Trip to Mexico : Day 4

 

Sunday February 12th was the fourth day in Mexico City. Most of it we spent in the Central Historic District. We started the day with breakfast at a well known restaurant El Cardenal. Mexican cuisine uses cactus and mushrooms in many dishes. A lesser known herb epazote is another ingredient seen here. We found overall the restaurant food here is much less greasy than in the USA or in India. The restaurant we ate breakfast yesterday is known for its hot chocolate amongst other specialties. The server blended the chocolate at the table and poured it into my cup. It was one of the best hot chocolates I’ve had. Not too sweet, perfectly flavorful. Two musicians played live music as the patrons enjoyed their breakfast. The stairways in the place had plants in attractive painted pots. As we were leaving the restaurant a voice called out to us” hey” . It was Karthik, a young man from New York we met 2 days before as we ate dinner at a food joint. Originally from Hyderabad he was in the city to combine work and sightseeing.

We walked from there towards Palacio De Bellas  Artes or the Palace of Fine Arts. It is considered an iconic landmark of the city. A lovely building with some eye catching sculptures in its courtyard and surrounded by jacarandas and flower landscape. There were too many things to see in the day so we didn’t indulge to see the exhibits inside. Not far from this monument is Casa de Los Azulejos ( House of Tiles). The entire building is covered with white, blue and yellow tiles. Absolutely a pretty sight. 

From here we walked to Zocalo which is a huge main square surrounded by several remarkable and historic monuments. Opening scene of the James Bond movie Spectre is shot here. On one side is the National Palace which was the residence of the original Aztec ruler. Opposite to this is the Metropolitan Cathedral. The main altar inside this is grand and elaborate. There are several smaller altars on its sides. Copper railings and sculptures in the cathedral are a thing of art. One felt a sense of peace inside the cathedral.

Behind the cathedral a short walk takes you to a UNESCO heritage site, the Templo Mayor or Main Temple. This was the central temple of the Aztecs demolished when the Spaniards arrived. 

Several street vendors were opening shop around the area as we were there. Further down we passed shops selling clothes, toys and souvenirs. It was a 20 minutes walk to Plaza Garibaldi where every night the Mariachis entertain crowds. Nearby we walked past the Mercado( market) San Camilito. It was like a food court with several Mexican food vendors selling their products. Their representatives solicited customers rather spiritedly. We resisted the temptation to eat there however. Another 5 minutes of walking took us to a bustling La Lagunilla, a local flea market. A friendly attendant at a public restroom near Plaza Garibaldi cautioned us to guard our belongings against pickpockets. He even handed us his phone number if we needed any information in the area. Salvador was his name. Very much a prototype of his countrymen. 

La Lagunilla was a Mexican version of Pune’s Tulshi  Baag !! You could probably find anything if you roamed around in the interiors. From clothes, books, housewares , jewelry, shoes to car parts. It was hot that afternoon, we had already walked quite a bit and were getting hungry. So didn’t spend much time here, called Uber that took us to La Ciudadela, another market where they had better places to eat. Indulged in some yummy tacos and margaritas here.

The shops in this market are full of colorful souvenirs for tourists. Hats, aprons, dresses, shirts, napkins, pottery, jewelry, shoes, paintings, bags, and much more. Got a few items for gifting for family and friends. It was 5:15 pm by the time we had enough of shopping done. We looked up the place for dinner we wanted to revisit because we had loved the food there. Google informed us that they close at 6 pm on Sunday and would remain closed for next two days. It was a bit early for dinner but we didn’t want to miss them. Took u we again and made it there 10 minutes before the closing time! The hostess wasn’t excited but was kind enough to not turn us away. She remembered we had eaten there 2 days back. We had to place the order in 5 minutes and wrap up dinner within 30 minutes! Fair enough! The vegan (mushroom) tacos , ramen with more mushrooms, cilantro salad and the Yuzu cocktail were all out of this world! We were the last of their customers to leave and we waited patiently as all their staff sat down to eat dinner before giving us our bill to pay. We were really grateful they took us In despite showing up last minute. They deserved to sit and eat peacefully at the end of the day. 

Earlier in the day I had started with a mild headache. Thought it must be the heat and hunger. But it kept getting worse after dinner. It was a ten minute walk after dinner to the apartment. I was having a hard time but kept going. By the time we reached there the headache was severe, I felt dizzy, fatigued and nauseated. I’ve never had such symptoms before. I realized it was altitude sickness hitting me. I had done everything wrong all day. Had alcohol, exerted myself and hadn’t had much water all day. Took a couple of ibuprofen, gulped down a bottle of water and got ready for bed. Apologized to my family that if I don’t wake up in the morning they would have to deal with so much hassle in a foreign country! Personally it proved an exercise for the mind and intellect to collect for that ultimate moment of truth. 

Normally would have submitted this post before going to bed but I was in a bad shape to do it. Fortunately woke up to see the next day and feeling normal. 

Saree a Kotpad weave from Odisha in thick cotton with Ganga Jamuna borders.