The ultimate Mexican experience - Fandango

You travel a lot. Or you want to travel. So what kind of traveler are you? The comfort seeking, all-inclusive, tourist type, or an adventurous explorer? If the second, how do you find the genuine experience far away from tourist traps, chain restaurants and cafes where a local person would never go?
What do you do when you arrive in a country where you have never been before and you live in a city where you do not know anyone? How do you meet the locals and find out where to go out?

After arriving in Xalapa, our first Dream Year destination, Gunnhild, my flatmate and a fellow Dreamer, and I, we did not really know what to do with ourselves. We have never been to Mexico before, and we did not know that much about our new city. First nights we spent alone watching Frida and Midnight in Paris which did not help us to meet any locals.
If you ever find yourself in this kind of situation - do not despair! Couchsurfing is the way to go. Some of you may know it. If not you should check it out, I strongly recommend it. Long story short, we posted on a local CS forum that we were looking for someone who could show us around. Quite soon we got a response, and we got invited to a party that was supposed to take place in a private house outside the city.

We did not know what to expect, but we decided just to follow the locals. After a half an hour ride we ended up in a forest. Or maybe let’s call it a jungle so you can imagine better how it looked like. It was very dark and we had no idea where we were. The only thing that we were able to see was a weak light coming from a nearby building.  

We entered, and we were amazed from the very beginning. We found ourselves in a very old Mexican house, and it seemed that the time stopped there. In the kitchen, there were plenty of dried herbs and flowers, jars with spices and seeds, pots and plates that looked as if they were 100 years old. And maybe they were actually. The house was decorated with handcrafted objects, pictures and art.   

The house was full, and there was a party going on. We entered and we were amazed by what we saw; being in this colorful place full of music, art, positive vibe and interesting people felt like being in Wonderland. Or like in the movie about Frida Kahlo. We were watching with our eyes wide open and could not believe our luck that we ended up there.

It was not an easy task to blend in. Two ‘gringas’ (as they call us here), tall blond, green eyed girls among dozens of Mexicans who looked like two white sheep in a herd of the black ones. Still, everybody was so welcoming and open, inviting us to try the food, telling us more about the party and entertaining us for the whole night. I guess, we were a bit of an attraction for them as well.



As we found out, the people gathered there were a group of friends, many of them artists doing music, theater and photography.
It was a traditional party called Fandango, where they play traditional music from the region of Veracruz, el Son Jarocho. People were standing in a circle playing music, singing, and dancing. All improvised. All so spontaneous. And everybody seemed so happy.
Mexicans are excellent dancers, there is no doubt about that. That is why, if you happen to be invited to this kind of party, and you are used to European clubs with electro music, you may feel a bit uncomfortable (read embarrassed) about your dancing skills. We got some training from the locals though and we joined them.

I do not want to bore you to death with details. Instead, our dear readers, please have a look at the videos that we took especially for you:

On this one, Dreamer Marcela (dancing level: beginner) is being instructed how to dance properly

More adventures coming soon, stay tuned. 

Cheers, 

Marcela