Johannesburg known as The City of Gold… Is the people that makes it shine…

During the last week of march I had the opportunity to go work for a couple of days with our team in South Africa, this time I was able to squeeze an extra day to take a tour around some landmarks of the city and talk with locals about the history of South Africa and Johannesburg. This was my second time going there, so you now start to get a better sense of the place and what to see if you only have 24 additional hours.

The city was founded in 1886 following discovery of gold and quickly received a great number of outsiders to establish for work and have living from the new found riches. Thousands of people arrive to work on the mines and used local for the manual labors, this created lots of issues moving forward with many instabilities. There are no working mines today in the urban part but you can see machinery used many years ago.

South Africa is a country that suffered a lot on racial discrimination, what I saw during my visit is that the people are embracing the story to make a stronger place to live for everyone with equal rights for every citizen. Their is along journey ahead but you find great things are happening when talking with the people and also how proud they are on what they have achieved with hope for a better tomorrow.

Actual House that Mandela live in SOWETO

One of the places I visited was Constitution hill, in this place there was first a fort that was made in 1899 to protect the South African Republic from British invasion. Along the fort a prison was built, known as number four and during the apartheid era was used to put people that opposed the system it was active until 1983. Both Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi were prisoners at some moment in the prison, along with thousands of prisoners that were held for things like not having their pass to be walking outside. Conditions were not great and there are may stories of abuse in the prison. They have maintain the place opened for people to go and learn what happened there, so it will never happen again.

As part of their new constitution and focused to bring justice to the people, a new constitutional court was established in 1993 and now has a permanent place in the Constitution Hill, along the old prison. They used the prison blocks in the construction of the court in a strong message of change, at the entrance you see the words constitutional court in their 11 official languages and a enormous wooden door with the carving of the 27 rights of the bill of rights in their official languages and also sign language.

Constitutional Court, you can see the 11 languages used to name the place and the carved wooded door

Constitution hill is a place that show some of the most dark moments in Johannesburg but also show how the city and the country are moving forward with clear equality principles, the people know they have a long journey but are proud of their advances.

Another important place to visit is the Apartheid museum, where you can see the story from the establishment of the system, the process to take it down and the establishment of the new government system with a new constitution that brought new rights to the people of South Africa with universal suffrage and the elections of 1994 were citizen of all races voted. The place contains lots of details using photos, videos, and audios of those times. You can spend easy a full day exploring the museum and get a good idea of the events that marked the apartheid era.

From the museums we move to SOWETO (South Western Township), a township created during the 1930’s to move blacks and separate from whites during the apartheid area. As you enter this township you know that the place is special and that has is own personality. It was a place that saw many riots as parts of the protests against the apartheid regime. SOWETO is huge with many places to explore, more than 1 million people live there. One of the highlights is that in one of the streets of SOWETO to Nobel prize winners lived (Guinness Record), Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela. There is actually an attraction in the house that Mandela lived.

We also pass thru the FNB stadium home to the 2010 world cup final where Spain beat Netherlands 1-0, Is the largest stadium in Africa with 94,000+ capacity (currently bigger than Estadio Azteca). Talking with locals the world cup was one of great significance to the country, a moment where the whole country united and had a lot of investments in infrastructure, an example is the Gautrain a mass transportation system that is still in use. For my trip back to Dubai I used the train and let me tell you is spectacular, the cleanliness, timely and good value makes it an option if you are staying in the Sandton area.

Also during my visit, had chance to eat in a local restaurant called Chez Alina. In the place had local made food that was excellent and also one of the local beers called Soweto Gold, it was a great lunch where I met local people that knew my guide Thando. The food was tasty and flavorful, the most interesting thing was a steam bread that was great to accompany the stewed beef.

To end the tour Thando showed me where he was born and the current community he is helping, suburb is named Kliptown a very humble place with tons of great people that want to contribute to society, the work being done is spectacular currently they are helping more than 100 kids get ahead in life providing school program, food and the necessary support to move ahead in life. If you want to find some information you can find them on Facebook under Kliptown Youth Program (KYP). The way that Thando hosted me was spectacular and added to my visit making the day perfect; but to be honest all the people that I met in South Africa were spectacular there easy to get along, happy to help you and more important real.

I am thankful of my job and the opportunity of getting to different places in the world working with great people and also knowing about the culture of the place I visit. Johannesburg has left me with a great impression and would definitely would recommend for a visit, the tour was an excellent find in trip advisor (Thanks to Stephenson Adventures – Ultimate Johannesburg tour). I hope to be back in the near future and explore more of the country.

Now back to Dubai where hot temperatures are close. If you just read the post please forward to a friend and sign in to receive our updates; also follow us on Instagram, or Facebook look for #BORICUASLIVINGABROAD. Until next time….

Zihuatanejo… great beach town with a strong local vibe!!!

For the 2nd year in a row we decided to spend the last week of the year in a Mexican beach town, this year the reason was very different since the COVID affected our plans to see family in Puerto Rico. Zihua as the locals call it is located around 6hrs drive from Queretaro on the State of Guerrero a very fertile land located in the Pacific Coast. Very close is the more known Ixtapa also on Guerrero, is more focused on big resorts and you will have a less local experience.

We got a reservation via Airbnb for an apartment located within walking distance of the town center and with a great view of the Bay, the view was as great as advertised and the people living in the building were great, between locals and retired persons the building has great character. During the stay we had an issue with our beloved dog “Tina”, the people from the building and local veterinary were marvelous in supporting us during the incident. One more proof that the good ones are more everywhere we are. She is doing very well if you want to know!!!

The center of Zihua still looks very simple, kept very clean and you have tourist and locals in the restaurants, stores and pier all day long. There you can have some fresh seafood, buy your ticket to Playa Las Gata or talk with local fishermen to buy fresh fish to make at your apartment. One morning we had a great breakfast in Cafe Galerias the “huevos rancheros” very tasteful with a little bit of spice to get to a great start, we also tried “La Sirena Gorda” for lunch during our stay the Adobado fish very tasteful and the ceviche fresh. Definitely the Zihua center has alternative for the family with many alternatives to eat.

The standout of food in this trip for us was Letty´s restaurant it is very close to the town center, their specialty Coconut Shrimps. Their food was so great we went there multiple times to eat, a great thing of going to small towns is the closeness of service from the owners, Letty is a great woman with many years of experience in the kitchen, her cooking secrets are comparable to big international chefs. We were no fan of octopus but the way she prepares it makes it a gem. As many restaurants from around the world they are suffering from the slowdown in business, i hope that next time we are there we will have the great Coconut Shrimps.

If you go to Zihua it means you are going to the beach and here you will find a good number of them, we went only to a couple of them but they have similar experience: fun, great food, beers, sun and nice water. You get to the beaches in different transportation modes from walking, by car or public transportation to a small boat. The important thing is that you plan for the day since there are many activities to do and lots of places to eat, drink and be merry. I will share some insight from 2 beaches that for us were great

Las Gatas beach is located in front of the pier in ZIhua, to get there you need to take a small boat (cost $80 pesos both ways / $4USD). If you want to take a good place you need to arrive around 10:30AM and will guarantee some lounge chairs in front of the beach. Once you arrive you have many restaurants to choose from, we went to Otilia´s and the experience was good. Here the service was 5 star from a guy named Franco , the attention to detail was phenomenal and that made the day great. From heavy surge there are lot´s of rocks in the sand so you should bring shoes to be in the water

La Ropa beach is also in Zihua, this beach is bigger in size compared to Las Gatas. You can arrive by car or walking (30 minute walk from our place), here also you have multiple restaurant you can choose from and we went to La Perla, here the food was very good and the service from Jesus also phenomenal, they really made our days even better. In La Ropa you have many choices of water activities, you can get close to them and negotiate good prices from a Jet Ski to be launched in a Parachute to appreciate the bay. We feel pretty secure there, following common rules of security.

At night you can go to the many restaurants to eat and have a drink or if you have a great view get some food and have dinner by the moon. For us it was a full day of action and at night #chillax at the apartment.

As we close 2020, we hope that 2021 is a year were we can get to explore more, for me life is measured in the experiences you have and share, we still need to know lot´s of places in Mexico and I know 2021 will be a good year to continue our journey

As you know the idea of the blog is to share a little bit of how we see Mexico, and the great places and people they have. If you just read it forward to your friends and sign in to receive our updates about how you can enjoy Mexico as much as we have done. Follow us on instagram, or facebook look for #BORICUASLIVINGABROAD . Until next time….

Looking for something different to eat in Mexico try the “Aguachile”… Enjoy these Pacific delicacy …

Now that we are on our 5th year in Mexico, many of the local food flavors and recipes are part of our day to day life at home. During the first few years eating “picante” was more done outside our home, maybe in a restaurant or a friend house, we did like some of it but were always cautious of the level of heat in the food. With my travel across Mexico I have learned to enjoy “picante” food and began cooking some of the dishes at home, today is normal to have many type of chiles in our fridge. I will have to admit that now it is mandatory to put some Jalapeño peppers in my burgers or a homemade salsa with chile Serrano while doing a BBQ, tolerance has increased a lot since we first got here!!!

Here some types of chile: Manzanero, Cuaresmeño, Serrano, Habanero ( Ranked by hot level)

One of the dishes I have come to enjoy a lot is the “Aguachile”, is the mexican version of the ceviche. The main difference is that it is always HOT!!!! In reality the hotter the better…. One of the best peppers to use in the “Aguachile” is the habanero, the level of hotness mixed with other ingredients like mango makes it for a wonderful culinary experience. We have tried a couple of recipes and my favorite is the Mango/Habanero Shrimp “Aguachile”, it is a great dish with a very cold beer at your side. There are many other recipes, like a Green “Aguachile” made with a white fish like the Snapper and Chile Serrano. Picture of both below.

Mango / Habanero “Aguachile” Great mix of flavors with the big kick of hot

In Mexico City you can try this dishes in one of the many seafood specialty restaurants, also in Queretaro we have various restaurants but having the experience of eating were it all begin is wonderful. Some of the places i have tried are in Mazatlan “El Cuchupetas” and in Culiacan “El Que Ceviche” also there is a Mexican chain called Cabanna, the quality of their product is excellent and their service superb ( In Mexico City that would be the place for you to go)

“Aguachile verde” The Chile Serrano mixed with the green tomatoes and cucumber really drive the flavor

The current contingency has made us stay at home, but when the new normal arrive be prepared and go to the local restaurants and spend in the small business across Mexico, order an “Aguachile” with a cold beer and enjoy being outside with your family and friends.

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Mexico cuisine is more than tacos… Still the taco is champ!!!

If you ask 100 different people in Mexico their favorite dish, you can get 100 different answers. Mexico extensive land and climates provide a huge pallet of flavors and texture in their food. The other key element in their food is the wide variety of peppers from mild to extremely hot, it is important to say that in order to enjoy Mexican food it is mandatory to use their salsa made with peppers. For me is key the freshness of their ingredients, today they have hundreds of open air markets were you can get vegetable, fruits, meats that go directly to their cuisine. I will share my experience of “el mercado” in another post.

“El mercado” is an experience that every one needs to have in Mexico

If you ask for my favorite dish it would be almost impossible to just select one, but for the exercise I would tell you that the “Cochinita Pibil” would take the number 1 place, it is a traditional Mexican slow-roasted pork dish from the Yucatán Peninsula. Preparation of traditional “cochinita” involves marinating the meat in strongly acidic citrus juice, seasoning it with annatto seed which imparts a vivid burnt orange color, and roasting the meat while it is wrapped in banana leaf.

The best way to try Mexico food is thru a buffet, we found one in a trip to Guadalajara (more to come about these beautiful city) the price was around $20 USD per person and had more than 100 different options, see the photos below from one of our trips. On Sundays many hotels and restaurants have their own Mexican buffet, give a try to food made on the spot …

Buffet from Santo Coyote in Guadalajara, you will find many buffets like these all across Mexico on Sundays

Cochinita can be served in many ways: Tacos, With beans, As a sandwich but my favorite is the “Panucho” (Corn Tortillas filled with mashed black beans, cochinita pibil , topped with purple onion and habanero sauce), the secret is that the tortillas are fried before putting all other ingredients.

Best place to try “Cochinita” in Mexico City / Panuchos in the making

The great thing about Mexican food is you can enjoy a simple “Taco de Canasta” from a lady in a street to a tasting menu from Pujol one of the best restaurants in the world, one in front of the other. The alternative are endless and for every budget and taste buds. I will try and cover different foods and places in my posts, also will share a list of places we have enjoy thru the years in the Food section.

I hope this brief introduction have set you up for a culinary trip across Mexico, give a try to their cuisine and taste the large variety of foods from Seafood to local produced meat, from local fruits to the more than 100 hundred different peppers to make a salsa.

Continue enjoying our blog as we share our stories of #boricuaslivingabroad .