 |
| El Potrero Chico's serrated landscape slices up towards the sky (El Potrero Chico, Nuevo Leon) |
Lily invited me to climb and travel with her for Christmas so I fly down for my very first time to visit Mexico ever. Despite our huge coastal distance it feels so natural every time we meet in this crazy world that it's scary. New friends, new sends. Old faces, new places.
 |
| I just met Shawn today so let me interrupt him from cleaning anchors to pose over Hidalgo (Los Lobos Wall, El Potrero Chico) |
 |
| Danny color coordinates his clothes for our photoshoot (Los Lobos Wall, El Potrero Chico) |
| December 25, 2021 Ticklist |
| Wolf of the Deserts |
Lead / Onsight |
El Potrero Chico > Los Lobos Wall |
5.10a Sport |
| Los Huevos del Oro |
Lead / Onsight |
El Potrero Chico > Los Lobos Wall |
5.10b Sport |
| Sheep's Clothing |
Lead / Onsight |
El Potrero Chico > Los Lobos Wall |
5.9 Sport |
| El Cachorro |
TR / Onsight |
El Potrero Chico > Los Lobos Wall |
5.7 Sport |
| Lobos Trabajando |
Lead / Onsight |
El Potrero Chico > Los Lobos Wall |
5.11c Sport |
| Howlin' Wolf |
Lead / Onsight |
El Potrero Chico > Los Lobos Wall |
5.9 Sport |
 |
| The multi-pitching opportunities at this crag are mindblowing (Will the Wolf Survive, Los Lobos Wall) |
| December 26, 2021 Ticklist |
| Mr. Fluffer's Wild Ride |
Follow / Onsight |
El Potrero Chico > Las Estrellas Wall |
5.9+ Sport |
| Estrellita |
Onsight |
El Potrero Chico > Las Estrellas Wall |
5.10+ Sport
12 pitches |
| One Dead Teardrop |
Lead / Onsight |
El Potrero Chico > Wonder Wall |
5.9 Sport |
 |
| Crag dog tax as usual (Wonder Wall, El Potrero Chico) |
 |
| Speed first, style second, safety third (La Posada, El Potrero Chico) |
| December 28, 2021 Ticklist |
| Pink Harmonica |
Lead / Redpoint |
El Potrero Chico > Las Estrellas Wall |
5.10b Sport |
| Salty Dog |
Lead / Flash |
El Potrero Chico > Club Mex Wall |
5.12a Sport |
| Fear of Flying |
Lead / Fell/Hung |
El Potrero Chico > Wonder Wall |
5.12a Sport |
| Access Denied |
Lead / Onsight |
El Potrero Chico > El Mirador |
5.10a Sport
1 pitch |
 |
| The gang comes all out our last night in town. (Checo's Tacos, El Potrero Chico) |
...
My criminally brief stay in El Potrero Chico ends. The vibe here is absolutely phenomenal and I meet so many amazing people. Sadly I head out to Mexico City today but at least I get to see Joanna and Kevin.
 |
| Italy got me hooked on espressos but Mexico ripostes by adding Licor 43 (Oma Premium Lounge, Monterrey) |
 |
| The sacred hoja santa elevates this humble taco to unbelievable levels (Molino El Pujol, Roma Norte) |
 |
| Fresh herbs compliment the duck breast in a gourmet taco strangely reminiscent of Peking Duck (Polpo, Roma Norte) |
 |
| Bless the person who laced this chicharron taco with fish sauce (Cariñito Tacos, Roma Norte) |
 |
| Mole enchiladas at a hole in the wall that serves chicken, chicken, and chicken (Luis, Roma Norte) |
 |
| Finally tucking into the cocktail craftsmanship at #12 World's Best Bar (Hanky Panky, Juárez) |
 |
| Second stop, a single-counter bar slings some solid bangers (Sete, Juárez) |
 |
| I shy from mezcal cocktails because the nuance of flavours apart from mezcal usually get overshadowed, and this is the best mezcal negroni I've ever had (Sete, Juárez) |
 |
| Grasshoppers make a great stand-in for croutons and while we're on the subject who the f!ck invented croutons (Sala Gastronómica, Museo Nacional de Antropología) |
 |
| Tuna tartare in a landlocked city is a risky move for a traveler without reliable access to bathrooms but we're living dangerously today (Tezontle Rest, Centro) |
 |
| In love with the amount of culinary flower usage in this city (Tezontle Rest, Centro) |
 |
| No Mexico trip can be complete without the serenading of them mariachis (Garibaldi Plaza, Centro) |
 |
| Can't believe yours truly ate STINKBUGS. The things I do in the name of sustainable protein (Xuni, Juárez) |
 |
| I ordered this slammin' tamarind mezcal drink dedicated to Nick (Xuni, Juárez) |
 |
| Joanna helps levy another dog tax (Xuni, Juárez) |
I've been to many, many cities around the world and it all sort of blends together but Mexico City is an absolute gem. I left EPC feeling hollow but CDMX filled it back up. Unfortunately, the next and last stop is the American circus shitshow that is Cancún for New Year's shenanigans.
...
Playa Del Carmen means swerving into party and beach mode with Lily's Burning Man tribe. Thankfully they are great people and we have our own party without needing to hit up the hilariously non-Mexican clubs thumping up and down every block. 3am skinny dips and drug-fueled all-nighters catching the sunrise are real treasures. Despite being surrounded by an immense amount of chemicals I stay uncharacteristically sober through it all.
 |
| 4:00am now... we enjoyed skinny-dipping at the beach so much that we make a budget re-enactment back at the Airbnb (Playacar, Playa del Carmen) 📸: @bryan.g.davis |
 |
| The sun revives our chemically-abused selves as we greet the first sunrise of 2022 (Playacar Beach, Playa del Carmen) |
 |
| Sunrises and beaches are so spiritually recharging it's like they're basic evolutionary stimuli or something (Playacar Beach, Playa Del Carmen) |
 |
| Marquesitas are a solely Yucatán offering. I don't have a sweet tooth but let's just say we probably floated this guy's rent for a year (Centro, Playa del Carmen) |
 |
| Scuba diving was way harder than my drowning-PTSD self expected. The chillest Lily I've ever seen is amused by my terror (Cozumel Dive Academy, Cozumel) |
 |
Mr. Iguana looks down contemptuously at our biologically non-amphibious wiring (Cozumel Dive Academy, Cozumel)
|
 |
| For a split second I almost looked like I knew what I was doing (Cozumel) 📸: @kevin.n.g.o |
 |
| The mythical agoutis are like deer with squirrel bodies or squirrels with deer legs (Cenote Azul, Quintana Roo) |
 |
| These bad boys let us scooch by on their turf (Aviario Xamen-ha, Playa del Carmen) |
 |
| We maintain our climbing tradition of face-masks thanks to Lily. Kevin cranks Braveheart as the rest of us dangerously toe the line of blackface (Centro, Playa del Carmen) |
Mexico wowed
las estrellas out of me. The food, the people, the climbing. The best vibes I've ever had thanks to everyone I met. I've never been more certain I'd return to a country.
Te veo ahorita, hasta luego. |
| Jamaica vibing in its natural environment (Centro, Playa del Carmen) |
No comments:
Post a Comment