"I'm never going to be able to leave Mexico, really. It would be foolish of me to do it. I would be wasting such a great opportunity that the accident of life, or destiny, gave me, which is to be Mexican. If we would make 'Lord of the Rings' analogies, I think Mexico City is Middle-earth. That's where the fight of humanity is."
-Gael Garcia Bernal
Yeah, the guy was standing there with a snake, but more about him later.
We left the City center today and took a car about an hour south. We were headed for Xochimilco to take a ride on the canals on what are called "trajinaras" - a type of flat bottomed boat pushed by a yeoman with a long pole. It is part a Venetian gondola trip and part 'Jungle Cruise' with mariachi bands. It is very Mexico.
To get there we took our first drive through the city. The smog the city was famous for had returned but was not too bad. It was no where near as dense as Dehli, India and despite both cities being near the same population, traffic was much better in Mexico City.
There are several reasons for this fact - here are but a few - Mexicans, as opposed to Dehli drivers, actually stay in their respective lanes (For the most part), Mexicans believe traffic signals are real and serve a purpose, Mexicans drive on the correct side of the road, there are no Tuk Tuks and scooters competing for space, and finally there is a refreshing lack of cows on the roads. (See a previous blog)
However, it does take a long time to get to where you are going since there are so many cars and so few freeways.
So as we drove through this massive city you could see the various neighborhoods pressed together and spilling into one another. People seemed busy and not loitering about the sidewalks. We passed graffiti on walls and they shared space with fantastic street art. There were endless small store fronts abutting against American companies like Office Depot and Walmart. You can pass through a poor neighborhood and just as quickly enter a wealthy one in minutes. There is very little space between these communities. Small food stands are everywhere, sometimes as simple as a card table with a woman selling tamales. Behind her would be a line of locals. The food was cheap, and delicious. This is a fantastic city.
We finally reached Xochimilco and there met a French couple who wanted to share the boat with us. So for the next two hours under a gentle sun with a mild breeze we cruised up and down the canals faithfully pushed by Bernardo, our yeoman. The couple spoke limited English and we spoke zero French yet we managed to communicate and share the time together.
We were there on a quiet day and endless small boats selling everything from tacos, jewelry , flowers, tequila, and more would pull up to your boat to tout their wares. This parade included a number of Mariachi bands who for $3 will board your boat and play you tunes.
So imagine our surprise when this fellow was hanging around outside a flower nursery. Around his neck was a very large yellow boa constrictor as if everyone would wear such a neck piece on a lovely day.
Just another day in Mexico City.
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