Wednesday, September 9, 2009

the bench in heaven



having visited coyoacan previously when i was in mexico city, i knew i had to go back some day. there's a wonderful atmosphere. the streets are colorful, art is everywhere and there are interesting people walking in all directions. i had breakfast at one of the many great places. i had a long walk in the morning, so i was ready for a sit down meal. i sat by the window and ordered cafe de olla (a cinnamon coffee) and some breakfast. it was some of the best coffee i've had in a long time.

i proceed to walk the streets of coyoacan all afternoon. there was live music everywhere, from the street musicians (heard some live jarochos during breakfast) to the many musicians at the different forums in the area. the main plaza had full line-up, including plenty of jazz. at a smaller park, lined with artists selling their paintings, there was a live band playing old standards. a number of old couples were slow-dancing and making requests. i bought a paleta de mango con chile and sat at one of the benches to listen to the music. a couple of older ladies come to my bench. it was going to be a tight fit, so i smile and tell them that we can all fit as i move to the side. one of them smiles back and says "if we're all going to fit in heaven, why not here?" that comment made me feel right at home.



i go to a cultural center later and there was yet more music. this time it was classical mexican music played by a symphony. there must have been over fifty musicians sitting together. i recognized some of the songs. i stood there enjoying the music, and also enjoyed watching a bee repeatedly fly over some lady's reddish hair right in front of me. inside this cultural center was a large exhibit showing the origins of sugar. this was all free and very interesting. that might have explained the confused bee.

i called up a friend i made the last time i visited mexico city and went to her place for dinner. my friend laura and her daughter were there too, and my new friend from london joined us later. we sipped mezcal, ate carnitas, drank wine, listened to gardel and played some corridos. laura, her daugher and i leave together. it was raining pretty hard and i pulled out my borrowed umbrella. it only made laura laugh, since it pretty much only covered my head. most of the wires were exposed. good thing her car wasn't too far away. we listened to the rain as we drove back to her place. i made a mental not to buy my own umbrella in the morning.

2 comments:

Manuel Menéndez said...

Hi

I live in Coyoacan and I agree with you. I love it!!! Great blog and grat post btw.

leopoldo said...

muchas gracias amigo! :D