Ouh là, nous sommes déjà mi-janvier, je crois que j’ai pris un peu de retard dans la rédaction des articles de ce blog … Alors accrochez-vous, ça va speeder pour le résumé du mois de décembre.
Rendez-vous à nouveau à Mexico pour commencer ce qu’il convient d’appeler le parcours classique des touristes « backpackers » au Mexique, à savoir la traversée vers l’est jusqu’à la péninsule du Yucatan.
Première étape à Oaxaca, ville célèbre –à juste titre- pour son centre ville ou bâtiments coloniaux et églises anciennes, tous parfaitement entretenus, se côtoient. J’appelle cette partie de la ville « Gringo Land », car tout est fait pour les touristes, et l’on se sent bien loin du reste de la cité ... un genre de Cabo San Lucas, en moins cliquant tout de même. Les places ou il fait bon flâner sont nombreuses, attirant de nombreux vendeurs ambulants. Assis à la terrasse d’un café, c’est le défilé quasi permanent : en moyenne nous sommes sollicités toutes les quarante secondes (si, si, j’ai calculé ;-). Heureusement ils sont plutôt cools, et un sourire accompagné d’un « No, gracias » suffit pour retrouver la tranquillité.
L’écotourisme s’est beaucoup développé dans les montagnes entourant Oaxaca, permettant de se balader dans de superbes paysages, accompagné d’un guide local spécialiste de la faune et de la flore, et d’être sur que les quelques bénéfices engendrés seront utilisés à des fins utiles, telles qu’installer l’électricité ou l’eau courante dans des villages reculés. C’est aussi l’occasion de sortir des sentiers battus et de passer du temps dans des endroits un peu à l’écart du monde comme le village de Latuvi ou il n’y a pas beaucoup de distractions en ce dimanche après-midi. Les hommes, ne travaillant pas ce jour là, improvisent une partie de basket: c’est l’attraction de la journée autour de laquelle une partie du village se retrouve. Je regarde d’un œil amusé, on vient me parler, me demander d’où je viens, combien je mesure (évidemment … c’est la question qui m’est le plus souvent posée, je m’y suis habitué), etc. Une fois de plus, c’est loin des centres touristiques ou des grandes agglomérations que les gens sont les plus ouverts et les plus sympas. Par contre, je ne participe pas au match, pas envie d’être désobligeant et de les humilier (humour !).
L’étape suivante en continuant vers l’est est la ville de San Cristobal de las Casas, dans le fameux état du Chiapas. Changement d’ambiance : de nombreux indiens des villages voisins ont fuit les campagnes pour venir s’y installer. C’est l’occasion de se plonger dans l’histoire récente de cette région et du mouvement zapatiste. Incroyable de voir comment ces minorités sont traitées alors qu’elles ne demandent rien de plus que le respect et l’équité par rapport à d’autres états mexicains. Le marché est hallucinant : immense, un véritable labyrinthe, on y trouve tout et surtout n’importe quoi. C’est ici que tout se passe, c’est le cœur de la ville. Les tacos sont délicieux et pourtant ce sont les moins chers du Mexique, on y trouve des fruits inconnus (et diversement appréciés), de l’artisanat enfin intéressant : c’est un plaisir de s’y perdre et d’y passer des heures.
Impossible également de rater les villages alentour, là ou la culture indienne est la plus forte. La visite de San Juan Chamula est obligatoire, tout comme celle de son église si particulière. Ici les habitants se sont « fabriqué » leur propre religion, mélange de catholicisme et de croyances indiennes. Le résultat est étonnant, comme en témoigne l’église justement : pas de banc, mais un sol recouvert d’aiguilles de pin. Les croyants prient à même le sol, y fixent de nombreux cierges, font brûler de l’encens, et y égorgent parfois une poule en guise de sacrifice. On se sent un peu voyeur lors de la visite, mais les 20 pesos payés pour entrer aident sûrement les habitants à être plus tolérants et accueillants vis-à-vis des touristes. Malgré tout, il n’est pas permis de prendre des photos et donc de vous faire un peu plus partager cette ambiance si particulière …
Après une tentative de découverte du Chiapas profond avortée pour cause de météo capricieuse, l’ultime étape dans cet état a lieu à Palenque, célèbre site maya magnifiquement situé en pleine jungle. L’histoire de la découverte du lieu et de ses trésors est passionnante, même si pour avoir voulu grappiller quelques pesos, nous commettons l’erreur de prendre un guide non officiel, aux connaissances visiblement assez limitées : erreur à ne pas renouveler. Pour le reste, les photos sont le meilleur résumé de cette visite !
Cela fait maintenant quatre mois que je suis au Mexique, et pourtant je ne vous ai pas encore parlé d’une chose très importante ici: la nourriture. Il est temps que cette anomalie soit corrigée !
La cuisine mexicaine est assez réputée dans le monde, plutôt à juste titre. Si les plats classiques sont relativement assez communs, il m’est arrivé à de nombreuses reprises d’avoir de très bonnes surprises, et de manger des burritos, des fajitas, des tacos, ou d’autres spécialités locales absolument délicieuses. Mais pour être honnête, il y a eu aussi de grosses déceptions, des choses vraiment mauvaises. Alors pour vous faire partager ces moments de solitude que j’ai parfois eu au moment des repas, je vous ai fait un petit classement des 5 choses les plus mauvaises que j’ai pu manger ici :
#5 : La soupe de pâtes au gras
Dur de deviner la recette exacte pour faire cette soupe : font-ils cuire le gras ? Rajoutent-ils juste de l’huile avant de servir tiède ? Le mystère reste entier, c’est sûrement mieux comme ça.
#4 : Les knackis fris
Bon, déjà, les knackis à la base, ça n’est pas très bon du tout (je sais, je n’ai pas toujours dit ça, mais on a le droit de changer d’avis, et puis j’étais jeune ;-). Mais les knackis coupés en petit morceaux, fris et servis froids de préférence, c’est juste à éviter absolument !
#3 : Les navets dans la salade de fruits
Après avoir mangé des tacos bien gras, quel plaisir de trouver dans la rue un vendeur de salade de fruits. J’aurais déjà du me méfier en voyant qu’en plus des morceaux d’orange, ananas, banane, papaye, il y avait également du concombre. Mais bon, il faut être souple, et puis il y avait ces morceaux blancs qui m’intriguaient et dans lesquels j’ai naïvement mordu à pleines dents. Beurk, c’est sec, c’est pas bon, et ça me rappelle quelque chose de connu. Ah ben oui, c’est ça : des navets … crus … hhuummm. En même temps quand on sait que les mexicains les mangent crus toujours, en grandes tranches saupoudrées de piment en poudre, il ne faut plus s’étonner !
On se rapproche du haut du classement, du top niveau et je n’ai pas réussi à départager les deux choses les pires que j’ai pu tester ici. On a donc deux grands vainqueurs : les Chicharones et la Gelatina :
#1 ex-aecquo : Les Chicharones
Prenez de la couenne de porc (de la belle peau avec beaucoup de gras si possible), faites la frire et voilà, c’est prêt ! Bon, c’est immangeable, absolument infecte, mais très populaire dans toute l’Amérique Latine.
#1 ex-aecquo : La Gelatina
Mettez de la poudre bien chimique dans de l’eau et faites reposer : vous obtenez une superbe gélatine, de préférence fluorescente.
Pour plus de fantaisie, vous pouvez y incorporez des morceaux de fruit.
Par contre c’est dégueulasse : dès la première bouchée, on sent que l’on fait du mal à son corps, et que c’est aussi la dernière. J’ai toujours réussi à les éviter, jusqu’au drame : un menu pas cher avec dessert dans un boui-boui, je ne me méfie pas, et biiiiimmmmm, je me retrouve avec une gélatine devant moi pour finir le repas :-(
Une fois de plus, les Mexicains n’ont pas compris que je ne raffole pas, contrairement à eux, de cet excellent dessert.
Pour terminer, voici le lien vers une petite sélection de photos prises dans le Oaxaca et le Chiapas.
Ooh, here we are already mid-January, I think I am a little bit late in the writing of blog posts ... so let's go for a quick summary of December.
Here I am back in Mexico City, in order to start what might be considered as the classical route for "backpackers" in Mexico, I mean the crossing to east and to the Yucatan Peninsula.
First stop in Oaxaca, famous, for good reasons, for its downtown with colonial buildings and old churches, all well maintained. I call this part of town "Gringo Land" because everything is done for tourists, and it is so different compared with the rest of the city ... a kind of Cabo San Lucas. There are many places where you can chill out, attracting many vendors. Sitting at a bar, it is an almost constant parade: on average we are approached every forty seconds (yes, yes, I computed ;-). Fortunately they are pretty cool, and a smile with a "No, gracias" is enough to be quiet again.
Ecotourism has grown significantly in the mountains surrounding Oaxaca, offering the possibility to walk in beautiful landscapes, with a local guide, specialist of fauna and flora, and being sure that the few generated benefits will be used for useful purposes, such as installing electricity or water in remote villages. It is also an opportunity to spend time in places a bit away from tourists as the village of Latuvi where there are not many distractions this sunday afternoon. Men, not working that day, improvise a basketball game: it is the attraction of the day around which part of the village is found. I watch with an amused eye, we just talk to me, asking me from where I am, how tall I am (of course ... that's the question most often asked to me, I got used to), etc. Again, this is far from the tourist centers or large cities that people are more open and more friendly. I do not participate in the game, not want to be derogatory and humiliating them (joke).
The next step in continuing east is the city of San Cristobal de las Casas, in the famous state of Chiapas. Change of atmosphere: many Indians from nearby villages have left the countryside to move here. This is an opportunity to discover the recent history of this region and the Zapatist movement. Amazing how minorities are treated as they want nothing more than the respect and fairness compared to other Mexican states. The market is incredible: huge, amazing, there is everything and anything in it. This is where all happens, that is the heart of the city. The tacos are delicious and the cheapest ones in Mexico, there are unknown fruits (diversely appreciated), the craft is finally interesting: it is a pleasure to get lost and spend hours.
It is also impossible to miss the surrounding villages, those where Indian culture is the strongest. A visit to San Juan Chalum is mandatory, especially for its so particular church. Here the inhabitants have "built" their own religion, a mixture of Catholicism and indian beliefs. The result is surprising, as evidenced by the church precisely: no bench, but a ground covered with pine needles. The believers pray on the floor, on which many candles are burning, and they sometimes kill a chicken as a sacrifice. We feel a bit voyeuristic during the visit, but paying 20 pesos to enter surely help people to be more tolerant and welcoming with tourists. Nevertheless, it is not allowed to take pictures in order to share with you a little bit more this special atmosphere ...
After an attempt to discover the deep Chiapas aborted due to rainy weather, the final stop in this state takes place in Palenque, famous mayan site, beautifully situated in the jungle. The story of the discovery of the place and its treasures is exciting, even though for trying to save a few pesos, we make the mistake of taking an unofficial guide, whith an obviously quite limited knowledge: error not to renew.
Otherwise, the photos are the best summary of the visit !
It's been four months that I am in Mexico, and I've not yet talked to you about something very important here: food.
Mexican cooking is quite famous around the world, quite rightly. If the classic meals are relatively common, it happened to me many times to have very pleasant surprises, and eat burritos, fajitas, tacos, and other local specialties absolutely delicious. But to be honest, there were also big disappointments, things really bad. So for you to share these moments of solitude that I sometimes had with food, I made you a little ranking of the 5 worst meals I've eaten here:
# 5: Fat pasta soup
Hard to guess the exact recipe for this soup: do they cook the fat ? Or just add the oil before serving? The mystery remains, it is surely better that way.
# 4: Fried knackis (sausages)
Well, knackis are not very good at all (I know, I have not always said that, but we are allowed to change our mind, and then I was young; -). But knackis cut into small pieces, fried and served cold, preferably, it's just worth avoiding !
# 3: Turnips in the fruit salad
After eating greasy tacos, what a pleasure to find a street seller of fruit salad. I am already surprised of seeing that in addition to pieces of orange, pineapple, banana, papaya, there were also pieces of cucumber. But I must be flexible, and then there were these white pieces that intrigued me and in which I naively bite. Beurk, it's dry, it's not good, and it reminds me something known. Oh yeah, that's it: turnips ... hhuummm. At the same time when we know that the Mexicans still eat them in large slices sprinkled with chili powder, it's no more surprising !
Here comes the top of the ranking, and I was not able to separate the two worst things I've experienced here. So here are the two winners: the chicharones and the gelatina:
#1: The Chicharones
Take pork skin (beautiful skin with plenty of fat if possible), fry it and it's ready ! Well, it's really bad, but very popular in Latin America.
#1: The gelatina
Take chemical powder, mix with water and wait: you get a great gelatina, preferably fluorescent. For more fancy, you can incorporate pieces of fruit. The first bite, you feel that this is really bad for your body, and so, it's the last one. I've always managed to avoid them, until tragedy: a cheap menu including dessert in a small restaurant, I am not very carefull, and here comes a gelatina in front of me. Once again, the Mexicans did not understand that I am not particularly fond, like them, of this excellent dessert.
As usual, the last pictures overthere.
Pour terminer, voici le lien vers une petite sélection de photos prises dans le Oaxaca et le Chiapas.
Ooh, here we are already mid-January, I think I am a little bit late in the writing of blog posts ... so let's go for a quick summary of December.
Here I am back in Mexico City, in order to start what might be considered as the classical route for "backpackers" in Mexico, I mean the crossing to east and to the Yucatan Peninsula.
First stop in Oaxaca, famous, for good reasons, for its downtown with colonial buildings and old churches, all well maintained. I call this part of town "Gringo Land" because everything is done for tourists, and it is so different compared with the rest of the city ... a kind of Cabo San Lucas. There are many places where you can chill out, attracting many vendors. Sitting at a bar, it is an almost constant parade: on average we are approached every forty seconds (yes, yes, I computed ;-). Fortunately they are pretty cool, and a smile with a "No, gracias" is enough to be quiet again.
Ecotourism has grown significantly in the mountains surrounding Oaxaca, offering the possibility to walk in beautiful landscapes, with a local guide, specialist of fauna and flora, and being sure that the few generated benefits will be used for useful purposes, such as installing electricity or water in remote villages. It is also an opportunity to spend time in places a bit away from tourists as the village of Latuvi where there are not many distractions this sunday afternoon. Men, not working that day, improvise a basketball game: it is the attraction of the day around which part of the village is found. I watch with an amused eye, we just talk to me, asking me from where I am, how tall I am (of course ... that's the question most often asked to me, I got used to), etc. Again, this is far from the tourist centers or large cities that people are more open and more friendly. I do not participate in the game, not want to be derogatory and humiliating them (joke).
The next step in continuing east is the city of San Cristobal de las Casas, in the famous state of Chiapas. Change of atmosphere: many Indians from nearby villages have left the countryside to move here. This is an opportunity to discover the recent history of this region and the Zapatist movement. Amazing how minorities are treated as they want nothing more than the respect and fairness compared to other Mexican states. The market is incredible: huge, amazing, there is everything and anything in it. This is where all happens, that is the heart of the city. The tacos are delicious and the cheapest ones in Mexico, there are unknown fruits (diversely appreciated), the craft is finally interesting: it is a pleasure to get lost and spend hours.
It is also impossible to miss the surrounding villages, those where Indian culture is the strongest. A visit to San Juan Chalum is mandatory, especially for its so particular church. Here the inhabitants have "built" their own religion, a mixture of Catholicism and indian beliefs. The result is surprising, as evidenced by the church precisely: no bench, but a ground covered with pine needles. The believers pray on the floor, on which many candles are burning, and they sometimes kill a chicken as a sacrifice. We feel a bit voyeuristic during the visit, but paying 20 pesos to enter surely help people to be more tolerant and welcoming with tourists. Nevertheless, it is not allowed to take pictures in order to share with you a little bit more this special atmosphere ...
After an attempt to discover the deep Chiapas aborted due to rainy weather, the final stop in this state takes place in Palenque, famous mayan site, beautifully situated in the jungle. The story of the discovery of the place and its treasures is exciting, even though for trying to save a few pesos, we make the mistake of taking an unofficial guide, whith an obviously quite limited knowledge: error not to renew.
Otherwise, the photos are the best summary of the visit !
It's been four months that I am in Mexico, and I've not yet talked to you about something very important here: food.
Mexican cooking is quite famous around the world, quite rightly. If the classic meals are relatively common, it happened to me many times to have very pleasant surprises, and eat burritos, fajitas, tacos, and other local specialties absolutely delicious. But to be honest, there were also big disappointments, things really bad. So for you to share these moments of solitude that I sometimes had with food, I made you a little ranking of the 5 worst meals I've eaten here:
# 5: Fat pasta soup
Hard to guess the exact recipe for this soup: do they cook the fat ? Or just add the oil before serving? The mystery remains, it is surely better that way.
# 4: Fried knackis (sausages)
Well, knackis are not very good at all (I know, I have not always said that, but we are allowed to change our mind, and then I was young; -). But knackis cut into small pieces, fried and served cold, preferably, it's just worth avoiding !
# 3: Turnips in the fruit salad
After eating greasy tacos, what a pleasure to find a street seller of fruit salad. I am already surprised of seeing that in addition to pieces of orange, pineapple, banana, papaya, there were also pieces of cucumber. But I must be flexible, and then there were these white pieces that intrigued me and in which I naively bite. Beurk, it's dry, it's not good, and it reminds me something known. Oh yeah, that's it: turnips ... hhuummm. At the same time when we know that the Mexicans still eat them in large slices sprinkled with chili powder, it's no more surprising !
Here comes the top of the ranking, and I was not able to separate the two worst things I've experienced here. So here are the two winners: the chicharones and the gelatina:
#1: The Chicharones
Take pork skin (beautiful skin with plenty of fat if possible), fry it and it's ready ! Well, it's really bad, but very popular in Latin America.
#1: The gelatina
Take chemical powder, mix with water and wait: you get a great gelatina, preferably fluorescent. For more fancy, you can incorporate pieces of fruit. The first bite, you feel that this is really bad for your body, and so, it's the last one. I've always managed to avoid them, until tragedy: a cheap menu including dessert in a small restaurant, I am not very carefull, and here comes a gelatina in front of me. Once again, the Mexicans did not understand that I am not particularly fond, like them, of this excellent dessert.
As usual, the last pictures overthere.
Et sinon, tu mesures combien? :-)
RépondreSupprimerça me rappelle des bons souvenirs tout ça, Palenque, les Chiapas, ... Je crois bien que les photos dans la petite églises étaient autorisées à l'époque (2002).
Bonne gélatine! :-)