The Best Mole Poblano

8 January 2015

Wow, everyday just seems to get better and better! At the end of two weeks I feel like we are finally getting used to Latin culture…and of course our trip ends in two days.

We walked around the city once again and ate some of the best mole poblano and queso rellano I have ever eaten. Since Lonely Planet and Trip Advisor have both failed us in the restaurant category, we decided to smell out the best local eateries…and it worked! We found a delicious local place called Jardin de Ana and loved every dish we tried (and the entire dinner cost less than $10). I am really going to miss Latin America…

I ordered my school books as well four African guide books on Amazon today… While it seems like our adventure are coming to an end,they are really just beginning. Andrew and I both have one semester left at BYU before heading to Africa for the summer, and after that we will be living in Los Angeles for two years. I would say that the adventures are just beginning….

-Kylie

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Hi family,

So as I am writing this email Kylie is taking a brief ‘nap’ (at 9pm) before showering from our 2nd to last day in Merida. I’m starting to learn a few things about marriage after my 2 weeks of experience. One lesson learned is you have to be willing to compromise. For example I’ve learned to compromise with Kylie so she has 75% of the bed space by morning and I have 25% by morning (starts 50-50). Lesson number 2 is ice cream fixes fatigue, frustration, and boredom. Lesson 3 is marriage is so much better than dating.

We had a great final full day in Merida and finished exploring other areas of the city. We wandered through the local market where we saw 14 oranges for 65 cents! Might’ve grabbed a bunch for the road. The local markets were a great window into Mexican culture and cooking as the market was packed. It reminded me a bit of Hong Kong wet markets so it was a lot of fun. We also got to try another local dish called panuches which are like a taco with a few extra additions. We had these in a sketchy little shop on the main road which had a few flies buzzing around. Delicious food though! This little shop run by a Mexican family made my too 3 eateries of the trip.

During the afternoon we changed gears and began hunting for our final souvineer before leaving Mexico. We found a few potentials but will sleep on it before deciding which one tomorrow morning. After our shopping we stopped for dinner for some great enchiladas con mole (Mayan chocolate sauce over enchiladas) that was great and some queso relleno which was a Spanish cheese with meat inside – also delicious.

We also took time today to make an account of our expenses. For each of us to fly to Mexico, travel through Belize and Guatemala, but souvineers and return it will cost 1250 USD per person. Not bad for a honeymoon expense if I say so myself! We could’ve done it cheaper but we chose some secure/touristy options that increased the expenses a bit.

It’s been an amazing day exploring the city and I’m a little sad to be leaving – however I’m also really excited for school and graduation shortly after! Crazy… Both Kylie and I have ~3 months left before we graduate!

-Andrew