The Lost Art of Writing Letters

 I think I must have written on this topic before. I've certainly thought a lot about it, since writing letters was such a big part of my early life before disappearing entirely with the advent of email.

It is early morning in Merida, Mexico as I listen to the birds, the bit of traffic going by, the psychotic dogs next door. If it were 1986 instead of 2026 and I had this quiet time sitting alone by an open window, I would "catch up on correspondence," as we used to say. 

Writing letters to family and friends, first answering those owed an overdue response before writing to a favorite who I know would appreciate my random thoughts and updates. 

Today, I would write to my mom about the grocery-shopping routine. How there is no mercado in this neighborhood; not even a fruteria--one of those small stores with fresh fruits and vegetables just around the corner. 

But there is a very nice Bodega Aurrora a fifteen-minute walk from my house. The Bodega is a fairly nice supermarket run by Wal-mart, and this is one of the nicest I've seen in Mexico, with an excellent produce section. I go every day, because I need a walk anyway and because I can't buy any more than I can comfortably carry back home in my shopping bags.

I would tell her what's in season. Mangoes! I can buy my favorite pear-shaped yellow variety in great quantity for a good price. 

Swiss chard, which I love and which my parents always grew in their garden. I don't know what the Spanish word is for it, but it is now in abundance and very cheap. Beets, broccoli and cabbage, always in season apparently, since they're always around at a decent price.

Mother would want to know what I've been eating. The usual, Mom. Fruit for breakfast, usually mango. But yesterday I had a smoothie with frozen fruit to make it thick and refreshing after a hot walk. Strawberries, bananas, and mamey blended together with strawberry and orange Zuco. 

The mamey fruit is smooth and creamy like an avocado, very sweet and delicious in a smoothie to thicken it up. Like the mango it's not always in season, but now it is.

Mom, for lunch I had a big salad on top of a sweet potato with spicy black beans. The sweet potatoes they call camote, and although, like the white potatoes, they are usually available, the price and quality vary. I couldn't eat all my lunch, so I finished it off at dinner with a side of steamed broccoli. 

My mom was always interested in what people ate, and her letters never failed to include her meals of the week. 

Oh, and she also liked to know the weather. She would be very interested to know that right now in Mexico, it is the rainy season with huge downpours that flood the streets. Today rain is forecast by noon. If I want to do a shopping walk before it rains, I need to get out early. 

And of course, this is often how a letter closed: "I need to get ready for the day and do this or that important task, so I will say goodbye for now." Love, Karen

Reflections on the A to Z Challenge: Comments and Follows

This will be short as I am all blogged out. But I enjoy reading others' reflections post, and so I will assume you might like to read mine. 

Mostly though it is to say thank you to all those who followed along this month, reading my posts and commenting. You are what kept me going.

And a big thank you to the many participants who wrote good posts on interesting themes. When I join this Challenge, it is either because I need a boost to get back into posting or because I am seeking new blogs to follow. 

I have no idea how many blogs I follow here-- hundreds probably, since I've been doing it since 2010 or whenever I first started Coming Down the Mountain. But they don't limit you from following so why not? If I like your posts and find your subject matter interesting, then I figure the blog deserves a follow. If I really like your blog, and you return comments, then you go on my Sidebar. 

This year was no different, as I found many I enjoyed and look forward to visiting again and again. I won't name them since I don't want to leave anyone out, but if I kept showing up and commenting then you know who you are.

For those interested in adding your blog to the Reflections list or in going to visit others, here is the official post to do so: April Blogging from A to Z Challenge: #AtoZChallenge 2026 Reflections

Zanahoria and Zapatos

Much of Mexico and all of Guatemala is a land of volcanoes. The small country of Guatemala (it is the size of the state of Ohio) has over 100 volcanoes. Volcanic ash over centuries apparently enriches the soil. Check out this zanahoria my son is holding up in a Guatemalan market.

And now you know what my letter Z stands for. A little stand near my apartment in Xalapa sells fresh-squeezed juice of various kinds: orange, mandarin, beet, mixed green vegetables, and carrot. I love carrot juice and my order is always jugo of zanahoria.

This bag holds one kilo of juice and costs 35 pesos (2 USD). As you can see with the pineapple in the background, the volcanic soil grows nice large fruit as well. 

Let me tell you something about the love affair between Mexicans and their zapatos, which is my other Z word. There are more shoe stores in a mall than any other kind of shop. Entire blocks of downtown areas are given to shoe stores. Mexicans love their shoes. Many of them are made in the country, in their own factories. If you want unusual or fancy sport shoes, for example, come shopping in Mexico.

These are covered in silver glitter and so fun to wear. The shoes below are made from plastic but look like white tennis shoes. They have no laces, just slip on and off, especially great when one has to walk outside during the rainy season, as they repel water and are easy to wash and keep clean. I bought them in Merida. I've never seen them anywhere else.

I also have a pair of sport shoes that are a shiny gold, fancy enough to wear with a long skirt, as in this picture from my son's wedding. We are both wearing unconventional zapatos. I'm also wearing an ankle brace from a fractured ankle bone, which determined my decision for flat comfortable shoes. Gold ones worked well.

Whenever I'm in America and wear shoes bought in Mexico, I get compliments. "Love your shoes! Where did you get them?"

And I say, Mexico!

Yucatan Peninsula

 The Yucatan Peninsula is a mecca for tourism due to Cancun, which was built up in the 1990s to expand the tourist industry in Mexico, especially since Acapulco had deteriorated somewhat due to cartel expansion and infrastructure collapses. 

Cancun became wildly popular, growing faster than they could keep up with. If you've been to Mexico on vacation, it's likely you stayed in Cancun, in one of the full-service resorts lined up along the beautiful Caribbean beaches.

The city itself has little to offer outside the nice hotels and resorts. Best to stay in your all-inclusive resort and avoid wandering around other areas. If you want to go visit any ruins, such as Chichen Itza, book it through your resort and all will be well. 

A day's ride from Cancun, in the state of Yucatan, lies the city of Merida. This is a beautiful place and a huge favorite with expats and tourists. Just as Cancun is famous for its high crime rate, Merida is famous for its low crime rate, marked as one of the safest cities in not just Mexico but in the American continent. One can safely walk through these neighborhoods and parks without fear, day and night.

I did it. I took the horse and carriage ride through the downtown streets.

Forbes has ranked Merida three times as one of the three best cities in Mexico to live, invest and do business. In 2022, the UN-Habitat's City Prosperity Index recognized Merida as the city with the highest quality of life in Mexico.

It has a tropical climate, which means the summers can be unbearable for North Americans and Europeans, easily getting to 100 and over. Because of the city's wealth and tourism, air conditioning is widespread in even small stores and restaurants. Still, it attracts a large expat population who rent or buy homes and apartments. Really nice Airbnbs are plentiful. As well as very nice restaurants specializing in the local Mayan cuisine. Outdoor dining is popular.

The Yucatan peninsula was central to the ancient Maya lands and cities. Merida features their arts and crafts in overwhelming beauty and abundance.

Check out these ceilings....

Not far from Merida, are the pyramids of Uxmal and Chichen Itza, both very well maintained and major tourist sites. The whole of Mexico has ruins. Bruce and I have been to quite a few sites in both Mexico and Guatemala, Tikal being one of the largest in Guatemala. But none of them compared to the obvious financial support given to Uxmal and Chichen Itza, due to the huge influx of tourists that visit the Yucatan Peninsula year-round.

The large pyramid at Chichen Itza

Merida has gorgeous colonial architecture from the Spanish era, since it is the city where government officials came to live with their families. One can tour a reconstructed Spanish home from centuries ago. I could quite make myself at home here, living in luxury. No air conditioning though. They probably had servants fanning people with giant palm leaves.

That's it for Y. Tomorrow is the last day of the alphabet. Fortunately, Spanish uses a lot of Z words.

 I hope you have enjoyed touring through Mexico and other LATAM expat destinations this month. I sure have enjoyed sharing my experiences and appreciated all the comments and interest.

Xalapa

 I showed a little bit of Xalapa in my U is for Uphill post. Xalapa is a very old city located in the misty mountains, the capital of the state of Veracruz. This is my first time visiting. I am staying 4 months and hope to return next year for 5 months. 

It is a city for summer. Even March was too cold for me. April to September are perfect months to stay in Xalapa. This city has many beautiful parks. It's a great place for birdwatchers. So far, I have only gone to the parks within walking distance. This is part of the playground at a downtown park. 

Xalapa is located about fifty miles from Orizaba Peak, the highest volcano in North America at over 18,000 feet. It is the second highest volcanic peak in the world, after Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa. I took this photo from my kitchen window one unusually cloudless morning.

Xalapa is the site of the annual Orchard Festival, located in a little town on the outskirts of the city. It is always held end of March, early April as this is when the climate is most conducive for these sensitive flowers. I have no idea what these orchids are called, but they are just a few of the beautiful flowers we saw on display during the festival.

Okay, now I am saving the best for last. Xalapa has an archeological museum where $4.00 gets you a ticket to walk around viewing original giant Olmec heads and other artifacts from the Olmec period, which is the earliest known Mesoamerican civilization. It began around 1200 BC and disappeared around 400 BC for unknown reasons.

My daughter and I spent two hours here. Below are a few of our photos of these magnificent archeological wonders.

This final statue shows a man, likely a father holding his dead son. The man's mouth is open, which signifies a warrior, and probably the son killed during a battle or war. The face is so expressive, showing grief, captured in a sculpture of stone. It's worth a trip to Xalapa just to see the archeologic museum.

Why Mexico?

 I'm using W for Why Mexico simply because no other W word flew into my head. To write a full post on Why Mexico seems repetitive, since pretty much every post during this Challenge is about Why Mexico. 

Weather. Proximity to the US. Economy. More relaxed lifestyle. Friendly people. The opportunity to gain more fluency in a second language. Physical and Emotional health benefits.

Therefore, I will use this post to answer any questions anyone has for me about Why Mexico? Or anything else you might want to ask after following my April posts.

Meanwhile, here are a few more photos of Mexico specifically, since it's the country (outside of my home country) where I have spent the most time.

 

Tropical fruit with taste and price far superior to US prices. I can hardly tolerate bananas at the American supermarket after eating the ones here. American bananas taste like a storeroom.

The best diet cola you will ever taste, sold only in Mexico. Pepsi Kick. And I spend a lot of time outdoors walking. Being outside in the fresh air makes me happy.

Ruins of a once great people who covered the land. I love ruins. In another life, I would have been an archeologist.

And there is this. It's a fairly simple process to obtain residency in Mexico. The green card.

And last but not least.....

                                                    STREET TACOS!!

Any questions?

Veracruz

In 2020, I scheduled a 3-month trip to Veracruz for January through March. We all know what happened in 2020. By March, not knowing how bad this would be and worrying about airport crowds and flights getting cancelled, I took advantage of Delta's Covid-era offer to cancel or change flights without penalty. 

Besides, from the minute I walked into my Airbnb, I felt at home and never wanted to leave. Staying past March sounded great to me.

Maybe it was this chair that looked so much like Bruce's office chair. I never sat in it. I sat on the bed and looked at it, sometimes talking to it (him.) It was not even two years since he had passed away, and I still had not figured out how to handle the grieving process.

Or this beautiful site as I walked toward the sea. I truly felt like I was someplace else, and I really, really wanted to be someplace else. Far away from hospitals and cold air-conditioning and cold winters and everything since 2018 that had chilled me to the bone. I had come to Veracruz to get warm.

And Veracruz, a tropical climate along the Gulf of Mexico, is indeed warm. The city center itself is beautiful with striking architecture, walkable streets, lovely parks.

From my Airbnb, all of this was within easy walking distance. Sunny skies and high 70s in January and February. A nice beach, interesting scenery, an Airbnb at $300 a month where they cleaned twice a week, changing towels and bedding. Is it any wonder I didn't want to leave all this and go back to the Covid mess in the US? 

Covid did come to Mexico later, a few months behind America, but by then we had more information and clarification about it. It was not as frightening as it had been at first. This is how my three-month stay in Veracruz turned into a year, then another year, then finding a rental home and signing a three-year contract. 

I furnished it myself and I loved that house, in the same neighborhood as my Airbnb.

Course I was happiest when it was filled with my people who came to visit.

Even when they came in July and got completely knocked out by the heat and humidity.

Peter is ready for the beach! As in any house, it is the ones you love who come and make it a home.

Until one thing led to another, and it came time to leave this house and this city and go back to Utah. I sold my furniture to local people. Apparently, good, used furniture for sale is difficult to find in Mexico.

I don't regret leaving that rental home. It was time. I will still return to Veracruz, though, and stay at the Airbnb that first welcomed me and my broken heart in 2020.