Dias de los Museos and Metro

Okay,

So I am trying to hustle this bustle as I am miles (days) behind.

I actually came online here in San Miguel de Allende, to look at where the Scotia Atm is as I once again find myself up a stream without a paddle, or more literally, in a city without money (of course, I have asked 3 different people for directions or location and gotten 3 COMPLETELY different answers... ) .

HAPPY DIA DE LA REVOLUTION!! 100 years today.

I Have been celebrating by singing ONE DAY MORE from Les Mis, in SPanish (well, trying).

More about that when I get to it... still got Puebla...

Note to self: Still must write about Puerto Vallarta return aka the ride with the drug dealer and what could be considered a semi-whorish teen beauty pageant.

Anyways, I spent the other day, Wenesday, in 4 different museums. Firstly, the Anthropology Museum... people say you need 3 hours here, which you do - unless you walk fast and don´t read stuff. I appreciate Mexican culture, bit I have read so much that I feel I have learnt nothing. My brain cannot contain all the dozens of cultures and indigenous and histories. One day I might read a book on it or something.

It was great - lots on the different cultures, all divided by location, as well as all the best artifacts from the ruins... Aztec and Mayan and Oaxacan too. Up until now I had no contact with the Aztecs, they have very different items, used less scultures in the buildings but more paint and paintings. This is just what I have gathered, don´t quote me. Well, you could quote me, it is not like any historian or anthropologist would take what I have to say seriously.

I have an embarassing admission. I am a unstoppable cryer-crier (you think I would know how to spell this) and my love of Mexican culture mixed with a sadness to be leaving this great country in what was 8 days, let a few tears loose... in the museum. I am happy with the fact that I may be the first person who can say they have cried in the Mexican Museum of Anthropology (kids or injured not included).

Next outside I saw the guys do this entertaining thing where 4 of them hang from a pole as the may-day around it, upside down, playing instruments. Now, THAT is entertainment. I sneakily left my bag in the bag holding place (Pantenaria? I think, I use them everyday (all stores, supermarkets etc have them) but haven´t paid too close attention to the formal name. I love that it has one though. It is close to the name for a Bread shop... Panderia?. Anyways, I went over to the Museum of Modern art to see Frida. Alas, she had left and hadn´t even sent me a note! And I thought we were close. I had been at her house only the day before.

Modern art aint really my thing. I like paintings that take skill in painting. Which is why I appreciated the next museum that I metroed to - The Museum of Popular art. They have a museum for everything in Mexico CIty. ¨Everything´s up to date in Mexi City.. they´ve gone about as far as they can go¨... I missioned through this one (note, due to my ID i don´t have to pay.,.. if I was payin, I´d be stayin), loving the special display of Pinatas made by artists, and a Revolution display involving art and items of Emiliano Zapato and Frankie Villa - the fathers of it.

Next I headed to the Institute of Bella Artes, which is one of the main attractions, coz of it´s outer beauty. Inside, there are murals by the famous old artists of Mexico, namely Diego Riveria again... which I had to pay $30 pesos to photograPH! I sucked it in though, since once again, my Student ID got me through the door. I say in Spanish ¨I am a Student of Oaxaca¨, but sometimes leave off the Oaxaca, so they racistly say ¨But not of Mexico¨and then I whip it out. BooYah. Just joking about the racism.. generally, apart from Indig issues down South, Mexicans are very open and there are various references to my pals Ghandi and MLK jr through out the place. There were African slaves that came here, wonder why there aren´t African-Mexicans? Cos there wasn´t this segregation BS.. they didn´t live in Negro.Ville, or whatever the community of migrants was in my mum´s city.

Anyways, there is usually other displays there - including one of Riverias, but they were closed at the moment. My typical luck. There was one of a Man - Saturnino Herran (accent above A), which was brilliant. He is what I mean by talented - especially with Crayons and Pastel... he made them look SO real... he did a lot of people´s faces, which is my fave. He did some beutiful ones of Mayan people too.. he really gets the skin and features in perfect colour and shape. He had also done a lot of the same pictures, but done them closer up and with other mediums. No photos allowed here unfortunately, but I just added two up the top - first with Crayon CRAZZYY.

So it was getting on in the day, time for me to get to Puebla. I was originally going to go the day before, but the closed-city monday threw those plans. So I went down to the metro, for the billionth time, taking 3 different lines North, which I hadn´t taken before. This was to get to the bus station, the same one I had taken to Oaxaca in September - my first Mex travel extravaganza. By this time I was confident with the Metro, although I noticed at my first, busy stop that there was a strong police presence and that there was a ladies and girls only section. I was lining up for the train when 3 men, one Smart-Casual and two in suits came and pulled me aside. They said they were security, I looked at the policeman (with a shield and baton) for confirmation, he didn´t comment - but he let me go too, so I trusted all was well.

They took me a wee way to the security office, at this time I was just panicked trying to get to the bus station and get to Puebla - angry at myself that I was getting there a day late already.
They wanted me to pack away my Camera, as they said someone will cut the cord from around my neck.
I hear my Dad doing his token scoff now.
I know, I was naive. I felt so stupid, as these 5 or so men looked down at me. I was apologising in my broken spanish, trying to not sound like too much of a stupid tourist.
I had gotten cocky.
I must have come across as very upset, because one of the men got mad at the others - saying they had been to scary with me.They actually hadn{t, but kept apologising and saying things like ¨We wouldn{t want your experience in Mexico to be ruined´ and ¨We want you to enjoy yourself here¨, they were very nice.
I was more relieved than scared, grateful for the good people in this country who continue to look out for and help me. For every bad person wanting to cut my camera, there are at least 100,000 people who go out of their way for you.
It did not occur to me that someone would have scissors in the metro, I thought around my neck was actually safer than in my bag with someone could grab.
A TLC song comes to mind ¨Dumb, Dumb, Dumb¨.

I thanked them, shook all there hands, but they weren{t letting me go alone. So, I had two security escorts with me, in the crowded ¨Women and Children only¨ cart. One in a Tan suit, with an official badge, the other ´Undercover´in a blue polo. And so, they travelled on three different lines with me, asking me questions about my life as we walked from one to the other (one walk was about 2 km long, with a blacked out area with lots of police in it.. I don{t know why). My undercover man took me right out of the metro and into the bus station. I was very grateful, but moreso touched by their kindness.

Note to Future Mexico tourists: Do not be afraid to ride the metro. But, be weary off the normal toursit track, e.g. anything north of Bella Artes, this is where it turned a bit scary...