Mexico City #2

Hi Everyone. Sue here. Wow Mexico City s so vibrant with so much to do. The city really works - I am so impressed with the public transport which is cheap, efficient and on both the buses and metros they have carriages for just women and children.
We have been blessed with beautiful weather which is a bonus. On Friday night we joined a group to attend the Lucho Libre (Mexican wrestling) which included a taco dinner and Mescale. You all have to wear a mask depicting who you support although most of the audience, except Jemma and Kyla, didn’t follow this protocol! The fighters, both men and woman, put on an athletic display and one has to admire how they really don’t do each other serious damage. Not quite wrestling as we know it but a huge amount of fun and enormous audience participation. I tried to get into the spirit by drinking a fair amount of local beer but it didn’t work! Still sober enough to walk to the next engagement at 11pm on extremely uneven pavements. With a stop for churros along the way, Kyla led us to a Fandango where her flatmate was playing. Now I thought this would be us listening to a band in a restaurant/night club but I got that wrong! Anyone can arrive with their instrument and join in playing in a brightly lit room. Two dancers keep the beat by “tap dancing” on a raised wooden stage and the music just goes on and on with no discernible variation. I think you almost have to enter a trancelike state to get into it. This can carry on until the early hours of the morning with people coming and going with their instruments. Interesting but not really my thing so we lasted about an hour and thank goodness got an Uber home.

On Saturday we joined a friend of Kyla’s who was celebrating her birthday with a boat ride at Xochimilco. This is supposedly still part of Mexico City but it took us an hour and a half to get there. So many boats and families, friends partying on the river. There are smaller boats with local folk who sell margaritas, beers, food or have a band which plays for you. The locals also rent out their bathrooms and it is great that they are hugely supported. Lorena’s friends were lovely and so inclusive of the “old lady”! It really was a fabulous afternoon/evening. Sunday saw Jem and I heading to a local flower market with a guide. I have never seen flowers like this and so cheap. R250 for 3 dozen roses for example. The market also sells fresh vegetables and meat and of course street food. There is a special taco that is only made on weekends of lamb cooked underground which we had to try and elotes which is corn cooked on the barbecue, slathered in mayonnaise, dipped in grated cheese and sprinkled with chill and lime. Amazing!

Last night we attended a Mexican Ballet at the Palacio de Belles Artes which is the most amazing theatre. We sat so high up I got vertigo but we could still see the stage. It was more folk dancing than ballet with traditional musicians playing. A wonderful experience. The screen that covers the stage is made of glass by Tiffany’s!

And so we say goodbye to Mexico City and on to Tulum.Read more