How to Survive your 30th Birthday, part 1

I didn't want to do it 10 years ago, and I sure as heck didn't want to do it now. I had been pulled kicking and scream into my 20's and now I was positive that a mid life crisis was just around the corner as I neared turning 30.

So I did what any self respecting mother of 2 would do. I snuck out early one Sunday morning and boarded a plane bound for another country; all in search of the girl I once was before all this turning 20 or 30 biz.

At first I would get envious glares when I mentioned I was stressed about getting my life if order before heading to Mexico. I'm sure leisurely walks on the beach sipping a pureed fruity beverage were part of their vision. But, when I added that I was visiting Mexico City, the looks morphed into looks of "Why on earth would you go there?"

I'll tell you why...this lady.

Noelle

My bud since I was 13 and the day my mother told me to be nice to the new Philippine family who had moved into our tiny branch and I immediately envisioned a little girl who didn't speak English and would follow me around like a lost puppy. But when she said, "What's up chick," I knew everything would be OK. In fact, it was better than OK. I had just met a girl with a heart as big as the world she travels and what would a 30 birthday be without her and my other girls who helped me survive high school.

Mexico City 2010

This is my "this is insane and I'm LOVING it" face!After surviving customs and re-centering with pot roast, Monday became my official first day in Mexico.

The morning began with offending the maid by starting to unload the dishwasher and making the kids breakfast, followed by the family (and the rest of Mexico - it was a national holiday = no school or work) venturing out to Xochimilco, or Mexico's version of a lazy day on the river/canals.

Remember, everything about Mexico is insane, then kicked up a notch. How we paddled around the canals = our boat's "horse power".

The Mexican version of a gondola.

I'm a huge fan of the reality show "No Reservation" which just happened to feature the Mexico City episode on the plane ride down. Coincidence? One place highlighted were these very canals, but more specifically...the island of the dolls. Legend has it that a young girl drowned and a local, who was haunted by her, hung dolls in the trees to calm her down. The result = scary tourist spot.

The actual island was 5 hours by boat, and since there were NO bathrooms available, we settled for this little tribute on trees along the way. It was enough to both scare and satisfy any desire I had.

Forgot food, toys, flowers, or music...no problem.They'll pull up, or jump, onto your boat and get crackin', even if you didn't ask them to...or even if you specifically requested them not to. Noelle had told me the corn, slathered in sun-warmed mayo, dripped with lime, then sprinkled with cheese and chili's was a must.
I excitedly devoured it while saying a prayer that this would not be the beginning of the end of my trip. We've all heard the horror stories of eating at a 5 star restaurant in Mexico then spending the rest of the trip in the bathroom. But Noelle had survived, right?I spent the next 8 hours asking, "Would I be sick by now?" 8 hours later I was still A OK, so we jaunted over to the quesadilla vendor for the HANDS DOWN BEST CHICKEN QUESADILLAS EVER.

Aside from them being yummy to the max, they were $1. Let's just say I frequented this little joint several evenings over the course of my stay. What a day!