I woke up in a dark room, on a bottom bunk, just a few inches from the floor, unsure where I was. Of course, I was in a hostel in Tequis... Tequisqui... well, in a small town in Querétaro.
A frustrating dream
I'd just awoken from a dream in which I was arguing with an obstinate customer service rep, because the bus driver had left without taking passengers, because he didn't like the beard of the guy first in line. I thought, there are two lessons to be learned here. The first is that, you can't teach someone something that they don't want to know, even when it's in their benefit. The second is that, I'm obviously so argumentative, I seek meaningless conflict even in my dreams.
Breakfast
Breakfast was included with the accommodation. I ordered enchiladas queretanas. The tortillas are dipped in salsa before they're cooked, rather than putting the salsa on after cooking, and on the top, they put cream with small cubes of potato and carrot. I thought it rather strange how they referred to them as enchiladas from Querétaro, even though we were in Querétaro. In any other part of Mexico, they would just prepare the food according to the local tradition and say "That's just how we do them here." Even stranger are the "enchiladas suizas", which I'm positive have nothing to do with Switzerland.
The little astronaut
As I sipped on my second cup of coffee, I wrote:
An astronaut leaves his home planet, reaches to the moon, the next planet or the next solar system. You might be surprised to learn that, despite his ability to venture to other worlds, this man is not perfect. He is not a saint. He doesn't even know everything available to humans.
The remarkable thing is that he doesn't have to be perfect. He just has to be good enough, knowledgeable enough - perfect enough. With these few ideas to rub together, he continues to explore, uncovering the mysteries of the universe.
Yveth and Rubi arrived, I chugged down my water, grabbed my things, handed in the key and ran out the door.
Exploring Tequis
We wandered around the city, looking at stalls, cute little gift shops, the kind of crap that women love - knickknacks and trinkets which would surely fascinate my parents - eating breakfast in a café, and buying large amounts of pan dulce.
I noticed a gum tree, and picked off a few leaves to scrunch them in my hands and smell them. They smelt like home, like my youth. Smell is a very powerful sense, and I tend to think that, when you're smelling something strong, you can't help but feel alive. I always make a point of smelling my spearmint plants, basil and lemon verbena when I leave my apartment, to make sure I remember. My buddy @battleayzee has a similar idea about Mexicans eating chilli - it's so strong that it shocks you into the current moment.
On the way to Mexico City, I realised I didn't have anywhere to stay - Rubi was staying with Yveth, and Yveth's apartment is just a tad bigger than a shoebox. I messaged my friend Sergio, and he said, sure I could stay, though he doesn't have a spare bed, so it'd be a mat on the floor for me. I said great, thanks.
Freedom and responsibility on the metro
Yveth dropped me at the metro station, and I made my way towards Revolución station. On the way, I noticed the alarm lever by the door. Out of all the trains I've ever been on, I only ever saw someone trigger such an alarm once - the emergency stop button on the Hunter line in NSW - because the fellow had mistaken it for the button to open the door. What a remarkable argument for the self-control and personal responsibility of the masses. Any one of those people could have reached over to grab it on an impulse, disrupting the lives of hundreds or even thousands of people - yet they didn't, and they continued not to. It's almost as if people are ready for liberty.
Five bean accommodation
Sergio and María had just opened their café the week before, and they were calibrating the coffee machine when I arrived. That night, we drank about 6 litres of pulque - the prehispanic "nectar of the gods" - between the three of us, and I told them my experience of meeting aliens while under the influence of the sacred medicine, peyote, and Sergio explained to me how the events and ideas related to the work of Plato.
We went back to the café/house and I slept on a relatively comfortable mat, on top of empty coffee sacks.
About me
My name is Kurt Robinson. I grew up in Australia, but now I live in Guadalajara, Jalisco. I write interesting things about voluntaryism, futurism, science fiction, travelling Latin America, and psychedelics. Remember to press follow so you can stay up to date with all the cool shit I post, and follow our podcast where we talk about crazy ideas for open-minded people, here: @paradise-paradox, and like us on Facebook here - The Paradise Paradox
Some other cool posts
Here are some other posts of mine to check out:
A Mexican Independence Day trip - ¡Viva México! - Day 1: San Miguel de Allende
¡Viva Mexico! Independence Day trip - Day 2: Wine and hangovers in Tequisquiapan