Guadalajara and Mexico City
Trip Start
May 15, 2008
1
28
33
Trip End
Feb 28, 2009
Mexico City,
Mexico
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
this is also a long overdue entry but am trying to get caught up to present day.so stay with me.
November 19/2008
I spent 10 days in Puerto Vallarta at Tortilla Flats after finishing up my house sit in Yelapa,I tell ya the two places are like night and day.Yelapa is quiet peaceful and tranquil,Puerto Vallarta is noisy and very busy. The two things both places have in common that i like is the heat.These days have flown by but i am happy to move on and see some more of Mexico. I will be taking an early bus to Guadalajara which takes approx 5.5 hours and this will be my first distant bus trip from what i've heard bus travel is very comfortable,cheap and easiest way to travel in Mexico.First let me say that i thoroughly enjoyed the trip to get here to Guadalajara,the bus was awesome,when u board the bus from they give u a little goodie bag which has a sandwich,a drink and a sweet. after i found my seat hmm very cozy and if i want to recline that is possible without disturbing my neighbor behind me, I am taking a first class bus the difference is there are bathrooms on board and its a direct bus plus the bonus is there are big time seat sales on because bus travel has been down.Movies are also part of the package on board i think every third one is English well doesn't matter I've seen all the movies that played today.
I arrive at the bus station in Guadalajara early afternoon..Holy Shit!!! the bus station is like a huge airport terminal!! I have to take a cab into the centro area of town so half hour later and $100 pesos down(aprox $7-8 Canadian) I arrive at the Hostel called www.hostaldemaria.com. This place is beautiful with loads of history interwoven throughout the building, I am staying in the womins 6 bed dorm before our door is the a small internet space with two desktop computers that are available free for hostel customers.. womin bathrooms with hot water showers(yahoo) and a free breaky I am starving and must stray for some food..I will be here for two nights before i take off for Mexico City,Josefina arrives tomorrow.
Hmm my first night i damn near froze,i am not in beach country anymore...I had to ask for another blanket for a bit more warmth..i realize quickly as i scan the room and the hostel for some type of heating system which to my dismay there is nothing...Now anyone who knows me...I detest being cold! The next day dawns chilly but i see blue skies i am hopeful that my skin and soul will find some warmth throughout the day in this big city.
Wow!! this bigger city of 5 million peeps is amazing....what i am loving are the huge old buildings that are easy on the eyes,the history just leaps out at ya all over the place.Joesfina and i did a whole day of walking and saw alot of stuff,i was trying to connect with the arts and unfortunately i didn't have any luck as i didn't know where to go and neither did the cab drivers as well as we were trying to find the Zona Rosa area( gay area) that was also to no avail and my little spanish is more diffcult here, as much as i like what i am seeing the city here just isn't my cup of tea to spend alot of time in.The pictures will give a bit more on just what this city looks like. Today the farmers are protesting in the central square and with protesting here in Mexico comes the big guns which i mean literally the federalis dressed in fatigues carrying big machine guns,this is something that i have observed throughout Guadalajara that everywhere u walk there they are and look up there they are on the roof or the corners or in front of a store etc.Today there is more of the big guns about. I know its something that i will not be accustomed to even though they are there for our protection most of these gun carriers look like babies and its unnerving that their finger is lightly on the trigger(shudder). I have seen amazing outdoor sculptures here,they are everywhere.
November 22/2008
We leave for Mexico City(Josefina and I) it takes 7 hours travel and i scored another ticket deal...The bus station we arrived at was a bee hive of activity and being right in the middle of it as its rush hour traffic, Josefina went off to get a ticket for a cab before we exit with our bags.. Rush Hour traffic is nothing like i have ever experienced,Josefina lives in Mexico state which is 1 hour outside of Mexico City.Traffic was insane and i was sitting in the back seat Thank Goddess clutching the seat as there was no rhyme nor reason as to the traffic pattern. Mexico City has a population of 25 million peeps i am wondering just how many of them are driving right now!!! obviously i was the only one sweating the cab driver was very comfortable going across 5 lanes of traffic to get to the exit one of many to take us to Josefina Barrio(neighborhood) Its even colder here in Mexico City/State and i am not happy being cold just throws me right off..i got a lucky break as there were lots of blankets on the bed i was going to sleep in plus i asked for a few more.It took me a couple of days to orient myself to where i was and then we were off and running. We take a cab from Josefina's barrio to the closet metro station and then it takes an hour on the metro to get into Mexico City and girl i was speechless when i got off that metro as to the mass number of people in the station and then we get to street level.I am already overwhelmed and I've only been in the city less than an hour.
I am not sure as to where to begin as to what i saw in and outside this vast huge city!!!! Its big city and what first off i could see were so many people everywhere u looked, the sky was grey which is really pollution..no shortage of buildings to gaze at..We started out at this park that was full of vendors of all kinds..we stopped for a bite at one of the vendors sat ourselves on little plastic stools and with translation Josefina facilitated my food choices that were very mexican and yes tortilla's were part and parcel of my meal.Feeling satisfied we began one of many treks in and around Mexico City.
Zocalo(Mexico City)
This is one of the biggest squares in the world..it has huge significance political,historical and is the symbolic centre of the city now saying this every city has a zocalo(means centre) and everything goes off from there.What was particularly funny on this day that we were there is that the government is building a massive skating rink lol lol the mexicans find it embarassing and maddening due to the fact that other revelant issues have not been addressed(re:poverty) not only the rink but i alsosaw igloos around the perimeter of the rink lol lol lol for the love of goddess what are they thinking and many here have the same thoughts on this outlandish investment by the Mexican government.
Cathedral(Metropolitan Cathedral and Sagario)
It was one of the of the main religious centres during the Spanish colonial period,the architecture embraces five different styles.This is one of the biggest churches in Latin America. When i walked in this space can we say laced with gold,big statutes of the Saints.everything was big and grand.it was something to behold seeing a religious space that large but i can't say that i got hooked into a religious feeling all that vastness felt like a display and less like a church in my humble opinion.
National Place
This is the Federal Executives headquarters and area of the Old Parliament. The president of Mexico still conducts business from National Place.The other outstanding features are the murals on the walls painted by famous artists such as Diego Rivera and other muralists these murals in detail show the history and revolution of Mexico. They are breathtaking and u see what the historically the Mexicans endured as a country.
Buried City and Earthquakes
What amazed me were several things about Mexico City is that building upon past history that maybe Mexico city just built over much of their history and discovery has been through massive earthquakes or random discovery. In the metro i saw such evidence but they are preserving theses aspects of the lost city off fromt the main square there again was such evidence of the past of Mexico and close by was a museum with all the explanations unfortunately we did not see this as there was more to see.The earthquake damage is still very evident there it was the destruction left and a new building beside it.Huh!
Like Guadalajara sculptures were about and stunning work depicting their pride in their country.. I saw so much that it was hard to take it all in on each visit to the city..
Anthropology Museum
Mexico has alot of attractions and this is a place i wanted to see as its hailed as one of the best in the world,Josefina and i went the day before i left..I loved everything about it and up until then i just didn't relaize how big the country of Mexico is.each regional area was well laid out written and artifacts that the whole museum would take a week taking your time to go through. we did it in 7 hours and i still feel like i missed alot!!!
some info i found about the museum:
The National Museum of Anthropology houses the largest collection of ancient Mexican pieces in the world. There are 23 permanent exhibit halls. Archaeology exhibits are located on the ground floor and ethnographical exhibits about present-day indigenous groups in Mexico are on the upper level. The rooms on the right hand side show the cultures that developed in Central Mexico and are organized in chronological order. Start on the right and make your way around counter-clockwise to get a feel for how the cultures changed over time, culminating in the Mexica (Aztec) exhibit, full of monumental stone sculptures, of which the most famous is the Aztec Calendar, commonly known as the "Sun Stone."
On the left of the entrance are halls devoted to other cultural areas of Mexico. The Oaxaca and Maya rooms are also very impressive.
Several of the rooms have recreations of archeological scenes: murals in the Teotihuacan exhibit and tombs in the Oaxaca and Maya rooms. This gives the chance to see the pieces in the context in which they were found.
The museum is built around a large courtyard, which is a nice place to sit when you want to take a break. The museum is big and the collection is extensive, so be sure to set aside enough time to do it justice.
Teotihuacan
We're off to see the pyramids today...luckily the days are quite warm ok hot.Traveling was quite easy to get here and the scenery was pleasant to gaze at. I could never imagine to see anything like this in my life and it was very well worth it. I am afraid of high places and well the pyramids were very high but i said to myself just do what u can.so up i went halfway on those treacherous narrow stairs,halfway up i looked down and decided right then that was quite enough of facing the fear. This post is getting very long so i am leave u with a link to read in more detail about Teotihuacan.
http://www.differentworld.com/mexico/areas/mexico-city/guide-teotihuacan.htm
Coyoacan
Home of Frida Kahlo and Leo Trotsky Museums,Josefina left me to my own today after making sure she got me to this area.This area is full of artists.I immediately connected to this area and in a future travel this is where i would stay. A dream of mine was to see Frido Kahlos home now a museum and i was not disappointed although pictures were not permitted except in the courtyard and everything written was in Spanish. The entrance fee was less than $4 each Canadian to both museums.The vibrancy and the love of art was woven throughout Fridas Home that she shared with Diego. The colors,their collections and all the added touches at moments made u feel that she could stroll through at any moment.it was a busy day and i felt a tad rushed to get through becasue of the numbers of people however i did not miss anything about Frida and her life in this amazing space!!
Leo Trotsky was the complete opposite of Fridas home stark,minimal,colorless,cold but rich in history..i actually took the tour 1.5 hours but i was fascinated with the connections to Frida etc..In fact Leo Trotsky's grandson continues to reside in the area and donated the house etc which is now a foundation. both museums are within close walking distance.
After the museums i took a cab to the big outside market and it was not a disappointment.. i enjoyed the food,crafts and generally strolling about,Sundays here in Mexico are big family days so they take full advantage to get out with the family to markets etc. My limited Spanish skills are challenging at the most and i sure see that having this second language is important to get about.Josefina texts me on my phone and suggests i grab a cab and meet her at her soccer party.Taking a cab and he doesn't speak English and me with little english well i made it to my destination a bit stressed and tired from my day.
This is where my heart gets broken as i arrive in the apartment and its a young bunch of soccer lesbians i was the oldest Josefina being the second oldest.The Karokee is blasting and the girls are partying i reach in my pocket to grab for my camera and its gone i was so flustered in the cab that i forgot it there and 500 pictures..DAMN!!! there is nothing to do cause when u lose something in Mexico City kiss it good-bye.
The party and the young womin were sweet with some of them practising their english on me,they made me even get up and do Karoke and i do not like singing into a mike..but i am a guest after all.so singing YMCA lol lol
my heart was not quite into the party but i just went with the flow and work on letting my camera go alright GONE.
Josefina's niece and a friend of hers interviewed me for a univeristy class they were taking and the topic was on Rude questions..it was fun being an outsider.
I was going to stay in Mexico City for three weeks,i lasted 10 days. I had an incident when at another point i was on my own. I was taking a picture with the other camera the second camera and i saw this man running towards me didn't think much of it until he got closer then i put my hands up to tell him to stop and then he proceeded to call me the N....word and say my kind wern't welcome and meanwhile moving closer into my personal space I shoved him back and completely lost my mind put my hands on my hips and blasted him.I WAS PISSED OFF..Unfortunately he was a Mexican man spoke perfect english,he was quite surprised that i shoved him back.. a crowd was forming mostly men who had been in the square sitting etc and in my mind i thought i am going to be fucked and not in a good way so i turned and got the hell out of there,this womin told me to come into her shop and she put in the back.
Thank goddess as i needed to calm down..the womin bought me something to drink and in broken english told me i was tough and good for me..I was a wreck and also Josefina and i had conflict earlier on in that week which due to language and culture reared up.plus on top of this i was getting ill.
I did end up getting now my third camera and decided then and there that it was time to head back to the beach as i had enough of Mexico City. I saw amazing stuff josefina was a great tour guide and hostess..however the pollution,people everywhere .when i rode the metro many times no one smiled there was the feeling of such unhappiness in this city and i was constantly reminded by josefina to watch my bag etc.I was still very freaked out by that incident and here i was trying to deal with all this stuff on my own and being overwhelmed and mostly certainly overstimulated.It was the first time in my travels that i thought of coming back. Mexico City is a massive city and u just don't know what u are going to deal with when u are there. I have no regrets about going i am glad i did i am not sure that i want to go back again though.The crap thing is that i am quite ill which i think is a combo of stress,pollution and temperature change so i am heading back to Puerto Vallarta and embrace the sun,surf and beach and prepare for the holidays.
See ya in Puerto Vallarta all for Christmas...
xoxoxox
Rhonda
P:S unfortunately i lost my second camera and all my pictures from beginning of trip so my beloved Frida pics,Leo Trotsky pics and others are gone.
I have many more Mexico City Pics will load at some point later
