It feels like it has been a while since I drew the last siesta-dog. That´s what I call them. This guy was snoozing in front of my favourite taco stand at the mercado. I loved their tacos because they made them with blue corn tortillas and some papas fritas on top. The best!
Of the three different kinds of salsa on the table, I could only have one of them – the mildest – which was still super hot for my taste and I actually like spicy… Can you handle spicy salsa?
That huge pavillon is on the central square of Malinalco with the mercado spreading around it.
I cannot remember what they were serving at the stand. Tacos maybe? Would love to have one right now with salsa picante!
Another one from the mercado. I miss my daily dose of avocados.
The big light brown fruits on the table are mameys. I tried them several times and never was sure if I actually like them or not. They are a bit too sweet for my taste.
This one did not quite turn out as I wanted it to. I think I was too tired and forgot all about leaving white spaces. And then it was too late to change it.
In addition, the view from my balcony. Yes, you can see plenty of fresh snow up in the mountains…
Another one from the mercado in Malinalco. The bigger market always takes place on Wednesdays and Saturdays, where you find a vast amount of stands with all kind of goods.
During the other days it is a bit smaller and limited to the central square and one long street.
And the in between picture.
I still have about 1/3 of my sketch book left to fill. So a few more will follow… Also this way I keep remembering the sun and amazing food while being under the blanket back home in Iceland.
200+ followers! Thank you so much and I’m very happy that others seem to enjoy my “Mexican snap shots”!
Mexico gave me so much, beside the sun and amazing food. It is a fascinating inspirational place and I am planning to make another series of drawings once I am done with Malinalco. I also have other projects planned, so keep following. And with friends we started working on a children´s book inspired by Iceland. Yes, I am back in Iceland and it is snowing….
Meanwhile one of the street sellers at the mercado in Malinalco where I went almost daily to get my dose of vegetables, fruits and tacos. I love the colours and liveliness of the place.
“What have you got in that bag?” the dog must have thought when the girl passed by.
Or what do you think?
Actually I love how this one turned out. I did not expect it.
My time in Malinalco sadly has come to an end and I am back in La ciudad de México (CDMX). I still have several unfinished drawings that I am working on, so you will still get to see some more of my impressions of that little Pueblo Mágico.
I feel so much better this time around in CDMX than 3 weeks ago, as I am now able to converse somewhat in Spanish after studying every day, and I am also better used to the altitude and air pollution. So I spend my days walking around enjoying the sun, eating a lot of street food, and I have been visiting one art museum per day.
I have already planned a whole series of drawings inspired by the capital, but those have to wait until I am back in Iceland next week . Unfortunately I’ll be leaving Mexico earlier than planned as a job opportunity came up, so it will be back to grown up life for now. But I will most certainly be back in this fascinating and inspiring country. Until then I am looking forward to my 4 day stopover in NYC next week. Never been, don´t know what to expect.
Meanwhile on the streets of Malinalco during one of my late afternoon walks.
I really love strolling through the market and eat tacos, sweats and whatnot. We bought some really delicious fish from this lady, fresh from the local river. She gutted them right there.
I went for a walk with my friend, the poet.
He showed me his favourite street, which is this one, overhung with trees that are in bloom right now. The street lights illuminated the colours beautifully in the dusk.
I tried to do a more watercoloury drawing style, but I think the paper is not really suitable for it. I still like how it turned out though.
There is this absolutely lovely tiny old lady in my street. She must be 75+ and is half my size. She is there every day all day, sitting in the sun with her two dogs, selling whatever they have straight from the garden. Sometimes her friend, man about the same age, joins her for a chat.
I go almost daily to buy mangos, avocados or granadillas which I had never tasted before but now love.
Every Wednesday is market day. There are plenty of street dogs around, either patiently waiting for leftovers or simply using the shade to take a nap.
Nice to see that the people and dogs at the market are very polite to each other.
I had to draw “bike girl”. That’s how I call her. She was part of a group of spring breakers.
I’m also trying to work on my style. What do you think?
I feel like I should mention the beach at least once. Although I was too busy just lying there, doing absolutely nothing and loving it.
There were two big palm trees on the public beach that provided a good amount of shade. So a lot of people gathered under them.
It was also the time of spring break when I arrived there, towards the end of March. I had no idea. Luckily this public beach was relatively empty as it is rather “far off” from the resort area.
This is the last one from my bike tour around Tulum. These guys are selling tepache de piña, a fermented pineapple drink. Unfortunately I did not get to try it yet.
Otherwise you can find a lot of really cool street art around Tulum.
And then there was this place who probably got rid of the guy who did the spelling… No, the name of the place is not Restaun. I checked.
Mexican lady in flowery Mayan dress, cycling down the street on this tricycle thing. Another beetle in the background.
What can I say, I took a lot of photos of dogs. This one just stood there for a while not sure what to do next. Then he started to wander off.
Another truck. I enjoyed watching them while they were throwing boxes and bottles up and down.
Observation: There is so much green around here.
Encountered these two on my bike tour around town. It seemed to me that it was the big brother who had to pick up the little one, but big brother was not too excited about walking down the street with little brother.
What struck me most, the first time I visited Mexico, was the diversity of culture, landscapes, nature, people and especially the extreme poverty and wealth, and everything in between, that can be seen at every corner.
On the first windy and cloudy day since arrival, I seized the opportunity and went for a cycle around the town of Tulum. I don´t want this to become a travel blog but rather put down some random impressions that I got along the way. Like this girl who ran after her pug to catch him, after he had escaped from the house.
When you look up Tulum, you get all those beautiful beach photos, the ruins and the expensive beach resorts that will cost you 200$ plus per night.
What most people wont see are the slums in the middle of the forest, where people most likely live of 200$ per month, situated right between those fancy resorts and the town centre.
I usually don´t take a lot of photos, but Tulum had a lot of beautiful street art, even in the poorer parts, that I tried to capture because of the colours.
Melanie Franz 