He works at the local car wash where all the cars are washed by hand, as many things are done this way in Mexico and not every human job has been replaced with a machine. If you get a chance to just stand and watch any number of jobs being done, you will notice the artful way they go about their business.
He looked like he could have been 15, but maybe he was 19. He was not tall, he was slim and fit with boots and jeans. He held his towel in the left hand at the height of his shoulder, with the twist of his wrist, gave it a spin and then with his right and he forcefully grabbed the towel and leaned into it with his body to give it a good hard ring (squeeze) to release the water. Then again, raise the towel, quick spin and then grab and lean for a forceful ring. It looked like a dance. His entire body was involved and there was a rhythm to his actions. How many times a day did he do this dance, I can't begin to even imagine.
The day before I stopped at one of the shoe shine stations. They are every where business is located. I climbed up the ladder to sit in my seat below the square umbrella. Now my shoes are at the height of his chest and he can complete his shine without breaking his back. He used about 5 different products and 5 different pieces of cloth. He had a way of wrapping a skinny strip of cloth around the tops of his finger twice, swipping this cloth into the cream, hitting it smartly in his other palm twice and then swipping again. Is that to warm up the polish? I don't know, but I watched him do this on the client before me as well. It was an art. How to grab enough polish, rub the shoe, shine the shoe - each step had a very particular method and he had it down to an art.
The travelling vendors on the street each have their own song that they use to get your attention. It is a chant, or a horn or a bell - but each vendor's call is unique and it is important that he remains consistant each and every call, each and everyday. These vendors use sound to sell their product. Not emails or tv advertisements, or social media, or flyers or a store - just their call. It becomes an art form.
Sunday, May 24, 2015
Friday, May 22, 2015
The Streets of Mexico City
Buses, taxis, cars, parked cars, motorbikes, pedestrians, sellers, windshield washers and the odd bike rider all share the same narrow street here in Mexico City. Everyone has to be alert and ready to switch lanes, stop or speed up all in an instant. There are no speed limits, just what ever you set for yourself. Red lights are followed if cars are passing the other way. If the way looks clear than it is perfectly legal and acceptable to run a red light. There is no such thing as 'jay-walking' and you can't get silly tickets for crossing the street where ever you need to cross. I am always amazed to see the little old lady with her bags and her grandson crossing 6 or 8 lanes of traffic - dodging and weaving her way to the other side.
The sellers are waiting at most traffic lights. Usually with cheap things, easily packaged and sold food and of course, cigarettes. If you were trying to quit smoking it might be difficult here because you can buy one cigarette at a time almost any where. I asked if it was safe to eat the tamales, or empanadas or tacos sold at the side of the road and the answer is basically buyer beware. After treating myself with a case of saminela, I basically stay away from street food now-a-days. The point being, there are no health regulators going around checking your everyday street taco stand.
The sidewalks are sometimes good and useful, but often they are just there to seperate the posts from the streets. The business owners and building owners can do what they like with the streets in front of their establishments and there are often many obstacles to your regular sidewalk stroll. Many choose to walk on the road instead.
Mexico city has a lot of trees and their roots are strong. They are often the culprit to upheaveled sidewalks. The blow and sway in the wind and the rain and I think they are the best thing about Mexico City. If it weren't for the trees no one would be breathing - of course in general, but especially in here in DF. That is District Federal - how the locals refer to this city which is actually a state.
Along one or two blocks you can find a whole mixture of business. Cubby hole restaurants with plastic chairs and 35peso comida to large, elegant restaurants. There are taco stands, fruit stands, junk food stands, stolen goods stands. Ok, I'm not sure about the last one, but cheap stuff anyway. There are Pandarias - which must rival Paris in the selection of delicious baked goods that are for sale. Basically for under $2 Canadian dollars you can pigout on fresh, delicious bread.
Taqarillas are important. They sell all sorts of hardware needed for house repair. No need to make your way to a big box store. Laundaria (where they wash your clothes for you) is another important neighborhood establishment. Oh and the shoe repair store, the electronic repair store, the carpenteria - where you can get handmade furniture cheaper and far better quality than any IKEA. Oh and the Tiendita - little cubby hole stores filled from top to bottom in the junk food and other essentials like toliet paper and bottled water. The roasteria - roast chicken is a popular business. Butcher for fresh meet & torterilla for tortillas, flower shops - all essential. Liquor stores are not very popular. OXXO is everywhere - equivilant to the 7-11. That's where I buy my wine - when and if I bother to have a drink.
The smell is a big part of my experience here in Mexico City. I don't know if I am extra sensitive to it or if everyone experiences the smells like I do. They assult me almost every where. There are no really good smells here, rather it is nice when there is an absent of smells. Two of the most invasive smells are the sewer and the cleaning products. One can't really be avoided, the sewer smell. But the second one - the industrial strength curosive cleaners spilling onto the streets from every business is something that could be illimiated. People here don't seem to be sensitive to smells. Ladies have no problem painting their nails on a metro train where were are all closed in together. It gags me every time. Cleaners sometimes walk around with squirt bottles filled with some green nuclear cleaner and they will clean the entrance to a bus for a peso or two. It is the most vial smell that seezes up my lungs and sends me into a coughing fit. Thank God those guys are not around very often.
Then there is the exhaust from all the vehicles which sits on top of the city as a yellow haze hat. The smell of cooking meat should be good, but generally no. Rather it smells like something rancid. Like I said, I don't know if I'm crazy or if other people feel the same way about the smells of DF. If you read this post and you have an opinion about it, please share.
The sellers are waiting at most traffic lights. Usually with cheap things, easily packaged and sold food and of course, cigarettes. If you were trying to quit smoking it might be difficult here because you can buy one cigarette at a time almost any where. I asked if it was safe to eat the tamales, or empanadas or tacos sold at the side of the road and the answer is basically buyer beware. After treating myself with a case of saminela, I basically stay away from street food now-a-days. The point being, there are no health regulators going around checking your everyday street taco stand.
The sidewalks are sometimes good and useful, but often they are just there to seperate the posts from the streets. The business owners and building owners can do what they like with the streets in front of their establishments and there are often many obstacles to your regular sidewalk stroll. Many choose to walk on the road instead.
Mexico city has a lot of trees and their roots are strong. They are often the culprit to upheaveled sidewalks. The blow and sway in the wind and the rain and I think they are the best thing about Mexico City. If it weren't for the trees no one would be breathing - of course in general, but especially in here in DF. That is District Federal - how the locals refer to this city which is actually a state.
Along one or two blocks you can find a whole mixture of business. Cubby hole restaurants with plastic chairs and 35peso comida to large, elegant restaurants. There are taco stands, fruit stands, junk food stands, stolen goods stands. Ok, I'm not sure about the last one, but cheap stuff anyway. There are Pandarias - which must rival Paris in the selection of delicious baked goods that are for sale. Basically for under $2 Canadian dollars you can pigout on fresh, delicious bread.
Taqarillas are important. They sell all sorts of hardware needed for house repair. No need to make your way to a big box store. Laundaria (where they wash your clothes for you) is another important neighborhood establishment. Oh and the shoe repair store, the electronic repair store, the carpenteria - where you can get handmade furniture cheaper and far better quality than any IKEA. Oh and the Tiendita - little cubby hole stores filled from top to bottom in the junk food and other essentials like toliet paper and bottled water. The roasteria - roast chicken is a popular business. Butcher for fresh meet & torterilla for tortillas, flower shops - all essential. Liquor stores are not very popular. OXXO is everywhere - equivilant to the 7-11. That's where I buy my wine - when and if I bother to have a drink.
The smell is a big part of my experience here in Mexico City. I don't know if I am extra sensitive to it or if everyone experiences the smells like I do. They assult me almost every where. There are no really good smells here, rather it is nice when there is an absent of smells. Two of the most invasive smells are the sewer and the cleaning products. One can't really be avoided, the sewer smell. But the second one - the industrial strength curosive cleaners spilling onto the streets from every business is something that could be illimiated. People here don't seem to be sensitive to smells. Ladies have no problem painting their nails on a metro train where were are all closed in together. It gags me every time. Cleaners sometimes walk around with squirt bottles filled with some green nuclear cleaner and they will clean the entrance to a bus for a peso or two. It is the most vial smell that seezes up my lungs and sends me into a coughing fit. Thank God those guys are not around very often.
Then there is the exhaust from all the vehicles which sits on top of the city as a yellow haze hat. The smell of cooking meat should be good, but generally no. Rather it smells like something rancid. Like I said, I don't know if I'm crazy or if other people feel the same way about the smells of DF. If you read this post and you have an opinion about it, please share.
Friday, May 8, 2015
Riding Public Transit in Mexico City
Here it is called the 'Metro'. The subway, LRT, Train - basically a series of fast moving trains that escape the traffic by moving around underground. Once in a while a train comes up for a bit of air like a killer whale breaching the ocean surface. Decending to the core of Mexico City the temperature climbs and soon little beads of sweat are forming on your forhead and arms. I am peeling off the layers while some Mexicans are still wearing their coats and scarves. After some time my eyelids will start to droop, my heartrate slows down and I am searching for a place to sleep.
Another treat to the Metro is the MetroMall. Its like the skymall, but much cheaper. It is a constant revolving door of sellers and almost nothing costs over 10pesos. They need to make quick sales. I love the music sellers who come with boomboxes on their backs and play a million songs in 2 minutes. They sell CDs for 10pesos and the CDs have like 100+ songs on them.
After the sellers are the musicians and then the beggers. I always want to give to everyone and to buy everything. I am realizing that is impossible and if you are going to have enough coin for your next bus trip then you have to pick a number and stick to it. I try for one purchase or one gifting each day.
There is a culture here for bus riders to sit in the seat closest to the isle and if you want a seat and those are all taken you have to climb over the person sitting closest to the outside. This is a no-no in my city. It is considered terribly rude not to move over on a full bus so it is something I am still getting used to here. Also it is perfectly ok to sqeeze yourself past people in the isle just to find your own personal perfect location for standing. Even if this means pushing someone almost on the lap of the people in the seats. Mexicans don't mind getting in close to each other on transit so don't be shy.
Each bus usually has its own personal driver so they tend to really personalize the inside space. Many buses have great sound systems and you can hear some salsa tunes while you ride. Almost all buses have some sort of altar hanging inside the front of the bus. This is an altar to either Jesus or Guadalupe - so don't worry, your safe. One bus I was on had black-lighting that strobed to the rhythm of the music he played. It was pretty cool.
Overall, I appreciate public transit in MC. It is fast considering just how big and spread out this city is. So far I have never experienced any harassement or rudeness. Except for the odd push and extended stare.
GOODLC
No sleeping at the station, you have to stay alert for your battle to enter the train. Its like a race with your tarps to the front of the festival space. Each to their own here. Rush hour is from 6:30am to 9am and again from 4pm to 8pm and if you ride in between, before or after these times then you can relax a little. Yes the metro can be very crowded and hot, but it is fast and generally very reliable. Back home trains were always getting delayed for one reason or another. Not here. They run fast and frequent. Also the metro is cheap. 5 pesos allows you to run all the lines the whole day if you don't pass through an exit. All the lines connect somehow and there are colourful pictures in every station to show you where you are and how the lines connect.
I will not bother going into a technical explaination here becuase I don't think it will make much sense to you without seeing the map. Now, go look at your Mexico City transit maps from this AboutMexico page which has lots of Metro info. If you have any other general questions - you can send it my way and I will do my best to provide an answer. No, I can't give you a trip itinerary.
Another treat to the Metro is the MetroMall. Its like the skymall, but much cheaper. It is a constant revolving door of sellers and almost nothing costs over 10pesos. They need to make quick sales. I love the music sellers who come with boomboxes on their backs and play a million songs in 2 minutes. They sell CDs for 10pesos and the CDs have like 100+ songs on them.
After the sellers are the musicians and then the beggers. I always want to give to everyone and to buy everything. I am realizing that is impossible and if you are going to have enough coin for your next bus trip then you have to pick a number and stick to it. I try for one purchase or one gifting each day.
Most of the time you will need to ride a bus at either end of the metro trip. The city is large and the streets run every where. Buses and taxis traverse the streets like ants bringing home food. Mexico city is the ant hill and the buses and taxis are the ants. The place is covered with 'em. They come in all colours and all levels of discomfort. Most ranging in the 0 to 2 for comfort with 10 being great. They are dirty, crowded, bumpy, jerky and slow. They drive as fast as they can and then slam on the brakes every block or so. For most routes, the bus stops are where ever you stand and put out your hand.
Again, the buses are cheap and frequent so once you understand your route and where to catch the bus you don't have to worry about times. Just go stand on the street and wave the correct bus down.
Understanding where the buses go is difficult. Unless you are completely clear on where you need to be and you can pronouce the name correctly, don't expect to get a helpful answer from a busdriver. AT least, it is rare.
Again, the buses are cheap and frequent so once you understand your route and where to catch the bus you don't have to worry about times. Just go stand on the street and wave the correct bus down.
Understanding where the buses go is difficult. Unless you are completely clear on where you need to be and you can pronouce the name correctly, don't expect to get a helpful answer from a busdriver. AT least, it is rare.
There is a culture here for bus riders to sit in the seat closest to the isle and if you want a seat and those are all taken you have to climb over the person sitting closest to the outside. This is a no-no in my city. It is considered terribly rude not to move over on a full bus so it is something I am still getting used to here. Also it is perfectly ok to sqeeze yourself past people in the isle just to find your own personal perfect location for standing. Even if this means pushing someone almost on the lap of the people in the seats. Mexicans don't mind getting in close to each other on transit so don't be shy.
Each bus usually has its own personal driver so they tend to really personalize the inside space. Many buses have great sound systems and you can hear some salsa tunes while you ride. Almost all buses have some sort of altar hanging inside the front of the bus. This is an altar to either Jesus or Guadalupe - so don't worry, your safe. One bus I was on had black-lighting that strobed to the rhythm of the music he played. It was pretty cool.
Overall, I appreciate public transit in MC. It is fast considering just how big and spread out this city is. So far I have never experienced any harassement or rudeness. Except for the odd push and extended stare.
GOODLC
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