Chilling out Chilango-style in Chapultepec Park

Mexico City may be a bustling megalopolis with 22 million plus people who work very hard with very few holidays, but when those weekends and holidays do come around Chilangos ( Mexico City dwellers ) like nothing better than finding a favourite place to chill out; and there sure are a lot of lounge locations right in the heart of the city.

One such destination on New Year's Day is Chapultepec Park and here it is de rigeur to stroll with the family, go boating on the lake, consume endless snacks, buy souvenirs, watch street performers, and generally savour the moment.
Here are the popular paddle boats:-

but as you can see there is far less paddling and much more chilling....

Check out the fluorescent colours of the snacks on offer.....

Chilli potato crisps with lime.....

Candy floss of a particularly vibrant hue...

More lurid potato snacks....

And check out the equally vibrant colours of the souvenirs on offer....


Lucha Libre ( Mexican wrestling ) masks...

There are always brightly-coloured balloons for sale in all public parks and plazas....

Safety harnesses for kids....

The festive but laid-back and relaxing atmosphere coupled with the combination of sounds, sights, and smells all make it a gourmet feast for the senses; and consequently one of my favourite places to hang out for a Sunday afternoon. Where is your city chill-out zone of choice?

Getting the Blues back in Mexico

London may be home, but it sure is good to return to the Winter light of Mexico. Having just ventured to the Big Smoke for the Christmas break, and for the first time in five years, it felt like moving underground and becoming a member of the mining profession. It was pitch dark by 3.30pm, and some days it simply never got light at all, with a grey, overcast and bleak sky to dampen the spirit....

Contrast the strong desire to hibernate in such a situation, or at the very least feel a little SAD, with the strong clarity and intensity of the light here in Mexico. All these shots were taken in winter months around and about in various locations of the country.....

Now as 2009 rapidly approaches doesn't all that bright blue sky lift the spirits?? Doesn't it banish all feelings of doom and gloom??

Photographs :-

1) View from Sierra de San Francisco, San Ignacio, Baja California

2) Ghost Town of Real de Catorce,

3) Templo El Santuario in Patzcuaro,

4) Sculpture, Malecon, La Paz, Baja California,

5) Back to Real de Catorce,

6) Ensenada, Baja California

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009!!


And thanks so much for taking the time to stop by.....

Posadas and Pinatas

December 16th sees the start of the annual posadas in Mexico, which are re-enactments of the journey to Bethlehem by Mary and Joseph, and the difficulties they experienced in finding lodgings. Mexico puts its own special twist on this event by ensuring that far from the traditional dry nativity representations, there is always a fun-filled fiesta at the end. A procession wends its way round the streets, continually being turned away from house after house, until of course it hits the designated party house (symbolically the stable) and then the real fun begins...........

Photo - Sanborns Restaurant - House of Tiles - Centro Historico - DF

Part of the fun is, of course, the traditional blindfolded bashing of the pinatas, with blow after blow raining down, until the pinata finally splits apart and gives up its goodies. Traditional pinatas are star-shaped with seven spikes - each spike representing one of the seven deadly sins. So the symbolism is that you are destroying the deadly sins in order to receive your reward. Most restaurants, shops, hotels, streets will also hang pinatas of gigantic proportions as festive decorations for this seasonal time of year. Pinatas can also be bought in every shape imaginable from superheroes to cartoon characters, from princesses to racing cars.......

Photo - Spiderman Superhero pinatas - Zacatecas - Mexico.

Two words of warning for pinata novices. One is a tale of a friend´s first Christmas in Mexico whereby an enthusiastic, blindfolded sister-in-law took a mighty swing, baseball bat style, connecting with the back of her head instead of the pinata, and landing her in Casualty with severe concussion. Two concerns an enthusiastic group of Brits who organised a rather cute looking Winnie-the-Pooh pinata for a little English girl´s first birthday party. All was going fine until a couple of rather spot-on shots left Pooh a double amputee and then quadraplegic all in very quick succession. As the four limbs sailed off merrily to the four winds and the four compass points across the roofs of Mexico City, the accompanying wailing and screeching could also be heard far and wide. In fact the kid remained inconsolable for the rest of the party, and the adults had to compensate with copious amounts of alcohol to blot out the bawling. Are Mexican kids simply bred tougher??

Skating in DF - Big Taco or Big Apple?

Eat your heart out Rockerfeller centre!! We only need to nip down to the Zocalo to put on our skates and join the seasonal festive fun. The ice rink was inaugurated last year by our Mayor to bring the best of the icy Winter Season to the masses here in the metropolis of Mexico City.

Allegedly billed as the largest ice rink in the world, it takes centre stage in the Plaza of the Centro Historico, overlooked by the Palacio Nacional which houses the Rivera murals, and the impressive Metropolitan Cathedral ( just a little lopsided these days due to serious subsidence ).

When I visited this time last year, there were very few people skating with confidence in the middle (although perhaps they were put off by the melting puddles...); most were clinging to the wooden sides for dear life and just trudging around the edge, but having the best fun with the biggest smiles on their faces.

Just in case you do momentarily mistake the scene, and suddenly think you may be in the Big Apple rather than the Big Taco, let me pull the camera back and let me show you what was happening in other parts of the Zocalo on the same day at the same time...

Limpiador - traditional Aztec cleansing ritual with copal.


Hordes of ordinary Mexicans queue to have this cleansing ceremony performed.

The skating rink is in the zocalo this year from 29th November until 10th January, open from 9am until 9pm... and totally free (including skate hire). Instructors from DF Youth Institute are on hand to help you if you feel ready to venture away from the edge!!

The Green Heart of Mexico City

Polluted, choked with car fumes, the stench of diesel, the blanket of smog, grey concrete jungle, traffic jam ridden, the metallic taste at the back of the throat, the equivalent of smoking 40 a day, asthma and many kinds of respiratory diseases - all common images of the centre of Mexico City.

And all true up to a point... but there is so much more to the heart of this city. Green spaces abound forming the lungs of the city centre. From topiary, to roof terraces, from parks to street gardens, from courtyards and patios to balcony plants there may be little grass in the city, but there sure is a lot of greenery.

All these green spaces are within twenty minutes walk of my centrally located apartment in colonias such as La Condesa, Chapultepec, and Cuauhtemoc, proving that the dominant colour is green not grey.

Roof Terrace Bar of the Condesa Hotel DF, Colonia Condesa.


Parque Espana, Colonia Condesa.

Jardin Botanico, Chapultepec Park.

Chapultepec Park, Mexico City.

Finally, yes, this is still the city centre - view from Chapultepec Castle.

Where is your favourite green space??

Photo Booths at the Basilica Guadalupe

As the great annual pilgrimage to the Basilica Guadalupe begins to gather momentum to arrrive at the most visited shrine in North America on the Guadalupe Virgin's Day, December 12th, it may be interesting to visit the world of the traditional photographer and his photo booth.

Sunday, or family day, here in Mexico witnesses large groups of extended families spending the day visiting the shrine, praying at the churches, strolling around the gardens, buying Virgin souvenirs.

No Sunday is complete without the requisite "recuerdo", the souvenir which will enshrine these treasured memories forever in the form of the family photograph.

Located in the spacious grounds of the Basilica, families, couples, children queue to have their photograph taken, complete with all the necessary religious accessories of images of the Virgin and the Pope, but also the cultural trappings of glitzy sombreros, obliging horses, brightly-striped sarapes, vibrant flowers, and perfect ponchos.

For a mere 30 pesos (3USD) the photographer will compose, dress, take, process and deliver your unique souvenir all within about 5 minutes. It is another one of those Mexican traditions that alongside balloon selling, bubble blowing, and candy floss spinning hark back to an innocent and unspoilt era akin to the fifties - bygone in the typical modern metropolis.


Isn't it rather heartwarming in this clinical, digital age that such photographers can still run such thriving businesses??

What is your favourite setting for a souvenir photograph that will just summon up those memories at a single glance??

Photographs - Basilica Guadalupe, La Villa, Mexico City, DF

Meet the Terror Sisters!

From Guerilla knitting straight to the Terror sisters - creativity is certainly getting a little edgy in the Big Taco these days. Meet Nadia and Renata Sanchez, sisters who have both given up their full time jobs to launch their jewellery design business as of February this year.

Designing under the business name of Foufouchat, they are currently operating out of their exquisitely designed apartment in Colonia Escandon. The apartment is extremely spacious with a French influence in the furnishings and design.



The sisters currently offer friends of friends a sumptuous shopping experience in the apartment which starts with tea, gallettes, and conversation before progressing for a perusal of the jewellery cases which line the walls and display a whole selection of beautifully crafted necklaces, rings, earrings, hair-bands, keychains, bags - many made of gorgeous fabrics, pearls, semi-precious stones - all with a quirky style and vintage twist.

Each piece is a unique one-off hand-crafted creation - never to be repeated.

Watch out for the launch of the website which is promised very soon....... In the meantime, they would be delighted to be contacted on telephone number 2614 - 6660 or mobile 00445529221206... rumour has it that there will be a jewellery party hosted in the New Year.