Category: Journal

Stories, chronicles, writing, practice, sketch, draw,

Lingering Lakeside

Posted on by Schalonda

Lake Atitlán, GuatemalA

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San Pedro La Laguna

One of the things I wanted to do more of during my travels was yoga. I imagined that I’d spend weeks or months immersed in yoga and meditation, like a true tree-hugging, woo woo yogi. While researching Guatemala, I learned that Lake Atitlán might be a place to start if I wanted to make that dream come true. As it turned out, a week at yoga camp was too pricey for my budget and while volunteer opportunities are available at some of the retreats, they’re not something you can find last minute.

Even though I wouldn’t be immersed in hippy training, I couldn’t pass up a lake visit, the pictures were too beautiful. Atitlán is not a singular destination, it’s a magnificent lake surrounded by a dozen different cities, towns and indigenous villages, both large and small.
I stayed in the “party” town of San Pedro for a week, traveling to the hippy village of San Marcos and the more touristy Panajachel by boat.

My first few days were spent roaming the woods of San Marcos with my new friend and fellow Sumpango kite festival attendee. Together we hiked to the Yoga Forest for an ashtanga yoga class and kirtan song ceremony. A spectacular view of the lake, volcanos and jungle with the sun setting behind them made a flawless backdrop for my yogi dream.

When my friend headed back to Philly, I spent the next few days roving the lake towns on my own. Grabbing a lancha to Panajachel for a day trip, investigating the short trails of the San Marcos nature reserve, up at 5am for an Indian Nose hike to watch the sunrise, followed by some worthy wandering of San Pedros streets to discover the charming Parque Puerta Hermosa.

Between Flores, Antigua and Lake Atitlán, I spent over five weeks in Guatemala. I felt especially comfortable in Antigua so thoughts of putting it behind me to get back on the road were joined by anxiety and fear. However, if I was to see to South America anytime soon, I would need move on. I can’t stay in Guatemala forever so I booked a shuttle for my next stop, El Tunco, El Salvador.

Pyramid Pit Stop

Posted on by Schalonda

With Mexico behind me i’d have to figure out how to navigate my way through Central America without the ADO bus. I decided the best place to make my future plans would be Antigua, Guatemala so I headed in that direction.

Approximately one hour and 45 minutes from the Belize/ Guatemala boarder is Tikal, the ruin of an ancient city and famous archaeological site in the Guatemalan rainforest. AKA, the perfect place to stop and visit when traveling the great distance from San Pedro, Belize to Antigua, Guatemala. I thought about spending a few days in San Ignacio, Belize since it’s close to the boarder and offers day trips to Tikal, but decided against it. At the time I felt I had already spent too much money in Belize and Guatemala would be much cheaper. Looking back, I wish I had made a different choice and feel that San Ignacio was a missed opportunity.

 

Flores, Guatemala

Tikal

Flores is a small town on Lake Petén Itzá that’s connected to the mainland suburb of Santa Elena by a short causeway. It’s a convenient spot for tourists wanting to visit Tikal National Park since it’s about an hour shuttle ride away. Revisiting my decision to stay away from hostels, I picked a place with a patio and an awesome view of the lake, perfect for sunset watching.

After visiting Tikal, my list of things to do in Flores was complete. I spent most of my time on the patio with my laptop. I managed to leave my patio perch once or twice to explore a bit. I walked around the island taking pictures, searched for sunglasses at the large market in Santa Elena and went for a boat ride across the lake to explore the town of Tayasal. My visit ended with a motorcycle ride to the bus station (glad my suitcase can convert to a backpack) where I boarded the night bus to Guatemala City, followed by a connecting shuttle to Antigua at 6am the next day.

 

Fun fact: I got ripped off Flores but not as bad as that time I paid a whopping 280 pesos for a 50 peso cab ride in Puerto Escondido, Mexico. I don’t remember what I paid for the bus ticket from Flores to Antigua however, I know the price was supposed to include a shuttle from the ticket office to the Flores bus station, a bus from Flores to Guatemala City and a shuttle from Guatemala City to Antigua. Except, there was no shuttle to the Flores bus station, the guy ended up taking me to the station on his motorcycle, and there was no shuttle to Antigua, I had to buy another ticket for the Antigua shuttle. I actually got lucky here, things could have been much worse if I wasn’t able to board the night bus. 

Moral of the story: sometimes being cheap costs more than you bargained for!

Another New Beginning

Posted on by Schalonda

Next Stop

After Mexico, I knew my next country would be Belize. Always planning ahead, I discovered I could catch a water taxi in Chetumal that would get me to San Pedro, Belize in 90 minutes for $50. So, after Bacalar I headed South to Chetumal.

Chetumal, Mexico

I was warned a few times that Chetumal was boring, there was nothing to do or see and I wouldn’t miss out if I skipped it altogether. Awesome! That sounded perfect, so I booked a two week stay. I needed a place to rest and relax for a while. 

I wanted to live like a normal person. Spend the day in my pajamas, read in bed, draw, cook, watch Netflix & HBO, stay put and regroup. I found out later this need to stop moving is referred to as travel fatigue and it’s common.

So…, I know I said I was done with hostels but I found this well- priced spot that looked perfect, with great amenities that had two bunk beds and resembled a hostel. I took a chance on it because, according to Airbnb, all 4 beds were available and I was betting I’d have the room to myself for a bit. I Scored! My gamble totally paid off. For all but 4 days I had a big ass air conditioned room & private bath all to myself. Just when I started mentally preparing to get back on the road, my host messaged to let me know I’d be getting a roommate and that’s how I met my first traveling companion.

San Pedro, Belize

Saying good-bye to Chetumal was tougher then you might think. Having a routine and rest was magical, but now I was headed back to a world of constant moving and decision making, not to mention my first boarder crossing. Not gonna lie, I was full of fear and anxiety, frequent companions when I move towards the unknown.

It so happened that I could not have picked a better destination then San Pedro to get back into the swing of things. The water taxi turned out to be an enjoyable ride. A much better option than the bus and, I suspect, a better view. It was a comfort to be back in an English speaking country, most especially upon entry. Boarder crossings are nerve wracking enough without language barriers added to the mix. A shout out to my travel buddy for offering up some calm & relaxed energy. I guess when you jump out of planes for fun a boarder crossing is no cause for alarm. Sometimes it’s the little things that make the biggest difference. 

Similar to Bacalar, San Pedro is quite the charmer. I spent time enjoying the views from the hotel terrace and ocean front cafes. Wandering the narrow streets and shore walk, even with the all seaweed, was the perfect way to ease back into life on the road. 

After my first day I thought about extending my stay or maybe heading to Caye Calker for a look around but I sobered up after day two. San Pedro has great charm but it’s not nearly as budget friendly as Mexico. I love the food, the people, speaking English, the accents, the water sports and I could even tolerate the October heat, what was harder to ignore was my money fears and I couldn’t shake the feeling or belief that my money would go a lot further somewhere else.

Since I would only be in Belize for a few more days, I did my best to put aside money concerns and enjoy myself. Kinda tough when my travel buddy suggested we tour the Great Blue Hole, from a plane. Yikes!! I can still feel my purse strings tighten shut and that’s without the slightest idea of what it might cost. In the end I ignored my fears and did it anyway. With just a little convincing from my buddy, who was really looking forward to it and actually did research to find a competitive price, I jumped on a plane for 20 minutes of photography bliss.

Cherish Each Moment

It so happened that my travel buddy came equipped with an extra GoPro and some generosity, giving me an excellent opportunity to take underwater snaps of my day snorkeling. It’s true, the right people really do show up when you need them the most. I read stories about travelers meeting and traveling together along the way, but I doubted that would happen for me because making friends is not really my specialty. Turns out I was wrong. I now know the awesomeness of traveling with a fellow wanderer and enjoying experiences I wouldn’t have had as a solo artist. This is where I begin to understand the true value hostels. #SanPedroBelize

A Little Gem

Posted on by Schalonda

Bacalar

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Since selling my place in Santa Clarita, I’ve essentially become homeless. Sure, I can stay with family or friends, check-in to a hostel, hotel or Airbnb but that’s not the same as having a “home” to call my own. I hear and read stories all the time about people that visit places for short vacations, fall in love and just like that, a short vacation turns into a new home. Im wanting this kind of magic in my life, so I’ve been keeping my heart and imagination open to finding a new “forever” home.

A place that struck me as one with the power to capture hearts is a little gem in Quintana Roo, Mexico called Bacalar. While not a place I personally found irresistible, it’s charm is undeniable and it’s easy to see how one might decide to turn their back on big city life and opt for small-town lagoon living.

From the main road, where the ADO bus dropped me off, I was nervous and wondering if I was in the right place. Before Google maps, I’m sure plenty of people panicked at this point. I HAD a map and still felt that, “Uh Oh” adrenalin shoot through me. Only way to find out if I was in the right place was to follow Google’s directions so I rolled my suitcase 6 blocks as directed and found my Airbnb waiting with open arms, a terrace and a hammock.

Wether it was walking the street that parallels the lake, sitting at a restaurant or park with a lake view, standing on the ramparts of Fort of San Felipe or paddle boarding at sunrise, the lagoon and its 7 different shades of blue relaxed and enchanted me. While I was on the terrace, swinging in that hammock, I could feel how easy it would be to fall in love, pull up stakes and never look back, especially if you had a love for water and/or water sports. I get a bit nauseous after too much time in large bodies water so I was immune to her magical charm but I could still feel it.

A Fresh Wound

Posted on by Schalonda

October 19, 2019
Antigua, Guatemala

Today marks the 4-month anniversary of my departure from the U.S. and the beginning of my travel adventures and transformational journey. Seems fitting to write about how I spent my day, especially since it’s still a fresh wound.

I’ve just come from doing the hardest thing I have ever done. Yesterday we left for the popular 2-day Volcano Acatenango hike. This hike takes you up the 3rd highest peak in Guatemala, an elevation increase of about 1.2 meters/3,900 feet, were you camp at almost 4,000 meters, approximately 13,000 feet, and spend an evening captivated by Volcano Fuego spitting ash & lava all night. Day 2 of this hike has you up and departing camp at 4:30 am for the final 400 meters/quarter mile to summit Acatenango and watch the sunrise over Fuego and the valley below.

 

I did not enjoy this hike. It was so fucking hard, I wanted to quit every step of the way. I did my best to relax, appreciate my surroundings and wipe the pained look off my face but I struggled so hard to move my feet and breath at the same time, it was difficult to remember that hiking is a passion of mine. Until yesterday I believed there was no such thing as a bad hike, now I’m not so sure. Perhaps this hike was meant to teach me something important that I will understand later, when every muscle between my waist and ankles are no longer sore.

I did not summit Acatenago. I was up and moving at 4:30 am with everyone else but I could’t finish. After 15 minutes of battling to breathe, I quit and walked back down to basecamp alone. I watched the sunrise over Fuego feeling like a failure. This hike made me feel inadequate in every way possible. I wasn’t fit enough, I couldn’t carry my own backpack, I couldn’t keep up with my group, I couldn’t even be the person that didn’t care that I was the slowest and to top it off, I was the only quitter, the only one missing from the photo at the top. Right now I do not feel any sense of accomplishment for doing the hike, I feel disappointed by a shitty performance.

 

I want to say that I would never have done the hike had I known what I was in for but those words are useless. I DID hike Acatenago and while i’m still consumed with feelings of not enoughness and inferiority for not reaching the summit, I also had the unbelievable experience of listening to the sounds of a volcano erupting, watching lava and plumes of ash shoot out the top of a mountain, seeing and abundance of stars in the night sky, watching the sunrise at 13,000 feet, doing the hardest hike of my life in perfect weather and enjoying phenomenal views. Maybe in a month or two I’ll be more appreciative about the the way my teacher taught me what I was meant to learn…

Tears in Tulum

Posted on by Schalonda

Clearing Clutter for Clarity

Today is October 5, 2019 and I’m sitting on the lakefront deck at a hotel in Flores, Guatemala. It’s been exactly 1 month since my flight from Havana landed at Cancun International Airport and I made my way to Tulum. I didn’t want to be in Tulum, I wanted to be home, in my bed surrounded by all my stuff but that wasn’t possible. My home and stuff were long gone, so I’d have to settle for a cheap hostel instead.

Landing

In Cuba, I barely lifted a finger. Everything was taken care of and it felt like a much needed vacation. Tulum meant an end to all comfort and the beginning of a long hard road ahead with no relief in sight. I was exhausted the minute my plane landed in Cancun.

day 1

I woke up, climbed down from the top bunk, showered and got food. After breakfast, while I sat in the lobby/common area, I felt them coming. After years of holding back my tears, believing they were useless and didn’t help or solve anything, they did what I trained them to do, they sat unmoving in my throat. Little by little, I coaxed them out with the truth of my situation. I was tired of moving from place to place. Tired of loneliness and decision making. Tired of stinking, sweating, ever shrinking personal space, mosquito bites & useless repellent, hostels, clogged showers and the fucking top bunk. I missed the simpIe comforts of home but I didn’t want to go back to the States. My Hostel was gross and I couldn’t bear to think of a future with more of the same. I let my tears know it was safe to come out, no matter how many people were around to whiteness and finally they came, one by one but not nearly enough.

Making Space

Turns out, tears DO help. They are not useless. They helped me let go of built up frustration, stress and travel fatigue, which felt good. Tired, worn out and not sleeping well, my desire to explore was gone. If my bed had been comfortable I might have stayed in it. Instead, my tears cleared space for an idea that felt perfect. Solutions to all my problems would be found after a good massage.

Exploring Cost

Tears came two or three more times before my massage, including crying myself to sleep and a near meltdown when I got lost looking for the massage spot. After Carlos worked his magic, things began to look and feel better. I enjoyed a full day exploring Tulum by bike and realized that cheap hostels were costing me too much. Energy is required to continue safely on this journey and I need to stay in places that recharge instead of drain me.

Fear of Spending

Here I am again, confronted with one of the most resilient skeletons in my closet. My limiting beliefs about and damaged relationship with money. I believe that money equals safety and the more money I spend, the less safe I am. Vibrating just beneath my surface at all times, my spending alarm BLASTED (see iPhone, old car horn) when I withdrew a large sum of cash for my Cuban Adventure. This action felt scary and unsafe but I knew it was just the beginning of something much bigger and my decision to stop using cheap accommodations was a confirmation there was work ahead.

Attainable Healing

I knew long before it began that this journey would change me and that thought excited me. Now, in the midst of changing, the excitement has dulled with the routine of daily practice. I’ve spent a great deal of time working on my beliefs about myself & money since Tulum and I think my effort it’s paying off, pun intended 😁. This post comes after 5-days of “no alarm” spending in Belize, considered the #2 most expensive country in Central America, with Costa Rica coming in at #1. My spending fears and money beliefs are tied other belief baggage I have about being unworthy and not enough, so there’s much more work to be done, but I’m feeling optimism, like healing is actually attainable. It’s not the first time I’ve tried fixing my relationship with money but this feeling is new, something I was missing both times I read Your Are A Badass At Making Money with my family. 

Resources for You

These books have made a MAJOR contribution to my life and feelings of optimism in the last two months. 

*The Illusion of Money: Why Chasing Money is Stopping You From Receiving It by Kyle Cease
• E-book, LA Public Library

Happy Money: The Japanese Art of Making Peace with Your Money by Ken Honda
• Audio Book, also available as an E-book from LA Public Library

Seth Speaks: The Eternal Validity of The Soul by Jane Roberts
• Audio Book, also available on YouTube

It’s Not Your Money: How to Live Fully From Divine Abundance by Tosha Silver
• E-book, LA Public Library

Outrageous Openness: Letting the Divine Take the Lead by Tosha Silver
• E-book, LA Public Library

A Cuban Adventure

Posted on by Schalonda

8 days in cuba

After deciding to travel the world, I focused on letting go of my old life, not really considering the journey ahead. I made one choice, start from where I already was. Begin in North America and travel through Central and South America before moving to another continent. I chose Mexico City as my starting point because it was closest big international city.

Researching Mexico tours, I stumbled on one that started in Mexico City and ended in Havana, Cuba. That’s when and how I decided I was going to Cuba.

I chose not to buy a tour through Mexico when I discovered a way to travel at my own pace. I wanted a tour for Cuba though. As an American, I wanted a local guide and I didn’t feel comfortable or confident traveling the island on my own, especially with poquito español.

Cuban Adventures

Finding a guided Cuba tour was easier than expected. I went to Facebook and searched Cuba Tours. 

My search results listed a company called Cuban Adventures

which offers an 8-day tour for $625, breakfast included, and a website that detailed everything you’d ever need to know about traveling to Cuba. I found other tours later but all cost well over $1,000 for 7 days or less.

I bought a non-stop, round trip flight from Cancun to Havana on Aeromexico for $155, purchased from BudgetAir.co.uk, and that price included 1 free checked bag.

Next thing you know, I was in Cuba.

The Itinerary

Day 1

Arrive in Havana

Day 2, 3

Viñales

Day 4

Bay of Pigs / Cienfuegos

Day 5, 6

Trinidad

Day 7

Santa Clara / Havana

Day 8

Depart Havana 12:30pm

viÑales

A small town surrounded by mountains and green fields, where I toured a tobacco and coffee farm and bought some hand rolled Cuban cigars. I explored the mountain surroundings from the hop-on-hop-off bus and danced with the locals during a back to school concert and street party.

Breakfast

Random Casa

Old-timey Coffee Grinder

Tobacco Leaves

Bay of Pigs

On our way to Cienfuegos we stopped at the Bay of Pigs and swam in the most crystal clear warm water you can imagine. My group mate, Jessica, shared her goggles so I got to enjoy a spectacular coral and fish underwater show.

Cienfuegos

Probably the most beautiful city we visited on the tour but also the shortest amount of time spent in a city. If I ever return to Cuba, I definitely want to spend a week or two exploring this gem. 

trinidad

For a small town, theres a lot to do and see in Trinidad. Took pictures from a museum roof top. Walked up a cobblestone hill in flip flops to dance in a cave nightclub. Went on an epic jungle hike to enjoy a gorgeous waterfall and went to the beach for a selfie. Was introduced to the awesomeness of Canchánchara – rum, lemon juice, honey & ice.

At a cave nightclub and the beach

Canchánchara

Waterfall

Town Center

santa clara

On our way back to Havana we stopped in Santa Clara for a brief walk through the center of town and a visit the Che Guevara Mausoleum, home to Che’s remains and twenty-nine fellow rebels killed in 1967. 

In the 1958 Battle of Santa Clara, the last battle of the Cuban Revolution, Che and company took the city of Santa Clara. As a reminder, the Hotel Santa Clara Libre still looks to have the bullet holes.

havana

My final evening in Havana was spent enjoying a good-bye dinner with my tour mates, exploring the city at night and having a last beer on the awesome rooftop terrace.

My final day in Havana was a short one. After a little exploring, I was back on the rooftop taking selfies and pictures of the city skyline from four stories up. Trying hard not to think about returning to Mexico where lodging, breakfast, transportation, a daily itinerary and dinner were no longer someone else’s concern. 

My time in Cuba was amazing, even the heartbreaking parts. Without a doubt, I would like to explore again someday.

The Most Magical of the Pueblos Mágicos

Posted on by Schalonda

Magic Moments

Maybe it was the best hostel shower ever, that special brownie, discovering falafel, could have been all the hummingbirds, or even the return of the peacock. I can’t quite put my finger on it but, I agree, San Cristobal is the most magical of pueblos mágicos.

 

It started with food. After a very long 14 hour bus ride from Oaxaca, I landed in San Cristobal hangry and tired. I dropped my bags at the hostel and went directly to the closest eatery on the map they provided. Chips & salsa, 4 barbacoa tacos and two beers for $77 pesos. You can’t beat that. 

 

Next, was my decision to do something I wanted to do in Mexico City and Oaxaca but didn’t, the free walking tour. Best decision ever! Our tour guide, Carlos, was very passionate about his city, pointing out all the best food, drink, shopping and street art spots. While this wasn’t a food tour, it could have been. We stopped often to taste local delights like coffee, chapulines (grasshoppers), pox (pronounced posh), camboucha, beer and a few other things I can’t recall. During one stop, I got schooled on what peyote should look like, how to have an authentic ayahuasca experience and an opportunity to acquire a very special brownie 😜. Magic!

 

Discovering falafel was yet another magical experience. Puerto Escondido and Oaxaca had been hit & miss finding good food at reasonable prices. San Cristobal started off great but I followed up those yummy tacos with pricey but average enchiladas. Now it’s Monday, a lot of places are closed and i’m starving. After wandering, I settle on 1 of @3 open places at the end of my patience. A newbie to falafel, I took forever to order, sat down and pouted because I knew it would suck. I took a bite and almost cried. It was so good I bought one to go and ate it the next day. Still wonderful!

 

I spent my final day in San Cristobal exploring the Amber, Jade and Na Bolom Museums and meandering through the maze of side-by-side tents that make up the main shopping area. A magical day of playing photographer, looking at art and shopping for that perfect piece of amber that continues to elude me. I would go back to San Cristobal in a heartbeat. It’s the perfect home base for exploring the state of Chiapas.

Jade Museum

Moving Through Mexico

Posted on by Schalonda

 

Life
on
the
move:
A New Normal

Getting Uncomfortable

I began this adventure with a month in Mexico City but that’s not really traveling, is it? Staying in one spot is easy and a month is plenty of time to get comfortable. Now I start moving, actually traveling and part of me would rather stay comfortable in this familiar place instead of moving toward the unknown.

an
oppor
tunity
to feel
dis
comfort every
day…
price
less

 

Puerto escondido

8:30 am, Thursday, July 18, 2019
I took an Uber to Mexico City International Airport and boarded a flight to Puerto Escondido. This was the departure city for a tour I missed because I waited too long to book it. I decided to go there anyway, relax on a warm beach for a few days and follow the tour route on my own.

7 am, Thursday, July 18, 2019
I arrive in Puerto Escondido and grossly overpay for a taxi that drops me at my very first hostel by 11:30. Too early for check-in, I shed my suitcase, grab a map from reception then i’m off to check out the neighborhood. Wearing a backpack filled with all my electronic devices, a comfy skort and hiking shoes w/ socks, I head for the closest beach. After descending thousands of steps, I found myself at a packed beach with no place to take off my shoes. In less than 5 minutes, waves rush up and soak my feet. No worries though, it actually feels good having the water cool me off a bit.

Shortly after I find a spot to remove my shoes and enjoy sand between my toes, a wave comes and snatches a shoe while my back is turned. I spot it floating. Mouth wide, I watch for a minute or two before shoving my backpack in the bushes and jumping in after it. I manage to get it back but cut my foot real good in the process. I don’t care that i’m soaked. Puerto Escondido was so hot, I figure i’ll be dry by the time I make it back to hostel. The bloody foot scares me though…

I was pissy about the overwhelming heat, my foot wound and that overpriced cab ride for my first 2 days in PE. On day 3, I decide to let it go and enjoy. I have an awesome bike ride, a great day at the beach, tasty fish tacos and happy hour at the hostel.

My final day, I do my very best to avoid sweating, so I work on my blog until it’s time to catch my bus to Oaxaca.

oaxaca

7 am, Monday, July 22, 2019
The 9 hour ADO bus ride sucks. Even though the seats recline, the bus is cold, winding roads toss you around ALL night and it’s impossible to get comfortable. That being said, you can’t beat the price.

I drop my bag at the hostel after an affordable ten minute cab ride and look for a coffee shop with Wifi thats open at 7:3o am. I get lucky and find one around the block.

7:30 am, Monday, July 22, 2019
I have to say, Oaxaca is beautiful when she sleeps. The empty streets would have made for gorgeous photos but I don’t feel like snapping picts. I decide to appreciate everything I see and keep it as a memory. I consider waking up early for a photo shoot but it never happens.
At the coffee shop I make plans to visit the Monte Albán archaeological site.

With the weather finally on my side, I enjoy perfect temperatures while hiking the archaeological ruins. Patches of clear blue sky and fluffy white clouds make the perfect backdrop for picts of the ancient pyramids.

The hours spent wondering the Archaeological site and exploring the neighborhood take a toll on my wounded foot. Day 2 is a rest, write, research and plan day. Back on both feet, I spend a lot of day 3 at the Culture Museum and catch the Temple of Santo Domingo and the Ethnobotanical Garden as well.

Day 4 is a jam packed day trip with six stops.

  1. Mitla archaeological site
  2. Hierve el Agua petrified waterfalls
  3. Buffet lunch
  4. Mezcal making & tasting at El Rey de Matatlan
  5. Traditional weaving presentation in Teotitlan
  6. Tule, home of 2,000 yr old widest tree ing the world

I spend My final day snapping picts and hunting art galleries before i’m back on the ADO for the 18 hour ride to San Cristobal.

Hasta Luego Mexico City…

Posted on by Schalonda

 

My Last Few stops

I spent most of my final week in Mexico City preparing to head south. However, I did make time to visit Coyoacán, Museo Soumaya and Biblioteca Vasconcelos and was not disappointed.

Coyoacán

Coyoacán is home to Museo Casa Azul, Frida Kahlo’s house turned museum. I was more interested in the neighborhood than the museum but hung around to snap some pictures of the famous blue house and the long line. Not ready to go home, I continued roaming the neighborhood & main plaza. Known for its authentic cuisine, markets and mezcal, the church of San Juan Bautista and the Watercolor Museum are also worth checking out.

It’s rainy season in Mexico City from May/Jun – Oct/Nov, so I wasn’t surprised when it started raining. After an hour or two of doodling at a coffee shop, I headed for what turned out to be a dazzling discovery. Viveros de Coyoacán is a combination tree nursery and public park. It’s also the closest i’ve come to hiking in the rain since I left California. Misty air, tall trees, and the smell of wet earth was the perfect way to end my visit.

 

Museo Soumaya

My next outing brought me to the Museo Soumaya. Made up of two buildings, Plaza Carso and Plaza Loreto, this place requires all day. The line for Plaza Loreto reminded me of Magic Mountain so I chose Plaza Carso, the pretty building with the short line.

Apparently, Plaza Loreto is 6 levels with the top level housing the largest Rodin exhibit outside of France. I did not know this and spent all my time on level 2, captivated by the “Asia in Ivory” exhibit. I did, however, manage to catch “The Thinker” and “The Gates of Hell” in the lobby.

 

Biblioteca Vasconcelos

Similar to Museo Soumaya, my final adventure in Mexico City was an architectural delight. Biblioteca Vasconcelos is a MUST if you’re into amazingly beautiful things or buildings. This unique library has thousands of books suspended from the ceiling and smoked glass floors allowing you to see feet walking above you. Theres also  garden out back and window seats on the top floors offering unique city views. Another glorious way to spend my day.