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Monday was the day we were going to take the Touribus which is a double decker bus that gives you a pretty comprehensive tour of the city. You buy your ticket, get a bracelet and then you can get on and off at various stops along the way. The Touribus is very popular since Mexico city is so spread out that it's impossible to view all the sights on your own in a short period of time.
We walked to the centro after having a copious breakfast of fruit and yogurt. However once we got there we found out that our plans were to be derailed because of a planned demonstration on that day. The circuit around the city would be greatly compromised and thus they couldn't guarantee that if tickets were sold the trip would go ahead. Being an activist of long status I was immediately intrigued by the notion of a massive demonstration. Canada is not known in general for staging those. We're pretty passive, as a population, in general.
Museums are closed on Monday as well so that was out of the question. I was determined to take the metro. There had been stuff on the news about aggressions in the metro but with that many people taking it day in, day out, what could go wrong?
We headed for the subway station. Tickets were cheap, 6 pesos to the two of us. I also asked for directions to Chapultepec Park since I figured it would be open and we could hang out there for a while. The directions were pretty easy to follow. We had to change one subway line and take the one to Obsevatorio (Observatory) where women and children, at the behest of guards, were ushered into one train, and men ushered in another. That was strange but I suppose it's a security measure for women traveling alone. If you're with a man you can opt to go into the mostly male compartment, which is what I did. Stan wouldn't let go of my hand. He's more afraid of getting lost than I am.
We arrived safe and sound only to find out that the park is also closed on Mondays. We knew about the museums but why a park???? Eso es Mexico, some of the rules just don't make sense at all. I didn't want to go back to our hotel. I wanted to walk to the zona rosa which is a famous area of Mexico city. I asked a bus driver and he said it was only 3 semaphoras (lights) ahead of us, a fairly easy walk. That area of the city was no longer colonial, therefore not quite as historic. Lots of big buildings around, a bit of a hodge podge really making it apparent that central planning has not been Mexico city's forte.
The zona rosa is prettier with tree lined streets, residential housing, cafes, nightclubs and restaurants. We ate lunch in one of the restaurants and then moved on towards Paseo de la Reforma which is one of the biggest streets in Mexico city.
As it turned out lots of demonstrators were already massed in that direction. We could see throngs of people with banners furled and unfurled,a great number of buses and watched as the riot police, in full gear, started arriving. They didn't have batons but they had the plastic shields,body armour, helmets etc...It was pretty freaking impressive as a show of force although the people there didn't seem fazed in the least bit. It wasn't their first kick of the can in so far as demonstrations were concerned. I wanted to hang out and talk to some people but Stan was worried we would be caught in the melee. Nevertheless I prevailed. We had to go to the bathroom and were in front of a huge hotel Fiesta Americana, demonstrators were also hanging out in front.
They were actually hanging out everywhere. I was sure that our "white skin" would enable us to find a bathroom without being hassled. In fact I was right as we were given directions to one, no problem. Draw your own conclusions. We came back out and sat down beside an older couple who were there to demonstrate. They came by bus, all the way from Puebla. Twenty buses in all came from there. They live in a pueblo outside the main city. They were farm laborers. He's now too old to work and gets no pension. The average salary for a full day's work (sometimes 12 hours) was between 100-150 pesos (12 pesos to the dollar). They get no help from the government. The land is owned by either a rich family or a corporation. The land is much too expensive to buy. Their children work as day labourers too, caught in the same cycle of poverty.
They get money here and there doing various things, every day is a struggle to put food on the table. They didn't expect much from this demonstration but it was a way to show the government that they still exist. They were incredibly gracious, I would have been pissed but I guess after that many years a certain resignation sets in.
We were impressed with the level of solidarity amongst the various groups,a great many of them indigenous people from forgotten pueblos. This couple took the bus at 4 in the morning and they would be leaving after the demonstration around 9 or 10 o'clock to go back. Many groups bring their own food, set up soup kitchens etc... Sad because so little would come out of this.
We got back to our hotel and hung around for a while. At 6p.m. or so we got out and found the marchers. The demonstrators were heading towards the main zocalo. As we were watching one group veared off and headed for Madeiro which is a pedestrian street. Three cops tried to stop them but they couldn't, the crowd was too big. We followed along with those demonstrators all the way to the zocalo, the only gringos around but at the plaza I bought 3 socialist newspapers in Spanish so we didn't quite look out of place. Many fiery speeches later the demonstrators all headed for home or buses. It was great to have been part of something like that but, as I wrote, incredibly frustrating because no one in a position of power would be listening.
The next day the event (at least 50,000 people+) was reduced to a traffic problem with people complaining about the closed roads, clogged traffic etc..I understand there is "demonstration fatigue" in Mexico city but when a group is consistently marginalized what other choice do they have? The news never addressed once the issue of genuine grievances which the various groups have in terms of poverty, lack of good public education, hours of work, minimum salary, corruption, nepotism, the list is long, very long.
On Tuesday we went to the National Palace to see the murals of Diego Rivera. We had seen some of his murals at the Museum of Bellas Artes (impressive rococo style building) but the ones at the palace were even more impressive. Huge murals recounting much of the history and political influences that have shaped Mexico. A truly astounding work of art which made up for the fact that we didn't go to see Frieda Kahlo's Blue house. The security in that building was pretty impressive too. Next it was the Touribus (too hot, too long, too many stops with the motor still running) and Chapultepec and the Museum of Anthropology where we spent a little over 2 hours. Extremely impressive as well, very thorough, beautiful displays but after a while your eyes kind of glaze over. It's too much information to absorb in too little time.
Tourisbus back to the hotel and then a last stroll to the Zocalo and it was adios Mexico City in the morning. Took the bus back to Queretaro. Our friend Monica picks us up, dropped us off at her house and we were on our way towards Guadalajara. We covered quite a bit of distance and arrived in Mazatlan,2 days later. Stan was pretty sick the night before we got here. He drank some bad water. He's better now but he was weak for a while.
I'm going to add a final blog of bits and pieces and it will be Sayonara for a while. Hope this has been interesting and not too long.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Mexico City, part one
I wanted to write this blog while things are still fresh in my mind. I am going to post it in two parts otherwise it will be too long to read. This will probably be the last 2 parter blog I post since we're going to slowly be making our way back home to B.C. and covering old familiar ground. We've decided to leave the copper canyon for another time, Stan is tired of driving and wants to go home. I'm okay with that. We've had a very good trip,amassed quite a few
great memories along the way, should hold us till the next time.
To say that Mexico city is huge would be a bit of an understatement, it's sprawling, up hillsides, along the main and secondary highways and it will keep sprawling into its very indefinite future.
Almost 25 million people call it home, that's the core center and the outlying areas combined.
We started seeing the outskirts about one hour before we actually got to one of the main bus stations, there are four of them. Once there we still had to take a taxi to our hotel which took another good 40 minutes, traffic was apparently "lighter" than usual this being Saturday.
You prepay at a main kiosque according to the distance you will cover and then you just find the taxi, no fuss no muss. It's a good system.
Our hotel is very modern sort of European style. The rooms are streamlined, modern decor and modern washroom. We could be in Paris but in a bigger room, Paris rooms are tiny.
On Sunday we booked a tour to the Basilica de Guadeloupe and the ancient Aztec ruins of Teotihuacan. We were in a little van with a guide (all in Spanish of course) and 4 young people from Argentina and a retired Mexican engineer from Oaxaca. It can get very tiring listening and speaking in another language for an entire day but we managed very well. The Basilica was incredible in that because it was Sunday there was a service in full swing and so many faithfuls. Mexico is probably one of the most Catholic nations in the world and for the most part they are extremely devout, they practice their faith with a lot of fervor. There were so many people it was hard to walk. The main basilica is the biggest church in Latin America it can hold 40,000 people! Wow, they don't fool around. The old Basilica was slowly sinking under the weight of the worshipers hence the need to build a new one. It was built in honour of the vision had by an indigenous Christian convert named Juan Diego. History tells that the image of the virgin of Guadeloupe was emblazoned on his cloak. The Virgin de Guadeloupe is revered above all others and many pilgrims visit her shrine certain days of the year. Even if you're not religious it's still inspiring to witness the strength of their belief. The other great thing about this Virgin is that she's brown and therefore has a special place in the hearts of the indigenous people of Mexico.
Teotihuacan is an archeological zone about 50kms. outside of the centro. It sits in a valley with mountain range offshoots surrounding it. It's very dry, almost austere and it's difficult to imagine that it once represented what was possibly the biggest city of Mexico's pre-hispanic Empire. I won't describe it in great details, you can always look it up online if you're interested in having a look at it. It's very impressive. The city is laid out in a grid pattern, we climbed one of the first minor pyramids in the complex known as the Citadel but the much bigger pyramids loom large in the distance. The Pyramid of the Moon is smaller than the Pyramid of the Sun which is the world's third largest pyramid at 70m. high. I don't think the pictures we took will do it justice, it's hard to visualize just how high that is. It's also 222m.long at its base and needless to say I didn't climb it. Stan climbed the Pyramid of the Moon but didn't risk the bigger one. We let the young Argentinians have a go at it. We both had very sore thigh
muscles, the next day, from all the climbing we did.
In addition we also visited a workshop where they showed us the various uses for the Agave plant, truly a magical plant. The blue agave is what they make tequila from but there are many different varieties and one in particular which can be put to many uses giving water, fiber, glue, paper. It's an astonishing plant, I took some pictures hope they work out. It's very similar to an aloe vera plant but thicker. It was a very long day. We left at 9 and didn't get back till 5, we squeezed in "lunch" around 3 o'clock. Interacting in Spanish for the whole day also takes its toll,we're not as fluent as we would like to be but everybody assumes we are.
I forgot to write about our first impressions of the city on Saturday. We got out on the street and noticed throngs and throngs of people, what would have conceivably been labeled a demonstration in a Canadian city but in Mexico city was just business as usual on a Saturday.
It was a bit overwhelming. We've both been to great capitals but never one as crowded as this one. Paris and Rome feel relatively "empty" compared to this. The noise is pretty deafening and constant, it's like a buzz in the back of your head which can vary in intensity but never completely goes away. One of the most bizarre sounds you'll hear, if you visit, is that of the organ grinder. Apparently the Italians brought that musical instrument at the turn of the century and they still play those same old instruments. Organ grinding is, believe it or not, a profession of sorts here. There's the guy who does the grinding and the person, male or female who waves the cap hat for donations. Yes they both wear a "uniform" of sorts but the cap is an indispensable part. You hear that sound everywhere in the old colonial section of the city. If you don't like that sound don't bother coming here it will drive you insane, it's a miracle it hasn't driven those who do it insane but maybe it has.
The main zocalo is phenomenally big, the beating heart of the old city. We ended up there gawking and marveling at how huge it actually is after having seen it as the stage for so many demonstrations on television. There was a market of "artesenia" set up on one side of the cathedral and many scantily clad a la Aztec type warriors and shamans. One such shaman was busy doing a "cleansing ceremony" involving many traditional and medicinal herbs. He would light the herbs and pass the smoke over the person while doing an incantation. We actually had that done in Cuzco, Peru and in this case many people were willing to line up to feel the herbs' beneficial cleansing effects. Not sure it worked in our case but at least it didn't "hurt much".
I'm going to finish part one here. I didn't want to describe in great details, I'm not writing a
traditional travelogue. I'm more interested in trying to capture in words the feel of a place, not sure I'm succeeding. Will do part two tomorrow. Thanks for reading.
great memories along the way, should hold us till the next time.
To say that Mexico city is huge would be a bit of an understatement, it's sprawling, up hillsides, along the main and secondary highways and it will keep sprawling into its very indefinite future.
Almost 25 million people call it home, that's the core center and the outlying areas combined.
We started seeing the outskirts about one hour before we actually got to one of the main bus stations, there are four of them. Once there we still had to take a taxi to our hotel which took another good 40 minutes, traffic was apparently "lighter" than usual this being Saturday.
You prepay at a main kiosque according to the distance you will cover and then you just find the taxi, no fuss no muss. It's a good system.
Our hotel is very modern sort of European style. The rooms are streamlined, modern decor and modern washroom. We could be in Paris but in a bigger room, Paris rooms are tiny.
On Sunday we booked a tour to the Basilica de Guadeloupe and the ancient Aztec ruins of Teotihuacan. We were in a little van with a guide (all in Spanish of course) and 4 young people from Argentina and a retired Mexican engineer from Oaxaca. It can get very tiring listening and speaking in another language for an entire day but we managed very well. The Basilica was incredible in that because it was Sunday there was a service in full swing and so many faithfuls. Mexico is probably one of the most Catholic nations in the world and for the most part they are extremely devout, they practice their faith with a lot of fervor. There were so many people it was hard to walk. The main basilica is the biggest church in Latin America it can hold 40,000 people! Wow, they don't fool around. The old Basilica was slowly sinking under the weight of the worshipers hence the need to build a new one. It was built in honour of the vision had by an indigenous Christian convert named Juan Diego. History tells that the image of the virgin of Guadeloupe was emblazoned on his cloak. The Virgin de Guadeloupe is revered above all others and many pilgrims visit her shrine certain days of the year. Even if you're not religious it's still inspiring to witness the strength of their belief. The other great thing about this Virgin is that she's brown and therefore has a special place in the hearts of the indigenous people of Mexico.
Teotihuacan is an archeological zone about 50kms. outside of the centro. It sits in a valley with mountain range offshoots surrounding it. It's very dry, almost austere and it's difficult to imagine that it once represented what was possibly the biggest city of Mexico's pre-hispanic Empire. I won't describe it in great details, you can always look it up online if you're interested in having a look at it. It's very impressive. The city is laid out in a grid pattern, we climbed one of the first minor pyramids in the complex known as the Citadel but the much bigger pyramids loom large in the distance. The Pyramid of the Moon is smaller than the Pyramid of the Sun which is the world's third largest pyramid at 70m. high. I don't think the pictures we took will do it justice, it's hard to visualize just how high that is. It's also 222m.long at its base and needless to say I didn't climb it. Stan climbed the Pyramid of the Moon but didn't risk the bigger one. We let the young Argentinians have a go at it. We both had very sore thigh
muscles, the next day, from all the climbing we did.
In addition we also visited a workshop where they showed us the various uses for the Agave plant, truly a magical plant. The blue agave is what they make tequila from but there are many different varieties and one in particular which can be put to many uses giving water, fiber, glue, paper. It's an astonishing plant, I took some pictures hope they work out. It's very similar to an aloe vera plant but thicker. It was a very long day. We left at 9 and didn't get back till 5, we squeezed in "lunch" around 3 o'clock. Interacting in Spanish for the whole day also takes its toll,we're not as fluent as we would like to be but everybody assumes we are.
I forgot to write about our first impressions of the city on Saturday. We got out on the street and noticed throngs and throngs of people, what would have conceivably been labeled a demonstration in a Canadian city but in Mexico city was just business as usual on a Saturday.
It was a bit overwhelming. We've both been to great capitals but never one as crowded as this one. Paris and Rome feel relatively "empty" compared to this. The noise is pretty deafening and constant, it's like a buzz in the back of your head which can vary in intensity but never completely goes away. One of the most bizarre sounds you'll hear, if you visit, is that of the organ grinder. Apparently the Italians brought that musical instrument at the turn of the century and they still play those same old instruments. Organ grinding is, believe it or not, a profession of sorts here. There's the guy who does the grinding and the person, male or female who waves the cap hat for donations. Yes they both wear a "uniform" of sorts but the cap is an indispensable part. You hear that sound everywhere in the old colonial section of the city. If you don't like that sound don't bother coming here it will drive you insane, it's a miracle it hasn't driven those who do it insane but maybe it has.
The main zocalo is phenomenally big, the beating heart of the old city. We ended up there gawking and marveling at how huge it actually is after having seen it as the stage for so many demonstrations on television. There was a market of "artesenia" set up on one side of the cathedral and many scantily clad a la Aztec type warriors and shamans. One such shaman was busy doing a "cleansing ceremony" involving many traditional and medicinal herbs. He would light the herbs and pass the smoke over the person while doing an incantation. We actually had that done in Cuzco, Peru and in this case many people were willing to line up to feel the herbs' beneficial cleansing effects. Not sure it worked in our case but at least it didn't "hurt much".
I'm going to finish part one here. I didn't want to describe in great details, I'm not writing a
traditional travelogue. I'm more interested in trying to capture in words the feel of a place, not sure I'm succeeding. Will do part two tomorrow. Thanks for reading.
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