Thursday, November 12, 2009

Chilangos los Fines de Semanas

Cuernavaca is about an hour south of Mexico City on the smog-free hillside which makes it a popular weekend retreat for rich "Defeños" (I just learned this word which means people who live in the capitol), many of who own impressive property here. Hernan Cortez also built himself a palace here in 1525 after retiring from his life of conquistadoring. I'm currently holed up at the Raquet Club, built as a Hacienda in the 1930s and used as a country club for the Mexican elite for many years before being turned into a nice little hotelThe great Cantinflas owned a home here. Since he was best friends with Diego Rivera, he had the muralist install a tile artpiece in his swimming pool. The image is of Gaia, the primal Greek goddess of the earth although I am ashamed to say I was more interested in the impressive array of insect life that was drowing in the water.
There's not much to do up here since I'm not a raquet player, so I've been catching up on my comic strips. I feel very much like a colonial traveller, sipping mint julips and listening to the colorful birds inprisoned in their hanging bamboo cages awaiting the arrival of my steamer trunks (there must be at least seven waiters keeping an eye on me in case sdgg I look up) except instead of a dusty Remmington on a wobbly walnut desk there's a laptop with high speed Wi-Fi. It can't all be perfect.

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