How to live in Hermosillo

With three months of colder weather (by cold I mean tops of 27 degrees celsius), 5 months of hot weather (tops averaging 41 degrees) and the rest averaging about 30 degrees, how do you survive in a city located in a desert based state?

The answer’s simple. As cheesy as it might sound, all you need is-

Friends …and maybe a cold beer.

I think that accurately summarises my three week stay in Hermosillo, Sonora.

However, I was lucky enough to celebrate Christmas and New Years in Hermosillo’s winter. So I did not live through the heat at all, neither did I live through much of the “normal” life, as I was constantly occupied with parties and celebrations.

This photo says a lot about Sonorenses-
(We did live with three guys, so we’re hanging out with their friends -mostly guys.)

• Firstly, I’m not that short, so these guys are actually quite tall- characteristic of the Mexicans in the north.
• Secondly, you can note that a few of them are carrying cans of beer, the Tecate, one of Mexico’s national beers. (Habits die hard when that’s what they’re used to drinking to combat the heat.)
• They’ve all taken good care of their looks and are well dressed. Yes, this was a New Year’s celebration, but on average they do put in effort.
• And lastly, we’re on the street. It’s more common to go hang out at a friend’s house and as the crowd grows, head out on to the street.

But apart from the party life what else does this 650,000 populated hot city offer?

1. Good food.
2. Safety.
3. Comfort.
4. Banda. (Just had to throw that one in.)

Also, it’s just three and a half hours to the border of United States of America, an hour and a half to the Bahía de Kino, two hours to an even nicer beach -San Carlos and eight hours to some pretty cool ski slopes in the USA.

I feel like this post is turning more into a promotional tourism tag- why should you go to Hermosillo. But as a girl, coming from Sydney with a population of over 4 million, I found the city had a slower lifestyle than the one I am used to. At first I thought, wow I could really get bored living here. But then you learn to appreciate the smaller things you have in your day to day life.

At the end of the day you can live anywhere in the world but you will always need a good support network and a place to call home. One impressive characteristic I noticed about the Sonorenses was that they knew who they were and proudly accepted it. There was a handful of traditional songs they could sing, a selection of good food they would proudly share and a home they would happily invite you into. So maybe not the #1 tourist stop in Mexico, but a place to be proud of.

Photo credits to Mel.