MEXICO

The Iberia Air Business Class flight from Marrakech to Madrid was the usual disappointing, economy seating with a vacant seat in between. But it was only a 90 minute trip. However it left us with the prospect of a 9 hour layover until our 11.30 pm overnight flight to Mexico.

The Business Lounge in Madrid had received some unflattering reviews. It was basic in comparison to some lounges, particularly with the food offerings but, nevertheless it was a comfortable haven for a long layover. We had considered leaving the airport for a trip into Madrid itself. But due to Barry feeling a bit ‘off’, we chose to stay and rest. The lounge had a sleeping area with couches in individual booths that could accommodate two very cuddly somnolants – at a pinch. It did for us! A blanket and pillow was available from the reception. Although our sleep was disturbed by an inconsiderate man in the next booth who noisily zipped zippers, crunched cellophane, coughed loudly and, most annoyingly, constantly kept turning his light on an off to check his emails. We breathed such a sigh of relief when he left … until our alarm went off only 10 minutes later!

The next leg on Iberia Air was on an A340 with a proper Business Class cabin. The cabin configuration was different from most in that each alternate pair of centre seats were side by side with no partition between them. It was lovely to be able to hold hands in the night as we slept! It was a long 11 hour overnight flight, so it was a blessing to be able to sleep comfortably for much of that. We landed in Mexico at 4.20 am. Our plan had been to make our way to the hotel and see if they could give us our room ahead of the 3 pm check in.

DAY 1 – MEXICO CITY (16/9/19)

We found the ‘authorised’ taxi offices, several competing companies. The pre-paid fare was 384 Pesos (about AUD $35). The ride into central Mexico City was relatively quiet at that hour. But it struck us that the taxi would slow down at red traffic lights, see that the road was clear, then drive through against the red light. It seemed strange to us, but we saw other drivers doing the same. But it was in a such squalid area that it occurred to us that the driver never wanted to completely stop, as if to avoid being a ‘sitting’ target for a carjacking or similar.

Once again, in one of those amazing unplanned coincidences we’ve encountered on this trip, we arrived in Mexico on 16th September, Mexican Independence Day! But it caused a problem for out taxi driver as most of the streets around the main square, where our hotel was, were sealed off by police. Along the last, long street he could take us, there were police or soldiers lining the street, standing three metres apart, like an honour guard. The driver had tried to explain to us in Spanish that he couldn’t take us right to the hotel and that we’d have to walk with our cases the last few hundred metres. We struggled to understand at first and thought suspiciously that it was just some other scam. But, once we got closer to the city centre, it became obvious he was telling the truth.

He dropped us as close as he could and gave us his last directions. There were police and soldiers everywhere so we felt some confidence that we were safe. As we skirted around the edge of the square, under colonnaded walkway, about 40 people, by their appearance homeless men, women and even families, were dotted along the path we had to pass. They huddled in dirty blankets, stretched out on the pavement on sheets of cardboard. We felt quite uneasy then. We tried to reassure ourselves that the strong security presence meant we would be safe and carefully picked our way through them.

When we found our hotel, the ornate wrought iron and glass doors were locked. Inside sat three uniformed armed guards who were in no hurry to admit us, even having been shown our reservation form. Eventually, a hotel employee signalled them to admit us. Right then, tired and in need of a shower as we were, we would have happily paid any amount to be given an early check in. But the celebrations meant that the hotel was fully occupied and nothing would be available until nearly 3pm. But nevertheless, they made us welcome and invited us to use the guest lounge. Tea and coffee was available and we were given a swipe card for access to toilets. We were astounded (and a bit concerned too) by the number of security guards in the hotel foyer. To be fair though, quite a few were openly asleep in chairs!

When we had asked if there was any possibility of an early check in they said we could come back at 2 pm and there might be a room then. But, in the meantime, we could leave our luggage and make ourselves as comfortable as possible in the lounge. So we settled down with our iPads and fought fatigue as we waited. For a hotel at capacity we were struck with how, except for the sleeping staff, it seemed completely deserted.

At 7.30 am the breakfast buffet was due to open. We weren’t hungry then, but a strong coffee would have been welcome. But 7.30 am came and went but the cafe still didn’t open. The square was beginning to fill with squads of soldiers, marines, sailors, bands and high ranking military officers. The variety of styles of uniforms were impressively designed and smartly tailored, trimmed with gold epaulettes and decorations. At about 8:30 there was activity in the cafe setting up for a breakfast buffet. We saw that the cafe’s windows overlooked the square, so we asked to have coffee. We were the only people in there for over an hour. But as excitement in the square increased we decided to stay and have the breakfast buffet to reserve us these grandstand seats. It took a bit of bending down to see the best of the action under the arches of the colonnade outside, but there was also a television right above our table with a slight time-delayed telecast. But the people-watching in the street below us was fascinating. Amongst the crowd of excited Mexican families, every branch of the military services in all their resplendent finery (all highly ornate dress uniforms) and others in full combat equipment, patrolling menacingly. Every so often, patrolling troops would break into a run towards a possible point of trouble. We never saw any actual kind of ‘incident’ and suspected that the running ‘drills’ were simply a visible indication of their readiness, to prevent anyone even contemplating causing trouble.

The main ceremony started at 11 am when the President walked out from the palace escorted by military officers. At the podium he pressed a button to raise the truly huge Mexican flag (50 x 28 metres) to the top of the 100 metre high flagpole in the centre of the 240m x 240m ‘Zocalo’ (square). Troops of all branches of the services were formed up meticulously, filling the entire square. Around the perimeter, kept back by temporary barriers and police officers spaced out every 5 metres, the enthusiastic families were ten deep against the rails, with children held up or on their fathers’ shoulders. Everyone sang their National Anthem with pride. When that part of the ceremony finished, the troops in turn all ‘double marched’ off the square in greatest precision. Then the barriers were removed and the people rushed like swarming ants to fill the square.

Then began the parade of military equipment, troops of every branch of the Mexican services, troops of soldiers and sailors from other countries (as diverse as Malaysia and Argentina). Following the military were floats of Mexican cultural groups, as well as groups of traditional gauchos on horseback, wearing traditional dress and sombreros. The parade continued for well over an hour. It was taking so long that we joked they must all be going around in a circle, using the same people over and over. But it was all the one massive parade!

We wandered in the square after the parade ended. It was still thronging with people and alive with activity. I have never, in all my travels, experienced such genuine patriotism and joy in a population on their National Day. Most interestingly, there were ‘Indian’ shaman with feathered headdress and native costume. People were lining up for them to have them perform a kind of ‘smoking ceremony’ of ritual cleansing. All the participants involved had earnest seriousness. It was curious to see such practises in what has been a Catholic country for centuries. But it is one example Christianity assimilating or tolerating indigenous religious practises. Nearby, we saw a restaurant that offered meat on the rotisserie tacos. It looked like a small hole-in-the-wall place but, as we looked, we were offered the ‘upstairs’ dining area. We saw it a as possibility for our dinner later.

We strolled along the surrounding streets which had become thronging street markets with vendors selling every kind of food, toys and other colourful useless trinkets. One of the popular food options was cooked cobs of corn (maize?) with kernels the size of chick peas! These were either boiled or grilled nearly black. But we resisted the urge to try one!

While taking a break back at the hotel, where we had finally been admitted to our room, we could hear an annoying drip-drip-dripping coming from the shower. Barry inspected it and saw it was actually coming from pipes inside the ceiling cavity. We called hotel maintenance. It was soon realised that a major repair was needed and we would have to be moved to a new room. After resting for a while, we decided to go back to the taco ‘restaurant’ (hardly that!) and try a local fare dinner. We chose three types of taco, chicken, beef and chorizo. The surprise was that there was nothing in them except the meat! The only condiments were a squeeze of lemon or an utterly toxic, volcanic red chilli sauce! The tiniest touch of which burned on the palate mercilessly for some minutes after! It was possibly the worst meal we’ve had in all our travels so far. However, yearning for some vegetable inputs, we chose a salad that proved to be more to our taste. As the restaurant served no wine, we abstemiously chose the house made lemonade. It was refreshing and cleansing.

When we returned to the hotel, we were given keys to room 303. When we opened the door we discovered that the room was a significant upgrade to a magnificent suite with a separate living room, a four-poster bed and a balcony view of the Zocalo! Good fortune continues to follow us. It had been a very long day, added to which was the element of jet lag and change of time zone. We were completely exhausted! Our bed at the hotel was one of the most comfortable of all over the past three months and we fell into the deepest sleep!

I absolutely love our hotel. It was built with material shipped and supervised by the Eiffel company of France in the early 1900s. The ceiling, designed and made by Tiffany, is so famous that people come to dine in the hotel restaurants just for the opportunity to photograph it. Every time we walked out of the door of our room, for eight days straight, I had to stop and admire it and appreciate our good fortune to be able to experience such a wonderful piece of art.

DAY 2 – MEXICO CITY (17/9/19)

Next morning, having decided against the hotel buffet breakfast, we wanted to explore the cafe options nearby. There was a cafe/restaurant nearby that looked good online. It was obviously popular and had only limited tables. None were free and we were told there’d be a 20 minute wait. On our way, only two doors down from the hotel, we went past an ordinary looking cafe packed with local Mexicans. So we went back there and were delighted with it. The baguette with warm ham, cheese and salad was delicious. The coffee, a double espresso con leche was perfection itself! This will be our regular morning stop.

In the afternoon we visited the Presidential Palace. The public is admitted free to see the gardens of the palace and the huge Diego Rivers murals, painted between 1929 and 1951. The murals depict the history of the exploitation of Mexico, illustrating the serial colonial injustices up to the revolution that led to independence. Although it is one artist’s compendious visual conception of a very long span of history, the murals are nevertheless quite moving.

After our visit to the Palace, we needed to take the google-estimated 18 minute walk to the Chedraeu shopping complex. Very few of the small mini-marts near us stocked wine and those that did only had a poor selection at prohibitive prices. So the larger store seemed to be a better option. With the hotel map in hand and a clear grid city pattern, finding our way was straightforward. What we hadn’t taken into account was, the further we walked from the old city centre, the seamier and more threatening the people and the neighbourhood became. Just as the complex came into view a block away, we saw a fortress-like liquor store on the corner. As wine was all we wanted, there was no need to go any further into this ugly neighbourhood. Wine proved to be unnecessarily expensive, particularly compared to spirits. So we opted to be Gin and Tonic drinkers instead.

We made our way back to the hotel. On the way, we passed by a local restaurant (more like a diner and patisserie combined). It seemed to offer good Mexican food at realistic prices. So we decided on that as our dining option for the night. Back at the hotel, we sat relaxing with a G&T as we wrote up our travel diary. However, with our thoughts occupied as they were, at 7 pm when it came to go out for dinner, we looked out to see a torrential downpour of rain flooding the square. Cars were driving through water half a metre deep in places. Going out was no longer an option, so we had little choice but to go to upstairs to the rooftop restaurant. It literally is a rooftop restaurant, open to the air, with a tent like roof covering the tables. The rain made a dreadful roar on the stretched taut roof. Waiters were using squeegees to push water away at the outer perimeter.

We ordered a bottle of wine and the mixed grill from the smoking charcoal griddle. The wine was quite good, but the meal was sadly underwhelming. Of course, the price of everything was exorbitant compared to the ‘ordinary’ peoples’ restaurants within a block away. But the rain had kept us captive. However, the view over the square from the restaurant was a fabulous panorama. It must have been the greatest vantage point for those guests who had booked for the Independence Day celebrations.

DAY 3 – MEXICO CITY (18/9/19)

The following morning, at 7.30 am, the sound of drumming to a marching beat woke us up. We looked out to see a large contingent of soldiers, a drum band and a bugler forming up for the raising of the absolutely huge Mexican national flag to the top of the 100 metre flag pole. As it was raised, the few local people in the square stood transfixed, all looking in the one direction and some saluted. Even the uniformed street sweepers all stood to attention as the flag was raised.

We didn’t rush to get up at such an early hour, the comfort of our bed was too inviting. At about 9 am, after showering, we went two doors down to our small cafe. Again we ordered the ‘Opera Baguette’, the delicious ham, salad and melted Manchego cheese filling in a fresh baguette. The coffees were perfect to our palate and the fresh squeezed orange juice was wonderful. After breakfast, we decided to go across the square to see the Aztec site that had only recently been discovered under an existing building. The building was promptly demolished and the historic ruin made into a museum site.

As we set out to walk across the square, we could see a hundred or more soldiers, marines and sailors formed up in ranks as if another ceremony was about to take place. Of course, we couldn’t miss that! We stood waiting expectantly for about an hour. There was plenty to see with marching troops going here and there, while others simply stood in ranks. Officials were discussing the order of events and briefing others by reference to a large map of the square mounted on a board. Meanwhile, ordinary people wandered amongst the soldiers and officials with little restriction. One very old man with a walking stick positioned himself as if one of the official party, listening to the briefing. Another man, who was plainly mentally disturbed, was waving one hand emphatically, clutching a sheaf of paper, as he shouted abusively (?) at the flag pole. He shouted and ranted for nearly 20 minutes until his voice was hoarse and he was exhausted. Finally he genuflected at the flag. Surprisingly, no one interfered or tried to stop him. It was then we realised this must have been just a dress rehearsal for an upcoming ceremony. No one would be allowed anywhere in the square when the actual ceremony takes place.

We looked briefly at the Aztec ruin from the outside but decided not to go in as we plan to visit the magnificent site of Teotihuacan tomorrow. Then, after a brief stop at the hotel to confirm the tour arrangements, we walked down to the Museum Bella Artes to see more of the huge murals of Diego Rivera and of other artists. On our way back, we continue to wonder at the genetic factors predisposing a preponderance of Mexicans to carry body fat in unusual distributions. So many of them, men and women alike, seem to have a disproportionately large, distended ‘spare tyre’ of fat around their waist. Is it nature or nurture? Given their high starch diet, it could well be a combination of both factors. But, in all our travels, we’ve never seen a physical characteristic so evident within a population. On our observation in Mexico City (although hardly a scientific study) it must be that at least 70% or more people would be clinically obese, but with that classic Mexican body type.

On our way back from the museum, we walked along Avenue 5 de Mayo admiring the grand architecture of the buildings. Many show obvious signs of uneven subsidence into the swampy geology underlying the whole city. Further along, nearer to our hotel, the high end retail stores gave way to some restaurants. We looked at the menus which looked particularly inviting as we were beginning to feel hungry. It was only 5.15 pm, too early for dinner. Nevertheless, if we were to eat away from the hotel, we needed to do that before the rain predicted that evening. So we went in and ordered some small entrees, guacamole and corn chips, quesadillas, and two mains. Barry had a kind of mixed dish with very succulent and flavourful skirt steak, guacamole salad and French fries. I ordered enchilada moles,(the chilli chocolate sauce) which proved to be repulsively inedible! So I shared Barry’s skirt steak.

We made our way back to the hotel. Shortly afterwards, the torrential rain began, along with frighteningly loud thunder. The downpour was far worse than last night and lasted much longer. So we felt we made the right decision to eat early.

DAY 4 – MEXICO CITY (19/9/19)

The rehearsal from the previous day became the actual ceremony – unfortunately that began at 4.30 am! The rousing martial music of the Military Band woke us from our deep sleep! We couldn’t believe our eyes when we saw what the time was. Out in the square, the President had just left the podium and was taking the long walk back to the Palace Gates. The gigantic National Flag was flying at half-mast. We still had no idea what the ceremony was, especially at that hour of the morning. We asked about that of course. It was explained to us that on this day in 1985, a massive earthquake devastated parts of Mexico City and 10,000 people lost their lives. The ceremony was a remembrance of that disaster. In an ironic tragedy, on that same day, 19th September, in 2017, as the ceremony was about to be held, the ‘Puebla’ earthquake struck with its epicentre south of Mexico City. In that earthquake, 370 people were killed.

As a result of that, following that remembrance ceremony, at 10 am the whole of Mexico City was to have an earthquake drill. The hotel ‘invited’ us to take part and be evacuated to a safe area (rather like the lifeboat drill on the cruise). Fortunately, we had booked to go on a small group tour with ten other people to Teotihuacan leaving at 9.30 am, so we would have to miss it. But as we drove out of the city, we were nevertheless involved. Police and emergency vehicles were everywhere, taking part in the exercise. We drove first to an excavation in the outskirts of the city centre. As it was the first Aztec ruin we had seen there was a temptation to be excited. But this was only a minor find compared to what awaited us at Teotihuacan.

We drove the 40 kilometres from there to the Teotihuacan area. Of course, as on any organised tour, there was the inevitable stop at a ‘craft’ co-operative where the ‘genuine’ artefacts can be purchased, not the ‘counterfeit’ ones available elsewhere. However, the stop had some very interesting elements. We were given a demonstration of how Aztecs made use of the Agave cactus. Although not a true cactus, it is often mistakenly thought as one. It is a relative of the Aloe Vera plant. The large succulent fronds are tipped with a black, needle sharp tip that was used as a sewing needle – even to having its own thread. Throughout the the frond, from the tip down, run strong thread-like fibres. The tip can be detached from the frond with long strands of fibre trailing from it. We were told this was how Aztecs sewed their clothes. The fibres were also twisted into ropes, cords and woven into baskets and other household items. A thin membrane in the frond had the quality of a sheet of tracing paper. The moist sap between the layers, when rubbed, lathered as soap and was used for washing.

Aztecs also extensively used volcanic minerals for tools and jewellery and for decorative items. Obsidian (volcanic glass) was knapped and used for arrow heads and knives. Other minerals such as Lapis Lazuli, Opal, and an array of other semi precious gemstones. The workshop and store had a huge range of tempting products. One eye catching piece was an earth globe made of finely crafted gemstone inlays, the sea was made of Lapis Lazuli.

From there, we drove the last few kilometres to the breathtaking site of the Teotihuacan pyramids. When the Pyramid of the Sun first came into view, the first impression was a sense of disbelief at its size! Almost everyone must have seen photos of this legendary site, but seeing it with your own eyes is the only way to appreciate the size of the pyramids. The Pyramid of the Sun is 65 metres in height, while the Pyramid of the Moon is 43 metres high. While small in comparison to the great pyramid at Giza at 139 metres, they are nonetheless massive undertakings of human labour. The Avenue of the Dead that runs through the site, is 5 kms long and 40 metres wide, with 13 individual altars lining its path. The original builders of the site are unknown but it was the Aztecs, who came as invaders, who named the site Teotihuacan, and they are the culture most associated with it.

We walked to the foot of the stairs of the Pyramid of the Moon. People were climbing up to its mid level platform. Although some appeared to be struggling in the heat of the day, we decided to climb it as well. The stairs were very steep with short treads (30cm) and unusually high risers (40cm). Every upward step was both a stretch and a strain as you raised yourself up to take the next step … and the one after that, and the one after that! It was exhausting. We stopped a few times to catch our breath, but conscious of the people coming behind us. Although they didn’t complain, probably glad of the rest themselves. There was a rudimentary hand rail to assist, essentially just a loose steel cable covered with a black plastic hose, fastened to steel posts every 5 metres. At the top of the stairs, a broad stone paved platform opened before us leading to the stairs to the next level. Although climbing beyond here was prohibited. Our view over the site and down the length of the Avenue of the Dead from the platform was spectacular.

The platform was only at half the height of the pyramid, so it was ‘only’ at about 20 metres. But the climb was challenging. What was even more challenging was the descent! As I approached the edge of the platform, the stairs were so vertiginously steep that it was impossible to see the bottom. Gripping the loose cable ‘handrail’ didn’t give much comfort. Barry went ahead of me, slowly, step by step, as I bravely followed with one hand on the handrail and the other on his shoulder. I have great difficulty with heights and this was as threatening a descent as I would care to make. Again, the tall stone steps made each downward step a muscle-trembling strain. It was just as necessary to take short rest breaks going down as it was on the ascent. It such a great relief to get down to the bottom! Once again, we were reminded of how this is something that many retired people had left too late. There were quite a few people of our age, and older, who declined the opportunity to get that very special view because it was obviously physically too challenging.

After we regained our breath (and composure), we walked along the whole length of the Avenue of the Dead, so called because of all the sacrificial burials that have been excavated in front of the altars lining either side. Along the way, trinket vendors tried to sell their wares to the passing tourists. We appreciated that they were far less insistent than their counterparts in India, Jordan or Morocco. We made our way back to the meeting point of the tour and waited for everyone to rejoin the group.

After visiting the site, we were taken to a large Mexican restaurant for 200 Pesos per person. The food was varied in its range and in its palatability. The meats, kept warm in a ‘bain marie’ were unremarkable and well picked over. But the salads were a much better offering. After lunch, our next stop was to be the Shrine of Guadalupe, a site to commemorate the miracle believed to have taken place there. An indigenous Indian is said to have had a visitation from the Virgin Mary. The story is that she appeared to him on top of a hill in Guadalupe, told him to gather wild flowers into his robe and take them to the Bishop. Before the Bishop, he opened his robe and red roses fell out and an image of the Virgin (immediately recognised by the Bishop!) appeared on his opened robe. The Virgin gave the Indian a message to tell to the Bishop, that she is “the Virgin of the Americas”. The cathedral also has on display a painting of the Virgin, allegedly painted directly from the image on the robe, said to have miraculous qualities of its own. One of those explained to us was that, if you magnify the Virgin’s left pupil 250 times in the painting, you see the reflection of the Indian she appeared to! By the obvious religious reverence of those worshipping in the church, all this is passionately believed by the faithful. It certainly justified building the Cathedral as a shrine and place of pilgrimage. Over 20 million faithful visit the Cathedral each year, making it the second most visited religious site after St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Sadly, the first stop before the Cathedral itself, was predictably the gift shop. I did, however, purchase a small image of the Virgin to take back to my lovely, elderly and highly religious Italian neighbour.

As we made the return journey to our hotel, the rain started falling heavily at first, then torrentially. This has become a characteristic weather event each night of our stay here. We are told that this is the rainy season. We can attest to that! But at least the days have remained fine and sunny. The bus made a succession of stops to drop people back at their hotel. Ours was the last stop. Between being last, the peak traffic crawl, and the rain, it was a long and tiring day. Once again, the rain handicapped our dinner choices. So, as we had a lunch we wouldn’t normally eat, we decided to have a light dinner of Tacos in the hotel bar, accompanied by a Margarita each. It was a lovely end to an amazing day!

DAY 5 – MEXICO CITY (20/9/19)

One of my great desires in Mexico was to see the works of two famous Mexican artists, Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. We had already visited the amazing Rivera murals at the Presidential Palace. There was also Frida Kahlo’s house and across the street, a museum dedicated to her, there were other Rivera museums and places where his murals were displayed. There were group tours that took in some of what we wanted to see, but then you’re stuck in a group, limited by its schedule, unable to dwell on art at your leisure. So we were considering utilising an Uber driver to take us from place to place, taking one Uber after another. But the hotel could offer us a car and driver on an hourly basis for as long or as short as we needed, for 250 Pesos per hour (AUD $25). The driver would wait for us at each location and we could leave our things safely in the car. We had him for 5 hours and it worked out costing almost exactly the same as the group tour! Exclusive tours sometimes can be much better value in a number of ways.

We drove to Frida Kahlo’s house in the Coyoacan district (Place of the Coyotes). When we got there, the line for admission stretched up the street. But we had been warned that it could take hours to be admitted. However, from chatting to our Chinese fellow traveller on the Teotihuacan tour, we knew that there were mainly Japanese and Chinese exhibits on display. So, our only interest was to visit the site for its significance. We stopped, we took it in with our eyes and took some photos. Then we went to the ‘downtown’ of Coyoacan. It was a revelation. It had colourful street art murals with similar political and social justice themes to those of Diego Rivera. It was a vibrant area with cafes and shops selling finely crafted clothes, leather and jewellery. We decided we should go back there to spend more time.

Then we went to the University, where we had read that there was another Rivera mural. That proved to be the only disappointment of the day. The pamphlet published by Tourismo Zepeda was wrong: the library building is ablaze with mosaics depicting colonial times and Aztec culture by Juan O’Gorman, NOT Diego Rivera. It was nonetheless worthy of a visit.

But the next stop was more than we expected. It had been the Concierge who told us of the Dolores Olmedo Museum. It didn’t rate a mention in the Lonely Planet guide or in any local tour brochures. It is housed in the home of Dolores Olmeda, a friend and one time artist’s model of Diego Rivera. Dolores bequeathed the house and its collection to the Mexican people. The museum is full of the works of both Diego and Frida. It was a feast of their combined artistic outputs. The only disappointment was that we couldn’t take any photos of any of the works. Apparently, you could have paid for permission to photograph, but that hadn’t been explained to us before we entered. But the exhibition was the best of all we have seen in Mexico. It is a not-to-be-missed museum if you admire the work of Frida and Diego!

We left the museum to drive back to the hotel with Christian our driver. It didn’t help our confidence in him when he did a U-turn from where he’d parked and drove out of this one-way street the wrong way. Only minutes before, a stream of traffic had passed us as he waited to turn around. But, choosing his moment to perfection he drove into the busy five-way intersection, blending between cars coming in every direction. Job done! The traffic was a nightmare, chaotic everywhere and stationary often. It was a long drive back, added to the difficulty was the VW ‘people mover’ was spluttering and stalling. Something was desperately wrong with it. Christian constantly shut it off and re-started it, but to no avail. Sometimes, in busy intersections, it took several agonising attempts to get it started again. But we eventually made it back safely.

The rain came again that evening, fortunately not so heavily that we couldn’t go out for dinner. We decided to try to get in to the El Cardenas Restaurant. We got a large umbrella from the doorman at the hotel. The restaurant was just around the corner from us. It was about 6.20 pm when we arrived. According to the information on their website, they were open for dinner. We hadn’t known that in fact they closed at 7 pm. But we had a satisfying Mexican meal, although once again, it wasn’t the culinary experience we had expected. It cost 965 Pesos, not the most expensive but much more than other options. But the sting came when we were paying by credit card. The waiter cheekily asked, “Any tip?” as he processed the card. Barry, caught off guard, said, “Twenty?” meaning a lousy 20 Pesos. But he realised too late, the waiter took it to be a generous 20% tip! He was effusive with gratitude, inviting us back next morning for breakfast. I was infuriated when I found out what had happened. But, it was a lesson to learn. Travel is an education, one way or the other!

DAY 6 – MEXICO CITY (21/9/19) Saturday

Following our drive out to Coyoacan the previous day, we went through streets we hadn’t discovered before, even though they were close by our hotel. It appeared to be an area of all kinds of shopping streets. We decided to go there later but, as it was Saturday, the post office was due to close at 2 pm. I had wanted to send Astrid and Isobel postcards from as many of our travel destinations as possible but purchasing stamps in Mexico proved to be very difficult. So before shopping, we made the 15 minute trek to buy stamps for our 4 postcards. The Post Office is housed in an incredibly grand historic building. We lined up at the correct window for stamps, behind a few young men sending parcels. When we got to the counter to ask for stamps, only one postcard was filled in, the others I’d only just bought from a street stand outside. But in the strangest practice, I could only buy a stamp for the card that was ready to send! It was just a machine printed adhesive sticker placed immediately on the card. The lady indicated that we needed to come back when they were ready to send. Unfortunately that meant the following Monday.

So, after that postal disappointment, we took the rest of the day just browsing through our newly discovered Aladdin’s Cave of shopping streets. As we walked, the greatest discovery was a department store that had a food hall and wine section. Previously, the only wine we’d seen had been priced much more expensively than spirits. That was why we had opted to buy a bottle of gin earlier. But the wine section of the store had good wines at quite reasonable prices. So we bought two bottles.

We had intended seeing the Diego Rivera mural displayed at the Education Ministry building. It was closed when we got there. We immediately realised being a government building and, being the weekend, it was obviously closed. But, along the way, we had seen the many street food vendors furiously cooking for local people. We watched delicious meats sizzling on a grill, and saw freshly pressed taco dough, being seared on a hot plate before both were combined into a delicious meal. As we had no fixed plans for dinner, we thought we’d give this a try. After watching at one stand for a while to work out what to order, we asked for two quesadillas filled with chicken and cheese. (My obsession with languages has made it impossible for me NOT to try to decode Spanish! Even on the bus to the pyramids, I couldn’t help but to retrieve some all but forgotten Mandarin to speak with the Chinese woman. By the end of the trip we were speaking almost exclusively in Chinese.) It was a little unusual for us to be sitting on little plastic stools in the street surrounded, on adjoining stools, by curious local Mexicans. But they were immediately accepting of us, smiling and handing us napkins. The quesadillas were delicious, and the best food we’ve eaten so far! But we still felt a little bit hungry. So we walked around the corner to a different kind of stall. This had people eating in the street, but there were stools and long tables inside too. We ordered tortillas “carne con quesa” (meat and cheese). Again, they were made freshly on a hot plate. We sat inside the shop with some older Mexican men near us. The cheerfully tried to engage us in conversation despite our lack of Spanish. But they were delighted that we were happy to be there with them. The meal was delicious.

DAY 7 – MEXICO CITY (22/9/19) Sunday

We had a slow start to the day, taking our time and relaxing. We had plans to visit the Diego Rivera Museum. It was a 30 minute walk, down to the Museum Belle Artes, and further on to the far end of the Almeda Park. The walk was fascinating. Being a Sunday, it seemed like the whole population of Mexico City was out enjoying the sunshine. We walked to the beginning of Almeda Park. The crossing at the main intersection was a mass of humanity. A large line of older men, women and kids, riding their chromed and modified bicycles, were weaving through the crowd. They were like a group of outlaw bikers, except as harmless a group as you could imagine. Further into the park, a group were taking a dance class on the walking path, oblivious to everyone around them. In a breathtaking example of ‘oblivion’, at the far end of the park, with the heavy beat sound of ‘headbanger’ music, amongst tents and vendors and a curious smell in the air, was a huge group of young people ‘partying’. The vendors were openly selling marijuana, and the young folk were openly smoking. Strangely enough, a group of Mexican Mounted Police were tending to their horses on a path only 50 metres away. The police must be part of a special group, as their uniforms were styled as Mexican gauchos, complete with a huge sombrero.

Beyond the park was our objective, the Diego Rivera Museum. After the earthquake of 1985, the hotel housing one of Diego’s larger murals was irreparably damaged. But the mural was left intact. In an impressive engineering feat, the mural was encased in steel and removed with a crane. It was relocated to the Diego Rivera Museum to be the sole work displayed. People sit in hushed reverence before the huge work. Of all the Rivera murals we saw in Mexico, this was the best. We had been more interested in seeing the works of Frida Kahlo rather than those of Diego. However Diego’s works, in volume and in quality, overwhelmed us. He has become our preferred choice.

DAY 8 – MEXICO CITY (23/9/19)

Our last full day in Mexico was also our 4th Wedding Anniversary. Being a Monday, all the museums would be closed. But the Ministry of Education would now be open. The Ministry houses 120 murals by Diego Rivera. We walked there confidently, having been disappointed on our attempted visit last Saturday. The Ministry building is something of an architectural exhibit by itself. An imposing stone structure in an austere ‘classic’ style, of three floors, with colonnaded walkways on four sides surrounding a central courtyard garden. It was around the colonnades, on all three levels, that Rivera painted the 120 murals. The epic task was completed in four years, between 1924 to 1928. The murals deal with his recurring theme of the social and political injustice and oppression that led to the revolution.

We returned to the hotel, intending to take an Uber to Coyoacan. But with confusion as to the correct street corner we ordered to Uber, things went wrong and we missed the ride. Nevertheless, plan B was to order a driver from the hotel. That done, we drove in comfort back to Coyoacan. It is a fascinating district of Mexico City. It is obviously a far more affluent area than most. It has ‘Frida’s House’ in a street near the town square. It was only a short visit before we rejoined our driver to return to the hotel.

Our dinner that night was going to be our Anniversary celebration. So we ‘dressed’ for dinner and went up to the rooftop restaurant. It was a wonderful evening. We had just ordered a bottle of red wine when a waiter approached us with a bottle of Champagne (albeit a Mexican one) as a complimentary offering for our Anniversary. The meal was not a traditional Mexican meal, more of an Argentinian charcoal BBQ. We ordered the Arranchera, a grilled, seasoned skirt steak. Added to that, the salad buffet was much appreciated, given the lack of vegetables in the Mexican diet. Our waiter took some wonderful photos of us enjoying the spectacular evening vistas.

Then it was back to the room to pack and prepare for our onward journey to Salt Lake City! After our last breakfast at the Berico Cafe, we took the car and driver to the airport. Curiously, for something so indulgent, it cost only 275 Pesos, compared to the ‘authorised’ rattling, rough taxi we took from the airport for the ‘fixed price’ 384 Pesos.