Mexico City, 2009, 15

Sat., Nov. 14, 2009 at 5:05 p.m.

I have been surprised by the strange mix of feelings and emotions that have been welling up towards this city, my stay here and my return home tomorrow.  I did two outings today, both along avenida Obregon, because it is such a beautiful walk along the median, despite the traffic and the constant risk of getting killed by a car (apparently there are six or seven traffic deaths in this city every day).  I passed two or three apparently homeless men, reminding me again of Vancouver.  Again I went as far as the art and antiques market on the median in colonia Roma, then walked around Plazas Rio de Janeiro and Obreros.  There is a beautiful church just two blocks from Rio de Janeiro that I stopped in twice today, during both walks.  How can I describe this eccliastical splendour?  It is large, and the dome shows Baroque influence while the silver steeple in front suggests neo Gothic.  The stain glass windows are particularly amazing.  While most of the churches here have small windows positioned high up  on the walls this one has long narrow stainglass windows in art-nouveau design.  Rather than religious themes these are all floral and leaf motifs in four mandala-style circles, one above the other, in colours principally of different shades of green, gold, yellow and blue, with mauve and red.  They are so amazing to look at, especially with the sunlight shining through, and I think that seeing these windows is going to influence in a very positive way my style of painting.  The church is also full of white  chrysanthemums and calla lilies.  The callas are in large gold coloured urns propped like sconces against the walls.  There are four magnificent multi-tiered chandeliers suspended from the ceiling dangling like tiaras for the gods.  On my way back to the bed and breakfast I took a different route.  I stopped in Parque Roma Sur, that park I visited the previous Saturday where I felt a decidedly creepy vibe.  I began to walk on one of the paths, then I saw a couple of youths coming towards me.  I was not interested in taking chances so I retraced my steps, taking a shortcut from the path.  They did seem to be coming after me, so I broke into a semi-run and got  out of the park very quickly.  Now I don´t know if there was any danger, but since this is the only place in Mexico City where I have ever felt at risk I decided to go with my instincts and not test the mercy of God. I nearly got run over a couple of times, and this particularly aggravated me so I was feeling pretty wasted and upset by the time I arrived at the Red Tree House where I went up to my room, drew the curtains shut and rested on my bed for about one and a half hours.  Then, I finished my packing and went to el Pendulo for coffee.  From there I did a second walk through Parque España, then along Obregon, and that was when this huge welter of sadness swelled up in me and I realized that I have come to love this city and many of the people I have met here.  This is rather similar to my experience of San Jose de Costa Rica last year near the end of my visit.  Somehow, the very nature of some of the struggles I have experienced in both places have in a way bonded me to them, just as my closest and dearest friends are those same people with whom I am able to struggle and resolve things.  Perhaps this is why I travel, even though I insist at times that I don´t travel  well.  There is that element of risk and vulnerability, being alone in a strange city in a foreign land, but this is also a proving ground for growth, for  letting go of old baggage and getting a renewed sense of vision for the life that awaits me upon my return home, while slowly learning that home is the reality that we carry with us wherever we go. Tomorrow I rise very early, and I will be leaving for the airport at 4:15 or so to catch a 7:25 flight.  My plane lands in Vancouver YVR at 11:30 am Sunday morning: flight # 980, Mexicana Airlines.  While I don´t expect anyone to meet me at the airport, and I shouldn´t have any difficulty getting home on the Canada Line, here is the information in case anyone would like to surprise me!