Mexico VII - Xochimilcho Centro Turistico

We drove around a little and finally found the touristy section of Xochimilco where we were able to take a 2 hour boat tour of the famous floating gardens. It was Monday morning, so the canals were very quiet and peaceful. We took a tour on this lovely "Benvenidos Mexico" boat.










In Mexico, you can't go two feet without a food stand - even on a boat. Soon after we boarded a lady selling papas, elote and other snacks caught up with us.












This picture is for all you "Nacho Libre" fans out there. Here is little eskeleto eating his elote.









Some of the 2 hour tour was very relaxing and beautiful...














At other times we were reminded of the poverty around us. All along the canals are shacks made out of just about anything. Most of the people who work on the canals also live on the water.

Here is a Mariachi band floating along the canals.
Here is the Mariachi band that floated along the canals

Mexico VI - Xochimilco Nature Reserve

g

We drove to the southern end of the city looking for Xochimilco (so-chee-mill-coe) and ended up in this nice nature preserve. The air seemed a lot cleaner and the girls had fun finding caterpillars. Special thanks goes to Eric Sundahl for driving with Scott all the way from Phoenix to Mexico City - a three day ordeal full of some long painful stretches.



Is it just me, or is concrete not a very good landing for a steep slide? In the background of Alexandra's monkey picture are some really scary teeter-toters. Who remembers the green ones just like these at Conant Elementary's playground?

Mexico V - Chapultepec park

We loved Chapultepec park so much we went back the next weekend.



Timothy gets a lot of laughs here with his hair that is growing straight up. We here lots of comments like, "Que pelos" and "ay, que guerito mas precioso."


We rode the train around the park and Timothy could not stop starring at this little girl's painted face. The little girl kept trying to touch his puffy hair.


Julianna loves these stands that sell fresh potato chips with lime and hot sauce. Yum!



The girls each had 10 pesos to spend and they used it to buy these cute little plants that are the perfect size for Barbie world.




Mexico City is so colorful. Here are some pictures from our walk in the park.


Notice in this picture how these cotton candy machines work with a hand crate. Would a bike like this complete with a popcorn maker and cotton candy machine be great for any party?



Here is a typical street food stand. I especially love the mango on a stick. Next time I'll stop and let my camera focus :)

Timothy is sitting up

Hurray for Timmy he can sit up!

Mexico IV - Chapultepec park

We spent Scott's birthday walking through the zoo and markets at Chapultepec Park. I have to say the Phill & Ted stroller we brought here has been a life safer. It is narrow for managing crowds, has jogging stroller tires for the uneven sidewalks, and a swivel wheel for easy one-handed manuevering. We have heard it called "Padrisimo" here when people realize there is a little "guerito" hiding in the back. Thank you Brenda Petty for strongly reccomending this stroller :) it has been worth every penny!


Face painting is a big deal at Chupultepec park and the girls enjoyed having little designs painted on their faces. They were at first disappointed that I wouldn't get one of the 30 peso designs (completly covering every inch of their face) and we opted for something simpler. It was a good thing - we had to use some heavy duty soap to wash this stuff off. I guess indulging kids is part of Mexican culture and the girls enjoyed buying cotten candy, papas, and some junky toys.

We finished the day with some delicious Tacos al Pastor... I need to learn how to recreate these flavors at home. I would reccomend a trip to Mexico City just to eat some real tacos like these... by the way a plate like this costs about $2.50.