All Alone No Place to Go - I think I'll Head to Mexico

 This is my final post in this blog.  If you have been following along, thank you.  If not, I welcome you to read prior posts and share your thoughts and ideas on my journeys.   This trip to Mexico City was inspired by emotions.  Losing somebody close to you is hard and there is no easy cure.  If taking a trip to Mexico could heal a broken heart, the country would be overwhelmed with sad souls looking for answers.  I did not expect to be suddenly recovered from grief by visiting Mexico City.  But I learned some things about myself.  Stay with me if you are interested, if not, maybe Facebook is a better place for you. Can I travel alone and not feel lonely?  Those of you who know me well, also understand that during the past ten years of my career and for the five years following, Tennessee and I always  traveled together.  We visited places all around the world from Europe to the Middle-East to both North and South-East As...

   On my last day, also Valentine’s Day, I went to the Frida Kahlo museum. Not knowing a reservation was required to get in, I was unable to attend the museum. The museum was full for the day, so there’s no way to see its wonderful exhibits on this trip. Fortunately, a group of three ladies were inquiring about the Valentine’s Day special event the museum was having for couples in the evening. There they were, three young ladies, looking to attend the museums in the evening, and I was a single old man, but still the fourth missing link needed to make two couples. So we quickly got our phones out and make a date. Jen would buy one ticket. I would buy the other. Together the four of us were going to see the Frida Kahlo museum no matter what it took. As you know, from reading this blog, I’ve been traveling alone.  The main point of this Mexico trip was to exercise my independence.  To see if I felt comfortable traveling alone again after so many years of traveling with ...

I  generally make my coffee at my little Mexico City condo every day. But today I decided to get out a little bit early and get a coffee made for me. It’s a beautiful spot right in front of Alameda central park. Where people are hustling and bustling their day away. Some are off to work while others are just looking for a place to rest for a while. I got a double coffee, Americano. It’s actually the best coffee I’ve had during my journey. I’m not very good at making coffee, unless it’s a Keurig. Traveling in a big city, like this involves a lot of walking. One of the things I learned is its important to be mindful during my walks. Throughout this blog, I am probably overworking the term “mindful” but it’s so incredibly important.  I focus and pay attention to what’s going around me,, to see sights, hear the sounds, and no matter how pungent the smell - to breathe deeply. All this makes the trip more enjoyable.  While, I sit here I’m entertained by a street performer. A yo...

Today I went to the Ballet Folklorio de Mexico in the Palacio de Bellas Artes.  It was fantastic. The highlight of my trip so far. Why you ask?  Because of the beauty and the symbolism and storytelling performed in dance. Let me start out by telling you I was using much of my meditation experience to get the most out of the ballet.  I’ve been training myself to be in the moment. By doing this, I can see what’s really happening not distracted by what’s going on around me. I see how the performers feet move gracefully on the floor. The expressions on their faces. The way the lace dresses move on the ladies. But most importantly, it allows me to tune in to the story being told. Being in the moment allowed me to ignore all the tourists in the room taking photos, even though they weren’t supposed to. It also allowed me to overlook some freeloaders who snuck into the auditorium under the guise "that they were just simply there to see the building." Unfortunately, they were Amer...

Yet another jazz club. Jazz seems to be very popular here in Mexico City. There are a handful of clubs. All of them are generally full on the weekends. If you haven’t made a reservation, then you’re stuck with whatever you can find.  This one is named Jazzlandia, and has two floors of jazz. On the first floor is a no cover jazz trio that was mediocre at best. But the atmosphere made up for it. The place was filled with jazz fans.   It’s amazing how much of the jazz played here is of American origin. Well, I guess that’s not surprising because America is the origin of jazz.  As a music style, jazz is not that old. It originated in new Orleans and Louisiana in the early 20th century. It seems as though jazz is the hip thing to do here in Mexico City among the younger crowd. One way to feel like an old man is attend some live jazz music. My bartender Maya was a cheerful 20’s something young lady who was not afraid to learn about her customers. She was very curious about me, ...

  I prefer to eat in a local café rather than a big fancy restaurant. I know my meal purchase benefits families. This is because it is family run. Dad works the cashier and to go orders, mom cooks in the kitchen, while the daughter serves and washes dishes. What about the son? He’s shadowing dad because one day, he will take over the family run business while the kids earn their apprenticeship.  Eating here is also a great value. Not only is the food excellent, but it’s inexpensive. For 68 Mexican pesos ($4 USD) I got cream of celery soup, steamed chayote, squash, pork steak in green sauce, and beans.  Once seated you can sit for hours if you want, and many Mexican families do. They talk about the day, share dreams and hopes for the future. The experience for them is more than food, it’s part of the culture we here loud debates are common, laughter is frequent, and tears met with tissues and hugs. Watching a family meal in Mexico is a cacophony of sound and emotion. A do ...

  Mexico City is not all about museums and historic sites. There’s also a very good jazz club called Zinco jazz club. It’s right in the center of town has great live, jazz and very good food at a decent price. I’m usually a bit of a hermit in the evening, so it was nice to be able to go out and enjoy some live music and stay up late. Although I’m not sure this is something I want to do every night. Plus if you read my earlier post, you know that I’m on raw food vegetable diet so occasional steak is welcome. I very much enjoyed getting out and hanging with the local people. It was mostly couples on a date night. I was still able to engage with a few of them and ask them about their lives how they were enjoying the evening, I even took a few photos for others.  Going out like this allows me to remember my youth when I used to stay up till one or two in the morning enjoying the nightlife. Now it’s just something I do once in a blue moon. It was a full moon last night.

Mercado Presidente ALR My first open air market in Mexico City was a pleasant surprise. Based on the sage advice of a friend, I try to follow a raw vegetable diet. For a Gringo travelling in Mexico, uncooked vegetables are generally a bad idea. But I learned from the locals of a solution used to soak and disinfect veggies for fifteen minutes. So far so good. The local supermarkets here carry substandard produce. Likely because they are owned by WalMart. But the open air vendors know their produce. They know the farmers, where it was grown, how to prepare it and they are friendly. I met a very nice lady named Isabel who knew her Bracela from her Rabino. She offered so many tips on the vegetable, was willing to stop work and leave her stand to point out where the meat market was (I might be eating raw, but I still find room for cooked chicken) and an overall friendly person. It felt good to talk shop in Spanish. I told her about the benefits I discovered on a raw diet, while...

  Diego Rivera was a fantastic Mexican artist.  His wife Frida Kahlo was not only an interesting person, but an accomplished artist.  He was originally commissioned to paint this mural for the Hotel del Prado in Mexico City.  It was later moved to a dedicated museum in the city where it is on display today.  The mural tells a story.  I could spend all day just studying it and finding inconspicuous detail.  He depicts the history of Mexico.  His ability to capture in paint the entire spectrum of failure and triumph in Mexico's fight for independence and freedom is spectacular.  Seeing the expressions on the various character's faces from the little boy in poverty robbing the rich man, to the dog barking at the lady in the foreground, bring the mural alive.  In the center, holding hands with the skeleton bride is a little boy.  Diego Rivera paints himself as a child.  Standing behind him is his wife Frieda Kahlo. Here she holds t...

It is not unusual for a stranger to approach you and ask for food while you are eating.  There is so much poverty here in Mexico that many times people go hungry and have to ask for food. The man you see in the photo was hungry and asked if I would pay for his meal.  Yes, of course, whatever you want.  I had so many acts of kindness given to me I was more than pleased to return the graciousness.  He ordered, ate his meal, thanked me and went on with his day no longer hungry,  

 My New Colombian Friends I like to think I can make friends anywhere.  The ladies shown in this photo were travelling from Colombia.  I asked them if they would like a photo, Yes of course they answered.  Originally the man they were with joined in, to which I responded in Spanish "No, we want to capture the beauty here in Mexico City, he can stand aside."  The man quickly moved aside the girls all had a great laugh making for a great photo. A memory they will cherish forever.  

  My New Mexican friend Braulio I desperately needed a shoe shine so I stopped and met Braulio.  During the course of the shine we talked about family, COVID, grandkids and life in general, all in Spanish.  It felt good to meet somebody new and have a conversation, even if he is the guy shining my shoes.  A few moments later some Mexican women stopped by to ask for directions.  I had spent a significant amount of time familiarizing myself with the neighborhood so I told them where Madero street was, again in Spanish.  The ladies didn't bat an eye, instead they hustled themselves to wherever they were going.  Braulio responded: "Imagine that, a couple of Mexican ladies asking an American visitor for directions in their own town.  Now I have seen everything."   When Braulio asked my name i responded Gregorio as it is easier for many to pronounce in Spanish.  He responded Si, Goyo.  Goyo is short for Gregory in Spanish.  Mayb...

  Understanding my search for better health, a friend of mine suggested a raw foods diet.  It's basically eating vegetables as if you picked them right out of the garden.  Pure and uncooked.  I am committed to keeping this style of eating so I brought my own food for the journey to Mexico.  Although, once I get there, I suppose a taco or two won't hurt.  Thank God the condo I am staying at in Mexico City does not have a weight scale.  It was salad with mixed veggies, some fruit and nuts.  Plus I brought an empty water bottle and insulated travel coffee mug.  After security I stopped at Starbucks.  There must have been a dozen people waiting for their mocha latte, no cream, extra cream, Frappuccino, soy milk, caramel delight concoction.  I am a simple man, I just wanted coffee, black, no cream.  The line to order was completely open.  As I approached, a friendly barista named Brenda  helped me (in my mindfulness p...

  On the more than three hour drive to the airport, I listened to the book "Mindfulness for Beginners by Jon Kabatz-Zinn."  Chapter one is the introduction to mindfulness, while the rest of the book is guided meditation.  Not wanting to close my eyes while driving, I decided to soak in every bit of the introduction.  I listened to it three times to make sure I understood everything he was teaching.  Because.... as my mind would have it, I was not always mindful of his words.  During parts of the book my mind drifted into distracting thought, memory or some other pit of delusion.  Suddenly I realized I had lost track of the discussion in the book - duh! I learned several things.  Some of these I already know, but others I learned.  I have worked and travelled extensively throughout Asia,  South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia and China.  In all this time, I never knew that the word for heart and for mind is the same. As an example, the Chi...

A while back I wrote a poem about independence.  It was a time when I was feeling especially lonely and it suddenly struck me.  What is wrong with being alone?  You are 67 years old, independent and free.  Why not travel?  You always wanted to live for a while in a foreign country,  You have been around the world.  So why not start exploring your neighbor country Mexico.  So I wrote the poem and that same night booked a trip to Mexico City.   Why Mexico City?  If you want to explore Mexico, you have to start with the capital.  First, it's in the center of the country.  Not just physically centered, it is the beginning point for all history, culture, food, art and language.  All the important things about what makes Mexico unique.  Mexico City is rich with museums, teaching us what the country is all about.  And, of course, Mexicans.  I have always believed that if you want to know a country, you have to...