"This Restaurant Contains Explicit Pollo"

(note: Pollo means chicken)

Part of the rate we are paying for our rooms at the "world famous" Novotel, includes a breakfast and lunch buffet and a choice of dinner entrees from the "Teleperformance" menu. For anyone staying at the hotel for 1 week, this would be a REALLY sweet deal. However, when you're at the hotel for FIVE weeks, the food all starts to look and taste the same. That's probably because IT IS THE SAME!!

We lucked out during the first week of our stay. It seems that someone didn't get the memo about offering us a specific menu so we were ordering from the complete menu each night. We were eating pretty well. Steaks, Salmon, Desserts, whatever we wanted. I think the Manager came in and was balancing his books when he saw the damage we had done. So the 2nd week, we had the infamous abbreviated menu, no beef and no fish. All pollo all the time! Oh, and the famous Ensalada de Cesar con Pollo...Caesar Salad w/chicken.

We got so tired of the menu that we started eating the salad and then walking next door to the "wings place". The actual name is Los Alitas. They have a variety of buffalo wings to choose from as well as burgers and sandwiches and those sorts of things. It has become our reliable backup plan.

We had been to the restaurant several times prior but one night we went for Marin's birthday. The staff found out it was his birthday and the next thing we knew, we had a giant chicken dancing around our table and he wasn't just doing the chicken dance. He had all the moves. He was doing the "grind" on patrons of the restaurant. He picked up a young woman and started swinging her from hip to hip (do chickens have hips?). Then he cleared of the bar and laid on top of it with his feet straight up in the air. He moved like I have never seen a giant chicken move. Despite the shock of it all, it really was very entertaining. We were laughing and the staff took a picture of our group with the chicken. As you can imagine, we're very popular where ever we go because of the size and variety of our party. If we ever go someplace twice, they know who we are and they treat us very well. Los Alitas is no different. As soon as they see us coming, they get the tables together and start preparing the staff for our orders. It's a nice place to sit and relax and unwind from the day. It's been our great escape.

Cola de Caballo

July has been great at planning getaways for us on the weekend and the first weekend was no exception. She planned a trip for us to go and visit the beautiful waterfall known as Cola de Caballo. It was about 45 minutes out of town and we had to drive through some very primitive mountain towns but it was worth the trip.

There is a short hike to the falls and it's a beautiful walk alongside a river with a paved sidewalk for easy walking. There is also an option of taking a horseback ride up the eclectic cobblestone path that runs alongside the paved walkway. We decided against the horseback rides much to my disappointment. I'm left to imagine what our intercontinental cowboys (and cowgirl) may have looked like and what hilarity might have ensued.

One thing that made me smile was the little person that we saw leading around a Shetland pony for kids to ride on. This boy told us he was 10 years old, but he was the height of a 5 or 6 year old. It would have been really funny if it wasn't so cute. He really knew how to handle that horse. At one point we saw him in the saddle and his brother was trying to chase him. Right as his brother would get close, he would kick that pony into gear and they would take off down the path in a hurry. The picture you see above was one I took from far away. The picture you see below was when he knew someone was trying to take a picture of him. He didn't want to become part of the attraction so he would hide when people tried to take pictures. At one point he pulled his shirt up over his face to avoid it.

The waterfall was beautiful and we hung around and enjoyed the view for quite a while. Near the waterfall, about 50 feet above where we stood, there was a small cave and a boy was calling out to his family from inside the cave. It seemed like a fun idea to climb up and check it out. A few in our party decided to take on the challenge and the rest of us waited at the bottom and enjoyed the view. After some time we heard what sounded like members of our group up in the cave and we saw a hand waving from inside the cave. The zoom on my camera was good enough to get a pretty good picture if they would just come out a little further. I snapped several pictures of a hand and arm waving from the cave and just kept wishing that they would show their face so we would have a great picture for them. Finally, a face emerged and I got the perfect shot....of a man I don't know. So below you will see a great picture of a man in a cave that I don't know.

I took several pictures of the waterfall and tried to channel my inner-photographer and this is one of the more beautiful views, I think. It was a great day for getting out and enjoying nature and taking in some of the sites that are unique to this area of Mexico.

Uncommon Grace

Saturday we spent the afternoon at Parque Fundadora in Monterrey. This is a beautiful park that was created on the grounds of a closed down steel foundry. Apparently the foundry had been closed for years and the decision was made to blend the very industrial aspects of the steel plant with many natural elements. The result is a beautiful contrasting experience where large rusted steel emerges from beautiful natural landscapes and creates a very unique feeling

As we strolled through the park we noticed that we were attracting a lot of attention from the natives. I assured the rest in the group that I was used to this kind of attention and as long as we didn't encourage them, I would lose my appeal and they would get back to their business. I was not surprised when a middle-aged man approached the group and started asking us questions in spanish and gesturing to his camera. I was surprised to learn that he was interested in getting pictures of our friends from Jamaica. I guess maybe my movie-star appeal doesn't translate south-of-the-border.

I realized that seeing a black man in Mexico is even more rare than seeing one in Davis County Utah. These guys were instant celebrities. Not only did they have darker skin, but Miguel had dreadlocks all the way down his back. I didn't know whether to feel good for these guys or feel bad for them. I'll be honest, these guys are all handsome guys and could have garnered attention no matter the color of their skin. But I think they knew and we all knew why they were so interesting to these people. I wanted to chalk it up to youthful curiosity except that it was the father of these young girls who approached us about the pictures. Later in the day we were playing some soccer waiting for our Ice Skating session to begin (that's a subject for another day - ice skating in Mexico), when another man approached with a camera and asked if his daughter and her friends could play soccer with us. Fantastic photo opportunity!

Hats off to my friends, they recognized it for what it was and were gracious through it all. I will never know what this experience felt like for them but I admired them for the way they reacted. It was entertaining for us, and they were amazing sports through the whole thing.

It was a great day at the park and for one day it was nice that all the attention and cameras were focused on someone else.

So...2 Americans, 2 Jamaicans, 1 Brazilian, 1 Czech, 1 Albanian, 1 Canadian, 1 Philippino, and 1 Italian walk into a bar...

BLOGGERS NOTE: I have been without a computer for more than a week so I'm sorry for the delay in getting some new posts out there. I'm back up now, so watch for more consistent information.


It's our first Friday night and we are ready to unwind and enjoy one another's company in a less formal and less "Hotel-ish" way. July, our lovely concierge, has arranged for us to visit one of the favorite local restaurant/bars in town called Papa Bills. Sounds like fun! Good food, good friends and fun! Papa Bills is attached to the mall that is just down the street from our hotel so it's just a quick van ride over and we're ready to party. As you can see above, we were all looking dapper and ready for our first opportunity to see one another outside of the hotel. (I'm getting sweaty palm's just thinking about it).

Papa Bills seemed like the perfect spot when we walked in. There were projection screens playing classic videos from the 1980's and they were even in English! Wow, now this is Mexico! The music was loud and the patrons were happy, or just smiling and nodding because they couldn't hear what the others in their party were saying. Anyway we sat down and ordered some beverages and as it worked out, the two individuals who were not partaking in the adult beverages both ended up at the FAAARRR end of the table. I was a little nervous that things might end up this way most of the time on this trip. (I'm happy to say that it has not turned out that way, I have felt a part of the group in every way)

The food was great and as the night went on, the music became less and less English. It started with some Shakira and then maybe a little Enrique Iglesias, then it was all Espanol, all the time! However, as you might expect in Mexico, the crowd seemed to get a little more "social" as the night went on and before I knew it there was dancing! First it was kind of sit in your seat and sway or do some arm motions, then it became short bursts of standing up but then a sense of appropriateness and self awareness would encourage me to sit back down. Once the rest of the gang saw my moves, (think Fred Astaire meets MC Hammer... except they both suffer from lower back pain), they were encouraging me to strut my stuff. Pretty soon the whole place was buzzing about me, "Check it out!"..."Look at him go!"..."Hey look at that bigger but smaller white guy who has some sense of rhythm but looks very unnatural!" OK, I'm joking, I made up those first two things.

After a couple of hours of dancing and signing autographs it was time to go back home (read Hotel). It was a fun night. Definitely not something I do all the time, or ever, when I'm at home, but it was nice to get a little exercise and break down some misconceptions about the need for alcohol to have a good time. Chris W. from Jamaica told me, "I'm never going to encourage you to drink alcohol because after seeing you without it, I'm afraid of what you might be with it." Not exactly the message I intended but it will work for now.

We all know that people are the same wherever you go

I was very excited when I saw the list of colleagues I would be spending time with during my stay in Mexico. There were so many different countries and cultures represented. I knew there was a requirement that all must speak English but I wasn't sure how well we would communicate even if we did understand the words that were spoken. You all know I have a very different sense of humor and it's not always easily understood. I am well acquainted with sarcasm and I wasn't sure how well that would translate for those to whom English is a secondary language.

It's important to me that people think I'm funny and only a lack of understanding would prevent that.

What a fantastic discovery to find such down-to-earth and "regular" people among my fellow students. Despite the difference in cultures and language we are all getting along great and the conversation has been lively and fun. Obviously we all have our careers in common but we also all have a motivation to be better and to become more valuable by increasing our knowledge and experience. I have only been with these people for two days but I already have learned from them and anticipate being impacted in lasting ways by each of them.

Countries represented in our class include Jamaica, USA, Brazil, Canada, Italy, Philippines, Czech Republic and Albania. I am learning fascinating things about all of these places and wonderful things about these individuals. Our leader mentioned that he hoped we would start as colleagues but develop into friends. I know that I will develop lasting and edifying friendships with all of these individuals. It is already starting.

All in the class are male with the exception of one woman from Brazil. What a tough person she must be and how much more patient she will become after spending this time with us. She speaks Portuguese which is the closest language we have in our group to Spanish. So, by default, she is our translator. In fact, she helped me avoid a near disaster by making sure that the waiter knew I wanted my steak sliced for fajitas rather than whole. What a hero!

We all are feeling sorry for our Italian friend and all the difficulties he faces due to the labor situation in his country. There are so many things we take for granted that really make running a business and managing performance much more difficult for him. He is a great guy and is just interested in finding a way to be successful within his current situation.

There is much more to tell about many of them and I'm sure I'll get a chance to do that in the coming days. I'm really looking forward to the time I get to share with these unique people and I'm hoping that I'll be able to impact their lives for good like I know they will impact mine.

First Impressions

After weeks of anticipation I arrived in Monterrey Mexico to start my five weeks of living and learning and trying not to make a fool of myself. I love having the opportunity to visit new places and experience new cultures. I pride myself on being somewhat of a Renaissance Man. I know a little about a lot of things, and a lot about a few things. I think the fact that I can roll my "R's" and I like spicy food makes Mexico a perfect fit for me.

I arrived on Sunday after an uneventful trip that only had me delayed by 30 minutes or so. Thankfully I had a good book to read on the plane and didn't even realize we had been delayed. Of course I was without a book on my last trip when I sat on a plane for 10 hours (5 on the ground and 5 in the air). I kept myself occupied during that delay by drifting in and out of sanity. My host was at the airport to pick me up about 10 minutes after I arrived so that was nice that I didn't have to wait that long. She was accompnied by a man who I assumed to be her husband or other acquaintance. He was holding a sign with my name on it just below the large red letters on his soccer shirt. Reading in a traditional Left-to-right, top-to-bottom fashion the message read "BIMBO...Adam Larsen - Teleperformance". I didn't know if he was making a judgement about me, or if this was only missing the question mark and he was offering to help me find a "companion".

Turns out, BIMBO is the name of a company that sponsors his favorite soccer/football team.

We arrived at the hotel and I got checked in without incident. Thankfully. The hotel is nice and the rooms are clean. I'm most impressed by the extra large buttons for flushing the toilet. No, that's not a type-o. There are two buttons for flushing. One seems to be for an average flush that should take care of any average activity. The larger button, larger for a reason I guess, is some sort of Super Flush that sends all of the tub water from the room directly above me shooting down the toilet carrying with it anything in the vicinity that is not tied down. It...is...AWESOME!

I'll make sure to write about any other unique aspects of my accomodations that I'm sure you'll all find fascinating. Stay tuned for lots more adventures and insight into my time away from home!