One uncle’s tale of the day

I get a chance to see Mexico City through the eyes of my Uncle and another particular blogger has joined me in following his travelogue, too. His experiences add diversity, if not for spice, on my blog as well.

My Uncle’s note about my blog:

Thanks for the feedback. To all your blog readers thanks for reading GG's blog. It's nice of her to let me piggy back. Truth is I haven’t learned how to create my own blog, so there. Also, this is sort of a travel diary for myself as years later, I'll look back on GG's blog and remember what I really did.

Here’s my Uncle’s point of view on traveling alone:

Seeing and doing so many things crammed in one week can be a big blur as images and situations pop up in the mind without any idea sometimes where and what happened. Senior moment maybe but mainly one can only absorb so much.

One advantage of traveling alone is the challenge to be always alert and be always on one's toes. Any negative situation should not be taken personally. For example, I needed a picture of me in front of a monument. Who to ask? So I perched on a traffic barrier post and selected a decent, kind soul. Pedestrians passed by without even answering my request. One specially said no, no, thinking perhaps I was a commercial photographer. Finally, a couple agreed, and we took picture of each other's camera. Fair enough.

On his idea of visiting museums:

Museum visits are a challenge specially. Talking about blurs. When I visited the Museum of Fine Arts, an early 1900s beautiful white building in art deco style at the end of Alameda park, almost as expansive as New York's Central Park, I saw in one day so many murals of famous Mexican artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, plus works of other artists David Siquieros, Rufino Tamayo, Jose Orozco, Roberto Montenegro that their remarkable paintings dealing mostly with struggle and freedom have now become a juxtaposed with many other works of art I've seen in other museum visits in the past.

So in spite of the numerous museums and exhibitions this city offers, I limit my intake to a minimum to better appreciate its richness, uniqueness, and message.

On his idea of having a great time:

You can sense that today being Monday, I am taking it easy, a time to look back on what I've done so far in this marvelous, magical, mesmerizing, magnificent city. After yesterday's Russian hermitage exhibit of dazzling display of decadence, it's time I give my sense of aesthetics a breather lest I be overwhelmed and think I must have died and gone to heaven. hehehe

One thing I need to get rid of when traveling is my fear of riding public transportation especially buses. I don’t know but I guess I am claustrophobic and I fear crowded places. It’s just like what my Uncle said, when alone, I always have to be alert but it adds stress on my part. However, riding Metro is different. I really don’t know why. Maybe because I know I can always ride back and get off to my destination faster.

Here’s my Uncle’s point of view in getting lost in a city through the Metro:

Today, I plan to joy ride literally in the city's efficient color-coded Metro system. One has to be really dense to get lost as stations are painted according to the line it is serving. On the blue line, walls are all in different shades of blue, and the name of the station is prominently displayed within eye level. How can one miss when to get off? The ticket sellers are so bored issuing only one ticket to buyers (all 2 Mexican dollars) as she doesn’t need to determine how much it costs for one to go anyplace. The ticket seller in her booth yesterday was practically yawning when I bought the ticket. All one price, no amount to punch, nothing. What a logical, simple, rider-friendly system!

On his pre-conceived ideas of Mexico City:

Before I came here I was warned of the deteriorating peace and order. I guess just like any other metropolis, a city with 22 million inhabitants does have its share of undesirables. I do not jeopardize myself by being in dangerous situations, like walk alone in a dark alley, or entertain a seedy looking local trying to start a conversation. My danger radar is always on high. So far I'm lucky, thank God.

His view on new things:

When I first arrived in the city, everything was of course new, a whole world of challenge. So I did what Mr. Bean would do. Subtly observe how things are done. Then follow their example, a simple way to immediately blend in. At the end of the day, after trials and errors, I sleep soundly, as things turned out alright even without the need for tiny teddy bear. :-)

Mr. Bean? Who couldn't forget his contagious facial expressions? I can exactly picture what my Uncle is saying! Speaking of Mr. Bean, I’m a fan of him, too. In fact, I even bought DVD TV series of Mr. Bean in my visit to Thailand where that particular DVD was only sold.

Then my Uncle ended his email with:

Well, off I step out to another brand new day.

A brand new day, yes every day is always a brand new day no matter how routine life may seem to be.

Tomorrow will be a different day for me. I will be in another place, as I will be traveling in such a short notice ...

So, just stay tuned.