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Published: June 25th 2009
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So, after a fab dinner in the Condesa neighbourhood last night, in an extremely veggie friendly restaurant (in a working book shop, very funky and the fact that it was mine and Dara's first experience of mole - delicious) we again headed back for an early night (it's tiring work sitting on a tour bus all day long I'll have you know!) So bright and early this morning, up I got to find another fabulous day's weather (the BBC weather forecast really need sorting out, it's torrential rain according to them).
Once ready, we sauntered off to the metro (first time on it last night, very excited, that's another one for my 'try and ride every underground system in the world' list ticked off. How anal am I?) to join the overhead train to Xochimilco, also known as the 'floating gardens'. Once off the train, a very nice tourist guide cycled quietly alongside to make sure we didn't get lost in our quest to find the 'trajineras' (gondolas). Once there our friendly guide (who we at first thought he was doing this out of the goodness of his heart) did all the necessary arrangements to get us successfully installed on
a trajinera and ready for the off. After a spot of haggling over the price (it suddenly got higher for no reason after we immediately agreed to pay the first price he told us) we were off. These brilliant boats had a man with a really long stick to steer us. Our boatsman was lovely but unfortunately I can't remember his name now. He told us how this system of canals is home to the indigenous peoples of the 'chanampas' and they still use boats as their main method of transportation. I was again delighted to have the opportunity to use my Spanish which I was pleased with how much I could understand and actually speak back!
It was a beautiful landscape with fabulous plants, animals and birds all in a massive set of canals ranging from small and narrow to wide and long. Passing a 'boat bridge' which you pull from side to side to get across the canal was a most interesting sight and a chance for the school girls crossing to have a giggle at the 'gringos'.
Our main objective, however, was to visit the 'Isla de las Munecas', an island which is filled with
hundred of dolls in different states of decomposition; some are half burned, some missing heads, some missing bodies and others impaled on different things. They were hanging on branches, in huts and all over the island. A small hut doubled as a 'museum' where the man of the island told the 'historia' of the dolls and the island. It goes like this; the guides uncle put all the dolls there over a 5 year period to appease the spirit of a little girl that drowned in one of the canals. It truly is one of the most - if not the most - bizarre places I have every visited. It's like something out of a horror movie!! One doll in particular gave me a terrible shiver down my spine, as I walked into one of the huts, I turn to see a doll who was hanging from the ceiling give me the evilest stare, but the funniest moment had to be when me and Dara were in the hut where the man gave us the 'historia' and while I was trying to take a photo of Dara with her head up close to her favourite of the decapitated dolls, the
feckin' thing spun it's head round to face us with it's gruesome stare!!!!! What a shock, we jumped about 5 feet back and screamed with banging hearts (Dara even said that her's stopped for a moment) thinking that we were actually in the beginning of a horror movie and that all the other dolls in the hut were about to jump up and attack us! Luckily we realised that this wasn't the case and that Dara had accidentally moved the stool that the head was impaled on. How we laughed and laughed.......
Back on the boat, we started heading back to Xochimilco passing other trajineras along the way, some selling tasty food, others with musicians ready to play for 5 pesos and some other tourists. So after a very pleasant, peaceful and tranquil trip we arrived back. the canal system did remind me in many ways of parts of Holland and it's canals.
Once off the boat, with a handsome tip to our boatsman, we headed back into the town and took a wander round the colourful and vibrant market laden with fruits and veg and spices. Aoife finally got her much craved after apple fix (she's got
an addiction to them, never to be found without one) so with bags laden with apples we started back on the journey into the centro!
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Niamh
non-member comment
Hola
Hi girls, Well done on the blog Dee! Its great to be able to keep up with what yis are doing. Photos are cool. Not so sure about the dolls though, bit freaky. Have fun xx