el angel

i decided to have a mellow day on my third day in mexico city (mainly because i had been so active the day before). i was invited to the super (the market) in the morning, which ended up being wal-mart. i was told it's considered the gay supermarket in mexico. now that's something i've never heard. i had not slept enough and was hung over, and now i had to stare at rows and rows of meats while my friend was shopping. later i go out and take a walk, thinking i already know the area. i took a wrong turn on a cruicial street and ended up getting pretty lost. it was a very interesting walk, but not you want to take when you're lacking sleep and feeling hungover. i made it back ok, only wiped out from the long walk.

once at my friend's place, i took a long nap and relaxed. i didn't go back out until late at night. i walked toward the bars at zona rosa, only to be distracted by some commotion at el angel de la independencia. much to my delight, there was a large crowd of people celebrating mexico's win at that night's soccer game against costa rica. i'd always seen that on tv, so it felt great to see it in person. there were hundreds of policemen guarding the angel and the side streets. but the atmosphere was fun and peaceful. people were ecstatic, chanting and dancing. out of nowhere it seemed, large crowds would start running around the angel, carrying flags, blowing whistles and using these cans that would spray foam. yes, there was foam everywhere. i had to constantly watch myself, didn't want to go the bars soaked in foam.

along with the soccer fans, the vendors also flocked the angel. whistles, neon lights, flags were all for sale. of course there were also plenty of things to eat. at times i wondered if the vendors outnumbered the fans. feeding from the energy and not really wanting to leave, i bought an elote and enjoyed the celebration from the sidelines. the bars could wait.

i did end up going to the bar that night. after a few drinks i stood next to a pretty boy who ordered a glass of wine. he must have been the only on at that bar drinking wine. i ask him if he was celebrating at el angel earlier that night. he gives me a disapproving look and asks "por que, me viste cara?" (why, do i look like i would?). his reply wasn't rude at all, it just felt like a natural reaction. i found it very comical. i guess running around el angel just isn't his thing.