Once Upon A Time in Mexico (Continued)...

Once Upon A Time In Mexico...

Mayaland

The traditional Mexican dancers take a break to count the tips they've made

Custom Mexican dress

"Blue Agave The Future of Yucatan"
(Tequila Plant Fields)

Young girl selling handmade purses and bracelets on the side of the road

handmade wood carvings

Super Market at Isla Mujeres

Innocence in a state of deep thought
He Stole my heart. I wonder what he was thinking. 

La Hacienda Mortero - Cancun, Mexico
03/2012

I know what you're thinking...What the hell was I thinking, traveling to Mexico amidst the drug wars, kidnappings, and crazy violence going on right now. Well...I was thinking..."Cheap Air Fare & Hotel Rates? WooHoo!" Haha. No, No, I swear I am not as reckless as I sound. I of course did my research before deciding to go on this trip and was sure to stay in the "Safe Zones." 

I've always had an obsession with traditional Mexican culture. With my plethora of food allergies, I am the least allergic to Mexican food. Needless to say, it's my favorite. Including my undying love for Tequila. The typical  Mexican music is known as Mariachi & Ranchera, which happens to be one of my favorite types of music (i.e. Javier Solis, Lola Beltran, Vicente Fernandez).  Not to mention my favorite painter of all time, Frida Kahlo, whom is also from Mexico. Okay I can go on for days, so a long story short, I couldn't pass up on the opportunity to go! Who knows when would be the next time that I could afford this trip? 

Now was the time, So be it.

While in Mexico I was tempted to ask the cab driver about his take on the negative turmoil that Mexico seems to be facing right now and how he feels about the way their President is handling it. He seemed a bit surprised at first of what I was asking, but happily engaged in conversation with me regarding the topic. According to him, a lot of the violence and drug wars for the most part were taking place in Northern Mexico (the cities located nearest the United States). Which makes sense being that a lot of the guns being used by these drug trafficking gangs are coming from the U.S. That's the cycle, they provide us with drugs and we provide them with weapons. The gangs, otherwise known as Cartels, in an attempt to dominate one another and take over control have left Mexico in a state of terror,panic, and violence. And the people of Mexico have reason to believe that their President is involved. During his term of presidency, the rate of organized crime, violence, and drug trafficking has only increased.

Mexico is such an amazing, inspiring, and colorful country with so much culture and history. It's sad to hear of the turmoil they are facing right now. We can only pray and hope that things get better for them. I loved every minute of my stay in Mexico, and can't wait to go back. Hopefully I'll be able to further explore the country one day when the chaos has finally ceased.

...More Pictures Soon To Follow...

"Money Is The Anthem...of Success. So Before We Go Out, What's Your Address?"

I happened to come across artist, Lana Del Rey about a couple of months ago when I clicked on her Born To Die video while I was surfing YouTube. The title and dramatic sound of the song caught my attention. But it wasn't until I heard her song Blue Jeans that I cared enough to research more of her music. I Love it, her sound is Ironic, an angelic voice reciting cut-throat lyrics (which she happens to write herself). Half of the time when I'm listening to the lyrics of her songs, I'm thinking, "Wait, did she really just say that?!".It's actually pretty funny when you think about it, with an undertone of gloom. Which is what makes her music that much more interesting to listen to. Not your typical, bubble gum princess-pretty girl meaningless banter that most mainstream female artists offer nowadays.
When I Google searched Lana's name I noticed that most of the articles featured, were of people criticizing and bashing her style, her lips (claims of having collagen induced lips), and calling her fake due to the fact that she changed her real name, Lizzie Grant to Lana Del Rey to create a stage persona. My opinion on all of that: So What?!  I think people need to ease up on the hater-ade and really appreciate her work.
Have we forgotten that so many famous and influential artists' rise to fame has been through creating a stage persona? i.e. David Bowie, Madonna, Iggy Pop, Lady GaGa, Bob Dylan,etc. etc. And who cares if her lips are collagen injected or not? What matters here is her raw talent, her lyrics, her sound, her voice. It's rare, especially in today's music industry that seems to be filled with hollowed-out emotion.
Anyhow I posted this video, "National Anthem" because I find it catchy, and humorous in a satirical sense. I believe that this song is poking fun of the "American Dream". The fast life, the money, the cars, the diamonds, the drugs, the sex. The chorus repeats "Money is the anthem, of Success". When I hear this song, I can't help but be reminded of  the cult classic film, "Scarface".