South of the Border,

Episode 7     Dec  ’17   

Ciudad Mexico

   

 To err is human & to forgive, is even more human! I ask for forgiveness for having bungled up the numbers of my dispatches, ‘cause somewhere, I couldn’t locate No 4! After many hours of going through them all, I found that No 4 was ‘overlooked’! My family, esp my sibs will confirm that I was not much of a guy  as far as numbers were concerned.( what would you think of a a chap who thought 1/16 was greater than 1/8!!)  Let’s leave it at that shall we?

The best way to experience a place is firstly, to take in as much with your mouth & secondly, through your eyes! For the latter, the ideal way is  to take a bus that allows you to hop on/off at pre-determined halts, at your pace!

The Pai’s (2+2) and us decided to do the above, in that order, one bright morning. Cut to Posadas. Remember a name I dropped in that event. Omar! Yes, the owner of Two eating joints called Aquiles, serving Salads & Chilaquiles! This is another Mexican delight & it was to be a brunch at this place. Driving through a different route, marveling at the commercial & residential buildings as well as the very orderliness of street food carts, we decided to build up an (some!) appetite before the kill! I must make a mention here that besides parks (huge) with statues that are well maintained, Street or Wall Art is another thing  that stands out (literally)

Walking down a lane that took me back to Colaba area ( big houses on both sides, with lots of trees & clean!), we arrived at our destination. A very unpretentious place, with Two long tables that could seat 12. 
There were tall stools & a few single/dbl seate rs. The Salad Bar was across the room & the Chilaquiles, as you enter! This again is an assembly-line item, with the square shaped tortillas over which simmering Green or Red Salsa is poured. Thereafter, it’s your choice of toppings (ham, beef, pollo, etc) topped with a cheese & cream! A look at the bowl in which this magical mix was going to be stirred, & most of us weren’t  sure if we could down this all! But one look at the end product (the procedure was behind closed doors!)  threw such ideas out of one’s mental window! Unfortunately, the stock of beer had not been replenished, so there was no choice but a lemonade to wash down the food.  

While the orders were being prepared, we busied ourselves by walking around the area. There was this very interesting contraption (again) for getting one’s shoes polished. On the other side, were stalls of street food, dishing out delicacies with speed & accuracy! We made a mental note of trying out one of these, some day.   

                                                              

A point that I must make a mention of here, is, that the girl at the billing desk refused to take even a ‘phuti’ peso as payment, After trying all the Four ‘nitis’, and an offer that Don Corleone was famous for, the senorita let on that she was under the oath of omerta by  Omar! So Janu called up Omar, only to be told that the treat was on the house!!! That’s Mexican hospitality & largesse!

Having walked to build up an appetite, now it was imperative that we walk the remaining distance, in the misplaced belief that walking is a sure way of burning calories!  With heavy hearts (& heavier guts) we did cover a lot of ground, till the Angel. Will power wilted here, so we took a cab to Pasaje Polanco. Janu & Co had a head start as their cab came asap, so she buzzed to say that they were waiting in  Staarbucks!   

This is one of the, if not the, high-end localities of the City. All the  top Fashion Houses have a tremendous presence here, and the displays are matched by very smartly dressed folk.

Since we decided to walk a bit, we took some  time to visit a chapel right on the street we were on! Poinsettias (this time White) were seen in abundance in the chapel, adding beauty to the grandeur of the place! among the many plants that were grown all along, I couldn't help but take a picture of the purple flower, which is quite common in Maharashtra & used to make braids, which is known as "Koranti". Food for thought as regards the commonalities of the flora in both countries.

The rear exit of Starbucks opened out to  beautifully designed boutique shops & residential area, which one cannot discern from the street. Each shop is a temptation for the shopper, as the photos show. The place is also interspersed with eateries. We were told by Jenny that lunch hour is around 3 or 4 pm, since breakfast is heavy & latish. That explained the rush of diners. And of course, there was a lot of local colour like shoeshine men, with their colourful stands, dog-walkers & the  odd street musician.            

Having had our choice of coffee & cakes, it was time to head in the general direction of home!

Tomorrow, we take the bus trip and explore the city, not once, but on Two days.

Till then,
Hasta Manana!!
AshoKalpana