Touribus and Mexico City Traffic

We wanted to take the Touribus again to explore a different area of Mexico City. The day started out fine, a little hazy and hard on your eyes due to the pollution which wasn’t as bad as might have been expected.  We did notice very few people smoke. With the altitude and the pollution it would be really hard on your lungs if you were a smoker, additionally it’s quite expensive.

We got on the bus, mostly Mexican tourists, we didn’t notice any other nationalities except for one couple from Quebec carrying a French guidebook.  The bus goes down one of the greatest avenues in Mexico City, la Reforma. It’s where all the big hotels are, lots of businesses have their headquarters there as well. There’s also a trendy mall with the usual assortment of brand names. Last time we were in the city there was a big demonstration heading for the government buildings in the zocalo and they sort of grouped around there. We just followed along with them. This time no demonstration and we didn’t get off the bus.

We wanted to link up with another tourbus which would take us past the Frida Kahlo museum and onto the barrio of El Angel which was described as quaint with cobblestone streets and where Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo shared tow different houses linked by a small bridge. Handy for those days when you jus can’t stand each other.

We got off in the district of Roma and if you have seen the film you might know that the houses don’t look like much from the outside but they reveal a huge expanse with an interior courtyard and often a garage of sorts. It was interesting to note how incredibly difficult making the film must have been. It’s not exactly filled with vintage cars, there’s lots of traffic, newer buildings,cafes, it’s thoroughly modern looking in fact. I remember reading that Alfonso Charon, the. Director, would have to try many many shots in order to get the one perfect shot right.

The Touribus to El Angel arrived, little did we know that we would be stuck on there for a while, much longer than anticipated. The barrio itself turned out to be quaint but there was only the one street, the  Frida Kahlo barrio was bigger and much prettier but we couldn’t get off there because the next bus would have been too long coming. Most people got off at the Blue House.  The rest of the trip was a bit of a blur except for the relentless traffic.  If you think anyone of the big cities in Canada is bad never ever come to Mexico City. Cars are allowed on alternate days according to license plates via the net which informs you. We were told this by a reliable source who also told us that the average household (read middle class and up) has 3 cars in order to accommodate this law. Not sure how effective it is but apparently fines are very very high. Every day there are new cars being added to the mix. It’s frightening.  We were stuck on that bus for what felt like forever, the Touribus that never ends. The company has also given up on providing different languages so it’s all in Spanish over the loudspeaker. At some point nobody gives a crap because they’re either sleeping, texting, playing with their phones or cursing the day they ever got on that bus.

Problem is even if you do get off you’re still stuck in traffic and it doesn’t go any faster by car plus we had already paid for the day.  It’s difficult to describe just how seriously bad the traffic is. We are talking bumper to bumper for kilometres and remember this is a gigantic city, lots of streets to cover. On the positive side the city is pretty clean, not much garbage lying around. People seem to be more predisposed to pick up their refuse and put it in the right bins, more recycling going on too. A lot of people use the bikes like they have in Montreal, they also have trotinettes which are electric and appear in the city here and there.  Not unusual to see someone wearing a suit on one of those and who cam blame him for leaving the car at home....

We finally got off in the Roma barrio and had an excellent burger with a cold refreshing Dos Equis beer. We were limited in terms of food option but that burger tasted very very good indeed.  Tomorrow will be Puebla time. We were happy to get back to our hotel and a pleasantly hot shower. Onward and upward.

Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera Museums

Had a great day today but first a little note I want to bring to the attention of future travelers here. Mexico City is so huge that distances going from point A to point B can be really difficult to navigate by bus and metro especially when you don’t know the names of the streets and it’s never very clearly indicated on the buses.  We have had to rely mostly on taxis to get around. This is where the bulk of our expense has gone, excluding, of course, the hotel.  There is no way around that.  Last time we were here we did take the metro but they separate women from the men thus we were riding in different compartments and not too sure where we were to get off. Luckily we managed.  The buses come in different shapes, sizes and states, some not too great looking. Again way too complicated in a city this size.
Today we spent 45.00 in cab fare but that’s 3 cabs in total with an average time each ride of around 45 minutes.  Apparently a 45 minute cab ride is short in Mexico City.
We arrived at the Frida Kahlo Blue House where she spent a big part of her life. That was the first place where there was a crowd and some foreigners.  We had a little bit of a waiting time but it was well worth it.
The house itself is composed of many buildings, painted blue on the outside, with a beautiful spacious interior courtyard.
The Museum has many original Frida Kahlo paintings, including lithographs, photographs, her studio, with her iconic wheelchair, her bedroom and a number of the dresses called Tejuana dresses which she especially favoured.
Due to an accident which left her partially crippled she wore a lot of corsets which she decorated with many motifs some of them political. She remained a committed activist and Communist for most of her life.  I did take some photos with the IPad and will be attempting to post some later. Frida and Diego Rivera entertained a number of famous people in the Blue house.  One of the most famous guests was Trotsky with whom Frida had a brief affair. Trotsky was always concerned with the threat of assassination with good reason since he did end up with an icepick in his skull so Diego tried to accommodate him by buying the house next  to Frida which was very generous of him. There are many interesting photos of their time together.
The ticket booth was very weird with a mirror on one side and a little opening to talk so you couldn’t see who you were dealing with. I asked for the tickets in Spanish, guess my accent was pretty damn good because she asked how old we were. I responded with the truth which I won’t mention here but suffice it to say that we got in as Mexican citizens for the grand total of $2.64.  This ticket allowed us to visit the Diego Rivera museum in another part of town requiring anothert taxi.
The museum was designed by Rivera and is absolutely impressive. It’s built entirely of black volcanic rock recuperated from volcanic eruptions close to that area. It’s a massive building in the style of an Aztec pyramid with ceramic tile ceilings and alcoves filled with archeological treasures. There is a beautiful courtyard unadorned with plants or flowers except for three gorgeously huge  Aloe Vera plants.  There is also a sketch for a monumental mural consisting of 3 panels. It apparently represents one of the largest murals ever conceived.
A great day and with our previous cab waiting we headed back to El Centro. Traffic wasn’t bad at all. Tomorrow another adventure awaits.

Mexico City Redux o

This is our second time in Mexico City and it’s been very enjoyable so far. The trip from the airport was smooth. The airport was not overly busy for a city of 20 million plus.  Most travelers were taking connecting flights to other parts of the country or buses for cities nearby.  We haven’t seen too many tourists even in the zocalo which is one of the busiest places in the center of the city.
We were lucky to find this hotel, Hotel Marlowe, the first time around and it’s proven as ideal the second time.  There are a lot of food options nearby, it’s an area teeming with people, it feels very safe but of course one can never be too careful.
There are still a lot of security guards and police as well as army patrolling the streets.  The site of army trucks loaded with soldiers carrying heavy artillerie is sort of freaky at first but we remember similar sights especially in Guatemala.
Today we had a leisurely breakfast with all the fixings, coffee was even pretty good, not Nescafé, and it cost about $8.00 for the two of us.  We then headed for the tallest building in Latin America, one of the 50 tallest in the world and had a great visit admiring the huge city from the 43rd. Floor.  The city is absolutely phenomenal in size.  Not a great location, in a deep valley, ringed by mountains, two of them volcanoes.
Of course initially the city was surrounded by water which made it an ideal defensive location. The Spaniards changed all that when they won the war and defeated the Aztecs. They proceeded to drain the water and pave it over.  The only evidence of Aztecs having been in Mexico City is the Templo Major which was rediscovered in the mid seventies by an electrical company doing some excavating. The Catholic Church did everything in its power to erase all traces of the infidels in the city and they more or less succeeded except for these lingering ruins of the original city.
This evening we walked quite a few blocks in search of Garibaldi Plaza. We ended up in an iffy area of town, didn’t find the plaza and decided to turn back.
We found a new pasteleria store. There is a bewildering choice of all types of pastries, the biggest pastry stores we have seen and the pastries, as per usual, looked good. We had very good coffee and an  apple pie which turned out to be excellent.  I think pastries have improved tremendously since we last visited Mexico. They’re obviously using better flour, there are more whole wheat choices, healthier choices which is great to see.
Like elsewhere Mexicans appear to be extremely fond of their cellphones. They are on them constantly. Prices appear to be quite low thus affordable. One thing I noticed the Chinese company Huwei is very big here. Lots of ads. For their phones. Apparently Mexicans are not afraid of a little espionage by the Chinese or that their technology will eventually subsume theirs.
Tomorrow we have a big day planned. Going to visit the Frida Kalho Blue House and the Diego Rivera museum plus a whole lot of other interesting things to do and see.  The weather has been great. It’s even too hot but ok won’t complain about that one.

My Travels And A Little Bit of This And That: Parting Thoughts on Punta Cana, Dominican Republic...

My Travels And A Little Bit of This And That: Parting Thoughts on Punta Cana, Dominican Republic...: Our one week trip is coming to an end, we're leaving today January 30th, it's been nice to get away from the cold although the weath...

Parting Thoughts on Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Our one week trip is coming to an end, we're leaving today January 30th, it's been nice to get away from the cold although the weather here has been temperamental especially the wind which is finally starting to let up today.  Without the wind it would have been very very hot and muggy, I suppose the wind was welcome relief in retrospect.

Need to start with a little disclaimer.  Not a huge fan of all inclusive vacations, it's not my preferred mode of travel although it will certainly do in a pinch.  I've traveled a great deal and only managed three all inclusives in all that time.  First one was in Cuba a 3 star experience in Varadero on which I wrote extensively.  The second attempt was Fuerte Venture in the Canary Islands, departure from Nantes France. It was a 5 star outfit.  I also wrote extensively on that one.  This latest all inclusive is called Arena Blanca and it's a 4 star.  We've done all the stars, don't think there are 2 stars all inclusive outfits.

Arena Blanca was pretty nice overall, the best of the bunch.  The room was spacious, there was plenty of hot water, the food was decent although it too became boring after a week.  The beach did  have white sand but not quite like the pictures in the brochure.  Because there was so much wind there was a lot of flotsam which ended up on the beach and the water was never calm.  Apparently in this area it's still the Atlantic and not the Caribbean therefore it's natural to expect more waves. Waves do mean you can have some fun in the water which is always nice.  Impossible to go for lengthy swims, way too bumpy.

The complex also had two enormous pools, plenty of lawn chairs to go around.  Recently there was a report on the BBC which claimed that all inclusives have become so popular, there are so many tourists using them, that reserving your own spot on a pool chair is going to become necessary.  If not it will be a fight to the finish, ok maybe not quite but you get the picture.  Crazy tourists hungry for their tan want their place in the sun assured.

I have learned virtually nothing about the Dominican itself.  These places are not geared to learning, it's strictly fun in the sun.  There are a few things I've noticed.  Of course the area is heavily dependent on tourism, it's their bread and butter.  Without it the island would shrivel to nothing.  The Dominican is very popular with Europeans who,no doubt, find it quite a bargain with their Euro currency so strong.

Everything here is quoted in American dollars which really pisses me off.  You have to ask for the price in the Dominican peso otherwise it's not posted.  You don't get too much for 1000 pesos, a bottle of rum can be bought for around 800 pesos but bargaining is always an option and it's not the best rum around.

The trips outside Arena Blanca are extremely expensive.  The most expensive out of the 3 resorts we've been to and certainly more than any comparable trip in South America or Mexico.  

Couldn't help but notice that female tourists no matter their size, shape or age appear to prefer bikinis 

which could be seen as liberating or just plain gross in some cases.

Dominicans are generally trim and pleasant.  They work very hard picking up endlessly after the  messy don't really care where I put my stuff tourists.
Had to interrupt the post because bus was here to pick us up. Most of the money we spent we gave out in tips which are greatly appreciated.  I had also brought stuff from home for the ladies who clean the room.  They do a fantastic job and don't get paid very much.
What bothers me the most about all inclusive is the bloody waste when it comes to food.  The food is prepared on an industrial scale which means there is a lot of it, too much.  I didn't ask where the leftover food goes to, hopefully it serves a higher purpose than ending up in the trash.
One thing that was surprising there is very little animal life.  No insects, not even flies, I think they fumigate the entire place periodically.  In fact they were scheduled to fumigate our room with biodegradable (sic) stuff on the day we left. It's not just lack of insects though.  There are hardly any birds. We saw a few frigates, 4 or 5 pelicans (that's odd, so many in Mexico) and a type of crow or blackbird, a tinier version especially fond of eggs.  There were a couple of those which hung out in the main dining areas where the buffet was served.  Lots of stations at the buffet and they do vary the menu every day but nothing is ever piping hot except if you have something made on the spot.
Generally people don't socialize a great deal.  Everybody stays in their little bubble.  We befriended na older couple from Quebec who were there for 3 weeks and felt it was way too long.  They were on their second week when we met them.
For one week I would definitely recommend it, one week more unless you're a total lover of dolce farniente by the pool and at the beach then by all means two weeks might be just your bag.

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, first impressions

We arrived in Punta Cana yesterday from a cold, rainy Montreal.  Had to wait on the tarmac for about 40 minutes in order for them to deice the plane.  We arrived in Punta around 2:30.  It was quite a shock getting out of the airplane into 28 degree Celsius weather.  It takes a little adjusting plus we were wearing way too many clothes.  Had to peel off some layers pronto.

A little bus drove us to the main airport area.  It's a relatively small airport, very clean with palapa style buildings. On the plane they gave us tourist cards worth 10.00 U.S. each, included in the price of our tickets.  Kind of silly, we gave them back as soon as we landed.  Guess it's a little taxation bonus for the island.  A couple of the regular forms to fill out, nothing major.  There was nobody to greet us from Arena Blanca.  You have to exit the airport and look for the bus which will take you to the right spot.  Not too difficult, I got to practice my rusty Spanish right off the bat.  Could be confusing if you're older and not sure what's going on.

The bus dropped off a few tourists at another resort called Blue and Sand which looked all right but it's not as nice as Arena Blanca, we do share the same beach with them.

We arrived  in a spacious lobby, palapa style again.  The resort is quite spread out but easy to get around.  It's very airy, lots of beautiful green spaces, extremely clean and well maintained.  There are at least 4 or 5 restaurants a la carte to choose from in addition to the main buffet style restaurant which offers a wide variety of choices.  We were not disappointed with the food.  Lots of fresh fruits, the papaya was scrumptious, it must be the season for it.  A lot of mixed greens, plenty of variety with meats, even freshly cooked turkey, ribs, Chinese and Italian dishes cooked on the spot.  The deserts are varied and not too big which is perfect.  Of course there are plenty of drinks to be had including everyone's favorite: Pina Colada, it's always ready to go, you get it from a dispenser.  It doesn't have a lot of rum but that's fine, you can't get drunk on it.

Today we went to the beach.  The beach does have white sand which is very powdery and doesn't get hot, easy to walk on.  There is a fair bit of algae kind of brown looking which mars the look of the beach a bit, not quite like the pics. represent but it's a small complaint.  It's been windy, windier than usual for this time of the year, the sea is throwing up a lot of this algae.  The water is a beautiful turquoise color, very clear, the waves are tiny. There are wave breakers along where we are.  The water is warmer than it was in Cuba in Varadero.

This is the third all inclusive we will have been in. Varadero was a 3 star, too cheap for Cuba and some problems with the food and the room, way too long a stay at 2 weeks.  The Canary Islands were too cold, you couldn't swim either in the pool or in the ocean and it was basically boring.

So far I've noticed quite an international crowd here, people from all over.  There are quite a few Europeans, many French, German,Russian, Polish.  Of course lots of Quebecois, Canadians, Americans and some South Americans as well.  I like that, makes it more interesting.  The Dominican is apparently a favored destination of many who crave the sea, the sand and the sun.  The personnel here is extremely helpful.  They don't always have their hand out either but it's good to leave propina and little things in the room for the cleaners.  I brought quite a few things from home.  They're always happy to get stuff for their children too. 

We're not planning on doing any side trips since we're only here one week.  The only area of complaint concerns those very same trips.  They are the most expensive of anywhere we've traveled.  For instance a trip on a catamaran to a secluded beach with lobster meal (langouste actually) will run around $220.00 U.S. a person.  Most trips are in the $150.00 U.S. vicinity, way too much money for us. Whenever we've done trips of that nature in the tropics, we've often been disappointed.  Too much time spent with drunken idiots on buses, boats etc... with .lousy overpriced meals.  In terms of culture there's not much "artesania" here, not like Mexico which is so rich culturally therefore they don't have a lot of items for sale other than the usual trinkets.  It's fine our home is filled with stuff we've brought back from other trips, don't need more.  Apparently the Dominican is the biggest producer of cigars in the world, thought it was Cuba.

Last night we were treated to a Michael Jackson extravaganza. The impersonator was truly fabulous and the dancing was spot on.  It was fun and it was free.  I will provide another entry at the end of our stay if I feel there's a lot more to add. So far we like it a lot.

Parting reflections on Prague

Perhaps I was a little harsh on Prague in my last blog.  Upon reflection we won't have been here long enough to properly assess it.  Apparently there is a square but we were unable to find it,unable to even walk around too long because of the weather.  Rain and getting wet will do that to you.  Stan is also nursing the end of a cold while I caught a whiff of it myself.  Not viable excuses but they will have to do.  I'm sure Prague has a lot to recommend itself for and has been loved by countless other travelers.  We went for a walk in the evening and did see some lovely buildings and a fairy tale looking church complete with turrets.  We ate at the Bohemian restaurant, settling for burgers which were very meaty but unfortunately under cooked.  It was cool to see kids and dogs in bars, common enough in most of Europe, I had forgotten how great that can be. 

It does look lovely doesn't it? Adios for now.