Q&A

Haven’t written in a while. Been busy with work, random stuff, facebook games, and just plain lazy / out of ideas of anything (important) to write.

Yet I’m happy to say I continue to get about 20 – 70 hots on my blog every day, so thank you!

To keep it a bit more interesting, I’ve opened a Formspring.me account, so anyone can ask me anything. I can’t guarantee I’ll answer every question asked, but I’m pretty open, so chances are I will.

So until I write something else (hopefully will get inspired before my Japan trip in April 2010!) – ASK ANYTHING!

That’s Awkward (ep2)

Thats Awkward Ep02

That’s Awkward (ep 1)

Thats Awkward Ep01

Halloween 2009

We had our 3rd annual Halloween party this past weekend (decided to do it a week earlier for a few reasons) – We had an awesome time, and everyone that came really went all out with their costumes.

Thought I`d share pictures of the costumes

Astral Catalepsy

Astral Catalepsy: The Out-of-Body Experience
Astral Catalepsy – State that occurs when we begin to regain conciousness before our spirit enters back into our body, as it returns from astral travel.

I have experienced multiple astral catalepsies during my life. Up to a couple years ago, I had had maybe three or so; yet, in the past 2 years I can count at least 8 times when I have had it. I guess in a way it’s cool to know my spirit might be leaving my body, going somewhere it clearly deems more entertaining than staying inside my sleeping body. However, for anyone who’s ever had one, especially if it is your first time or if you are unfamiliar with the reasoning of these episodes, it can be a very scary experience.

The reason why astral catalepsies are frightening, is because they often are associated by our brains with feelings of uselessness, the inability to protect ourselves from an overwhelming feeling of evil surrounding us.
Some of the experiences you might feel when you are having an astral catalepsy includes:
*The sensation that a threatening presense, some kind of evil shadow or dark figure slowly moves towards you.
*The feeling of being pinned down into your bed. The unability to move, talk, or scream for help.
*Overwhelming vibrations, as if some one, or something, was shaking you with incredible force.

The sensation that an evil force is approacing your paralyzed body, and that you are unable to defend yourself nor call for help is very frightening; the feeling will usually last what feels like a minute or two (although I’m sure it’s only about 30 seconds – your own fear makes it seem like it will never end).

My Experiences:
In my case, astral catalepsies are usually associated with darkness. Just before having the astral catalepsy, I have a dream in which I am in my room, or at another room, usually in my house on a dark day. It doesn’t necessarily look like night, more like a really dark, stormy day. As I walk in the darkness, I begin to feel chills going through my body as I begin to feel fear; an urgent need to turn on a light comes over me, but as I click the light switch on, nothing happens. I try multiple times, unsuccessfully to turn on the light, as the fear begins to fill inside my body, I know something bad is going to happen, but I don’t know what.

All of a sudden, before whatever force is after me reaches me, I wake up and am lying on my bed, my heart beating after a horrible nightmare, thanking God that I am awake from it now. Except, I’m not really awake. This is the point when I am unable to move. Sometimes I will look towards my window and see a large shadow, slowly creeping towards me. Sometimes I don’t see the shadow, but I know that an evil presence is in my room, coming towards me. Again, I unsuccessfully try to move. I want to be able to stand up and defend myself. I want to loudly knock on the wall and wake someone else to come help me. I want to scream for help, as a last resort, but I am unable to move or talk. I just lay there, feeling the weight of my body holding me down on my bed as the threatening presence gets closer and closer.

My body begins to shake violently. I feel ever muscle in my body spasm. Then I wake up again, my heart beating. I thank God once more for the nightmare being over; this time I am awake for real.

Before I learned what an astral catalepsy really is, I used to be extremely afraid of these experiences. I would wake up and be genuinely afraid, too afraid to even get out of bed and turn on the light, even though it was the darkness that I was so afraid of. I guess in a way I was afraid that I would try to turn on the light and it would not work, and I would go through the whole thing again.

Now that I know what these experiences are, I have learned to be less afraid of them. The first parts of the dream will still usually occur: the overwhelming feeling that i need to turn on a light on a gloomy day, and the fact that I am unable to get the lights to go on no matter how much I play around with the switch. Yet, as intense fear begins to fill my body, I always remember that I am only in a dream. The last few times I had an astral catalepsy (the last one being last week), I was able to calm myself down; I now instantly go to the part where I am laying in bed, unable to move, waiting for my spirit to return to my body, but the whole thing with the evil presence does not occur anymore. I wait patiently, still about 30 seconds or so, feel my body shake violently, and then I am awake.

The explanation of astral catalepsies is interesting. It is interesting to know (if you believe) that your spirit will leave your sleeping body to travel astrally once in a while. It really makes me wonder where my body might be going whenever I have them. One thing I still don’t understand is the feelings of evil that are associated with astral catalepsies. If an astral catalepsy is the result of such a freeing activity for our spirits, why are all the symptoms so frightening – not only regarding the presence approaching us (which could be explained as our own spirits coming towards our body after their astral travels), but the fact that the approaching force feels so threatening, so evil.

At any rate, I am glad that I now understand a little more about astral catalepsies and that I no longer feel the fear, or sense the threatening feelings.

Lady Boy

Waiting for my man, Justin to come home – out with friends, watching movies!

Lady Boy

Grabbed a pen, couldn`t think of anything to draw, so i drew someone who was clearly inspired by Ongina from Rupaul`s drag race; I will name this masterpiece Lady Boy, in her honor.

Few people have touched my heart through a reality show like Ongina did when she announced that she was HIV positive. Her honesty and her pain was truly heart breaking, and it`s a moment I`ll never forget.

This one`s for you, Ongina.

Twitter

Twitter has become such a big part of my life, I think it merits a post.

It was only March 2009 that I joined Twitter, after much convincing from my boyfriend.

At first, I simply had no interest in tweeting. I was starting to lose my interest in facebook (an interest which now has been renewed), and i figured that I would be a lot more productive if I didn’t have twitter to take my free time. Eventually I gave in, and now, thanks in large part to my iPhone, i check Twitter multiple times a day.

I have to admit that Twitter caused a bit of insecurity. I tried unsuccessfully to connect with many people, most of which either never followed back or simply would never reply to my tweets. At one point I wondered what the hell is wrong with me?! what was it about my personality that made people have no interest at all in what I have to say.  Maybe people have better things to do than read what i tweet.

After a little while I actually stopped trying. It still bothered me  that people weren’t interested, but I figured there was nothing I could do. People could either like me or not and the decision was up to them. And then I wondered Why do I  even care so much? I have a boyfriend… I have my own friends. Why did i care so much that someone I would never meet in my life wasn’t interested in making a connection? There was no answer, so i took it personal, and it did affect me.

Then there were the people who I did make connections with. Little by little I got to know people. It was mostly small talk, chit chatting about work, or school, or play. Back and forth we talked about things, and I slowly felt new friendships being born. And then one day, my “friends” left twitter, and never returned. And I felt left out, because I thought that a friendship was being made, and suddenly, no word from them, and no way to contact them to see what was up. And I wondered again how can someone just leave? It’s not about leaving twitter. But what about the connections you make? Was this totally a one-sided relationship? Did I think we were becoming better friends than we really were? And again, there was no answer.

Overtime it started to dawn on me that unfortunately, Twitter was not really made with the intention of connecting people. It was all about saying things we wanted to say, much more than reading what others have to say. It was a way to superficially communicate with other people, famous or not, and simply tweet. There is no responsibility on what you say. In my case, most people I know in real life are not on twitter, so I can speak my mind without fear of being judged; and if I am being judged, it is by people I don’t know, so I don’t have to care.

But then I began to lose interest; I felt that everyone was too into what they were saying, that very few people were actually reading and commenting on other people’s tweets. I wanted to connect with people and make what at least I thought might be a real friendship. And then a new question entered my mind. What is the point? Everyone is just tweeting, but no one is reading anymore. So in a way, we are only tweeting to ourselves. What is the point?

And then I began to unfollow people. I figured: if someone has no interested in making a connection, Why am I still following every single thing they do? I didn’t care anymore. Why should I care? One by one all the people who had never even bothered to follow back were taken off my list. Over time some more were added, and then some more were taken off. Every so often, I still go into my ‘following’ list and, if someone who tweets often isn’t following me back after a while of me following them, I get rid of them.

Recently I found out that I am not the only one going through these insecurities. I have learned that some other people, like me, were taking it personal whenever the connections they worked on came to an abrupt end, or when people they wanted to connect with had no interest in connecting with them. I guess, afterall, we are all human; whether we are meeting people in real life or through our computers, we are all making connections with each other. Likewise, whether it is in real life or through the computer, the people we meet will affect our lives, bringing happiness and joy, or pain and sorrow. Wether or not we want to admit it, our twitter friends are helping shape our lives just as much as people we interact with in real life.

I have now noticed that little by little, my little circle of Twitter friends grew a little bit tighter. I don’t talk to everyone who I follow nor everyone that follows me – In reality I have no time to do that. But the people who I generally tweet with are actually somehow a part of my life.

I can count maybe 15 people with whom I tweet on a daily basis and I can honestly say i like these people. If we lived in the same city, I think we might get along. And maybe we wouldn’t, but in twitter we get along and we joke and we (or at least I), laugh, and that’s what’s important. They might not be the truest friends, but I genuinely care about what happens in these people’s lives, and I feel like, to some degree, they care about what happens in mine too.

And I have to admit that I’d be hurt if they left twitter and I never got to talk with them again, but I guess that’s the way life goes, both in real life and in twitter. And I am sure I will loose a few of them here and there. But no matter how long our twitter friendship lasts, these people have already made a big impact on my life.

And they will continue to do so.

Anatomy of “Fag”

Here I go again, getting all riled up over the use of the infamous “F” word.

No, not fuck. Come on, who gets offended by fuck anymore — and why should we? Fuck is simply another term for having sex, a perfectly normal human / animal action that everyone will experience in their lifetime (and if you don’t, you should!). The background of where fuck comes from is very natural; it comes from love, from passion, even from innocence. FUCKING comes from life itself.

The “F” that gets my blood boiling are the derogative names for gay individuals: Faggot, or the short form Fag. The reason why these words bother me (as a gay man myself) is because the meaning of the word has a horrible, violent background that stems from homophobia, discrimination, and sadly, death.

Before I go on I hope nobody gets offended by this post. YES, I am using the two words. I will not censor these words with little stars as in “f**” or “f*****” because they lose the effect. Yet, this is intended not to offend anyone, but to discourage the use of the word by any person, whether or not they approve of homosexuality, but who has a soul and at least an ounce of respect for human life itself. We are all adults here (and if you’re not you should be as I believe my blog is rated 18+), so we will continue with the full words.

“Fag” is a short form for “Faggot.” In case anyone is too naive to know what the real meaning of a faggot is, here is the definition as per the dictionary:

FAGGOT: a bundle of sticks or twigs, especially when bound together and used as fuel

The meaning of the words seems entirely innocent; hence its appearance in any standard dictionary. unfortunately, the meaning, when refered to gay men, has a darker, less innocent past: that “fuel” or those “faggots” were used in the past for burning gay people alive. These acts of violence and murder towards gay men for the mere fact of being gay were common practice in the North America (among other places) for tens of years. Over time, the term Faggot or Fag, for short, started being used to refer to gay people themselves.

It is not the word itself, but its violent and murderous roots which make these words unacceptable. They remind us that in the past, and even now to this day, gay people are being bashed and murdered for no other reason than because they happen to be attracted to people of the same sex. It reminds us of the violence we face every day, physical or mental. It reminds us of how dark and inhuman people can be towards anyone they deem ‘different.’

I personally think these are two highly offensive words, and don’t think anyone should use them, straight or gay, jokingly or not.

If you still don’t understand why this term (either the full word or the short form), which stems from full hatred towards, and symbolizes violence against gays, is offensive to gay people, I feel bad for your lack of empathy and social morale.

If this post taught you something, consider thinking twice before saying the word.

Please leave your comments, but be respectful! Derogative comments may be edited or removed altogehter.

Suicide

Mark worked at the airport in Vancouver. His job had something to do with re-fueling planes or something along those lines, but I’m not exactly sure what it is he did for a living. One night in early 2004, after his shift was over, he cleaned up his space, turned off the lights, and hung himself.

I’m not even going to pretend that Mark and I were great friends. I knew him as Mark, the down to earth, giggly guy who always hung out with my friends and I, partying every Saturday night at my friend Sharli’s house. I never spoke to him or saw him outside of the weekly parties, even though I had his phone number in my phone for some time; yet, every weekend at those parties, we got along great, joked together, and enjoyed each others superficial friendship. Despite not being a great part of my life during his, his death had a big impact on me.

For months after Mark killed himself, I went through my life wondering how someone could so carelessly take their own life. To this day, it still doesn’t make sense to me how a seemingly normal person can take such drastic measures. I don’t even know if we, the people who were his friends, were unable or unwilling to notice that something was wrong. But even now, looking back, I cannot figure out what the hints that were supposed to tell us he might do something like that were. I don’t think there were any hints, and that is the scary part.
Mark was down to earth, quiet but funny. He joked around. He had a family, a stable job, an education. He hung out and partied, and he seemed just like another one of us, a young adult trying to figure out his life.

Maybe something was missing, but it clearly was not a cry for help. He didn’t do the usual fake-suicide attempts: taking 15 tylenol, or slashing his wrists with a butter knife. Mark had the full intention that, after his shift was over that night, his life would come to an end as well. No attempts to try and help, no psych wards, nor doctors, nor drugs. Just death.

And then things were never the same again. The weekly parties stopped for a few weeks, simply because everyone felt odd. And a couple of months later, when we got together again, no one spoke of Mark.
It was as if he had never been there, except there was an uncomfortable feeling in the air, like no one wanted to bring him up, but everyone knew we should at least talk about him. But no one ever did, not again.
And that was the last time I remember having a party there. Or maybe I just stopped going to the parties myself. At any rate, Mark’s suicide brought that chapter of all our lives to an end.

For some reason now, over five years later, the memory of Mark still enters my head from time to time, for no specific reason.

And thinking about it, I figure that if he was still alive, he and I would probably not be friends any longer; and maybe I would have completely forgotten about him by now. But for some reason, his death, even though nobody ever spoke of it, made him a little more memorable. And now he will always be a part of our memories, and our lives.

And that is sad.

Turks & Caicos: Flight Centre Conference

I had the opportunity to visit the beautiful island of Providenciales, in Turks and Caicos, during a Flight Centre leadership conference in September 2009. Although technically for work (being a conference and all), we had the opportunity to experience the beautiful locale and even contribute to the well being of the islands through community-based volunteer projects!

Going in September, the Caribbean’s infamous hurricane season, I was a little afraid that i would encounter nothing but rain and bad weather through our 3 day stay; however, it only rained (well, poured!) a total of about 30 minutes, giving us sunshine the rest of the time.

Me in Turks and Caicos

View from the sea

Conch Farm Project

Turks & Caicos Sunset Beach

Turks & Caicos Sunset

Turks & Caicos Dusk

Turks and Caicos: The destination
I can say hands down that the beaches in Providenciales are one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen: powder white, seemingly endless beaches, and warm turquoise waters.The island is a lot flatter and less greener than Jamaica, but it’s still got its own natural charm.

The downside of Turks and Caicos in my opinion, is that there is very little to see and experience outside of the resort. To experience the beautiful natural setting, Turks and Caicos would be great for a one week stay, if you don’t mind doing nothing more than sun tanning, taking long walks on the beach, and sitting at a swim up bar. If your aim is to immerse into a country’s culture as much as possible, Turks and Caicos might not be for you.

We had the opportunity to stay at the newly renovated Beaches Resort, which was absolutely incredible. Beaches Turks & Caicos is the family version of Sandals Resorts – the resort is just as glamorous, offers the same friendly service and incredible food, but welcomes everyone from single travellers to families with children, opposed to being a couples-only resort. The resort is divided into three huge villages: French, Italian, and Caribbean; the entire property offers 16 different restaurants, 3 main pools, 12 bars, and a nightclub. A new water park, surrounded by a lazy river in which you can float on inner tubes, also has two water slides.

Another good option would be to visit Turks and Caicos as a one-day stopover in a Caribbean cruise, which will let you experience the charm and natural beauty of the islands.

The Flight Centre Leadership Conference
Team Leaders and Future Team Leaders (aka Assistant Managers) of all Flight Centre travel agency locations across Canada got to go on this wonderful leadership conference, sponsored by Air Canada Vacations, Sandals and Beaches Resorts, and the Holiday Network. Our managers got to enjoy 4 days (including an entire free day!), while us assistant managers got 3 days. Support staff (finance, marketing, Human Resources, etc) were also present, making our conference about 180 people.

The trip there from Vancouver, as usual, was long and tiring. The total trip time was about 10 hours, including 1 red eye 4.5 hour flight from Vancouver to Toronto, 2 hours wait, and another 3.5 hour flight to Providenciales. The return was another 10 hours or so. For a three night stay, the travel time is hardly worth it as a holiday – for the conference, it wasn’t too bad.

Day One: First evening, as soon as we arrived (after being greeted with a rum and punch cocktail) we did a site inspection fo the resort for about one hour, giving us a couple of hours afterwards to enjoy the beach. That night we had our first typical Flight Centre unbeatable celebration: and Africa-themed party (as our Global Ball 2010 for top achievers will be held in Sun City, South Africa), where everyone was required to bring out their best (or tackiest) animal print clothes / costumes. The party included a buffet and endless drinks (as usual); the after party was held until 2:30am in the pool at the French Village. The greatest part about every night’s after party was that, around midnight, they would bring pizza to the swim up bar, giving everyone a little carb-motivation to keep going!

Day Two: We had to be at our conference room, ready to listen, participate and learn by 8am. Different sessions were held in different rooms, which was a great way to keep 150 hung over people in check and awake. The sessions were actually very well put together and educational. For lunch we went to the italian restaurant in the resort for a pasta buffet, followed by more sessions until around 5pm. We then had one hour to go to the pool before getting ready for our second night celebration. This second celebration started with a one-hour cocktail reception, followed by another delicious buffet, including awards to top shops, presentations by our area leaders, and of course more drinks. Another after party was held until 2:30am once again in the pool at the French Village- this one was by far the best, as the DJ blasted music and about 100 of us danced and sang along inside the pool.

Day Three: We had to wake up early once again, and be ready in our conference room by 8am, ready to go. Morning sessions lasted about four hours. Afterwards, we left on our community-based volunteer projects (all of us were divided into 8 different projects). My project was helping in the rebuilding of the world’s only conch farm, which was severely damaged by a hurricane in September 2008. The project was arduous work (carrying heavy pieces of lumber, screwing large sheets of plastic into wood, all under the sun!), but it was rewarding (Read more about the volunteer projects!)
After the project was over (or our volunteering time was over, anyhow, as the project isn’t nearly completed yet!), we were rewarded by beer and champagne, which we drank on the bus on the way back to the resort.
Arriving at the resort, some of us went down to the beach again and watched the sunset, before getting ready for our third (and last) night’s celebration. The celebration began with another great, italian antipasto buffet, followed by a couple of rides down the lazy river. A final after party at the French Village pool was held, this time until around 4am.

Last Day: Another early morning, as we had to be out of our room by 9am. After breakfast some of us went to the beach for one last time. We swam in the ocean and took pictures of the beautiful place. By 11:30am we were on our way to the airport, reluctantly going home. Being my birthday, I was surprised by the captain wishing me a happy birthday over the speakerphone, courtesy of Susan, one of the representatives from Air Canada Vacations.

The conference was amazing, and the setting one of the most beautiful islands I’ve ever seen!

Canadian Blood Services Anti-Constitutional Policy

This is one thing that will never stop bothering me, until things change.

I keep hearing on the radio and in the news about the shortage of blood supplies all over Canada. It seems that people are not interested anymore in giving blood for a variety of reasons – in my opinion it is such a small sacrifice to make (oooh, a needle), and which can have a HUGE impact in someone’s life (literally).

Donating blood at least once is on my list of 35 things I want to accomplish before I turn 35. I’m not kidding, I actually have such a list. I actually was days way from going to donate blood with my best friend at the time – she would be there for support only, unable to donate blood as she is diabetic. That’s when, while doing research I discovered I was not able to donate blood; not because I am not healthy, not because I have any genetic or blood diseases, tattoos, or unsuitable blood in any other way. I am unable to donate blood simply because I am gay.

According to Canada’s blood donation policies, any man who has had sex with another man since 1977 (the onset of AIDS), is banned from donating blood. Ever. No matter whether you have better sexual habits than other people. No matter if you had sex once in 1977 and haven’t since.

It’s not that I don’t understand their reasoning. It’s just that their ‘reasoning’ doesn’t make sense.

Under the Blood donation policy, a straight person who has had unprotected sex with someone who is confirmed to have an STD, is banned from donating blood too. After six months, however, if that person has changed his or her habits to use protection and has tested negative for any blood STDs, the individual will be able to try donating blood again.

If a person gets a tattoo or a piercing, they will also be unable to donate blood, based on toxins and possible infections that might arise from that. Again, this will only be for the next six months, after which the person will be able to donate blood again.

What about a woman who has had unprotected sex with a bisexual man, who in theory has just as much chance of contacting AIDS as a gay man having sex with that same man? The policy allows her to donate blood without any hiatus. Same goes for any straight individual whether or not they practice safe sex, as long as they are not aware that any of their many sexual partners might be infected, and no matter whether the individual has ever had a blood test or not. And if one of their partners is confirmed to have an STD but they practiced safe sex? That’s ok, Canadian Blood Services will take your blood!

Then comes me. Ok, at the time when I originally wanted to donate blood, I was sexually active and not in a stable relationship. However, I practiced safe sex and went for a blood test every 3 to 6 months (which is more than I can say for most straight people – or even gay people- i know). If the policy stated that anyone having sex with more than one partner in a specific period of time (say a year), whether safe or not, was unable to donate blood, I would have understood. But not being able to do so, despite my safe sexual habits, just because of my sexual orientation, doesn’t make sense.

And how about now. I have been in a monogamous relationship with my boyfriend for almost 3 years now. We both have had blood tests and know that we are healthy individuals, and we have a far lower chance from contacting any blood diseases than any straight individual with multiple sex partners. Yet, we are still not able to donate blood under the illogical, extremely anti-constitutional policy of the Canadian Blood Services. And we probably never will be, unless the people in charge put on a brain and realize that they are discriminating against an entire group of people who could highly benefit our diminishing blood resources.

I can guarantee that as soon as this illogical policy changes, I will donate blood. Until then, donating blood will remain uncrossed in my lists of 35 things to do before I am 35.

And everytime I hear in the radio that Canadian Blood Services is in dire need of blood donors, I will shake my head.

Click here to read the new controversial story that offset my rant.

This is the explanation of Canadian Blood Services for not allowing men who have had sex with other men (note they will not admit they are discriminating against gay men specifically) to donate blood:

Why do you not allow gay men the right to donate blood?

Canadian Blood Services’ policy indefinitely defers any man who has sex with another man, even once, since 1977. The policy in question does not apply specifically to gay men. This is one of numerous screening procedures which allow us to identify a variety of behaviours and activities known to increase risk to the safety of the blood supply.

The basic premise for our policy pertaining to men who have had sex with men is that the prevalence and incidence of HIV is much higher in males who have had sex with other males than it is in individuals having exclusively heterosexual sex. Statistics released by the Public Health Agency of Canada in 2005 indicate that men who have sex with men represented 58 per cent of the HIV/AIDS cases in Canada. This number is up from 2002, when they represented 40 per cent; and in 1996, when they represented 30 per cent of new cases of HIV/AIDS in Canada.

While we do test all units of blood and testing is sophisticated, there still exists a brief period after the onset of a viral infection during which early signs of a virus cannot be detected. This period of time is known as the “window period”. However, the system is as safe as current testing and technology allows, combined with Canadian Blood Services’ stringent screening processes (e.g., donor questionnaire, deferral policies).

We continually review our policies and procedures in the face of changing science and technology and as such we are conducting a risk assessment of this issue. Any change in donor criteria would have to be considered safe from a scientific perspective and be approved by our regulator, Health Canada.

Dolores Hidalgo & Atotonilco

Dolores Hidalgo

Main Square and church

A small town less than an hour away from San Miguel, Dolores Hidalgo is the understated birthplace of the independence of Mexico. It was in this small town where Miguel Hidalgo rang the bell and began the recruitment of his troops to lead the independence front after yelling from atop a balcony “Viva Mexico” – “Long live Mexico.”

The town, despite its huge historical importance, is quite small. We were able to walk from one side of the city to the other, all around, visiting two beautiful churches and the main city square, within 2 hours.

Yet, this small town is getting an expensive makeover, in preparation of Mexico’s bicentennial celebration (which will be celebrated in every single city and town around the country in September 2010). The streets surrounding the main square are being re-paved, trees are being planted all over the small town, and the inside shrines of the main church are being covered with gold.

There is not much to do in the city, but a quick visit to the main square and the main church is well worth it, simply to take in the extensive beauty that even such a small city has.

Atotonilco
Even smaller than Dolores Hidalgo, the town of Atotonilco (with a population of only a few thousand) first looks like a dusty ghost town. Driving in, the unpaved road leads you to an uneventful small white church, known as the Sanctuary of Atotonilco – the white, boring dome of this sanctuary, and the washed-out steeple are the main landmarks in the town.

Ceiling Murals - Atotonilco Sanctuary

Entering the Sanctuary of Atotonilco, however, will change your mind instantly. This church, which is plain and boring on the outside, houses one of the most impressive collections of religious art in the world.

First, the church is home to over 30 life-size religious figures depicting various forms of Jesus and the virgin, as well as many saints. The wooden figures date back to the 1700 and 1800s, giving the site tremendous religious and historical importance.

Also, Every wall, column, door, and even the ceiling of the sanctuary are covered with impressive murals, all painted with dark tones of ochre and black on a cream background, depicting various religious anecdotes (last dinner, crucifixion, etc), as well as depictions of historic events (mainly the Spanish invasion) of Mexico. The murals, with the dark tones and impressive artistry, were painted in the late 1700 by many of the residents of Atotonilco at the time. These murals are so impressive that the Sanctuary of Atotonilco is now referred to by religion experts as the ‘Sistine Chapel of the Americas.’

Outside of Sanctuary with flower stand

Due to neglect, humidity, vandalism and time (over two hundred years, with over 100,000 people visiting this small site every year), the wonderful murals in the church deteriorated extensively; in the 1990s, the Vatican nominated this small treasure as one of the world’s 100 most endangered Religious sites and provided large funding for the restoration and upkeep of the Sanctuary. Now, over 15 years later, the restoration of the murals is only about two thirds done, and the result is quite impressive.

Atotonilco is definitely worth a visit if you are in the area (it is less than a 30 minute drive from San Miguel de Allende). You probably won’t spend more than 45 minutes in town, but visiting the Sanctuary and beholding this artistic wonder is definitely worth the quick trip.

As a sidenote, Atotonilco is host to various pilgrimage events (about 30 a year), many of which last from a few days to over a week. During these events, the main (unpaved and dusty) street is decorated with flower and fruit stands (see picture) and paper and plastic decorations. During some, many of the wooden religious life-sized figures are taken outside from the sanctuary and carried around. These events often host up to over 5,000 people – easily surpassing the total population of the town!

Beautiful Queretaro

The City of Queretaro, Mexico – located about 1 hour away from San Miguel and 2 hours from Mexico city, is another beautiful Mexican Colonial City. Queretaro also has great importance for the country, being one of the best business (National and International) and education epicentres.

Pedestrian Street

Beautiful Square by Municipal Building

Church

History Hall

Church / Convent

Part of the Aqueduct

Proof of its economic proficiency, the city centre is surrounded by various Auto stores, large commercial developments and malls, and an array of American outlet stores; yet, the city centre itself feels a lot like Mexico, with beautiful post-colonial architecture and large city squares overlooked by towering churches; also, the city has very few Canadian or American tourists.

The city of Queretaro is well laid out, with beautiful colonial buildings overlooking various green spaces and public plazas, Towering churches with mosaic-laden domes, many restaurants and plenty of shops. Pedestrian-only streets surrounded by small shops make the city very pedestrian-friendly.

Queretaro’s streets are also remarkably clean, considering the size of the city (about 700,000), and all the trees in the streets and parks are well manicured and upkept, making Queretaro surprisingly beautiful. As with the other many cities visited on our trip, Queretaro’s historic centre is another UNESCO world heritage site.

Highlights of our visit to Queretaro was visiting an old convent from the 1700 (part of which is in ruins, and part of which still continues to be used as a convent!), seeing the 300 year old aqueduct, which can still be found in its entirety today, and simply exploring the city through its many pedestrian-only streets.

For dinner, we went to a beautiful inside patio right on the city’s main square, which served Mexican-inspired world fusion meals.

Queretaro was great as a day trip, but i hear it’s got great nightlife. For a day visit, there are many great patio restaurants and bars, where you can enjoy enjoy the sun and the view while having a meal or a drink.

Guanajuato

The city of Guanajuato, in the state by the same name, in Mexico, is one of the most unique cities I`ve ever been to.

Guanajuato is yet another city in Mexico that has been designated a heritage city by UNESCO, due in part to its extensive history, as well as due to its authenticity.

Guanajuato`s Basilica

One of the things that intrigued me about Guanajuato, is that most of its main streets run in a series of underground tunnels, underneath the city, making most of the streets above ground pedestrian-only.This is not only convenient but also makes the city a lot more beautiful than it otherwise would be.

The city`s architecture is another exiting feature that must be admired – In the historic centre, no matter in which direction you look, you will be surprised by a beautiful building. The main basilica, the theatre, municipal palace, University of Guanajuato, are all examples of fantastic architecture; however, any other building is just as beautiful to look at, with the brightest shades of many colours covering an otherwise simple structure.

A large statue of El Pipila, the only fully native mexican hero of the independence, overlooks the city (and can be seen from most points within the city) on top of a look-out area. This look out area also offers magnificent views of the city from above.

Statue of Pipila between buildings

The city of Guanajuato also played a main role in the independence of the country. Guanajuato was the city which sustained perhaps the most damage by the revolutionaries than any other city. It was also here where most of the Independence leaders were mutilated, their heads left hanging from small cages outside the Alhóndiga de Granaditas building to discourage (but clearly not stopping) other people from revelling.

Authentic mining carts, which are now used as planters, can be seen throughout the city, giving a warm nod to Guanajuato`s extensive mining past.

Guanajuato from Above

Guanajuato from Above

The Mummy Museum
The most controversial (and one fo the most interesting) museums in the city is dedicated to the accidental mummies of Guanajuato. These corpses mummified by accident due to perfect mummification conditions in the crypts were they were buried in the 1800s.

Mummy fetus

The mummies were discovered late in the 1800s, when the government imposed a burial tax, which many poor families were unable to pay (or to those who had no remaining family in the city), leading to the corpses being dug out. The mummies were then placed in a museum built specifically for them, the same one that you can visit nowadays to see these accidental mummies, which include anything from babies to adults to older people, men and women of all shapes and sizes, including a pregnant mummy and her 7 month old mummy fetus.

The craziest part about this ? – Mummies continue to be added to the museum up to this day, as the bodies of people who have nobody to pay for them continue to be dug out and displayed for the public to see… and cringe.

San Miguel de Allende- 2009 visit

This was Justin`s and my second visit to the wonderful colonial city of San Miguel de Allende. Easy to go back, as my parents now live there so we have a place, and an excuse, to return. (Read about my 2008 visit)

Any Street in San Miguel

Statue of Ignacio Allende

San Miguel from Above

Parish side view

Parish Entrance

Parish and Ignacio Allende Museum

The second visit to San Miguel was just as magical, if not more, than the first time we went. Having been there for one week last year, we were pretty familiar with the layout of the city, so no time was wasted trying to figure out the pathways to get around. This does not mean we didn`t get lost – we explored new pathways and roads, as half the fun of being in this beautiful city is discovering new beautiful streets, as if uncovering a new photo-opp treasure.

After the hectic (although fun) first few days in Mexico City and Teotihuacan, San Miguel was a very welcome relaxation break. The sun was out every day (very hot, at around 35 degrees Celsius!), with only two nights of pouring down rain (for about 30 minutes). The days were spent wandering around, enjoying the beautiful architecture, shopping at the market, eating, and drinking Micheladas. The nights, as always, were spent going out to the many fabulous restaurants and bars.

New Discoveries:
On this visit we went back to many of our previous favourite restaurants, but we also got a chance to become familiar with a few others.
We visited a small taco stand which was to die for. My mom and dad, Justin and I ate as many tacos (of different kinds) as our stomachs could fit, along with flavoured water for about CDN$6 per person.
Another fantastic place was called `Nirvana,` a restaurant which had a great roof-top patio with views of the San Miguel Parish, the theatre, and various church domes. We visited this place pretty much every day; the big pull being 2 for 1 margaritas (in many flavours, and which were delicious), and a menu that combined mexican food with an asian twist – such as Cochinita Pibil Won Tons and Smoked Salmon Rice Paper Salad Rolls with Maggi Juice to dip in (instead of Soy).
The final place was an old ranch-house (or hacienda) which has now been turned into an authentic Mexican Restaurant. The twist with this place is that it is only open on Sunday mornings for breakfast! – The setting is gorgeous, and the chilaquiles I ate may just be the best I have ever had in my life.
One last little treat was the new hot-dog stands that now set up around the main square (by the parish) from about midnight to 5am, which is a great spot to stop after (or in between) the clubs for a little snack to get you going, or to end up the night!

Within town, Justin and I got to visit and experience new streets, walked up hill for about 30 minutes to a place where you can see the entire historic centre from above, and we discovered a beautiful park behind the Parish.

Just outside of San Miguel, about a 15 minute drive, there are various natural hot springs which you can visit for about CDN$5 per person. The one we visited had a man-made cave which kept the water extremely warm and created a sort of steam room as the vapor remained enclosed within the walls of the cave.
San Miguel is known as being one of those points in Earth which have natural healing properties (due in large part for the high concentration of minerals in the earth and in the water). What better way to take advantage of the healing properties of this Magical place than to dip in one of it`s many hot springs!

Justin`s Birthday:
Justin was lucky enough to celebrate his 25 birthday in style in San Miguel. The night started with 2 for 1 Margaritas and appetizers at the rooftop patio in Nirvana, followed by drinks and octopus at La Azotea Restaurant, before going to party until morning at El Grito nightclub.
Being acquainted to the socialites of San Miguel, we got a special VIP treatment at El Grito nightclub, with two bottles of tequila (with Fresca to mix), continuous shots of a sweet mixture and a couple of tables right by the dancefloor for the mere price of CDN$10 per person!
The night was wrapped up with a couple of delicious street hot dogs at the stands by the Parish, followed by a 10am wakeup the following morning to go for Mexican breakfast at the Hacienda restaurant.

The Heart of Mexico
As mentioned on my previous post about San Miguel de Allende, this beautiful colonial town is known as the Heart of Mexico due to it`s integral role in the independence of the country. This pseudo name can also be used to the fact that San Miguel is literally in the centre of Mexico. San Miguel was a great middle point for us to be able to go to other cities and towns nearby well under two hours at the most.

Teotihuacan – The City of Gods

Only 45 minutes away from Mexico City, stands one of the world’s most impressive archeological marvels ever discovered – Teotihuacan.

Pyramid of the Moon and Pyramid of the Sun

Pyramid of the Sun

Avenue fo the Dead view from Pyramid of the Moon

Pyramid of Sun in Background

Stairs on temple of Quetzalcoatl

Columns outside Temple of Quetzalpapalotl

Teotihuacan began being built around 200BC, hundreds of years before the Aztec empire even arrived near the area. By the time the Aztecs arrived to Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City), the Teotihuacan people had already completely disappeared various centuries before. The name of Teotihuacan, which was given to the city by the Aztec people centuries later, means ‘city where gods are born’ or ‘city where men become gods’ — and in truth, the name is very fitting to the impressive site.

Again, despite being in ruins, the city of Teotihuacan is non the less outstanding. The two most awe-inspiring structures are the pyramid of the sun (the American continent’s tallest pyramid), and the pyramid of the moon, along with the smaller pyramids lined along the ‘Avenue of the Dead’ leading up to the Pyramid of the Moon. However, other structures in the archeological site are just as important to the understanding of how advanced the people of Teotihuacan were, and just as impressive to look at.

Entire palaces in ruins, extremely well preserved colourful murals depicting stories of gods and deities, figurines and details carved in stone and the unexplained mystery of why and how the people from this gigantic empire disappeared, have earned the Teotihuacan archeological site a UNESCO world heritage status.

The most amazing thing about Teotihuacan, other than being able to admire and climb the enormous pyramids, is that various excavations going on around the entire archeological site are still uncovering more and more structures. It’s great to be able to see these new discoveries just as they are being seen for the first time in perhaps an entire millenium!

Latin Metropolis: Mexico City

So I finally got to return to Mexico City as an adult, after not visiting the metropolis since I was 13.

The city to say the least is amazing. It is not the most beautiful city in the world, and it does have its share of problems (crime, pollution); however, for a city of over 19 million, the city is extremely clean and beautifully up-kept. Rows of trees line almost every street, making this one of the greenest cities I`ve ever been too, and cleaning crews keep the streets litter free.

The city has a fantastic mix of old, semi-old and new. In the city`s historic centre, you can admire the ruins of an 800 year old Aztec Temple overlooking a 450 year old Spanish Cathedral, with the `Torre Latinoamericna,` a skyscraper built in the 1950s, seen in the distance.

Another great thing about Mexico City is that there are so many things to see and do in and around the city that it will take you a while to get your fill. An interesting fact is that the Greater Area of Mexico City has more museums than any other city in the world, including London and Cairo! – Best part? No museum entrance costs more than CDN$5!

Courtyard inside the National Palace

Buildings around El Zocalo Square

Metropolitan Cathedral Bell Tower

Metropolitan Cathedral with Aztec Ruins in Foreground

Tower inside Chapultepec Castle

View of Mexico City from Chapultepec Castle

As the tourists that we were, we decided (through recommendation of our friends) to take the Turibus around the city (Mexico City`s hop-on hop-off system). This turned out to be a fantastic idea as it allowed us to move easily through the gigantic city, and ensured that we didn`t miss too many highlights of the city.
The Turibus takes you all over down Reforma Avenue (a 12km straight boulevard which runs right down the middle of the city), around Polanco (Mexico City`s up and coming business district), Chapultepec Park, La Condesa (Mexico City`s trendy neighbourhood), and the historic centre. During the 3.5 hour actual driving time, the bus passes by multiple monuments as well as through a mix of highly interesting old and modern architecture, and stops at various tourist stops, while narrating historical information and interesting facts about the city.
While on the top, uncovered deck of the bus, we were able to get some fresh air, some sun, while exploring the city. Of course, the best moments are when you are off the bus and exploring the city, attractions and museums, by foot!

El Zocalo (main city Square)
The Zocalo is not only one of the world`s biggest squares, but also plays an important part in the history of Mexico. Smack right int he middle of the Historic Centre, the entire area of the Square and the surrounding buildings were where the Aztec Empire of Tenochtitlan once stood. The Zocalo, which can hold over 200,000 people, is an outside Venue where Orchestras, public concerts, trading fairs, political rallies, and various other events are held. Historic Buildings surrounding the square make the Zocalo itself a good day`s worth of touring.

-National Palace
As an interesting fact, this building, built over 400 years ago, was built from the torn-down materials of the palace of Monctezuma II (former Mexico`s emperor at the time of the Spanish invasion).
The building itself is a grand European-styled colonial building, with various enclosed patios and gardens, beautiful wroth-iron handrails, carved stone, and gold-leaf details all around.
The National Palace works as the Parliament offices for the president and the federal government workers, but it`s also the home to a museum on the Mexican independence. The highlight of the National Palace for me were the tens of murals by Diego Rivera, depicting historic moments in the country`s history.

-Metropolitan Cathedral
This Gothic-styled Cathedral (which happens to be the oldest and biggest in the continent) was built with the stones of the torn-down Aztec Templo Mayor. The construction of the building took over 200 years to be fully completed!
The cathedral has 16 unique chapels along with the main room, all decorated with tens of life-sized religious figures, wooden carvings, and lots of gold!

-Aztec Ruins of the ‘Main Temple’
The leftovers of the Templo Mayor are perhaps one of the most amazing places to visit in Mexico City. Although in ruins, it is easy to see and feel the grandeur of the former main Aztec Temple when walking through the ruins. Many of the original stone carvings (snakes, people, gods and deities, etc.), as well as pots, utensils and jewelry found inside the tombs of the temple, have now been replaced with replicas or completely taken away, but the originals can now be seen in the museum built next to the ruins.
The most amazing piece found in these ruins (which is now inside the museum) is a large stone disc (a couple of metres in diameter) depicting the dismembered body of the Aztec deity Coyolxauhqui, who was murdered and dismembered by her brother, the god of war, and then thrown into the sky, where she became the moon. The disc is not only of great historical value, but it is also beautiful

Chapultepec Park
This enormous park fits right in with the size of Mexico City. It`d be hard to believe this enormous green space is in the middle of such a busy city if it was not for the towering sky scrapers that can be seen popping up above the trees.
Aside from being a green area, the park is also home to a few museums, a zoo, two huge man-made lagoons and an amusement fair.

-Chapultepec Castle
This castle, which sits atop a hill in the middle of  Chapultepec Park, has served a number of different purposes through its existence, as a military academy, as the home to emperors and presidents, and now as the National History Museum for the country.
The castle houses hundreds of paintings by artists from all over the world as well as antique furniture, clothing and utensils from the colonial area. Beautiful multi-level gardens and plazas adorn the castle`s outside, while terraces around it offer beautiful panoramic views of the city from various angles.

-National Museum of Anthropology
It is hands-down one of the best collections of ancient artifacts, carvings, statues and utensils in the world! Artifacts from over 50 pre-Hispanic cultures in Mexico cover the massive lower floor, along with replicas of aboriginal buildings from all around the country.
The top floor contains post-Hispanic cultural art, clothing and other utensils that are still utilized today by Mexican aboriginal people!
My favourites were by far the Mayan collection, as well as the huge Aztec calendar carved on a stone disc.

-Zoo
The zoo was cool for a couple of reasons. It not only housed animals that can be seen in any zoo, but also a few native Mexican animals that can only be seen there! – The zoo is huge, and best of all, it is a free attraction!

Southern Mexico
On our last day in the city, we decided to venture out of the city centre towards the south.

-University City
Believe it or not, the University City itself was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in the 90s. This is in part to the beautiful art displayed in a couple of the buildings, such as a 3D mural made by Diego Rivera, plastered into the facade of the Olympic Stadium, and the cube-shaped Library building, which contains ground to roof murals on the four outside walls of the building – the murals are made entirely of tiles.

-Coyoacan
Once a smaller town nearby the bustling metropolitan city of Mexico City, Coyoacan has now become a suburb of the city as the city centre continues to expand outwards.
We visited the town on a Saturday, to take advantage of the weekend market, where you can visit hundreds of locals selling everything from Mexican snacks (esquites – boiled or grilled corn with spices; snow cones; milk candy), to clothes, to souvenirs of all kinds.
Another main reason why we visited the area was to visit the Museum (and former house) of Frida Khalo. Not only do you get to see some (although few) of the Mexican artist`s pieces, along with some of the pieces by her husband Diego Rivera, but you also get to see their house with original furniture, books and decorations, and even get a glimpse into Khalo`s painful life by witnessing a couple of her body casts, family pictures, and her sorrowful journal.

*****

Mexico City has a lot more to offer, but we had run out of time, unfortunately! – A place I remember from my childhood which i recommend to any visitors is the floating gardens of Xochimilco, which, although a little hard to get to, are well worth it, and give you a glimpse into the way Tenochtitlan (Mexico`s former Aztec empire) used to look like.

Back to Real Life

Went on my two week vacation to Mexico with Justin (visited Mexico City, San Miguel, Guanajuato, Queretaro and a couple small towns nearby) – I will be posting about the trip in the coming days!

As soon as I returned, I went to my cousin’s wedding in Kelowna (in BC’s beautiful Okanagan) – It was the most beautiful wedding I’m sure I will ever go to. Beautiful vineyard setting and no expense spared on the delicious five course meal (after gourmet appetizers) and the endless different wines served with each course.

Spent the rest of the weekend visiting wineries (yea, wine tasting!) around the Okanagan with the family, and now it is back to real life.

The weather is beautiful in Vancouve,r although it seems to be getting cooler (after being around 35 degrees Celcius the past few days!) Excited about enjoying the next few weeks of summer.

Going tomorrow for my first day of work after 21 days off. Feels weird, but I’m suire I’ll jump right into it. Wish I could have the entire summer off… not likely, really.

Looking forward to writing about my travels and posting some pictures. Hope everyone is enjoying this summer!

Air Canada vs. West Jet – Guest Perspective

I promised that I would compare Canada’s two main National Airlines, as I got to travel with both on my trip to Jamaica. I know it’s been two months now, but here it goes!

To tell the truth, both airlines are quite similar, and for the things that each lacks, they make up in other ways. I used to be a hardcore West Jet advocate, but that has since changed after traveling with them, and due to some issues regarding commissions to travel agents, which I’m not allowed to go into too deep.

Service
Air Canada’s flight attendants are snobby. I don’t know what it is, but  they act as if they are better than everyone else. Asking for a glass of water when it is not bar service seems to be asking for a little too much, based on their reactions. The flight attendants don’t smile most of the time, and when they do, it seems fake and extremely forced.

West Jet on the other hand has very friendly staff. Everyone from the check-in person, to the pilot and the flight attendants greets you with a genuine smile and goes out of their way to meet your needs. The airline is known for making jokes to bring down the stress of traveling – however I found the jokes to be a little irritating after a while. Sometimes you just want to sit and relax without being constantly interrupted by the flight attendant trying to be funny (and failing at least 50% of the time) over the speakerphone. – I guess at least they’re trying.

Professionalism
Despite being snobby, I can say that Air Canada remains professional. They don’t go out of their way to give great customer service, but they do their job well. What Air Canada desperately needs is some training in customer service, to make their staff a little more pleasant to their guests.

West jet on the other hand is a little more laid back – This doesn’t mean, however, that they are unprofessional by any means! Their work culture is just a little more down to earth. They are better at relating to their guests and act like they are one of us, which in a way makes people like me feel more comfortable – I can see some business clients not liking this type of service, but for the remaining 98% of the population, i think it works great!

Entertainment
Both airlines have the little screen in the back of every chair, which is great, as you can choose what kind of entertainment you get during your flight.

Both of the airlines have a number of channels of TV you can watch, and offer movies as well. The difference? Air Canada offers about 5 to 8 new movies along with at least 30 classics that you can choose for free. West Jet on the other hand offers only the new blockbusters, for which you need to pay $6 per movie.

Along with the free movies and TV channels, Air Canada also offers a list of over 150 NEWLY RELEASED songs, which you can listen to if you don’t have an iPod.  If you do and are worried about killing your battery, Air Canada’s entertainment system has an iPod charger outlet, as well as electricity outlets to charge other electronics during your flight.

Food and Bar Service
Believe me, I’ve traveled enough in the past few years to know that airlines no longer provide complimentary food service for flights under 6 hours.

With Air Canada however, i was surprised to see that you don’t even get a little pack of pretzels to keep you entertained and a little satisfied for 15 minutes. West Jet still provides either a crunchy pretzel & stuff mix or a cookie along with their bar service, where as Air Canada wants to charge you even for the snacks.

Both Airlines also only did one run of bar service per 4 hour flight, and everything else you had to ask for by pressing the flight attendant button, which summons the flight attendant – after about 20 minutes or so of waiting.

Food wise, both airlines do offer meals that you can purchase for $5 to $8. Alcoholic drinks are the same with both airlines at $5 per drink.

—

I wouldn’t mind traveling with either Airline again, and probably will in the near future. I would also recommend both airlines to other people (as a customer, as well as a travel consultant), although I know that certain markets would prefer on over the other for various reasons.

And here goes my final rating (AC= Air Canada / WS= West Jet) — Hope that’s helpful!

SERVICE:                                   AC:8.0    WS:9.0
PROFESSIONALISM:                AC:9.0    WS:8.5
ENTERTAINMENT:                     AC:10.0  WS:8.5
FOOD & BAR SERVICE:            AC:7.5     WS:8.0

TOTAL SCORE:                             AC:8.6     WS:8.5

Danger…Danger… Blog Neglect – Action ASAP!

Once again I have just realized it’s been a few weeks since I write.

I neglected my little piece of public literary creativity, and i do apologize for it.

Life got in the way. Not in the fun “I’m too busy for technology” kinda way. More in the “I finally got my Sims 3 game to work (by buying a new computer)” way – the game is fun, I am slightly addicted, to say the least, but I have been, let’s say “investing” a lot of time into it and neglected doing other creative things like writing, both on works and on the blog.

It’s too late at night (slash early in the morning!) to write much, just wanted to say hello to everyone. I’m surprised and excited to see from my stats that, despite me not writing as often as I’d like (or as I should, to keep my readers entertained), more people have been reading my posts in the past few days than I would have ever anticipated.

Again, thanks for reading and check back – I promise to post at least one good last post before my trip to Mexico next Wednesday, and then again write about my travels once I return from the trip. Until then, feel free to explore my older posts – They go back to 2004, don’t tell me you’ve read every single one of them

Good night boys and girls, and write soon!

Sincerely,
Claus G