A Temblor and San Judas

Sunday night, April 27, as we sat down to dinner I felt suddenly dizzy, a strange sense of motion. When the feeling came a second time I asked Bill,”Did you feel that?” Yes, he did, and we deduced that it must be an earthquake. The ten o’clock news confirmed that it was a quake registering 5.6 on the Richter scale, with its epicenter in Guerrero state. I like the Spanish word temblor better, since earthquake conjures up horrible images of destruction, and this was only a tremor. I hope it’s our only such experience here. Not knowing what to do in an earthquake I did what any computer-dependent person would do and went to ask.com. Basically the answer is to stay where you are and protect yourself as best you can from things that might fall.

Coming home from school on Monday,I wondered why Hidalgo metro station was swarming with people, and then I remembered that it was the 28th. Hidalgo is the closest stop to San Hipolito church, where on the 28th of every month people bring their San Judas Tadeo images to be blessed. Saint Jude, the patron of desperate situations. Judging by the crowds on the 28th of each month, I'd say he is second in devotees only to la Virgen de Guadalupe. Here are some photos from Oct. 28, St. Jude's day, when even more people seek his intercession.

Not a Bad Place to Feel Bad

After having an awful cold for over a week that morphed into a bad cough and laryngitis, I finally decided to go to the doctor. The pharmacy chain stores Farmacias Similares have adjoining consultorios where a doctor examines you for 20 pesos (about $2), no appointment necessary, just knock on the door. Their motto: Lo mismo pero más barato = The same, but cheaper. The two prescriptions were filled for 104 pesos; because I spent more than 80 pesos, they offered me an obsequio of my choice: a can of tuna, a bag of sugar or one of beans. In and out in ten minutes and $12 - not a bad deal, and I'm feeling better already.

But I can't say I had such luck with getting new glasses. I popped in for an eye exam and was delighted to find out that my new glasses would be ready that very afternoon. They were ready, but I couldn't even see the big E clearly with them, so they made me another pair. I couldn't read a line of print without moving my head along the line. The doctor assured me this was most unusual, had never happened, he valued me as a patient not as a sale, and would I let them try again? OK, but third strike and you're out! My new glasses are fine, but I don't think they are really Transition lenses. Lo mismo, pero más barato...

An April Weekend: Celebration of Creativity

On Friday we decided to visit the Museo de la Estampa, just across the Alameda from us on Avenida Hidalgo, to see the Jose Guadalupe Posada engravings of dancing skeletons, La Catrina, and Don Quijote. Closed for montaje - setting up a new exhibit. So we went next door to the Franz Meyer Museum, one of our favorites, and blithely passed by their exquisite permanent exhibit, which we have seen often, to view the current ones: Marimekko, modern Danish jewelry, and Fiskars, all very interesting. We especially felt at home with the Fiskars exhibit, which included willow baskets, pussy willows, and birch bark creations. Almost Maine!




On Saturday we hopped on the Metrobus for San Angel to visit the Museo de Arte Carrillo Gil, which reportedly has a marvelous modern art collection. Closed for montaje! So we walked down Avenida Revolucion to find the Museo Soumaya, located in the Plaza Loreto, an old factory renovated into a mall of specialty stores. Perserverance paid off: the sculpture collection alone is worth the visit; the Soumaya has beautifully displayed a collection of sculptures by Rodin, Dali, Degas and Picasso, among others.



On Sunday we had to alter the beginning of our usual paseo dominical on bikes down Juarez to the Zocalo, because crowds of people heading to hear the "legitimate president" of Mexico, Lopez Obrador (who lost the elction of 2006) filled Madero Street and blocked our passage. It would have been very interesting to hear his speech opposing the current government's policy toward PEMEX, the sole petroleum industry of Mexico. The debate over the future of PEMEX is constant and heated, a topic better reserved for its own entry later. So we headed in the other direction, toward Chapultepec, for our customary "snakes and lakes" tour. This photo is of a section of the base of an enormous structure that was part of a reservoir system in the park, hence the "snakes" part of our loop.





At one end of Chapultepec is a fine children's museum - the Papalote - and the Museum of Technology (MUTEC). We went to MUTEC to see the exhibit of forty machines made from Leonardo da Vinci's drawings.
The exhibit opens with an animated figure of da Vinci speaking about his work, followed by a biographical film and then the forty machines.
A fascinating way to appreciate Leonardo's genius.





On the way back home we passed a display of chile peppers along the Reforma. I especially liked this one of chile poblano done in talavera, the pottery of Puebla.



And this one, in the style of the black pottery of Oaxaca.



And this one, in the style of the national sport, futbol, and apparently much appreciated by this fan.