What's Next? 41 Mexico 2012

From my old travel journals, Gentle Reader:

Hello Everybody: I am naming this missive Houdini in the Sky because that ought to be the real name for flying economy class.  I was stranded for five and a half hours at more than thirty seven thousand feet sharing seats with a screaming child and his two very patient parents.  Being in the window seat of course made it very difficult to leave, so I stayed where I was, since the parents of the sixteen month old kid took turns holding him.  Fortunately I had earplugs which made the situation a bit tolerable and I was able to nap  off and on despite the kid's screams and the screams of another baby nearby and the strident tune of a happy whistler.  I also felt sorry for the kid, it was his first flight and probably terrifying for him as well as painful to his poor ears.  I was really tired since I never sleep well on the night before a flight and I spent my last hours in Canada wandering around the cheesy shopping mall which is also called YVR Departures Lounge.  I walked up and down for exercise and to stay awake and I must have walked nearly five miles worth.  My plane landed a bit late but had no difficulty otherwise, except that the flight attendants, Air Canada, so go figure, only had landing forms in French, so, not knowing the language I didn't fill it out correctly, so the customs official in Mexico City had me do it over again.  Smooth cab ride to the Red Tree House where one of the owners, Jorge, and the manager, Ernesto welcomed me with open arms.  I wanted to go for a walk in the area but when I realized how tired I was I went to sleep, sort of.  But I still slept decently and didn't need earplugs which I always wear at home. I seem to be adjusting well to the altitude change, felt a bit dizzy this morning but I have spent most of seven hours walking everywhere.  I started in the neighbourhood, Condesa.  This is an interesting area.  Most of the buildings are Art Deco vintage but some are much older and colonial looking.  There are trees and flowers everywhere and many of the boulevards have paved walkways with benches in the middle.  The pavement is often cracked and uneven and the buildings often appear to be in need of upkeep so there is an elegant shabbiness here.  It makes me think of a very beautiful woman or man who has aged well and proudly lets the wrinkles and sags show because they are part of the beauty of aging and this is what this neighbourhood as well as much of Mexico City that I have seen reminds me of.  I took a long detour route to Chapultepic Park which is kind of like the Central Park of Mexico City, full of trees and gardens but also with museums and art galleries and a huge zoo.  I came in through the main entrance which has an enormous wrought iron gate and the pedestrian causeway is flanked by life size bronze sculptures of black tigers or panthers, but I'm sure they are tigers because of the shape of their head. A man tried to sell me his shoe shining services but even when I showed him that I was wearing runners I still couldn't dissuade him, though he probably assumed that because my runners are black they should be polished.  I finally convinced him, Look, I'm sorry, but I cannot help you, and he finally backed off.  Flanking the causeway are two small lakes.  The one on the right has a small island in the middle with a covered stage and a platform nearby where ballet dancers were rehearsing in workout garb Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, which will be performed here later this month.  The water is infested with algae and it is Gatoraid green.  I have never tried Gatoraid.  Probably never will. Following a visit to the zoo I kept walking.  Just past the Museum of Anthropology There is a monument to Mahatma Gandhi.  With a larger than life statue of him so well done that it shows every one of his ribs.  On the backdrop behind the statue are two of his quotes, in Spanish and I will try to translate them here.  Nonviolence has arrived and is here to stay to declare peace to the entire world. The purpose of our struggle is to bring together the entire world in harmony and love. I ended up in a wealthy neighbourhood, Polanca, which is full of apartment towers,  say kind of like the West End with Shaughnessy residents.  I had to get directions from a couple of different people to Parque Lincoln where there is a small avery.  One fellow thought it was too far to walk, but it's only six blocks, so not far at all.  The avery is nothing special, lots of budgies, a few cockatiels and love birds and a peacock.  But I studied the peacock for a while because I plan on painting one while I'm here. The beggars here are usually indigenous families or indigenous old women.  Parque Lincoln is fairly big, landscaped, with ponds and many pathways as well as a children's playground. The owners of the Red Tree House want to take me out for dinner on my birthday which is Feb 29.....Who knew? The weather is great by the way.  Not too warm, around twenty with breezes, and partly sunny, partly cloudy.   On the way back I detoured along Paseo de la Reforma as far as the Angel de Indepencia, which is a tall pillar with the stature of a golden angel on top.  In front of the pillar was a demonstration in favour of a political candidate for Xolchimilco, one of the burroughs of Mexico City. The traffic here is as frightening as ever. Breakfast here at the Red Tree House was as interesting as ever.  i met another Vancouverite, who has traveled recently, alone in El Salvador and agrees with me that Canadians are a very timid lot, with the fear that so many people have of going to Mexico these days.  We also agreed that Canadians are the Chicken Littles of North America.  There is also a large wedding party here, from England and I had an enjoyable conversation with the father of the bride who is a barrister who lives in London. I am surrounded here by people who seem to make a lot more money than I do which is also kind of interesting.