Esperanza

Despite what the bus says, my final destination is the country's capital. It's a 7-hour trip from Oaxaca, with a short stop in the final hour. A comfortable ride but hell is standing in a queue for nearly an hour for a taxi at the bus station, next to a box of yapping chihuahuas. But eventually I'm comfortably settled in a large hotel in the Zona Rosa, one of the most upmarket regions of the capital.

It doesn't take long to find little details of windows and signage to enhance my stay. Moving to the city's heart, I find a maze of streets only a few blocks from the Cathedral where local life bustles on oblivious of tourists. The nail parlours and the lady doing a "Mexican wave" do business in a square known as the "Plaza de Belleza" (square of beauty). Good food as well---eats, shoots and leaves, as they say.

Back in the open air, in the popular Chapultepec park I see a novel form of karaoke. But just as in London, there are numerous unsung squares: the two men are taking a break from dog training, while the bandstand is an amazing neo-Moorish concoction in the La Ribera district (thanks to Doree for telling me about this). Lastly, there's a Sunday flea market which owes nothing to passing tourists. None of these are in the travel guide books---they are Second Division---but then nor are some of my favourite London places like Red Cross Gardens.

And so with regret, the final day has come. Would I like to add more countries to my visit list, or be content returning to some of them? Mexico has an answer---being like 20 countries rolled into one, there's always more to discover and I wouldn't mind a future visit sooner than the 3 years since the previous one.Read more