Xochimilco October 2010

On Saturday we went to Xochimilco (so-chi-MIL-co) in southeastern Mexico City. It's a canal zone and a flower-producing zone. We had a blast, and next time we go, Guita will get to come along!


All the boats are tied up and waiting for clients!


The canals get pretty crowded on an idyllic Saturday afternoon!


Some big groups hire two punts together AND get mariachis to come on board for them! We saw people dancing across the sloped fronts of the boats to some music. We all agreed that there were enough mariachis and other kinds of music to get ambient benefits without having to a) pay our own music and b) have it right up next to us and at a volume that prohibited conversation!


Mexicans love a drink called the "michelada." The ingredients change with the region. At Xochimilco they are chili powder, lime, Worcestershire sauce, beef seasoning, and beer. We were lucky enough to get an emo michelada man right towards the end of our cruise. Here he has taken the giant cup and covered the lip with chili powder. He's adding the Worcestershire sauce....


Opening the half liter beer with an 18 inch machete....


Pouring the beer....


And making Ian happy with the results! He had two of these monsters on our three-hour tour!


Xochimilco is a flower-raising center for Mexico City. The canals are lined with nurseries like this one.


Right now the big flower market is marigolds for the Day of the Dead celebrations. Mexico is going gently orange in anticipation of November 2.


Marigolds on their way to market!


Smaller punts drift along selling food: candy and snacks, quesadillas and tortas, and roasted corn on the cob with chili and cheese!


Vendors sell just about anything kitsch you could hope for in Xochimilco. Silver vendors hops from boat to boat, but this guy has his own floating kiosk!


Monet bridges


Dragonfly!

Miscellaneous October

Ian's family birthday party. He got a bag of beef jerky (imported from my trip to Miami), three new bowties (see below), a fancy bottle of tequila, and some nice new shirts (though none with sting rays and turtles).


Ian got his first non-hand-me-down bowtie! In fact, he got three, but one photo should suffice!


A snuggly blanket and pixie hat for a friend's new baby!!

Ian's 35th Birthday - Isla Mujeres!

Ian and I went to Isla Mujeres (off Cancun) to celebrate his 35th birthday. It's a small island about 7 kilometers long by 1 kilometer wide at its widest. It is surrounded by turquoise waters that are filled with fish and coral and other sea beasties. We saw all the fishies below plus squid (little ones) and lots of other bright colored random fish. Because the island is so small, most tourists rent golf carts or mopeds to get around. It was lots of fun!!


Ian driving our buggy!


Cruisin' in the cart!


Self-portrait with spouse


Every place has its own hazards and challenges!


Turquoise waters: looking north from our hotel.


Turquoise waters: looking east at the Caribbean.


Turquoise waters: looking west at Cancun.


Barracuda!! Ian saw it just hanging out near where we had gone it. We didn't get much closer, but the whole area was lousy with them!


Ian called this "artificial reef" and suggested it was put here to make reef-like conditions for the fish. That's as may be. I call it garbage in the ocean, and I regretted using our $10 per square inch biodegradable organic sunblock for this trip! I have a bad attitude.


Very pretty swarms of fishies!


These fish had very little sense of appropriate distance!! Ian thinks the hotel fed them to increase the value of the snorkel....


Starfish!


This blue meanie fish doesn't know where it wants to hide!! Check out the conflicting colors all over it!


Ian went back in the water, and I stayed on the beach reading and basking in the shade of an umbrella. He saw this super cool reef without me.


Note the reflection on the top of the water!


Super cool coral


Yellow fish, yellow coral


Blub.


A skate that kept Ian company for quite a while....


A super ugly fish....


Big ol' parrot fish that swam with Ian for a while!


Walls o' fishies




Which fish doesn't belong?






Swarms of minnows!


Isla Mujeres has a turtle hatchery. These are all the little baby turtles in a great big tank. About 2/3 of the surface of the tank was clear, but all the turtles were piling on top of each other on the ocean side of the tank. They're all about three inches long.


Close-up of baby turtles


Barracuda! We were about 30 feet above it - the water really is that clear.


Lizard!


Proof that we were actually there together....


This photo has two foci: the blight that is the Punta Sur Modern Sculpture Garden, and the thunderheads coming up from the south. Two days after we left, those pretty clouds turned into Hurricane Paula (Category 2)!


The bar at Fayne's restaurant, Calle Hidalgo in Isla Mujeres. Note the library-style ladder on the bar! We really liked the food too!


Drinkies after a long day in the sun, sitting in white sand on thick cushioned wicker furniture. I could get to like this!


Here's the birthday boy! What a difference a year makes!


The obligatory sunset with margaritas over Cancun. Note that our little camera has a "sunset function" that makes everything more intense! We love our little camera.


And the sun finally goes all the way down over Cancun.