I woke up feeling pretty terrible, but chalked it up to too much sun and not enough sleep and decided to join my two American friends to Xochimilco, the "Mexican Venice".
After taking the metro to the end of the line, then boarding a train to the end of its line, we arrived in Xochimilco an hour and a half after having set out. My friends were at the end of a four month trip exploring South and Central America, and were conversationally fluent enough in Spanish at this point to haggle a bit with the men by the embarcadero. We eventually settled on a price of 800 pesos for the three of us to take a two hour trip through the canals on one of the many colorful trajineras.
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| Rebekka and Carlos haggling with a boat worker who wanted at least 1200 pesos. |
Floating down the canals is quite the experience. Tiendas and Restaurantes line the sides of the canal, providing an easy place to stop and shop or eat. Mariachi bands float in attached boats, or wait on shore to be picked up for a quick song or two. Large fiestas on the boats are not uncommon.
After arriving back at the docks, we walked through the market. Many stalls had colorful flower arrangements on display. In fact, most of the flowers grown in CDMX originate from Xochimilco.
I hadn't had an appetite all day, and was feeling even worse than I had that morning, so we got back on the train and made the trek back to the center of Mexico City. I spent the rest of the day taking hot showers and lying in bed. At night, Carlos hooked me up with some Nyquil and by the morning I was feeling significantly better. I suspect the illness came from drinking the tap water from the hostel, a very naive thing to do in Mexico, I of all people should have known better.
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