Floating Down a Canal in Mexico City

We have now arrived at our last night in Mexico...

Today we took an early bus from Acapulco (at 8:00am) and arrived here around 1:00pm. Except for the loud movies on the bus, it was a comfortable trip with great views of the mountains along the new toll highway.

We arrived at the South Station and hoped to find a hotel nearby. We were out of the Lonely Planet guide book's territory here. No listings of any kind for the whole area....We asked several people in the station and got mixed answers: yes, there were a few hotels, and no, there were no hotels around. Finally a very nice woman who worked for the transport system walked us about ten blocks to where we could see the hotels. We are paying about $35 for a beautiful room...this may be another "love hotel", where couples go for some time alone, since most people live with little privacy. In any case, it is modern and clean, and seems quiet!

Once we checked in, we took the light rail from a nearby station to the Dolores Olmeda Patina Museum, in the Xochimilco district to the south. This is the former home of the patron of Diego Rivera, and has beautiful grounds along with an amazing collection of art. The museum houses Diego Rivera's collection of pre-hispanic art, many of his works and some by Frida Khalo. My favorite place was the whole room of sunset paintings by Rivera, done from Dolores's home in Acapulco, located near where we watched the sun set the night before! There were only a few other people in the museum and I felt like I wanted to live there....

http://www.museodoloresolmedo.org

After the museum, we walked twenty minutes to one of the embarcaderos for the boats that are poled through the 80 kilometers remaining of the canals that once covered all of the Mexico City area. It was expense ($30), but we took a boat by ourselves (we were the only "white" tourists we saw anywhere the whole day!) (people, come to Mexico City!) for an hour tour. On the weekends, apparently the place is crowded with Mexicans frome the city. We returned to shore at sunset, and then explored the market area.

I love the energy and color of the street life here. People of all ages are out and walking around, even after dark. Everything imaginable is for sale along the streets. Everyone is friendly, and having fun, it seems. Seattle seems so dull and calm after this!

Tomorrow we leave....

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