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If we go to Mexico

21/6/2013

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The Wirld project kicked off in the beautiful country of Mexico on May 28th 2013, where the team visited Cancun, Monterrey and Mexico City.  See how the lads got on below:

Cancun

“We touched down at 5pm local time in Cancun and were instantly smacked by the 35 degree heat and realised that the Boots factor 30 wouldn’t last too long. We hopped on the local bus into downtown Cancun (and away from the craic) and eventually arrived at our hostel. Luckily the hostel was having a free tequila tasting session which was excellent for our tight budget! After about 6 or so, we decided to call it a night as in the morning we were going to see one of the 7 Wonders of the World: Chitchen Itza. Jet lagged and slightly hung over, we made it to Chitchen Itza, or as most Americans thought it was called: Chicken Pizza.  Once the tour finished and the word “tip” was mentioned we legged it.

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The following day we decided it was time to unleash our pasty and hairy Irish beach bodies to the world. We should have known that 3 hours at the beach and Westlife on the iPod would only lead to trouble. Worst sun burn of our lives! The Red Hot Chilli’s departed the beach for the airport and it only dawned on us how bad the burns were when people started calling us “Tomates” in the airport. The plane journey to Monterrey didn't help much as our feet swelled up and we could barely walk!

Monterrey

When we arrived at our host Pavel’s place that night, the look on his face as 3 red Irishmen walked in was quite memorable. Queue numerous days in bed in what we later labelled as the “Batcave”, Pavel’s underground bedroom. Needless to say that at our first pool party the following evening at a friend’s place, we went down a big hit as a source of entertainment and without a doubt created a lot of interest in the pastiness of Irish skin! Saturday didn't improve in terms of sunburn and the look of disgust was becoming normal! A BBQ turned into an impromptu Irish concert with us introducing Mexico to the wonders of Ronan Keating, Westlife and Galway Girl. That movie PS I Love You has done wonders for the Irish race!

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Our diet greatly improved on the Monday thanks to the introduction of Cornflakes. It beat the usual one meal a day which consisted of either tacos or Chinese food. We spent the next 3 days hibernating in the Batcave as we struggled to survive the worst of sunburns and the odd case of man flu. Upon shedding our final pieces of skin, we could finally step in to the outdoors again, and did some of basic sightseeing of museums and bars. Once back to full strength we felt it was time to up the ante in terms of spreading some Irishness through the beautiful medium of karaoke.  Our Friday and Saturday night out again ended up in an after party and Westlife blaring until all hours. I wouldn't be surprised if Westlife notice a spike in sales in the Mexico region over the coming weeks. God knows poor Shane needs the money.

As the budget had taken quite a hit, we felt it would be beneficial to hibernate back into the Batcave for the last few days to save for Mexico City. Poor Pavel is now a plastic Paddy if ever there was one and I don’t know for his sake if that is a good thing. A Mexican saying “How’s it going?” or “Any birds?” just doesn’t sit right. By this stage our Irish beach bodies had taken quite a hit thanks to the lovely world of tacos. We departed Monterrey with the hope of taking it easy in Mexico City. An awful call on our behalf. 


Mexico City

We arrived by plane, using the Ryanair owned Vivaaerobus, which is basically like Ryanair back in the nineties,  and took the metro to the city centre. At one stage a young girl with her mother actually pointed at us and said “Gringos mami, Gringos!”!. We got off the metro in the middle of Zona Rosa, which is the Mexican gay Mecca. It was basically a street with lads necking each other on every bench.

We stayed at a friend of a friend’s place who loves Ireland even more than we do and told us about endless nights in Dicey’s and Coppers. We visited the Zocalo which is the historic centre of Mexico and partook in some Irish dancing on the main plaza to the amusement of the locals. That night we decided that we should visit the local “Irish” bar. By Jesus it was twice as expensive as back home and the budget was smashed before the word tipsy could even be mentioned!

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The next morning we went to play football with a local team at 7am and share some Irish skills. They were not too impressed with the tactic of all men behind the ball and lump it as far as you can to the big man up front. Added to the fact that we could still taste the tacos from only hours earlier and you can imagine that the quality of football was not the finest. After a quick nap we headed off to Xochimilco: which is like the Grand Canal but even dirtier and with lots of beer. You can rent boats and a driver by the hour for €30 and drink beer and play music with about 20 friends. It only took about an hour before Westlife was blaring! We also met another big fan of Ireland who gave us an interview for The Wirld. Our last few days in Mexico City were spent eating as many tacos as possible with us almost the two meals a day barrier. I can’t feel my legs Sal! 

Mexico you have been amazing and more Irish than we expected. Next stop Venezuela!

The Lads 
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There's Something About Ireland: interview 2

19/6/2013

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I loved how Irish people were so friendly
During our trip to Mexico City we happened to meet Sandra Ortega, who works for Reebok and spent 4 months studying at Dublin City University in 2010. She shared her thoughts on Ireland with The Wirld.

Iain: Hi Sandra, So when were you in Dublin then?

Sandra: I was in Dublin for about 4 months in 2010 and studied at DCU. I was living on Campus in College Park.

Iain: Awesome. And did you know much about Ireland before going?

Sandra: Not really. I knew that it was a small island in Europe…ha ha. There is not much knowledge about the place here

Iain:  Did you enjoy it?

Sandra: Yes I absolutely loved it. I loved how Irish people were so friendly and accommodating to me during my time in Dublin

Iain: Shifting (excuse the pun) to more cultural issues, what were you favourite bars and nightclubs in Ireland?

Sandra: Definitely Coppers

Iain: There seems to be quite pattern emerging here

Sandra: Yeah it was so much fun. I just had to be a bit wary on the dance floor.

Iain: Apologies.  So have you missed the country at all since you left?

Sandra: Yes I definitely do miss it. I miss just relaxing in the parks with some friends or going for a pint or 2 in the city centre. I can’t wait to come back some day and bring some friends.

Iain: Great stuff. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on Ireland with The Wirld.

Sandra: No problem. Ciao.

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there's something about ireland: interview

14/6/2013

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Yesterday we met Juncal Caballero, a young Mexican girl from Chiapas who has just returned from one year living in Ireland. She was more than happy to share her thoughts on the Emerald Isle, Coppers and why she thinks many people don’t have a clue where Ireland is!


Iain: Hi Juncal. Can we call you Junkie?

Juncal: Sure

Iain: So then what did you think about Ireland?

Juncal: I absolutely loved it…like really. People are just so friendly.  For example when I was lost in the street, the people were always bringing me to the place!

Iain: Do you think Mexican people know much about Ireland?

Juncal: Most don’t know where it is for sure. All we know about Ireland are the Irish pubs. When I moved to Ireland, to be honest I didn't know that much about the country. I knew it was beside England, but cheaper than England…Sorry. But once I got there I realized how amazing the country was. There are so many cultural things that I learned about once I arrived.  I guess we just don’t know much about the country here in Mexico.

Iain: And speaking of cultural things, what was your favourite nightclub in Ireland?

Juncal: Well it depends on which day of the week it is. Like Coppers is good fun, but sometimes the guys are just all over you and it can get a little annoying.

Iain: Really? I didn't know that.

Juncal: Yeah it’s like 90% guys. I also liked Dicey’s because of its cheap drinks and good fun. And sometimes I liked to splash out and go to Everleigh Gardens.

Iain: A posh girl I see. An would you recommend Ireland to people in Mexico now?

Juncal: Yes definitely. It’s all I have been doing! I have been telling them about how much it rocks and how much I love it.  I only got back a month ago and I have been so depressed seeing all my Irish friends posting sunny pictures in Stephens Green

Iain: Photoshop

Juncal: Even though we have sun in Mexico it is not the same as you appreciate it more in Ireland.

Iain: And one last thing. Did you learn any Irish phrase, in English or Irish, during your time there?

Juncal: Just one: Ramhar. It means like fat or something.

Iain: That’s a strange one to know.

Juncal: Yeah I used to date a guy and his nickname was Ramhar

Iain: Big lad then?

Juncal: No he wasn't I swear. He was skinny, like really skinny, but that was his nickname.

Iain: Right on that note I think we can call it a day. Thanks very much for your time Junkie and we hope to see you back in Ireland sometime in the future.

Juncal: Me too. Sláinte.

Like Coppers is fun but sometimes the guys are just like all over you
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    Iain McNamara
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