony sauce, a classic verde and an aguacate verde, a macha and thin habanero salsa to select from when topping a taco de chicharron (omg so deliciously crisp on the outside and melty tender in the middle) and a pastor taco. Sometimes I feel compelled to order more tacos just to really experience the salsa choices. The chicharron was game changing, the pastor was good, but no where near the best in the city. I am slightly regretting not getting the roasted potatoes which I suspect would be excellent with all salsa options.
Year One Project 
Leave a comment