Third day in Mexico City

Polanco, San Angel and Cuayacàn

On the way to the Southern parts of Mexico City, I first ventured in Polanco, a central area that looks more like Western Europe (clean, upscale, with top-end boutiques, tall gates and fences around good looking villas, and leafy green avenidas) than like Mexico City I have experienced so far.  My guide even called Avenida Presidente Masaryk  the Rodeo Drive of Latin America. 

I am grateful for having a very knowledgeable guide, Ricardo, who is a walking (and driving!) encyclopedia of Mexican history and culture.  Of great importance, he drives effortlessly in the Bucharest-like chaotic traffic. My stomach came up to my throat only once when, smack in the middle of a huge roundabout on Paseo de la Reforma, we encountered opposite driving traffic.  Check out the picture!

Two more things about traffic here: despite the fact that traffic is chaotic, there is order in chaos and I've never seen so many bumpers so close to each other but NO accidents! Neither major nor minor.  It feels as if there is a mutual understanding among drivers and they give the right to pass the very last second, without incident.  Or I haven't witnessed any! The second thing is that like in Quebec City, the STOP sign is translated in the local language: HALTO

NEXT STOP: San Angel neighborhood, dating back to when Italian friars came after the Spanish to convert the native people to Christianity.  Casa de Risco dates back to around 1650 - beautiful yellow exterior and this altar made of broken tiles. 

NEXT STOP: UNAM, Universita Nacional Autónoma de Mexico - a university with 1133 buildings and 6 bus routes - no words to be added about its size... 

3-D Diego Rivera mural adornes the entrance in the stadium.  

MUAC - Museo Universitad de Arte Contemporánea 

Central Library with the mural by Juan O'Gorman

NEXT STOP: Coyoacán 

First, Diego Rivera studio and house with a famous bridge between them, so the heavy artist could move from one to the other without going down and up the stairs.  

Barrio Santa Catarina, villa Cuayacan - first settlements of Cortes 

This building is now used as a cultural community center. Check out the statue in the garden, the stove, and the tiles in the "readings room"

Frida Kahlo house - which she shared with equally famous Mexican artist Diego Rivera.  

Loved the corset with communist symbol, whimsical creations, and the unique hue of blue she frequently used.  

Coyoacán Marquet

I loved this bazaar of food, flowers, wool and everything imaginable on the planet.  Discovered new fruit: delicious mamey (looks like a papaya and tastes like a delicately sweet squash), Guanabana (related to cherimoya). 

Very friendly people, cheap food, and a tortilla machine (above)! We ate delicious quesadilla de Cochran huitlacoche con queso and quesadilla de flor de calabaza con queso 

Finally, immersion in history - great stories my guide Ricardo shared with me about Hernan Cortes, La Malinche, and the places that still carry their memories in Coyoacán. 

FUN FACTS: (or maybe not so much fun!)

1. Electric wires hang in huge bundles from the street poles and sometimes lose wires hang like ropes above your head. For how tall I am, it's a scary thing!

1. Tap water is not drinkable! Water sellers are everywhere and big trucks deliver water to many buildings in the city.  This is a terrible situation after the last earthquake and it's unclear what the government is doing about it.