Mexico City

From Sunday to Wednesday I spent my days exploring Mexico City. Helen and Mario live out on the peaceful suburbs so each day I would take a combi - minibus - to the outlying metro station and then the metro into town. There was no chance I would be riding my bike into town!

Just walking the city was a fascinating experience and I loved the atmosphere in town - simultaneously frenetic, a buzz of activity and noise, and serene, with quiet parks and traffic-free walkways.

Markets are dotted around the town and are a particular hive of activity.

Inside the market - a place for shopping, eating and people watching. 

 Different  sections of  town aré dedicated to different goods, here is a street of bold and prints.

My favourite day in town was Tuesday when I spent the day discovering more about the life and art of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. They lived in casa Azul for around 25 years. 

Gardens in Casa Azul - hoardes of tourists were visiting but I was so absorbed by the place I barely noticed their presence.

Frida Kahlo personified joy and pain. With the constant stream of visitors to the house she was a joyful presence and she made a powerful impression on her guests through conversation, singing and drinking, whereas her art represented the pain of her life having lived through polio as a child and survived a horrific road accident as a teenager. She also endured a tempestuous relationship with Diego Rivera who seemed to spend half their married years embarking on affairs with other women. 

 I think I'm in love! Frida Kahlo is such a captivating figure - consummate, original artist, bohemian, political activist, intellectual,. You can find out more about her life here: In Our Time

 Diego Rivera, when not womanising, created a series of murals which can be visited across various locations in the city. Some had simple themes like this one,  the teacher....

....and this one, the cane cutters. 

Whereas others were much more elaborate, dense and sophisticated and the scale of the painting was absolutely breathtaking. You could probably spend weeks examining the murals and breaking down the social and political  themes of Rivera's work.

Not just modern images, some of Rivera's murals depicted the Aztec and Mayan civilisations and the Spanish conquest of Mexico.

 Wednesday - exploring the National Museum of Anthropology. I left with a better understanding of the chronology and geography of the various civilisations and key archaeological sites. Timely as the focus of my push south will be to visit some of the key sites. 

This was a strange day though. Uncharacteristically cold and wet and a sense of gloom pervaded the city. Why I wonder.  

TRUMP! Noooooooo!!!!!

The worst has happened, America has outdone the UK in misguided political decisions. Democracy is a dangerous thing....

Poor Mexicans, demonised by Donald, may bear the brunt of his Presidency. Already the peso has fallen 13% following the election result. We, the international community,  and enlightened Americans (of whom there are a lot) must seek to keep dangerous Donald in check during his presidency.

Finally, I dedicate this post to Helen and Mario who have so kindly hosted me during my stay here in Mexico City. Though they have a crazy dog it has been a very restful stay and I will be sad to move on from my 'anchor point'. Helen has made a real success of living in the city and does not live in an expat bubble which is so easy to do when living abroad. Mario is such a fun, charismatic guy, I know they have a wonderful future lined up together, see you in the UK guys!