Ok, so I write in detail. Yes I know that makes a day a books worth of text but that is no reason to not post my whole story!

The post yesterday was longer, but the website appearantly has a limit :(

So I will take you guys through the rest of the day.

Full stop of the report was me selling the last seat in the bus to Sebastian on our way to the market. The subwaystation is right around the corner of the hostel, making me a good sales person :)

Subwaystations are definetely not known for their cleanlyness but I was in for a surprise in Mexico City, the station was spacious and clean, not the concrete greyness I was expecting, most of the other expectations where met though, subwayshuttles are crowded, noisy things which little to do then stareback at the persons staring at you. Try guarding your bag when you cant move a muscle. We were fine though, or most of us anyway, Geerte appearently has an irresistable bottom that calls for touching...could be taken as a compliment, but makes it no less an invation of privacy, then again, people are giving each other complete body rubs....so what about privacy? Our trip was one stop-transfer-one stop so is was over before we got raped and we got off the subway at the entrance to the market. This market is all that was promessed to us, huge, colorfull, crowded, strange, crazy and chaotic. Geerte and I fell in love at once, Niels and Sebastiaan where not left a choice, they followed. Market salesmen are not behind their stalls, they are in front, shoving things in your face which you then kindly (or les kindly) refuse. Big is not a suitable description for this place, you could spend days walking around and checking out the stalls, the organisation in mostly on the produce that is sold. Vegetables, fruit, meat, spices, miscelanious; loads of it all.

The main attraction was us ofcourse, this market is for locals, not random young tourists that hardly speak any Spanish. The meat district was definetly the most impressive, beside the fact that it was less crowded, the salesmen where definetely more appreciative of women, I think half the market ended up crying appreciative (although perhaps not very decent) exclamations. The floor is slick with the mixture of blood and melted ice, and you are flanked by carcasses and flesh. This place definetely felt less safe and trying to keep up with the group while slyding my way past all the stals was a little chaleng. A waking of the senses if you will. Most the market is indoors in an huge hangar like construction, but some of it is out in the sunlight. We succeded in comunicating roughly what we wanted to buy, usually with the efford of 2 or 3 of us getting involved in translating and bargening. Did I mention the market is huge? we roughly lost our way 3 or 4 times and ended up asking for directions back to the subwaystation.

Bags full of fruit, vegetables and cheese ended up in the fridge of the hostel. Just like Hanneke, who had arrived by airport taxi and was awaiting us in the loby. Mexicans don´t do dinner time, a day consists of eating, and is thus the perfect introduction to Mexico. We took Hanneke out for a snack at the place José and Luis took Niels and me the first night. This time the food was mainly really spicy, and Hanneke ended up eating something that brought her to tears (we´re sorry! our spanish is not that good) resulting in ice cream pickups on the way back to the hostel. When we got in everyone was ready for a little siesta and so chose their own pastime. I tried blogging, which failed miserably on behalf of sociability. When Santiago came in from work, Fabrice came in with the booze and Tory with the beer the time for cooking had come. Thus I went and got Geerte out of her powernap.

Crowded kitchens are lovely, eveyrone peeling, cutting, chatting, arranging, scavenging. The smell of spices, the tasting of foodstuffs, all of it was a rich experience accompanied by music and drinks. It just doesn´t get much better! Niels took a couple of our fellow students whom had met up with back to our hostel for a drink and the cozy crowded kitchen then quickly became full. Joining Geerte in the lounge of the hostel we were right on time to open the door en welcome Luc to the hostel. Dinner was served at roughly 23:00 hours and though made up out of odd combinations, was extremely flavorsome. A global meal, cooked by 5 odd nationalities and mexican ingredients.

Meals are followed by more drinks, the tequila and mescal become question and answer (according to Tory that is) It´s our last night in Mexico city and I feel strangely ambiguous. The City has way more to offer then we have had time to see, and the people I met have been wonderful, I don´t want to leave. Countered by an insatiable curiosity to more of Mexico. Resulting in another late night, and an early morning. In which I wrote the last blog before breakfast.

We would be picked up by the coach arranged by the hostel at 11, leaving me all the time in the world to take a shower, get dressed, pack my stuff, dance a tango, take a last look from our miniature balcony, before we had to leave. All our hostel buddies came out to say goodbye and I felt no less ambiguous then last night. But the coach is there and the adventure continues.