the great city they call me'xico

So, the rumours that you have heard about what a crime-ridden, scary, violently dangerous city Mexico city is, which most Mexicans simply call Mexico or D.F., districto federal, are not true. Yes, it's a big city and like any big city it has its fair share of problems, but it is NOT AS BAD AS PEOPLE SAY IT IS. So, with that said, i think you all should visit it, take in a few of the hundreds of museums they must have, do a little shopping in La Merced market, go to the blue house that Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera lived in and see some of their artwork, including the body casts that Frida was in after her accident on the tram, and the weird little things they collected; the Anthropology museum, which is indescribaly huge and and there are just no words to describe it because it is just too too amazing, see the Diego Rivera murals in El Palacio Nacional, which were so powerful and moving I cried on the steps in front of them. Or while waiting in traffic(this is a bad problem in the city, as well as pollution, yuck! That, coupled with the elevation pressure make your eyes red) why not take in a man standing on a four-foot tall ladder juggling torches while his amigo washes your windows. While waiting in traffic you can switch on the radio and hear any number of stations playing all those 80's songs you don't want to admit you know all the words to. They really seem to love the music from the 80's there, I couldn't figure it out.
At one point on my first day after Shanti and I had gotten back from Teotihuacan I was wandering around, looking for the Frida Kahlo museum and just seeing what I could see, when I soon found myself utterly lost. I thought I knew what I was doing, assuring myself that I didn't need to go back the way I came, I could go down an alternate route and still get back, nodding to myself self-assuredly. oops. Soon, I was just thinking, oh, SHIT, where the hell am I? I asked all sorts of people how to get back to the street I thought I started on. I think their directions made me more lost than before. And then the rains came. Almost every afternoon in the city as well as San Miguel it pours rain for about 30 minutes or so to clear the air and then it usually stops. I was, unfortunately caught in one such rainstorm, while utterly and desperately lost. Finally I stopped a woman coming out of her house and asked her how to get to La calle de Universidad. She didn't know. El parque cerca de Universidad? You want to go to the park? Why? Where are you trying to get? She asked me. And I told her my hostel on Quemada street. Ok, I will drive you there. And she did, all the way telling me about the best places to visit in Mexico and what I absoutely must do while I am here, and soon I was in front of my hostel, dropped off with a big smile, a kiss on the cheek and her phone number in case I had a problem. How's that for some nice people in this city that I have heard referred to as 'the land of the locusts.'
I luckily met an awesomely fun transvestite named Sofia in the shoestore. Before I knew it she had gotten me to try on these 5 inch tall pink high-heeled boots. I couldn't walk in them and she thought that was the funniest thing in the world. She tried to give me lessons, as she was a pro, but it led to nothing but more laughter. We laughed some more after we left the show store over the strange occurrence of 4 Leon shoe stores all in a row and all with the same shoes. I guess this is common in Mexico, dating back to Aztec times when if you wanted beads or something, all the people who were selling beads were lined up. Here, you will find blocks only full of gold jewelry, bridal gowns, printing presses, fancy bibles, posters, and more. It's kinda nice, but a little odd as well. After that she took me to this little hole in the wall restaurant for lunch, which was fabulous. Ah, the joys of Mexican food, everything is spicy and delicious. After that we went to La Merced market which was just so damn big I was entirely overwhelmed and we went to the Zocalo, which is the center of town and sat down and ate some ice cream in the middle of the square. A girl came up to us and wanted to interview us for the newspaper about how we felt sitting here in the Zocalo, a very powerful place, the sight of an Aztec temple long ago and now a place for massive demonstrations, or protests.
In all i LOVED this city. I loved the people, I loved the fact that you were a mere 20 minutes from the once largest civilization in MesoAmerica, and their temples, see the pictures, were just unbelievable. We took the second bus of the day (there are 48) out there and shared the entire place with 2 guys from Toronto and a few hawkers. i bought a mask from one of them for a great price and it has become my prize possession. It belongs in a museum. Really. Sorry about all my run-on sentences, but it's just the way it goes. I can't type as fast as I think.
This city is very odd no doubt. It seems that something strange lurks just beneath the surface of everyday life, popping up in the most peculiar of palces. I ran into an Australian guy on the Metro that I knew from Santa Cruz, and I met a woman who lives in Carmel Valley, right across from Garland Park, 2 minutes down the road from me! Quite the coincidence.
Before we went to the City we stopped in Morelia, where Shanti and I unfortuntaley chose a hotel that despite our guide book reccomending what we thought was highly, was in actuality a hotel for some of the cheapest hookers in town. Oh, that's why we were woken up at 3am by the screams of someone in the throes of passion. And just when we thought it was over and we could go back to sleep, it began again, and again, and then onto the shower. Jesus H. Christ. In the morning when Shanti's relatives (see the picture) picked us up we all laughed at our poor choice and they drove us off in a big white chevy SUV to sweet Patsquaro, an idyllic, charming little town. There, Shanti's aunt owns a beautiful old hotel and they got us oh-so-drunk on delicious tequila and hordes of fabulous food on the top floor with a gorgeous view of the lake there, so big it has little islands that people live on. It's here where the country convenes to celebrate Dia de los Muertos in early November. Then they set us loose to wander around. It was still early and we went to the market. I bought a huge mask for Peter the mask collector and then realized too late that I would now be carrying this around thru Patsquaro and into Mexico city. Greeeeaaatt. But, he's worth it. And today is his birthday!! Everyone wish Peter happy birthday!
Anyways, I'm back in San Miguel today. And i can't sit in front of this computer any longer so i must be off.