Deh-Effeh (Mexico City, Distrito Federal)-Part 2

So...I am taking classes and don't have much time to update my blog because I have HOMEWORK...of all things!  :o)

Continuing with our adventure in Mexico City...

On Friday, Aug. 29th, Reed and I rode the Metro to the south side of the city to spend that night and the next day with one of her colleagues who is teaching in Mexico City.  Gretchen is a high 

school teacher in the US but has been placed at a middle school in the city.  She lives with her husband and two children in a 10th floor apartment in one of 12 buildings in a complex (pic of D.F.

 from their window) .  When we arrived, her husband and the kids 

were gone so Reed and Gretchen had time to talk about the differences between education in the United States and Mexico.  It was interesting to listen to them talk (in English, thank goodness)!

When Gretchen's husband and kids returned, we walked to one of the 16 boroughs of the city called Coyoacan which became famous because Leon Trotsky, in addition to Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, called it 'home' (both homes are now museums).  The intense cultural life that began with Diego and Frida is still very prevalent in the atmosphere of this part of town with it's many theaters, institutes and galleries.  The architecture is equally intense (2 pics).  We didn't get to see much of the

 area because it got dark so we ventured back to this part of town the next day. It was Saturday which meant there were many outdoor markets (Tianguis) filled with paintings, drawings and

handcrafted items (pic).  We walked through several markets and then around the streets in this part of town, expertly led by Gretchen's husband and his Lonely Planet Guide.  

After eating, another flavorful meal, we ventured back to the apartment to pack and bid farewell.  We took the Ruta (city bus)

 which costs 2 pesos (20 cents) to the Terminal for the 'big' bus ($6.60 for 1 1/4 hour) back to Cuernavaca.  We learned a valuable

 lesson:  when you offer to pay for your tickets with a credit card and the person at that part of the counter says that she doesn't 

have a credit card machine, it means that she, personally, doesn't have a credit card machine--it doesn't mean that the bus company

doesn't accept credit cards.  Unfortunately, we were 60 cents short of buying a ticket with cash and spent a good hour walking around on 'tips' from kind, helpful people before we realized our misunderstanding.  We arrived home safely!  :o)

An observation:  It is increasingly obvious the divide between the haves and have-nots in Mexico.  However, I haven't seen many homeless people.  What is astonishingly obvious is that people sell whatever/wherever they can to 'make a living'.  Por ejemplo (for example--a term that is used frequently here), currently there is a Faria (fair) going on in a major street here in Cuernavaca for 10 days (1/4 mile long).  The amount of things that are for sale is beyond belief AND they are the same things booth after booth.  I can't imagine that the people that own these booths are making much money and I often wonder how they can buy these things in such quantity to sell!  OR are they working for some entity and being paid 'peanuts'?  In addition, riding around in the cities I have noticed grand, walled-in houses right next to a shanty with NO walls and a tin roof.  On that same street there is a person selling tamales out of a bucket on the corner of the street.  It is all very interesting and I find myself pondering the differences, reasons, events, and observations each day.

Coming soon:  My first week at Instituto Chac Mool!