The Best of Both Worlds

One week to go in January, then just four more till I close the chapter on my teaching career.  Lots of good memories, but it is definitely time to go. 

The weekend came and went, and it was a busy one.  On Friday night I decided to take the two new Australian guys in my house to a club called Mama Rumba for the classic, Mexico City salsa experience.  We started out by getting a few drinks at the Leon del Oro, a cantina right around the corner from my place.  I had been passing it on the way home from work all year, but never stopped in until a couple of weeks ago.  When you think of the word “cantina”, swinging wooden doors and tumble weed come to mind.  Although there are indeed many places just like that, in general they are simply watering holes set up with maybe a couple of mariachis wandering about looking for you to buy a song off of them.  The Leon del Oro is simple, but it entirely fits the bill for conversation with friends around a few beers.  Its pretty big and spacious inside, with good lighting and prompt service.  No special decoration on the yellow tiled walls, just a few televisions tuned to ESPN. 

So after getting the pre-party going, we took a cab up insurgentes to the most happening salsa club, with the hottest music in the city.  Everybody in Mexico knows Mama Rumba, and if you want to dance it is where you need to go.  We weren’t specifically looking to dance so much as meet some chavas, but if we could learn a few steps in the process, then all the better.  It wasn’t as crowded as I had remembered it, but still packed, and the music was blazing. The band they have there is fantastic: three guys on horns, a keyboardist, a couple guys on percussion, two on guitar, one on bass, and four or five girls up front with maracas singing into the mics.  I would be content just to listen to the wonderful music, but the girls there just wont let it happen.  The second you stop to take a break, someone is coming up to dance with you.  In the U.S. you would probably take this as a pick up opportunity, but it isn’t necessarily the case here.  People simply want to dance, and if they see someone to dance with…well then you are going to get asked.  Dancing in Mexico seems a bit like a sport, people have a passion for it, practice hard, and go out and do it on the weekends. 

It didn’t take very long for the aforementioned scenario to develop, and at one point we actually had two groups of girls trying to dance with us.  I wouldn’t say they were “fighting over us”, but there were a few snide comments from one girl about us “being better than those chicks.”  Ha!  All it takes is a few blonde, blue eyed Englishmen, and we have already stolen the attention of the Mexican girls. 

Finally around three or so everything was dying down, and we made our way out.  I was completely beat, and me and one of the other guys, Tim, took the first cab we cold find back home.  I had 8 kms to run the next day, and he didn’t have anything to do, but went home anyway.