Lucy Rose's Latin American Adventure: Mexico

We were very relieved when we landed in Mexico City and after two hours queuing through passport control and bag scanning, we were meeting Diego who was my contact in Mexico City. Diego had got my email address off a friend who told him about this trip.

Diego books gigs often so this wasn't like the other shows, where fans who have no experience book me a show but he was helping me by booking two shows for me. One was ticketed at a low price and the second was completely free entry. He didn’t live in the centre of Mexico City but out in the suburbs so we were staying with Diego’s friend (Pablo’s) mum’s house. Laura welcomed us warmly and immediately took us out for breakfast. I still felt as if I was on a bouncing plane and went straight to sleep after breakfast so I was ready for that night's show.

I woke to find a note and some painkillers by the door saying ‘take this if the altitude is giving you a headache.’ I had no idea that Mexico City was even at a high altitude but after a quick google I learnt it is 2250 metres above sea level. I also learnt that Mexico City is built on a lake because the Aztecs believed that they should settle wherever they saw an eagle eating a snake on top of a cactus and one day this happened on the very lake that Mexico City is built on. We had dinner (delicious tacos) with Laura and Diego before we headed to sound check.

The first venue El Imperial is an renowned venue in Mexico City for being small and intimate but great for putting on shows, so I was happy to be playing there. The show was sold out but a joint headline with a US band called The Go Rounds, so I was unsure about what to expect from the crowd. I was so happy when I started the first song and the entire room started singing with me. I didn’t have a huge set time so I couldn’t play all the songs I wanted to but reassured everyone I was playing again the next day, this time free entry and would play all the songs that they wanted. After meeting everyone after the show, I felt really exhausted. It could have been the fact we had landed that day or the altitude but I headed straight to bed.

The next day we explored Mexico City, which is just incredible. We went to Zocalo (main square), Plaza de Santo Domingo, Palacio de Bellas Artes and had lunch looking over the Templo Mayor ruins of an old pyramid which the Spaniards destroyed when they conquered Mexico. It was a lovely day but soon it was time for another gig, this time free entry at Diego’s friends bar called Departmento. It was a lovely space, the capacity was 150 but Will managed to persuade the manager to let in 200 people and it was so much fun. I couldn’t stop playing. It was one of my longest sets as people keep shouting out for more songs and I felt like I couldn’t come all this way and then not play someone’s favourite song.

I saw a few faces that I had met at the gig the night before and after the show I asked a few of them if they would like to spend the following day with me exploring.

Edgar is one of the loveliest people I’ve ever met. I first met him in Cardiff in 2012 after one of my shows. He was studying in Germany and had flown to Cardiff just for my show. I next met him at Glastonbury 2014 when I played The Other Stage and he asked me the same thing then ‘please come to Mexico one day!’ I was so happy when we were emailing about this trip and I could say after all these years, “I’m coming!"

He had offered to drive me the next day to Puebla, two hours away from Mexico City where I had another show. I had heard many things about the pyramids of Teotihuacan and asked if we could see them on the way. He said of course and told me he had a seven-seater van so I could bring some friends. I asked three girls, Angelica, Fani and Claudee who were at both shows and had been waiting outside the first venue for 10 hours to meet me and a couple guys, Andrés and Carlos who I'd met at both shows who I knew my music meant a lot to. I also asked a girl called Stephanie who has been tweeting me for years and a guy called Diego who had also offered through twitter to drive me to Puebla.

We all met the next morning at 10am and I had a new gang of friends with me. We talked about music and Mexico the whole way to the pyramids. I learnt so much about the country and was shocked at how big Mexico City really was. I knew 25 million people lived there but it was only when we were driving out of the city I realised how big that is, the city just went on forever and ever. One fifth of Mexico’s population live in Mexico City and so many live in poverty. Talking to everyone about this, they are all obviously really upset and sad that this is happening in their country but it’s hard for them to see a solution when their government is so corrupt. I found out that the previous president started the war on drugs in Mexico but this caused more violence as the narcos were rebelling proving that this wasn’t possible. Things have recently got safer for people as the new president has made deals with the narcos and cartel to leave them alone and let them do as they please. Yes this is corruption on it’s highest level but the streets are safer for people when narcos can carry on their business of selling drugs, people and organs.

It’s beyond complex and complicated and the solution to all of this would never be easy but personally I believe that making drugs legal worldwide would be the start. We arrived at the pyramids of Teotihuacan in the morning and it was incredible.

After an amazing day hanging out with these guys and getting to know them, we drove another two hours to Puebla where I had a gig that evening. We arrived at Angela’s house where Will and I were staying that night. Unlike most gigs, Angela didn’t have to organise my show in Puebla because at the same time she e-mailed me asking me to come, I received an e-mail from Alejandro, also from Puebla saying he had found me somewhere to play. I was a little worried about this evenings show as the owner Jose had stopped replying to my e-mails a while ago and I knew little about it.

When we arrived, I saw that the space I was going to play was beautiful but massive, you could fit 500 people at least in the space but I knew only 150 free tickets had been given away. It turns out that the owner of the venue wanted it to be a gig for himself and his friends therefore he didn’t give out many tickets. I was furious as I hadn’t travelled all this way to play my music, as background music for Jose and his friends to chat and drink to. An hour before the show I tweeted that there were going to be more free entry tickets on the door for tonight's show and I met two lovely guys, Jesús and Omar who when they saw the tweet ran out of the opera they were watching to come to the show. I invited them both to lunch the next day so we could get to know them.

After the show, I had an even bigger group of friends; all my friends who had driven from Mexico city, Alejandro, Angela and her friend and also Maru and Ana who had booked my show the next night in Cholula.

We grabbed a late dinner of pizza and beers with everyone in the main Zocalo, before having another painful goodbye as my Mexico City gang had to drive home. They were such an amazing group of people, so kind and fun and even better is that they have also made new friends that day. Again I was so lucky to have been able to spend the day with such special people. The next day we explored Puebla further which really is one of the most beautiful towns I’ve ever been to and we headed to Cholula, just a 30 minute drive away. Ana was hosting us that evening and had a booked a show at her local pizzeria.

When I first put a post out saying I was coming to South America, the idea was simple; if you can book me a gig somewhere, it can be anyway, a cafe, library, a park, etc and would let me stay with you then I’ll come to your town. But I really didn’t know what to expect from playing a pizzeria. I was pleasantly surprised. The owners had gone above and beyond to make it a special night. They had hired in a sound system, put candles and flowers everywhere and their friend had designed an awesome poster which they were giving out for free.

Many people had come to this show as they couldn’t get into the gig the night before in Puebla because of the ticket problems and so it was full. And even better, it was silent expect for singing along with me. It was one of my favourite shows in Mexico. I had such a great time and meeting everyone afterwards was very special. A young man called Nesto came up to me after the show. It was hard to talk with him for long as there was a queue of people waiting behind him but he briefly mentioned that my music had really helped him through a tough time when his brother had been killed a few years ago in a Narco’s accident. I really didn’t understand but that was all he said and he left.

I kept thinking about him and that night back at Ana’s house, I asked Ana, Angela, Maru and Alejandro to try to help me understand more about Mexico’s problems. Two hours later we were still talking about it all. They really helped me to understand the problems more. There is violence everywhere as people are desperate because they are so poor. Women they said they would often feel scared walking around late at night on their own and you constantly have to be on your guard. Even the pollution in Mexico City is a problem. While we were there people in the city were advised not to do any exercise because the pollution levels were dangerous. Maru told us of when she moved to Germany to study it was like living in a different world which she loved. Coming back to Mexico for her was extremely hard as she was back in a world where she couldn’t even breathe properly.

We all know that Mexico has so much beauty, fantastically welcoming kind people, incredible food but I never knew anything about the other side of the country. It’s hard to become so attached to people who live here and they have been so generous and kind to us but I know their lives aren’t easy. The next day we explored Cholla and climbed The Great Pyramid Of Cholula, one of the largest pyramids in the world. When the Spanish conquered Mexico, they built a church on the top of the pyramid which at the time they just thought was a mountain as it as completely overgrown.

After another beautiful day exploring a new part of Mexico, we boarded our flight to Monterrey and said goodbye to the wonderful Angela and Ana. It was only a two hour flight to Monterrey and we were met at the airport by Fernanda. She had even made a sign saying ‘Last stranger to pick you up from the airport’, because this was our last stop.

We’ve been on this journey now for two months and every place we’ve been met by a new person and I just want to keep reliving the experience in my mind over and over again, it’s been so incredible. When we arrived at the house it was pretty late, so after having a bowl of cereal at Fernanda’s we all went to bed. The following day was a day off so just exploring. The reason I came to Monterrey was because of an 18-year-old girl called Emily who had emailed me last summer. We were meant to be staying at her house but just a few weeks ago I received an email from Fernanda who had heard about the trip and that I was coming to Monterrey and she offered us her home. So I put Fernanda and Emily in contact and they had organised our day off together.

Emily and her friend Alexa (who it turns out organised my show in Monterrey) turned up early the next morning and after some breakfast we piled into Fernanda’s car and drove the hour to Grutas de Garcia which are caves inside the famous mountain, El Fraile. The caves are thought to have been formed around 50 million years ago, during the prehistoric era and where submerged in sea water, which is why you can see marine fossils on the rocks. Inside the caves there are millions of stalagmites and stalactites and there is one called ‘La octave maravilla (The Eighth Wonder).It is a formation in the cave where a stalagmite connects to a stalactite to form a column.

After wandering around the caves we headed back to Monterrey for some lunch of delicious tacos. That evening we headed to a restaurant called Botanero Moritas which felt like the most Mexican restaurant I have ever been to. We had a great time but the weirdest thing happened. Just as we were finishing out meal, Nesto the boy from the gig in Cholula came over, as he was also eating in the same place and saw us. I invited him to join us and for the next couple hours Will and I really got to know him. He is an amazing person. We talked more about what happened to his brother and he kindly opened up to us.

His brother was only 19 years old when he was killed. It was on his prom night and he was driving with some friends to get some food and they got caught in-between two narcos shooting at each other and he was killed. I asked if anyone was caught and put in jail for the murder and he said that the law and justice system here does not exist. No-one was caught or punished for the murder of his brother. He told me that he’s currently studying law so that he can become a human rights lawyer and hopefully can be a part of change here in Mexico in the future. It was so strange that in a huge city full of 4 million people we would bump into each other in this restaurant. I should say that the reason he was in Monterrey was for my show the next evening.

For me meeting Nesto was one of the most amazing things I got out of coming to Mexico. I found him truly inspiring and want to thank him for opening up to me about everything that has happened to him. I kept saying I was so sorry and he told me not to be. He explained that it wasn’t just in Mexico that bad things like this happen. He said that he felt that in Europe, USA and Australia life was pretty good but for nearly the rest of the world life is really tough. I’ve never thought of it like that before, that life really is tough for the majority of people on this planet. It’s so difficult to accept this or come to terms with it all, or have any idea what the solution is but I’m so glad I decided to take this trip to come and meet this people and if I can even cause the smallest bit of happiness to them by playing my music then that’s something.

There was only one place that I could have gone to on this trip but I didn’t and that was Sinaloa. There was a great girl called Giselle who had been emailing me to come and stay with her and I was going to until Diego and a couple other contacts in Mexico told me that they thought it was too dangerous and that we shouldn’t go. I really wish I had gone but at the same time I had to listen to local advice. I was so happy to see her at the Monterrey gig. She had flown with her sister from Sinaloa and she had made these amazing t-shirts.

I also met many fans that have been tweeting me for years asking me to come to Monterrey, it was amazing to put faces to names. The gig was kind of a mess but still good fun. None of the sound equipment worked and no-one there could fix it so it I just had to play knowing it didn’t sound great and I couldn’t hear a thing on stage. But it really didn’t matter, I was again so happy to be there and shocked to me playing in front of so many people again. At the beginning of this trip I would have never imagined so many people coming to see me play in all these different countries; Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil and Mexico. I’ve been talking about doing a trip like this for so long now and I’m so proud that we did it.

So many people told us this would be impossible, playing free entry shows in so many different countries where the gigs were booked by fans. It’s a crazy concept but after living it ,I can tell all the musicians that this sort of trip is possible and it will change your life and many other peoples lives if you do it. I’ve learnt that music isn’t just important to me but to so many people around this world who live in completely different circumstances. All the people I’ve met during this journey have given my music true meaning and proved that even if I just make a few people happy with my music this is the best thing I can be doing with my life. Everyone wants to help change the world, make it a better place but we don’t know how to.

For me, I must now go home and write another record for all the amazing people I’ve met on this journey.

But the most amazing person I know is my husband Will who’s been travelling with me for the last 9 weeks. He’s supported me from day one when I said I wanted to do this crazy journey and made every tough time feel easier and every great time a million times better because he’s here to share it with me. I’ve learnt so much throughout the last 9 weeks, about each country, how generous every person has been but most importantly I’ve realised how lucky I am for having such an incredible partner. I’ve learnt not just to be a better person and to be kind to everyone you meet but I’ve learnt to appreciate Will, my family, my friends, everyone in my life that makes me happy, I will spend the rest of my life thanking you and appreciating you because the true happiness is family and friends and I’m so grateful that I can add so many new people to my list of friends, who I know one day I will see again.

I want to dedicate this last blog entry to my beautiful friends Eleanor and Joseph who lost their lives too young and who I miss and think of everyday. Every step I took on this journey I thought of you. Thank you for taking the time to read my stories about this trip and I hope it can be the first of many.