22/04/1989
Saturday, April 22nd
Dear diary, Traveling through Latin America and Mexico was great, but really tiring. There are so many places to see and things to do that we didn't have enough time to see everything. We could only go to a few places in each country, but I don't think I'll ever get to know those countries completely.
Their culture is so varied, and their food is so diverse, quite strange, but I liked it a lot, especially in Peru. The amount of food they served and its variety was incredible. Not that the food in the other countries wasn't good, it's just that the food in Peru caught my attention more. That and the fact that we got to see a Peruvian Vipertooth up close. Dad got us access to a reserve through one of his contacts in potion ingredient sales.
Mostly, we traveled through the Muggle world. The magical community in Latin America is centered in the Amazon rainforest, and the magical towns in the other countries are closed off, requiring special permits to enter. So, we focused on Muggle tourist attractions.
We first visited Mexico City, where we saw museums like Frida Kahlo's and various cafes and restaurants. We mostly ate tacos, which were tasty, but I found spicy food a bit heavy.
Then, we went to Teotihuacan, where we saw the pyramids and learned about the history and culture of the Maya and Aztec civilizations. When we passed through a slightly secluded area, Luna stopped and told us that some freshwater Pimplys were gathering past a stone wall. I decided to trust Luna and walked towards the wall. My dad stopped me and said that we should analyze things first before jumping headfirst into the unknown. He then cast several spells on the wall, saying it was a wall similar to the one separating Platform Nine and Three-Quarters from the Muggle world.
Together, we decided to enter. Dad went first, and the twins went last. When we passed through a barrier that felt like icy water, we found ourselves in front of an underground lake. I think they called it a cenote, and there was a stone city right in the middle of the lake. It looked a lot like the ruins of Teotihuacan.
Suddenly, a group with masks that looked like skulls but with painted flowers surrounded us and started speaking to us in Spanish. I got nervous at first because none of us knew Spanish, or so I thought. Dad started responding to them in their language. I don't know what he said, but after a while, he said he would cast a translation spell, apparently of his own invention. I couldn't help but notice a strange gleam in the twins' eyes, but I didn't think much of it, as the Mexican aurors told us we could enter the city but couldn't stay for more than two days. They said they would provide us with rooms at the mayor's house since there were no hotels in the city.
The city was beautiful, but everyone wore skull masks, even the children. There, we found some rare plant specimens, which excited dad a lot. They also sold weapons, especially daggers and bows. They didn't sell arrows because, as they explained, they used projectiles made with magic. Dad managed to get them to let us try when we passed by a training center where children around 7 years old were practicing.
They first mocked us, saying that wizards outside their commune could never understand what it's really like to be truly connected to inner magic and nature's magic because we rely on "wooden sticks."
Luna was the first to succeed, and she did it on her first try. Of course, she missed the target, but she just needs practice. Her arrows seemed to be made of water but carried a kind of breeze that reminded me of the valley of the fairies. I succeeded next; mine were of wind, but I managed to identify a bit of electricity. Dad was next; his were similar to Luna's, water with some wind, but they were a bit more aggressive, instead of the calm that Luna's arrows generated, Sev's were somewhat stormy. After many attempts, the twins succeeded. They both made arrows of blue fire; Julius's ended up being water and looked like snakes, Draco was the last, and his were pure wind.
Our guards were surprised that we succeeded, but instead of getting angry, they started celebrating and took us to a library where they gave us several books about the elements and their meanings. They said each of us could take three additional books to the ones they had given us.
Looking through the huge shelves, I reached an area that felt a bit heavy, like dark magic, but the area was the most decorated with bright-colored flowers, and the floor looked like fallen tree leaves in shades of orange and brown. The first book I picked up surprised me a lot; it said "beginning of the dead" and was a guide to starting in necromancy. All the books in that area were about necromancy.
Suddenly, an elderly man appeared behind me and started speaking to me in a language I couldn't understand even with dad's translation spell. When he realized I didn't understand, he started speaking to me in Spanish. His voice sounded like branches rustling in the wind and was very soft. It was strange but comforting. He explained that they see necromancy as an art that can only be appreciated but never used for selfish purposes. It was amazing. In the end, I decided to take the three beginner books that Coaxoch, the elderly man, recommended.
Dad was surprised by my choice of books, and together with Julius, asked me to study them together. I'm really glad to have such an understanding family.
The next day, they took us to a workshop where they taught us how to make the masks they use. I made one for Anna. In the end, we all took the books and a bow each. The city's inhabitants threw us a farewell feast and told us we could come back whenever we wanted since we had proven to be trustworthy, as nature had chosen us. But they warned us that no one else but us could ever enter again.
By the way, Celty had the best time since they adore snakes, and she received many gifts, especially food.
After that, we visited the countries in northern Latin America, mainly going to their beaches to relax a bit. As I mentioned before, we visited the dragon reserve in Peru and saw Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca. We missed seeing the Nazca lines, but apparently, Peru was going through a period of internal war, and it was dangerous to stay for long. I also saw the sky! Bolivia has amazing salt flats, and it felt like we were in the sky; it was spectacular. We didn't see much of Chile and Argentina because we had a visit scheduled at Castelobruxo school.
Right! We also went to visit Ilvermorny school. Dad says it's good for us to see other options besides Hogwarts.
The center of the Latin American magical community is in the Amazon rainforest, and it was way too hot. We saw many rare animals and plants. Dad sent two large boxes full of specimens to cultivate in our greenhouse at Malfoy Manor. Lucy and Cissy were in charge of receiving our shipments and arranging them at the manor.
The twins celebrated their birthday by debuting their new fireworks (when they had time to invent them, I have no idea...). It was clear they still needed work to be perfect, but it was nice.
In summary, we saw a lot of nature. Next week, we're going to Australia. I already bought more memory for the recorder for Anna's video.
Bye.