Puebla, Day Five

It's been a mixed day but still more enjoyable than not.  I took a long hike into a new area on a carreterra that made me think of Kingsway beautified, given the meridian boulevard with jacaranda trees in full purple blossom.  I came across a mall with a supermarket where I stopped to buy nuts, bananas and chocolate bars, by which one might infer that I'm a bit nuts, going bananas and really need my chocolate, which altogether isn't far from the truth.  I wandered as far as the river, then made my way back on a side street where I sat in a cafe full of comfy chairs for an Italian soda where I did some more drawing and had a nice chat in Spanish with the young lady serving me.  It seems that a lot of people respond well to art here and when they see what I'm doing they often want to visit more.  This for me brings to mind the whole redemptive property of art, that making art in a way is part of recreating life and the world and establishing the Kingdom of God on earth (no I haven't been smoking anything.  Why would you ever ask?  I actually seriously believe this.)  I did have a couple of less than pleasant encounters: early today with the entrance to the casa de Cultura, which is a beautiful place with an art show that is free on the main floor and a pleasant patio garden.  The unpleasantness came when neither the security guard (they all tend to be grumpy assholes here) or the old man watching over their heritage library would give me clear instructions about paying for my ticket to get in upstairs.  He just told me to check my knapsack, so I did and on the lady's advice I put it in a locker.  Then when I went back into the library the same little old man told me that I still have to pay for my ticket, this while two other white tourists, two women were standing there wearing their backpacks and he didn't seem to be noticing much.  So I just said I'm leaving, got my knapsack and left.
     Then later this afternoon I stopped in the university bookstore to brouse and maybe buy something.  Both the idiots working there rudely ordered me to surrender my bags at the front counter.  So in eloquent Spanish I told them that I am not a thief, and if I can afford to travel here from Canada then I sure don't need to steal from you, and left.
    Otherwise, this city is growing on me.