Fireworks are not the best way to wake up
I slept restlessly last night - I kept having this dream where everything in Alexia’s house was some kind of unopenable compartment, and I was convinced that I could open them if only I knew how. I would wake up almost every hour, go back to sleep and have the same dream, trying - trying always to unlock those compartments that seemed to fill every nook and cranny of the expansive estate (the dream estate was significantly larger than the actual one, which is still very large for Mexico City). I finally fell properly asleep at around 3AM, and woke up at around 8 (thanks, jet lag!). I sat on the computer for a bit scanning popurls for the latest and greatest in the internet, and then took a shower. The water, although a perfect temperature, didn’t really come out with any significant velocity - this may have been due to half of Mexico City taking a shower, but regardless it made the episode a rather sordid affair.
Starting at around 9 I could here these terrific explosions happening nearby. My first thought was that there was some kind of cannon blast happening - perhaps an early independence day commemoration (Mexico’s independence day is Sept. 15). I would later become convinced that it was gunfire (after a series of blasts in quick but non-sequential succession), and would ultimately be put to shame by Alexia’s mother, who revealed that they were fireworks. Ordinarily, I would question the wisdom of fireworks at 9 in the morning, but it seemed to make sense in my sleepless state, so I let it go. At around 10 I called Alexia’s house (the main house, anyways) from my little guest abode, and was told by Mrs. Dillon to come over and have some breakfast. I was greeted by Alexia at the door, and we strolled over to the kitchen for breakfast.
Breakfast was cooked by one of the several servants of the Dillon family (toast with scrambled eggs and milk, in case you were curious), and then Alexia and I hopped in one of their several cars (noticing a trend here?) and drove out with the objective of getting on the tour bus that goes around Mexico City (el turibus, if you will). We drove around for probably 20 minutes trying to find parking before finally paying for parking in a tiny lot near el Auditorium, the main concert venue at Mexico City. As it would turn out, our choice of parking was ideal as the tourbus picked us up right in front of el Auditorium, and we were on our way! The tourbus works a lot like the ones in Bristol do (and I’m sure like the tourbuses in almost any major city), which meant that we were given headphones and were allowed to listen to a recorded voice telling us about the various sights and sounds as we drove around. Oh, and did I mention that the tourbus was a double decker? So cool.
We rode around for a bit (at one point, I was absolutely walloped by a tree branch in the face as I was not paying proper attention), and I took photos as we drove. I must have taken about 250 pictures today - probably of that only 5-10 are really good, but there was so much to see and capture. Mexico City is beautiful, but for me it is the people that are so fascinating. Expressions, moments - there were two pictures that I wish I could have taken - one was this girl talking to her boyfriend with a look of sad loss and confusion, and another was in a similar position but with a look of utter joy and love. Both were very touching, and perhaps it is because of that that I didn’t take the pictures. Still, the image is burned into my memory regardless. We got off not too far from la Plaza de la Constitucion (accents omitted), and walked through the city streets until we got to the plaza (also called el Zocalo). We walked into el Catedral, which was huge and beautiful and kind of sad and empty at the same time - I am left with the feeling that many of the cathedrals serve now as more tourist attractions than actual sites of worship, despite the city’s highly Catholic nature and populace. After el Catedral, we were going to go to the ruins located near el Zocalo (el Templo Major), but apparently all museums and their ilk were closed today (on a Monday? okay…), so we walked on to the Palacio National, which we walked around in and took more pictures before hopping back on el Turibus to go and meet Jorge for lunch.
As we walked around, Alexia pointed out that many of the people that were hawking wares in the streets were of Aztec descent, and had made their various items themselves in their homes. We also saw men dressed in traditional Aztec garb with giant incense burners, cleansing the bodies and souls of those kind enough to give them a few pesos. I took a few pictures, but sadly none that really spoke to the majesty of their apparel and appearence.
Jorge works in the tallest tower in Latin America as an accountant for a major banking firm, and so we waited at the bottom of the tower to meet him for lunch. Looking around, it became apparent to us that the good weather we had endured earlier in the day was about to depart, and so we counted ourselves fortunate that we had time to drive to the restaurant and seat ourselves comfortably before the downpour truly began. I feel obliged to fill in some more details about Jorge, as I’ve left him sort of as an empty character thus far. Jorge is 34, and has been involved with Alexia for two weeks, but I think that the two of them are actually in love with each other. Jorge is extremely animated, very funny, generous, clearly successful, and a great mealtime companion (:P). His smile and laugh practically define his features, and similarly his tendency to burst into dance when there is no music serves as an adequate representation of his personality as a whole.
The restaurant where we ate lunch was named Saks, and the food was absolutely delicious. We shared fried cheese, and I had a bowl of tomato soup and a steak (did I mention that yesterday I had duck tacos? did I mention that all of the food I have eaten here has been delicious?). We talked about diabetes, about the city, about what to do now that it was raining, about children and camp, and about life itself. I am slowly piecing together the circumstances that must have been in place for Alexia to have found Joslin - she herself is diabetic, she’s only had the disease for 3 years, and her control is not perfect (hA1C of 9.something). I don’t know how she heard about the camp yet (perhaps Ben?), but at least I understand a little more about how she came to work there. I also found out something really disgusting about some people who worked at camp, and I remember why information is not always a benefit to possess.
After lunch, Alexia and I decided not to get back on the tourbus, because what’s the point of being on the tourbus if you can’t be on the top of the double decker? I mean, really. So Jorge drove us to el Auditorium, where we picked up Alexia’s car and drove to the mall to do some shopping. I ended up getting a book and a t-shirt, and we were going to go see a movie when the two of us sort of hit a brick wall of exhaustion, having walked around all day, and so we decided to head home. Alexia is currently trying a CGMS, and it had kept her awake all night, so the two of us had both gotten very little sleep, and a movie probably wouldn’t have gone as well as it should have. So we drove home in yet more rain and traffic, and that is what brought me to where I am now: sitting comfortably on the sofa in the guest building, typing this up and chatting and thinking about what an awesome and lively place Mexico City is turning out to be.
A few notes in summary:
- I am glad that this is no “I got drunk at Cancun” trip. I am actually going places and learning about the history of the city and about its culture and life, and to me that is so much more memorable and worthwhile. Also, the pictures I have are going to be awesome.
- We had initially intended to head to the beach at Vera Cruz over the weekend, but Hurricane Fenix has put something of a wrench in the works as far as that goes, so we are looking into alternative plans.
- I am cooking dinner for Jorge, Alexia, and (hopefully) Carolina on Friday.
- Tomorrow, weather permitting, Alexia and I are driving to Teotihuacan, which will be SO FUCKING COOL AND I WILL TAKE SO MANY PICTURES. Failing that…Harry Potter in IMAX?
- Also apparently there is a safari-style zoo in the area that Alexia has offered to take me to, which will be so cool. Also, a jazz night at a local museum.
- This was a great idea.
