Un día para la historia - Chapultepec

One of the most important sites in Mexico City is the Castillo de Chapultepec, and that is where we went today. The setting is a large park, the Bosque de Chapultepec, which has the castillo as well as the anthropology museum, and at least one major art museum. Too tired to look up everything on a map.

Omar fixed a nice, simple breakfast for us (you knew we would start the blog with food notes, didn't you?). Rice with sweetened condensed milk, rasins, and guayaba juice - a traditional Mexican version of rice pudding. There is enough left over for breakfast tomorrow. We got off the hill to the city thanks to his neighbor's taxi service – who we found out once had 3 or 4 wives, and now has many children to drive his cabs (we get some wild stories). The subway ride was brief because of some technical difficulties, namely, nothing would move after stopping at two stations. It happens, and it was not too bad. The fans were on and the doors were open, but Karen has a tendency to claustrophobia, so we left at the Hidalgo station – middle downtown – and hopped on a bus down the Paseo de la Reforma.

And what a colorful ride it was. Seems as how this is Gay Pride Day in Ciudad de Mexico and it was well attended. At first it looked pretty sad, rather thin numbers and some folks in costume (the dude in a wig and flamingo style dress was interesting. But, after a few blocks it began to rival Carnival in New Orleans. Lots of marchers with flags and signs, and truck-drawn floats with mariache bands and chisel chested guys in G-strings. Well, whatever floats your boat.

Chapultepec is very impressive and very historic. It has served as an Imperial residence, presidential palace, and as Mexico's military acadamy. It was defended by young cadets from an attack by US forces in the War of 1848, and the dead are revered here as Los Ninos Heros. Roger read a brief history of Mexico before leaving and fully enjoyed the displays. It's a shame Americans are ignorant of Mexican history. It shows what can happen when there is a failure of leadership and when a privileged class is allowed to run a country with no regard for the common folk.

These are photos of ...

... us, Omar,and his son Ivan at Chapultepec, and a city shot - just another old building in Mexico City. 

It's late, we'll forego the food report for supper, except to say it was at a restaurant that Omar used to work in and the food was very good – got my first taste of chorizo, one of several styles of Mexican sausage. Oh, the onion soup is made with chicken broth here, and garnished with raw unions and jalapenos. And, the tortilla soup is also very good.

Tomorrow morning we take the bus to Puebla. Another city, another mercado district, another whole style of cuisine, Poblano. They actually run food tours of Puebla.

Your turistas in Mexico,

Roger and Karen

Un Día Sin Incidentes - An Uneventful Day

Oh no! We didn't do anything today but wash laundry and fiddle with the computer. Our camera is old, and is not compatible with the netbook, so Roger was trying to figure out an alternative. We should have checked it out before we left. Oh well, guess we'll have to post our pictures after we get home.

Our Mexican adventure today consisted of the intricacies of everyday life in the working class neighborhood Omar lives in. The houses are built of concrete blocks that are somewhat larger than bricks, and in multiple levels stacked on top of each other or running up the hillside like agricultural terraces. We observed a new level being constructed today.. The houses have concrete slab tops, and they just build a new layer on top when they need to. The mason on the roof was catching buckets of sand and concrete blocks his assistant was hoisting by ropes and pulley from the ground. After several hours of this, he had enough to begin building a new wall for the room being built.

The rooftops below offer an opportunity to observe private lives to a degree. There are chickens and a turkey on the roof next to Omar, and many of the concrete roofs have dogs running around on them. Satellite dishes are not uncommon. Of course, most people wash their laundry by hand and we can see washrooms and clotheslines on the roof. Omar has a common wash area on his roof for the tenants, and personally he is an exception because he has a washer and dryer on a little balcony in front. Karina washes with the machine sometimes, and has been washing a lot of the laundry by hand today. There is so much I take for granted, like having a washer and dryer, that I will pause to be thankful from now on.

Everything they purchase, including office-size bottles of drinking water and large tanks of propane (not those dinky little things they put in mobile homes), have to be carried up the hill and steep stairs. That is how materials for the houses are brought in as well. Omar's 5 or 6 story house was built by the workers carrying up the bricks, etc. stone by stone. Then articles of furniture, the refrigerator, everything. I'm so glad we have been able to experience this. It makes us appreciate how easy our life is.

(Just had a video Skype conversation with our friend Anna, who is in Italy for a 6 weeks. I love technology! It makes the world such a small place!)

We are struck by how people hustle to make a living, including on the subway. Our first ride on the Metro, we sat across from a fellow in what probably was regional costume. He started playing a few notes on his flute, then arose to introduce himself and began playing, crossing the subway car. He got a few pesos, and changed cars at the next stop.

Others hawk wares. Since we can ride all day for 3 pesos - about a quarter – the subway provides a large captive market.We have seen them selling candy, CDs, DVDs, and about anything that can be carried and does not bite or squawk. The more desperate carry a boom box and sing into a microphone, as in a karaoke bar, but with a cup held out. When you are in your car, they walk by with their wares in the middle of the traffic. People spray and wash windshields for money when traffic is stopped. You see men with hurdy gurdies frequently, including on the subways.

We have also observed that in this crowded environment, you can still see patches of green everywhere, even in this neighborhood, one of the most densely settled parts of town. The city has trees planted all over, in the streets and parks, and every home has potted plants or little gardens wherever there is room. Karen's comment was that it just shows how people have to have green around them.Omar's wife left a garden at the top of the stairs, with some producing banana trees, a rather large evergreen tree, roses, and a variety of flowers, all in pots in an assortment of sizes. Omar faithfully tends these to keep the garden alive.

We plan (as of 6:50 pm Friday) to go to the Castillo de Chapultepe in a magnificent park here. Sunday we travel to Puebla, a visit we have been anticipating with excitement. We will likely stay with Omar's family the first day and take a hotel room downtown for two or three more. After that, Oaxaca, Puerto Escondito, and back to Ciudad de Mexico.

Three weeks is a lot of time to fill, and we're doing the best we can!

Well, it's time to eat, Omar and Karen have been in the kitchen and it's hard to say what we're having – literally, since it's a dish I have never had before and can't begin to pronounce. We've considered renaming the blog something like Pobres, Pero Gordo (poor but fat), or perhaps Gordo, Pero Felices (fat, but happy).

Your touristas in Mexico,

Roger and Karen

Nuestra Aventura en Solitario – Our Solo Adventure

This morning at breakfast at the Casa de Los Amigos, we met an interesting couple from Rio de Janeiro. He had formerly worked fo the AFSC, the Quaker Organization that sponsors the Casa, and was interested in starting a Quaker Meeting in Rio. We offered some advice based on our limited knowledge, and we exchanged emails and hope to be of help to him in the future if we can. He plans to follow our blog, and maybe we have some new international friends.

We decided to go solo in the city today, without Omar or his family, since they had other obligations. We began by a short trip to a nearby Walmart, then we went to a little restaurant nearby and ordered lunch in Spanish! Well, some Spanish, and some hand gestures and rude noises. Roger had some fantastic enchiladas with mole sauce, chicken, and cheese. We watched the lady make the tortillas as we ate, she was fast! Karen thought she was ordering soup (sopa) , but it was sope, a fried tortilla topped with chicken, cheese, onions, and salsa verde (Green salsa made with called tomatillas). It turned out to be a fortuitous mistake!

Let me digress from the day's adventure and talk about the food here. All along the sidewalks are open air vendors selling everything you can imagine, food of all kinds included. We have not tried street food yet, but it sure does look and smell good. Yesterday, when we had lunch with Omar and Karina, we stopped at a nice restaurant. They brought an assortment of sauces, guacamole, pico de gallo (a fresh tomato salsa), salsa verde, and a dark sauce made with guajillos peppers, served with delicious fried tortillas. The first thing we noticed is how much better the fresh tortillas are here than the packaged tortillas in the US. We have had several soups while we have been here and they have all been excellent. When we return home, we would like to find some of the recipes and serve them at our party (yes, we will have a party!) Yesterday, Karen had a creamy soup with poblano peppers, Roger had a cream soup with fresh corn. We could hardly keep from making grunting noises while eating it. We are eagerly anticipating the cuisine when we go to Puebla, which is famous for its food, especially the molé (pronounced mo-lay) sauce.

After lunch today, we trekked to an open air market to do some shopping. We were told about it by people at the Casa and they explained how to get there by bus. While we were standing on the corner looking at the map, a lovely older couple came up and began assisting us. It was an amusing exchange, since Karen's Spanish is rudimentary, Roger's is embarrassingly comical, and their English was somewhere in-between. We were able to explain what we wanted. We did squeezed out a conversation and had fun doing it. They helped us get the right bus, told the driver where we were going, and the bus driver showed us the correct stop.We have found the people to be very cordial and helpful everywhere we have gone. Yesterday while walking down the street, an older lady came up to us and practically hugged us, She said something about being from Los Angeles, and Karen told her in Spanish we were from West Virginia. She smiled broadly, and walked away throwing kisses to us.

The market was awesome. Of course, being Americans, we needed to learn the fine art of bartering, and weren't so great at it. Karen's first purchase was some small dolls to give to her students when school starts. She didn't even think about haggling, and Roger reprimanded her afterward. The next purchase was better, a beautiful pair of earrings, and the vendor was extremely determined to make a sale. Karen looked a little too eager, and he knew he had us hooked, so the price wasn't lowered as much as it would have been if we were better at bartering. We found out that if you begin walking away the prices begin dropping. When we get to the market in Puebla, we will be taking Omar, so we don't get charged the tourist price.

It's the rainy season here, so there was a cool rain when were were ready to leave. Karen didn't have her sweater, and we were getting wet trying to figure out a particularly complicated bus stop (there are three or four types of buses), so we decided to grab a taxi instead. It cost about $2.00, compared bus fare of about 50 cents, but the extra $1.50 was worth it!

Omar and his taxi driver neighbor picked us up at about 5 o'clock at the Casa de los Amigos, which we gave up after three nights, and took us back to his house. He fixed us some coffee (with cinnamon sticks in the brew) and we talked a while. Of course, it did not take long for the subject to turn to food.

Since we weren't very hungry, he offered to prepare some fruit and yogurt. Once again, dead ripe mango and papaya, good melon, and some new goodies, guayaba and something we don't remember. Well, after slicing the fruit salad, he started cutting up something new, napilito cactus fruits, called tuna, pureed and mixed them with water to make agua fresca, the traditional Mexican “fruit waters” that are so popular here. That done, he pulled out some spanish rice from the fridge. Then he began frying the eggs. That, friends, is a light supper at Omar's.

We will spend 2 more days in Mexico City, then it's off to Puebla, to a party with Omar's family. Karina informed us we will have to dance at the party. OMG, hope they can teach us quick, and no one gets hurt when we cut the rug.

We are falling in love with Mexico.

Your happy touristas(sus turistas felices ),

Karen and Roger

Un día para la arqueología - A day for archaeology.

For Roger, who gets excited about finding a flint chip in the dirt, this day has been overwhelming. The plan was to take a morning walk to several places east of us and take the subway back. That lasted about 5 minutes. If nothing else, we adapt.

We took a taxi in the direction of the Zocalo, the original town square,  since we were a little intimidated by the Metro. And we made good progress all the way to Almeda Park. But the traffic in Mexico City is un-frigging-believable, so we got out and walked the last 5 blocks. This is not a bad thing. Any diversion from the plan rewards us with a view of something unexpected, in this case the character of a really, really old downtown section -- the closer we got to the Zocalo, the further back in time we went. The testimony was the number of older buildings we passed, really an architectural show. Just walking the streets downtown is a treat. There are ornately tiled buildings and remarkable architectural details everywhere you look.

We stopped at a church on the way, the Catedral Metropolitano, located on the Zocalo. It was started in 1573 and added to over the centuries of colonial rule. I guess calling it a church is a little understated. Standing in it is a akin to observing the Milky Way on a dark night in the mountains. We did not look over much of it, since there was a special event going on involving a number of cardinals.

Next to the Catedral is the Templo Mayor, the Aztec center of the universe. We won't do the details, just that Roger was impressed by the complexity of the site - seven episodes of construction, one for each successive ruler, starting c. 1400 AD. There is a large museum on site, just chock full of goodies and horrible artifacts involving human sacrifice that Karen did not want to learn about.

In another part of town, we hit the National Museum of Anthropology.  We met Omar and Karina there, then travelled off- site for lunch, and returned with just Karina. While Roger went looking for a local public phone card - our cells are not operating like we thought they would - Karen caught a glimpse of Voladores in front of the entrance. But they were done by the time Roger got back, so she said nothing about it until we returned.

As we approached, she remembered, then we heard their flute and saw the flyers. They danced, they climbed, they flew, and it was just breathtaking. Don't know what a voladore is? Visit the article on Wiki. There are some Youtube videos of them, and we will post the video we took at a later date

In the museum,  Karina was a trooper. She stuck with Roger and listened patiently as he talked archaeology to her (at her?), helping with his poor understanding of Spanish pronunciation. Karen learned long ago to separate from him and do her own quick look and wait on the nearest bench while he tours the museum.

The museum is the best museum we have ever seen in our life.  There are whole intact sections of temples, a massive collection of beautiful ceramics and artifacts, and lovely courtyards to display many of them.  Needless to say, Roger was in awe beyond description.

Again, dead tired.  Hasta manana- until tomorrow.

Your Mexican toursitas,
Karen and Roger

Todos de la cuidad- All around the town

You have no idea how crowed a subway can get until you ride one through the middle of Mexico City. It only costs 3 pesos (less than 30 cents) per ride for unlimited transfers, so everyonone and his brother takes the Metro. It's fast and efficient, but you have to move fast getting on and off. Roger almost got left on the train at one transfer because he got stuck in the oncoming traffic. Lesson for travelers: carry your backpack, don't wear it -- you have to turn sideways to get around at the crowed stops, and the backpack is like having an anchor attached to you.

Our day started with a knock-your-eyes-out view of the city at 7 a.m. Omar immediatly made a trip to the market and returned to prepare coffee accented with cinnamon, followed by a breakfast of chicken mole and rice, the mole made Puebla style (poblano). He also brought back a bag of dead ripe mangos - you can't get these at Krogers - which he sliced up and pureed for a mango drink that was sweet, rich, and full-flavored. The day only got better from there.

Omar's friend Jose Luis provided a taxi ride to the Metro station, then we dropped off our bags at the Casa de  los Amigos about a block off one of the big subway stations, and in the middle of the historic district downtown. Quick stop for the ATM, then onto the famous library at the University of Mexico (UNAM). That building is amazing, the exterior is made of mosiacs of colored stones.

The university is enormous, with free buses to take you to different parts of the campus. Having accomplished the first item on our list of things to do, we headed to the Museo Frida Kahlo - Casa Azul - remember the movie Frida? If you never saw the movie, rent it if you want the story.

Well, on the way, Karen got a little hungry. Now, our entourage consists of K and Roger, Omar, and his kids, Ivan (18) and Karina (21 and a senior at UNAM). Karen remembers Karina talking about a place that makes ice cream in about a hundred different flavors (not all available at the same time, it turns out), so we make a little diversion. That was a good move.  Flavors in fruits you never even heard of. Yummmm!

The ice cream shop and the Casa Azul are both in a neighborhood called Coyoacan. After taking about 15 minutes to figure out what flavors to order, we crossed the street to a park, the Jardin del Centenario (Centennial Garden) with two fountains, sculpted boxwood plantings, palm and other low latitude trees, and a church at the opposite end, the Parroquia de San Juan Bautista (1592).

A friendly cop directed us to the Casa Azul -- it was a pleasant walk through a very attractive part of the city, restaurants, a mercado (marketplace with incredibly good looking produce and trinkets - watched a woman working on a pinata), apartments, residences. After our time at the Casa, we stopped at one of the cafes for cappucinos and a shared slice of cheesecake.  The museum was lovely, with lots of the artwork of Freida Kahlo, and some by her husband the famous muralist, Diego Rivera, gardens and sculptures.  Their life is a whole history lesson by itself.

Have we died and gone to heaven?  But, needless to say we are exhausted after this busy, busy day. So buenas noches (good night) to all of our amigos.

La touristas in Mexico,
 Roger and Karen

Estamos aqui-We are here!

Day one began with an early rising to catch the 5:30 a.m. flight.  When we arrived in Mexico City,. Omar was waiting for us with a taxi driven by one of his neighbors.  Omar took us to his house.  It's located on the side of a high hill and you have to climb a long series of steep stairs to get there.  It's a working class neighborhood, so it is rather rough. He told us to never walk outside alone, and we won't.

.His house is nice inside, beautiful tile work everywhere.  From his kitchen window you can see for miles today, although it is an unusually clear day for the City -- a brisk wind has been blowing all day that cleared much of the smog out of the valley.

We were taken aback when he said he had taken a leave from his job to spend time with us. For our first night here,  he insisted that we spend the night with him, even though we have reservations at a Quaker hospitality house.  Omar can be amazingly persuasive, so we decided to stay with him tonight. You just don't turn down hospitality in a Latin country, especially when offered by a dear friend you have not seen for months. He really wants us to stay here our entire stay, but we want some time downtown for part of the trip so we can meet a variety of people and experience walking around town.We may stay here another night later in the week if we don't find the accommodations at the hostel to our liking.

Omar cooked us a wonderful dinner that started with a nicely spiced - not picante - Mexican soup of pasta, chicken, flavored with jalapenos, tomatoes, onion, and garlic. After that came a Mexican steak, and fresh fruit - dead ripe mangos, papaya, and more.

His children, Karina and Ivan, politely watched our photo show of pictures of Omar in WV.  Karina speaks English fairly well, Karen tried to communicate with Ivan with her rudimentary Spanish. They are both soft-spoken and quick to smile or laugh with the old folks.

After dinner, we went to see the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe, the most important Catholic church in Mexico. The new Basilica is very modern and just breathtaking inside. The grounds are immaculate - no pun intended - and are home to five cathedrals, including the original and another built in c 1770. The architecture and gardens were a treat for the eyes.

Afterwards, we stopped at a street cafe and I had fresh squeezed orange juce, Roger and Omar had hot milk with coffee.  I'm exhausted, I think I'll sleep well tonight. We forgot the camera cable, so photos will have to come later after we purchase one.
Hasta manana-until tomorrow.
 your touristas in Mexico,
Karen and Roger

Oye, estamos listos - Hey, we're ready

Roger here. 

 

Nice evening at home. Just about my last chance to tune in OZ with my traditional Friday Night Rum on the Rocks.

Got our shots. Spent this evening packing. Did an amazing amount of shopping this week for the trip - Our friend Omar says no, don't bring presents, but his family is going out of their way to offer hospitality, we have to bring something, especially for the chicos.

We're having a real problem figuring out where we're going. The first week is easy, we've plotted out a serious tour of Mexico City, although it's sure to be interrupted sometime or other by what's gently called "travelers diarrhea." I need to promise Karen that I will not make this trip a three-week boot camp simulation.

It's that second week that is in the air. I badly want to go to el Tajin, but Omar and his family want to take us to Oaxaca, south of Mexico City, and maybe even Puerto Escondido. Now, my brother might get a little upset, since that was the area he wanted to take me to as a retirement present last fall. Circumstances intervened and we could not go, but I've kept that in the back of my mind ever since, a road trip with my bro.

We call this the trip of a lifetime, but I suspect it won't be our only trip to Mexico. Maybe it will be like Jazz Fest, you have to go back again to see what you missed this year.

Instant friends -- Tom and Omar at Bridge Day 2006

We called Omar a few days ago, and first thing he asked was, when do we arrive. We gave him the time, and he told us he will be there to pick us up. We thought it might be better to drop off our stuff at Casa de los Amigos first, but he insists we're going to his house first. Sometimes you just can't argue with him, I just hope he helps us get to the Casa sometime Monday - they're expecting us, we have a room reserved.

Continuing with the conversation: we told him we wanted to visit Puebla, his home turf -- well, he already knew that, so when Karen asked him to help look up a hotel in Puebla for accommodations, he said, oh no, he had already talked with his brother and we were staying at his house. "No hotel bills, no hotel bills," is the way he put it.

He wants to take the entire 3 weeks off work to see us around, with his kids. Wow.

preparación de emoción

Guess we'll practice a little Spanish on this adventure. Preparation excitement mounts- we have planned a tentative agenda and have decided 3 weeks is not enough time to do everything we want to do.  So, do we extend our visit, or plan another trip next year?  There is so much archaeologically, one trip isn't enough for Roger- he wants to see it all.  I told him ruins must be balanced with culture, shopping, and of course, food. 
I have set up a skype account- my skype name is karen.wise69- let me know if you'd like to skype with me and I'll add you as a contact.
Here's a photo and link to  the Basilica de Guadelupe, one of the first things we plan to see.
Hasta luego (until later)...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_Our_Lady_of_Guadalupe