The Trip Back From Mexico

It's interesting I usually push for my international trips to be as long as possible in order to get the most juice out of the squeeze, but these short and sweet trips aren't bad either. It's sort of like eating the cherry and fudge off a sundae and throwing the rest away.

Houston airport has this really amazingly decorated Japanese restaurant that I am compelled to take pictures of each time I pass.

We stood at baggage claim back in Seattle for some time watching the dregs until they turned the conveyor belt off. I already knew what happened. There was a mint condition version of my suitcase remaining. Some knucklehead kid from a school group had clearly taken the wrong bag. This was especially funny because I've been using the same suitcase for like 15 years. I think Tom bought Angelica and I matching ones perhaps. It looks like total ass, all of the zipper handles are gone which I actually like because it makes it harder to open. So a person would have to be a special kind of stupid to confuse this never used thing for my green warhorse. We talked to the airline people and the police a bit. They returned it the next day but we were going to file a police report if they did not. That little puke better not mess with the half bottle of good tequila I have in there.

A Mexican Wedding

We had another day to ourselves in lovely Monterrey, Mexico before the wedding reception that we came to Mexico for.

The Hotel Kavia Monterrey did a good job serving as our temporary home and had a great terrace. The weather wasn't really right to go out there but maybe next time.

We had an errand to take care of back at the hotel but we brought some snacks from a convenience store for our trouble.

The fact that we traveled during covid with the possibility that we would test positive and not be able to return home is actually insane. We would be trapped in any number of places by now if any of these tests went the wrong way. This was actually a really good country for it because they came and did it in the hotel lobby for us, instead of us having to navigate the Mexican healthcare system on our own, which would have been unpleasant.

Winner!

We booked another fancy meal, this time for lunch, at Koli Cocina de Origen.

I've just been on a peppery drink kick on this trip. I ordered a Spicy Ananas containing Hennessy vsop, piña asada, licor de chile ancho

This was a

Passion Beer

Don Julio reposado, maracuyá y cerveza rrey mexican ipa

I liked that the kitchen had windows so I could watch the staff doing their magic in between courses. I think one team was working on our dessert the entire time were there. Also we were the only diners so it was obvious that everything all these people were doing was just for us.

This was like Bob Ross paint palette type situation.

Tropical Sour

Beefeater, citricos, te verde tropical

Open heart surgery? Nope. It's a guy working on my fish.

Mulata Daiquiri

Havana 7, licor de cacao oscuro

All of that magic was about $164, which is a pretty damn good deal if you ask me.

We checked out Parque Fundidora, built in what once were the grounds of the Monterrey Foundry, the first steel and iron foundry in Latin America.

Some sort of Pokemon Go event had drawn weirdos to swarm all over the park. I told a few of them if they were so good at catchin' them pokeymans maybe they should go out and catch a job.

A couple of pokenerds entering Museo del Acero Horno 3.

This place was a museum built out one of the actual steel blast furnaces.

There was a cool elevator ride thing to the top.

So proud to see Seattle making it in the world.

The museum part was largely for kids but it was still pretty entertaining.

My favorite part was this luchador Mexican wrestlers acting out the different chemical reactions of metal production. Why couldn't all of highschool chemistry class have been like this?

It took us a while to find Viry's brother's wedding reception inside the Punto Valle shopping mall.

This was probably the fanciest wedding reception I've ever heard of let along been to. There was maybe a ten person band on stage, there were actual friggin' fireworks, bubbles, and the food was amazing. Definitely worth flying across the continent for.

I was given the advice to bribe the waiter early on so that he would keep the drinks coming. That plan worked as expected. I got pretty drunk on fancy tequila and spent a lot of time talking to Lolo's French parents. His dad said I look like Tom Hanks, which is what I'm always trying to tell Lydia. Famous face! There was also a very funny bathroom attendant who insisted on practicing his English with me during my frequent trips to the restroom.

Our friend Amy and her dude from St. Louis also made the trip and were seated at our table, which was nice to have someone to talk to. I thought the fact that we didn't know the bride or groom and yet were all invited was pretty amusing. Our low status was made evident by the fact our table was in the far corner of the building. Fine by me. The tequila was still the same amount of wet over here.

Lolo was looking dapper. I think me and the other American guy were literally the only human males in the building not wearing black suits.

Late in the early hours of the morning there was even a hangover food course.

These people know how to party.