Explorations

Sculptures like this one are all over the city.
This one welcomes you to the "Zona Centro" or Downtown.

Roaming Monterrey

The rest of the week wasn't so bad.... I think I actually enjoyed teaching. I think the first day went horribly wrong because my expectations of what second graders were like were way off the mark. But luckily, I've been blessed with an ability to learn quickly and adapt! :)

Our first real weekend in Monterrey was spent roaming around. We decided to go downtown with a couple of other Canadians, Monique & Jamilla. We strolled around the "Barrio Antiguo", which is basically like the Xintiandi of Shanghai, and the Ximending of Taipei, but with authentic old buildings. Nothing much was happening on the Saturday afternoon,but it was pretty nonetheless!

Several hours later, this street in Barrio Antiguo will be hopping!

Kris, Marion & Jamilla in Barrio Antiguo

We then wandered over to Morelos, a pedestrian street that was bumping and hopping with loud music. Turns out there a gazillion stores and hidden malls all along this area!

Monique & Jamilla on Morelos.

We stopped for lunch at some little taco place.
I got a torta (which turned out to be a sandwich), and they got yummy Entomatadas.

We finished off our downtown tour by taking a look at the main square, the Macro Plaza, and of course, making sure we didn't miss the giant Faro del Comercio (or the "Beacon of Commerce").

An old cathedral at the Macro Plaza.

The Beacon of Commerce.
It spins its brilliantly bright green laser for miles and miles at night
- reminding us all that commerce is king here in Monterrey.

On Sunday, we just toured our insanely rich neighbourhood. Of course, there was nothing we could afford to buy, except the restaurants were surprisingly cheap. We ended at Tochumbo, an ice cream place. They serve fruity sherbert-type "helados", and we had our first, and probably last, taste of "mango-chile" flavoured ice cream.