The presentation I gave went for about two hours. Part of it was in English and part was in Spanish. I could have gone on another half-an-hour had it not been time for la comida.

On Thursday, I tried something at a restaurant that I haven't had before, and it was quite tasty. It was "palmito" salad--heart of palm salad. I went into this with an open mind (and hungry stomach) and when I took my first bite, I thought it was very good.

Well, that's it for this entry. My next two entries will be about my weekend excursions inside and outside of the Distrito Federal (México City).

* * * Finally! * * * 

I've uploaded the photos from this past weekend!

* * * Update! * * * 

Click here for photos associated with this blog entry

My expectations of Zócalo was this giant open space, like I've seen in pictures. However, with the all-afternoon-and-into-the-evening concert being set up, coupled with a huge structure housing an art exhibition, the square wasn't wide open at all. Regardless, there were still tens of thousands of people strolling through the whole area, shopping at all the street vendors, watching native Aztec dancers, and many other activities.

I went straight over to the Templo Mayor (the holiest shrine of the Tenochtitlán), built during the 1300's. I won't explain what the temple was all about, but you can reference it by clicking the link above. This tour as very affordable--the entry fee was MX$48 (about US$4.50) and includes the ruins, as well as the modern museum related to this temple.

Afterwards, I walked over to the Cathedral Metropolitana, one of the largest cathedrals in the western hemisphere. Construction began in 1573 and it was finally finished in 1813 (two and a half centuries in the making). It is huge! It also contains 14 chapels. The statue of the "Black Christ" on the cross is there. The story behind this is that a priest back then was not liked by the community too much. They wanted to kill him. The priest would pray every morning and then kiss the feet of the crucifixion statue. This statue of Christ was painted in proper colors and skin tones. The people decided to put poison on the feet of Christ one night so when the priest would kiss the feet the next morning, he would die from the poison. The next morning, the statue had turned black as a warning to the priest. The priest did not kiss the feet and, subsequently, did not get poisoned. The statue is still black to this day. This is one of the "miracles" (or myths, if you ask some people) of this religious area.

A tower tour was just beginning (you get to climb to the top of one of the twin bell towers and the clock tower). That cost me MX$12 (or US$1.15). The spiral staircase was narrow and steep. Many other folks were breathless and had to rest before reaching the top. Once to the top of the bell tower (not quite the top, but close), you had to actually walk on the brick roof to access an external spiral staircase, and then walk across another roof to get to the clock tower. From there you had magnificent panoramic views of the the city, including the Zócalo.

Once back down on the street, I went to buy a small paraguas (umbrella) because it was getting cloudy and it was that time of the day for a quick rain shower. I bought one for MX$20 (US$1.91). By the way, the rain never happened.

After watching the native dancers do their thing, I noticed many indigenous people holding an urn burning incense and some green shrubbery (like cut flower stems with leafs). They would blow incense on a person (locals and tourists), while whacking them with the bunch of stems. They would dip the stems into the smoke and hit the person. I think it was some sort of blessing for good health or to ward off evil spirits of something. It was very strong incense--the same smell as in catholic churches.

I proceeded to walk around in front of the stage area where a concert was going on. Earlier, I heard the band playing modern covers. By now, it was a female singer dressed in a bright green dress singing her own songs. The crowd was really into it. It really packed. There was even a super large video screen off to the side, with two smaller (but still large) screens flanking either side of the stage.

By now it was about 4:00 p.m. and I hadn't had my afternoon "la comida" yet, and I was really hungry. Following the suggestion in my México City guide book, I went to the rooftop restaurant at the Hotel Majestic. I had a balcony-edge table overlooking the organized mayhem below. The meal was a buffet, so I could actually see what the food looked like before I ate it. My new favorite drink (I had it earlier in the week) is Agua Jamaica. It's made by boiling the pulp of hibiscus flowers with water, then straining it, finishing it off with in a glass with ice. I think they may even put some sugar in it, but I'm not sure. It has a burgundy color and it is very delicious.

By the time I finished my la comida, it was 6:00 p.m. I was tired and walked over to a nearby hotel and got into a sitio taxi for the ride back to my hotel.

Tomorrow, I'll be taking an organized tour just outside the city to the north, to the Pyramids of Teotihuacan and to the Guadalupe Shrine (Basilica of Our Lady Guadalupe). There's another "miracle" story about the Virgin Mary that I'll tell you about next time.

Have I thanked you for reading my blog every day? Well, THANK YOU!

Another good day in el Distrito Federal. After work, I took a taxi to the Santa Fe Centro Comércial (the Santa Fe Mall). It reminded me somewhat of South Coast Plaza in Orange County. It had upscale stores like Saks, Liverpool, Prada, and more.

The reason I went is because my coworker didn't have a small, non-camera-looking, backpack that she thought she had and was going to lend to me. She had lent it to someone else. So I went to the mall to find one. All I have is my big honking camera backpack, but I want to use a small backpack on my sightseeing excursions over the weekend. This will help me to not stick out like a sore thumb ("look at me...I have expensive camera gear in this big backpack--please mug me").

When I first entered the mall, it was huge! It was three floors with each floor probably a half a kilometer long) I didn't know which way to go, so I just started walking, hoping to find a sporting goods store. After about 15 minutes of walking I decided to try out my Spanish on a mall security guard. I told him (in Spanish) that I spoke a little Spanish and that I wanted to buy a backpack (una mochila), and asked where I would find one. Possibly a sporting goods store, I asked. He spoke to me very slowly in Spanish and I understood the main words. He pulled out a map and showed me. Then he began to explain in Spanish how to get there (to Marti, a sporting goods store). I understood quite well. I asked more questions like, which floor is it on, and so forth. Another event to further boost my confidence in the language!

I found a small backpack and grabbed one of the sitio taxis parked outside the mall. Upon returning to the mall, in a good mood because of my successful mall trip, I went to the hotel bar and order something that I haven't had in six months--a cerveza (or "chela" as the Mexicans call it). It was a Victoria dark beer, made in the state of Mexico. It was good, but I had better. The other choices were beers that I have had before like Modelo, Corona, etc. Nothing was on tap, so I settled on a Victoria. I brought my laptop to the bar and am writing this as I drink.

I have a challenging day ahead of me tomorrow. I'm to spend the day in the downtown district (Centro Historico) of Mexico City. Specifically, the "Zócalo". The Zócalo is the second largest public plaza in the world after Moscow's Red Square. This is the site of the ancient Aztec capital, with ruins of temples and pyramids from the 1300's. It also became the Spaniard colonial capital in the 16th century when Spain conquered the Aztecs. In the 1800's, Mexico finally became independent of Spain and their new capital remained in the Zócalo.

In addition to getting some photographs of the ancient pyramid ruins, there is the Cathedral (the largest colonial cathedral in the Americas built in the 1521), and the Palacio Nacional, where leaders past and present lived (Aztec, Spain, and now Mexico). There are a lot of stories associated with these structures that I'll have to write about on another day.

Oh, and as a follow up, the name of the sports complex from yesterday's blog was the "Campo Deportivo estada Mayor Presidencial"--roughly translated it means "sports fields for high ranking military"--basically for generals, captains, etc, but all enlisted soldiers can go there.

This was probably the best day yet. It was uneventful, so that was a good sign based on my previous few days.

The highlight of the day was walking to "Restaurante las Bugambilias" for la comida. We walked through a military "resort" that is open to the public, if you can afford it. It's called something like "Deportivo de Presidente". I'm not sure exactly what it's called, but I'll find out.

At the entrance gates, there are soldiers armed with machine guns and handguns. They are dressed in dark green, with black, highly shined boots that go up to their knees. Yes, they look intimidating to say the least. They didn't bother us as we walked through the driveway entrance off the main road (Av. Constituyentes).

This "resort" isn't a resort with hotel rooms, but it's more like a fitness center that is mostly outdoors, spread across many acres of green grass, trees, and manicured shrubbery. The largest areas are taken up by equestrian facilities. There is a main horse show stadium area (where the horses jump over barricades, etc), as well as smaller practice areas for the horses, but without the stadium seating. Sort of like the horse stable area of Huntington Beach. There are outdoor racquetball courts, tennis courts, and basketball courts. There is a large olympic-sized swimming pool, with a dive platform. Next to the pool is a large "kiddie" pool for toddlers. There are about three or four restaurants (one of which is the Bugambilias), a couple of bars (cantinas), and plenty of open picnic areas with plenty of large Magnolia shade trees. The complex is definitely for the upper middle to high class folks, as well as for military personnel (generals and other officers).

That's all for today...I told you, it was finally a somewhat normal day for me.

Oh, by the way, for those that have asked, "why haven't you taken any photos yet?", it's because I haven't had the time. This isn't a pleasure trip, it's a business trip. However, I am going to go out shooting both Saturday and Sunday. By the time I convert the files (from RAW) and process them, it may not be until early next week before I post them.

Wouldn't you know it? The same thing happened to me again this evening, as it did last evening. I'm trying to get back to the hotel from my work and the taxi never shows up. I had called the hotel and they said they would send a taxi--a gray taxi with yellow stripes. I could have simply not seen it. At rush hour in Mexico City, there are thousands of cars everywhere, so looking for one gray car is basically a lost cause.

Remember in my blog from Day 1 where I mentioned the "Mexico City Handbook"? It's one of the two books I bought before I left, the other being a pocket Mexican Spanish Phrase Book. Well, remembering what the handbook said about taxis, I decided to call one of the radio-dispatched taxis (remember, hailing a roving taxi is a good way for a foreigner to get robbed). I had the book in my backpack and called one of the numbers listed. The author did warn about these dispatchers not speaking English, and he was right. My Spanish is getting a bit better, so the lady and I had a good "conversation", especially after I politely asked her to speak slowly to me. I gave her all the information and then she told me it would be about 15 minutes. And, sure enough, it arrived in less than 15 and only cost me MX$70.

I changed my eating habits today so that I could conform to the culture here. I had a decent sized breakfast at the hotel (omelet, biscuits, potatoes, a ton of fruit, and more eggs--Mexican scrambled eggs). I figured this would last me until three o'clock.

After I finished breakfast, I took a hotel taxi to the Microsoft Mexico office to meet the lead architect on my project. Out of all the Microsoft field offices I've been to, this one is probably the nicest one. It is in a cool building (architecturally speaking). The building consists of two twin towers, 161 meters tall consisting of 34 stories. At the top is a large, multi-floor connector. It is hard to describe, so take a look (scroll down to see the building to which I am referring).

Around noon, my colleague and I drove over to the the offices where the project is (about 7 km). By three o'clock I was starting to get hungry. I guess the big breakfast did work. My colleague had a meeting to attend, so we couldn't do lunch together. He heard about my lunch at the "hole-in-the-wall" Casa del Sol (read my Day 2 blog entry), so he recommended I go to a "nice" restaurant which was across the street (a big major thoroughfare). He warned me not to cross when the traffic light turned red, because drivers pay no attention to it. I felt like I was the frog in "Frogger", getting trapped in the median. I wasn't alone. Many other frogs were trapped there as well. We all finally made it across the six lanes and I walked down the hill to the "Foresta" restaurant. It was nice and clean--very modern with a view out to a green field area of Chapultepec Park. Chapultepec is similar to New York City's Central Park--very large urban park with plenty of trees, museums, and monuments. At Foresta, I had their "Menu de la Dia", which was a fixed price deal with your choice for each of the four courses. Yes, a four course lunch. Remember, this is the Mexican's "la comida", their big meal of the day.

The waiter told me they were "out" of Caesar salad, so I had to settle for Pate, which was surprisingly good. Then on to what I think was a creamy goat cheese soup. After that was the main course, a cut-up and sautéed chicken breast and rice. That was muy delicioso. Finally, dessert was a raspberry tart. I couldn't eat any more and I felt like taking a siesta snooze. When the check came, it was only MX$130 (about US$12)--very affordable for such a big meal.

Having such a large lunch that late in the day gave me the nourishment needed while I was waiting on a taxi all evening. I wasn't hungry, so when I got back to my hotel room, I actually had time to do some other personal work, as well as write this blog entry at a reasonably hour.

So, lessons learned today:

• Use the hotel taxis when leaving the hotel
• Call for a radio-dispatched taxi upon returning to the hotel or when pick-up is other than the hotel
• Gorge yourself at "la comida"

My first 24-hours is complete here in the capitol city of Mexico (Distrito Federal). My only complaint thus far is trying to get back to the hotel at the end of the day.

For safety reasons, the rule-of-thumb is to not hail a taxi from the curb, but to phone for a taxi or go to an authorized taxi line (sitio taxis). The taxis you hail from the street have a bad reputation for taking foreigners somewhere and either mugging or kidnapping them (and sometimes both).

My hotel has this service to call a taxi for you--either to or from the hotel. I don't even have to pay the driver, it is all put on my hotel bill! How cool is that?!

Well, taking the taxi to the office this morning was a cinch. However, coming home wasn't quite child's play. Before I explain this, let me tell you about the work hours on my project, and in Mexico in general. Work hours are from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and from 5 p.m. to 7 or 8 p.m. Lunch is from 3 to 5 p.m. (siesta time) So, around 7:30 p.m. I called the hotel to send a taxi. They said okay, took my name and the address where I would be waiting, and said the taxi's color would be gray. Sweet! I'll be "home" in no time. Well, when I got out to the street, guess what I saw?...dozens and dozens of gray taxis, in all shapes and sizes! None of the empty ones stopped. Maybe it was because I wasn't waving at them. I didn't want to wave. I didn't want to risk it. I saw that traffic was very, very heavy, so I waited and waited, for almost an hour, just hoping my taxi would pull up. It didn't and it was dark. I wasn't too concerned since I was still standing by the entrance to the my office building with others waiting for buses and other rides.

I called the hotel again and this time they said that the vehicle was a white van and the driver's name was "Auturo". Within 15 minutes, a white van pulls up and before I could ask him his name ("¿Come se llama?") he asked me if I was going to the hotel ("¿Usted desea ir al hotel <name omitted on purpose>?"). I said yes and then asked him is name and, indeed, it was my new best friend, Auturo!

Back to the day's activities...at "lunchtime" (around 3 p.m.) a couple of local consultants on the project and I went to get a bite to eat. In Mexico, this 3 p.m. lunch is considered their "la comida", their big meal of the day. In the evening they simply have a smaller snack or tapas. We are walking down this side street and walk into what looks to be a house, or at least a small apartment building. It was a restaurant. On the table the waitress brought us a pitcher of guava juice. It's like water for the table anywhere else, but here, it's guava juice. The menu only had a handful of items on it. From what I can remember, there was a rib plate, pasta plate, chicken stuffed with ham and cheese, a "beef, carrot, and potato" plate, and another plate that ended in the word "patas". The stuffed chicken sounded good, but I wasn't that hungry. For me this was lunch, not dinner, or so I thought. I asked one of the guys what the patas plate was. They said being from the U.S., I didn't want to know. I didn't ask again and I'm glad I went with the beef and veggie plate. It was more food than a gringo like me would expect for lunch. I had forgotten--this WAS their big meal of the day.

So here I am at 10:00 p.m. and I'm starving. I'm at the hotel restaurant as I type. There is wireless internet access down here and I brought my laptop to write this while I order and eat. Also, while waiting for my food, I looked up the word "patas" and it means "hooves". Yikes!

Tonight I'm playing it safe with spinach ravioli and a couple of copas de vino blanco. Hold the hooves, please.