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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 11, 2016 20:20:36 GMT
While in Mexico City we partook of a venerable pleasure activity enjoyed by tourists and Mexico City residents alike -- taking a ride along the canals of Xochimilco. This is a borough of the city which was once separate, when established in the pre-hispanic past. Xochimilco is best known for its canals, which are left from what was an extensive lake and canal system that connected most of the settlements of the Valley of Mexico. These canals, along with artificial islands called chinampas, attract tourists and other city residents to ride on colorful gondola-like boats called “trajineras” around the 170 km (110 mi) of canals. sourceThe ride starts off quite tranquilly, but for those of you bored by the bucolic -- stick around. Quite soon we encountered the Mexican spirit of fun and celebration in full swing. Wait until you see Kerouac's video! The walk to the embarcadero where the boats are to be found gave us some insight into the residents' love of color. This was great, as it was a cool, overcast day ~
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 11, 2016 20:38:58 GMT
This fellow demonstrates the way we boarded our trajinera -- by stepping from one boat to another until we were well out in the middle of the canal. Our boatman then maneuvered us out and away ~
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 11, 2016 20:50:14 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Nov 11, 2016 21:16:16 GMT
Bixaorellana is off to an absolutely fantastic start as usual, but I am going to have to back up to get into this thread properly. After all, Bixa is practically a local and takes the sights in stride while my eyes are still popping out every step of the way. We had to take a metro line to the end and then take a light rail system that started from there to the end of the line again. So I saw a great many fascinating things as we went along the way. Both the metro and the light rail line were almost entirely above ground, which made looking at things easier.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 11, 2016 21:25:19 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Nov 11, 2016 21:37:48 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Nov 11, 2016 21:46:28 GMT
Many of the boats were chartered for company events, and the employees were making the most of it. Here is my video, but I wish I had recorded more.
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 11, 2016 21:50:49 GMT
Love your additions! I'm so glad you went back to the start of the trek there, too, as this makes this thread more useful for other travelers who'd like to visit Xochimilco. It's appropriate that you provided that information, anyway, as you & Htmb are far more confident about unfamiliar public transportation than I.
Fascinating to see that we got some of the same shots, but you found many pictures that are completely different. For anyone who is curious, Htmb sat in the bow and Kerouac and I sat on either side of the narrow table in the middle of the boat, he on the starboard side and I on port.
Pee ess: because of simul-posting, I didn't see the video, but am enjoying the hell out of it right now.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 11, 2016 23:01:22 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 12, 2016 0:59:48 GMT
Great additions ~ love the reflection in the last picture. Here are more of my pictures, and I know Htmb has some to add as well ~
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Post by fumobici on Nov 12, 2016 1:38:33 GMT
Wow. Can't wait for more. There's a sequence in K2's video where the camera is panning left and you go from mariachi to marimbas just as the doll house floats by that has post-prod potential.
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 12, 2016 5:53:39 GMT
Thanks, Fumobici. A friend, on hearing we'd be in Mexico City, urged me to take the boat ride in Xochimilco, something I'd have otherwise resisted. He was right, though -- it's fun and even educational. I'm going to post the rest of my boat ride pictures, then let my fellow passengers catch up before this thread moves on to the market in Xochimilco.
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 12, 2016 6:18:43 GMT
Papyrus ~ Early in the cruise, our captain explained how the chinampas are formed, then kept on the lookout for some in the process of construction. Piles of sticks or leafy branches are piled up, then muck dredged from the canal bottom is spread on top. This process is repeated like making lasagna and eventually creates a rich bed for growing that can be fed with more muck. The next four pictures show the work in progress: first, the initial step of piling branches between the fence and the rock seawall, then views of branches and muck in various stages ~
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Post by Deleted on Nov 12, 2016 6:21:12 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Nov 12, 2016 12:38:36 GMT
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Post by htmb on Nov 12, 2016 12:46:49 GMT
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Post by htmb on Nov 12, 2016 12:56:16 GMT
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Post by htmb on Nov 12, 2016 13:04:28 GMT
I still have many more water photos to post.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 12, 2016 15:08:52 GMT
This ends the water part for me, so I will wait with Bixa onshore until it is time for the three of us to go to the market...
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Post by htmb on Nov 12, 2016 16:22:15 GMT
Don't worry about waiting for me. You two go right ahead. I'm doing battle with an ear/sinus infection that was aggravated by my three flights home. I'll catch up eventually.
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Post by htmb on Nov 12, 2016 17:03:25 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 12, 2016 17:04:17 GMT
So much fun to see what the other two people caught that I missed. Kerouac, I love your pictures of the nursery and Htmb, am wowed by your photo of the frisky puppies. I'm quite jealous of the one of the red-headed ducks(?) in the parrot feather weed.
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Post by htmb on Nov 12, 2016 17:13:10 GMT
Those are Moorhens, Bixa. They look amazingly similar to the ones I photographed in England a few years ago.
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Post by htmb on Nov 12, 2016 19:18:10 GMT
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Post by htmb on Nov 12, 2016 19:26:35 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 12, 2016 20:24:18 GMT
That was probably the most darling thing we saw all day!
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Post by htmb on Nov 12, 2016 20:36:49 GMT
Sure beats what we saw in the back of the pickup truck.
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Post by htmb on Nov 12, 2016 20:54:15 GMT
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Post by htmb on Nov 12, 2016 21:00:59 GMT
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Post by htmb on Nov 12, 2016 21:11:09 GMT
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