And so here I am in at Los Angeles International Airport's Tom Bradley International Terminal after the 4 hour long flight from Mexico City. And I still have a few hours to kill before my next flight to Incheon...
And I went into a deep thought about this lovely trip to Mexico. Indeed this was my first visit to the western hemisphere. The stereotype I had so far, was that this part of the world was completely and totally hispanicised, with the local cultures "totally" decimated.
But as I spoke to people around here, I did realise that Mexicans in a lot of ways were trying to discover their Mesoamerican roots. It is a fact that the Conquistadors brought with them pestilence and violence to this land. They looted this land and stripped it of its cultural heritage, killing an entire generation in the 1400s or 1500s, breaking a vital link that is essential for traditions to continue and thrive. They lost everything - their folklore, mythology, religion, culture, traditions and were reduced to abject poverty.
But despite that vital link being lost and the native Mexicans moving on, there seemed to be an agonising undercurrent for the Mexicans to rediscover their past and their traditions. And that is why they speak of the Conquistadors with a tinge of sadness and end up calling churches as temples!
Gandhi Bookstores is one of Mexico's largest book-selling chains. The chain was founded in 1971, by Mauricio Achar. He had a belief that Mexico's problems were due to the lack of reading amongst Mexicans. The name of the bookstore was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi and "his influence"...
Snacking at the Aeromexico Salon Premier lounge. I would say this is a rather unimpressive lounge but the waiters here were real good...
A billboard of the British-Indian sculptor, Anish Kapoor at the gates...
Taking off for LAX...
I loved the clouds over MEX...
Setting course for LAX...
The visit to Mexico was indeed a memorable one, and I must say, I can't wait to head back, hopefully sooner than I would imagine!
