Tag Archives: mexico city

March 29, 2013 · 7:14 pm

Easter Getaway

More than half a million Brits are boarding flights this Easter. To anywhere but here. Spring has officially started, but the snow drifts burying half the country suggest that winter has decided to overstay her welcome this year. It is bleeding freezing. A few brave cherry trees are blossoming, but the flora remains in stubborn hibernation. I wish I were one of the six hundred thousand headed to the sun. Alas, I am not. I will have to make do with dreaming of the sun.

Anyone care to guess where in the world I’d rather like to be sunning myself? I’m offering no prizes. I have been consoling myself with a few videos of my favourite city and country. I’ve posted loads of them over the years. The Bicentenario series by Televisa. The wonderful rendition of Cielito Lindo for the Banamex advert. The very slick advert by the Mexico City government. There’s lots of old reels available on YouTube too. Remember the 1940′s video in colour that did the rounds a few years back? There’s a couple of black and white ones too. And one from the 1950′s too.

Or are you just after the hard facts? Perhaps this National Geographic video will be to your liking. But I found the video I’ve embedded below the most interesting. It’s a BBC documentary, made in 1999. I’m sure that’s Taxquena in the opening few minutes. This is a period that put most residents of DF, at least those that can remember it, in fear of their city. I knew so many people who had horror stories of crime in Mexico City. Nine out of ten of them came from the mid to late 90′s.

When I first arrived in 2003, things were calmer, but still edgier than they are now. The doors of the Hostel Cathedral which almost abuts the Zocalo would have its doors shut not long after dark, and a security guard or two toting shotguns. Those days are happily gone. The hostel has its doors open till late at night and you can walk three blocks from the Zocalo without getting robbed. Although, to be fair, there is still one direction you’re not best advised to stroll off in…

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Tagged as crime, mexico city, videos

August 20, 2012 · 10:59 pm

Axes and Exiles

Seventy two years ago today, a young revolutionary-minded Spaniard strolled into an office in a Coyoacan home and plunged a ice axe into the head of an old revolutionary Russian. A day later, Leon Trotsky died as a result of the wounds inflicted by the pick axe. His home today remains largely as it looked on that summers day in 1940. The photo below is one I took in 2009 of his desk, where he sat when the the fatal blow was struck. Although these days, the people sneaking around the compound are tourists, rather than Soviet assassins. It’s one of my favourite museums in Mexico City, yet doesn’t get the footfall it deserves. they really need a decent multi-language website, perhaps.

Political fugitives still exist in the 21st century. The most famous, or infamous, of which would be Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. I’m not sure I approve of what he’s done. Although I certainly don’t entirely disapprove, either. But regardless, I support his fight against extradition on two grounds. Firstly, I would not trust the Swedes to not extradite him to the US – and I most definitely do not trust the United States to afford Assange either a fair trial or even civilised treatment.

Iraqi jails, Guantanamo Bay and the incarceration of Bradley Mannings have somewhat tarnished the reputation of the US judicial system. Further tarnished, I should say – any country still operating the death penalty is a bit backward in my opinion. China, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia….and the US. It’s not a good list to be in. Secondly, I do not like the way successive British governments have implemented and acted upon extradition treaties.

I am seriously disappointed in the way the British government has approached the impasse that has been created by the Ecuadoran government granting Assange political asylum. Threats to burst into the embassy and take Assange by force? That’s simply not on. It’s what you’d expect of a tinhat dictatorship. I really don’t believe it will happen. It won’t have much public support here. I hope it doesn’t happen – it’d be a national embarrassment and would reflect poorly on us as a member of the international community. I would hope it would be the death knell of our current government too. Perhaps the Liberals will grow a pair, pull out of the coalition and force a general election.

I’ve pretty much given up on the current government doing anything to help out the economy. As far as the average Joe is concerned, it’s just about watching the pennies and hoping the pounds will take care of themselves and not turn into Euros. I think most of us don’t fully appreciate exactly where all our money goes and just how much (or how little) expendable income we actually have.There are personal finance tools available, one of which I have been trying out. It is quite amazing how much money leaves my wallet on frivolous purchases. A proper money management tool really brings it home. It also makes it easier to see savings that can be made. There’s no need to wait until you are in the dire financial straits of the Greeks to start economising.

The Metro Experience

A link to this was posted to my Facebook page the other day, with the promise that it would bring back memories. It sure did. I’m looking forward to my commutes when I return. I never tired of the metro. Although I did avoid the busiest parts of the line in rush hour whenever possible. Life gets crazy in rush hour.

The video was taken by a chap called Santiago Arau – you should check out his Vimeo page for a few more pretty cool Mexico videos. I do like Vimeo. I didn’t renew my subscription with them because I simply didn’t have the cash at the time. I’d sell them a nice bit of ad space on my blog – say, for about what it costs for a years sub to Vimeo! Out of interest, has anyone ever signed up for Vimeo, or gone and bought a Pro account on the basis of my blog? I know I did get a few enquiries…

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Tagged as blogsherpa, Metro, mexico, mexico city

March 27, 2012 · 8:47 am

Mexico Metro Project

I don’t often dedicate a whole blog post to pimping someone else’s blog. But I’ll make an exception today. I suspect it’ll have limited appeal – it’s a niche blog. It’s one guy’s project to document every metro station in Mexico City – the MCM Project. I almost typed ‘in DF’ then, but of course certain parts of the Metro go beyond the Federal Districts borders. It’s in English and Spanish, by the by.

Anyone who’s read any of my older posts will know I loved the metro. I loved it because it was efficient. I loved it because it was cheap. I loved it for the separate world that seems to exist there. I loved it for the art and obscure wonders that can be found there if you look hard enough. Every journey was an adventure. It’s a truly wonderful system.

And, in case you’d forgotten or never known, I hold the world record for covering the entire network in the shortest time. Admittedly, as I’m the only person (as far as I’m aware) that has taken up this challenge, I only had to do it to claim the record. When the new line opens, I’ll have to do it again. It’s the rules.

But anyway, I digress. If you’re ready for a tour of Mexico City, station by station, then this is the blog for you. When he left a comment on my blog recently, I bet he had no idea that he’d bumped into such a kindred spirit. Nor that he’d bumped it someone who’d already done his entire project in little more than ten hours! But I never did document the system in half the depth he’s doing. I’m on his virtual carriage for the ride.

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March 22, 2012 · 8:15 am

The Obvious Choice

Moving back to Mexico needs planning. Short term, I pretty much know what needs to happen and how things will go. Long term? I am, after all, planning to settle permanently. Do I want to teach English for the rest of my life? I could probably scrape by comfortably enough. But I’d like to embark on something slightly more challenging, and preferably a good deal more profitable. What to do?

I’ve had a number of ideas. But there is one that stands out. Open a tea shop. A Little English Tea Shop. There’s a lot to commend the idea. The average start up in Mexico lasts two years. Except those serving up food. They have an average life expectancy of eleven years. I like those numbers.

The idea of a Little English Tea Shop appeals for a number of other, more important, reasons. It’s something that can start off small, and something that can easily grow with success. Hell, I could start off with a market stall on Alvaro Obregon. It’s something that would have a unique twist on the average coffee shop. We’d have to sell coffee, of course. Hot chocolate too. But tea would be the selling point. English tea, herbal tea, every tea. We’d serve it in tea pots. And in winter, we’d clothe the tea pots with a tea cosy.

Scones too. Lots of scones. With jam and clotted cream. We could sell bags of scones to take away. Tubs of clotted cream too. And jars of real English jams. I’d serve up other sugary English desserts too. I make a mean Apple Crumble. And who can resist a Spotted Dick with custard? I’ve tried out my custard on students. They found it most agreeable. Mexicans do have a sweet tooth too. I had thought of cupcakes too, but it appears I’ve been beat to that market. But then again, I think English cupcakes might have added appeal.

They’ll take away bags of tea in decorative little packs as well. Hot chocolate too. Mexicans invented hot chocolate. The English turned it into a solid bar for eating. Then we made a drinkable version, and we do that pretty good. It’ll be a bit like selling sand back to the Saudis, but I’m game for a challenge. Besides, I’ll have a nice selection of out of date English magazines and newspapers with BBC Radio 2 playing softly in the background.

This would be just the beginning. We would be selling on Englishness. Our ceramics industry has gone from one that supplied the world, to a borderline cottage enterprise. But we still make great ceramics. We could sell dinner sets and plates of a multitude of designs. With commemorative issues for Beatrix Potter, Harry Potter, Harry Wales and the other royals who get wed or dead. It’s be pricey and exclusive stuff.

If it sells it’ll be profitable. Having seen the silly fortunes that the growing middle-class spend on inferior crap in Palacio and Liverpool, I am confident it is a viable proposition. I just need the location. Someone small but visible in Coyoacan or Colonia Roma would make a nice start. But I guess a space in a mall like Perisur would be where the money is at. But anyway. It’s something for me to ponder. The photo below looks great. I took it on Portabello Road in London. I could see it working well in a trendy part of DF though.