05.08.12 - Punting

Today’s activity was boating on the canals at Xochimilco, a series of interlinking waterways which is

what is left of a pre-Hispanic lake, and canal system. We were a group of 13; colleagues of Hannah and their friends and partners. Because it was a Sunday afternoon the place was absolutely
 heaving with parties on other boats. Some sad looking pairs rather lost on the large wooden boats, other tourist groups, big family groups of Mexicans. All of the boats look exactly the same, a long wooden vessel with a corrugated tin roof and a garishly painted decoration at the front, always with the name of the boat painted on. There are a set number of boats so its really a local, family based monopoly. Other boats selling food or carrying mariachi bands who will play requests for money.

The water does not look clean and you wouldn’t want to swim but it was nice being punted up and down the canals for a couple of hours. There are houses and gardens that line the waterways as well as huge plant shops where you can stop and pick up a cactus.

 Hannah dropped me back at the airport and I was again given the same seat, right at the back of the plane. But this time I was seated with the flying orphans, the kids who are put on one end and collected at the other. There must have been over ten of them dotted around the plane.

Things about Mexico that I forgot to mention....
Instead of putting a X by the name of the person the want to vote for, they put a smiley face
The onions don’t have skin
Orange rind and lemon rind is green
Like in Spain, man and wife have different surnames. A child takes the name of both grandfathers, so everyone has two surnames, one from the mother and one from the father. For example, Mum should be Clarissa Lockett Vergne and Dad should be Ralph Palmer Cooper (sort of), therefore I would be Hannah Palmer Lockett, my children would take Palmer and the male name of the father.