The wind or the thief

In Mexico City a remarkable thing can be seen on the roof of apartment buildings.
There are large cages.
One for every household in the building.

Inside these cages people hang their laundry to dry.

The thought that came to mind was that these cages were used to avoid that the neighbors would steal the clothes.
But the Queen of Dreams had another theory.
According to her the clothes are in a cage to prevent them from being blown away from the roof.

Two ways of looking at something.
One based on expecting bad things from people.
One based on being more positive about people.

In the end it doesn't matter what is the true purpose of those cages on the roofs of the apartment buildings in Mexico City.
A visitor sees them, makes an interpretation and eventually leaves town.
However, the interpretation decides partially how one feels while visiting.

To see things in a positive way is more likely to offer a happy time visiting a city compared to seeing things from a darker angle.

These conversations with the Queen of Dreams are so educational.
By opening up for her way of thinking and feeling, often a new perspective can be adopted that is more positive and beautiful.

The wind or the thief.
The Queen of Dreams comes to relief.





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The flow for the fearless

A dinner with a friend in the nice neighborhood of Portalis in Mexico City.

She told that several of her friends have been kidnapped.
An activity frequently occurring in Mexico City.

One friend was kidnapped but returned home safely after one week.
The parents had paid 70.000 Mexican Pesos as ransom: about $ 7,000 or € 4.500.

This is more or less the current rate for kidnapping.
It is stressful, traumatizing and scaring but one cannot say it is very expensive.

A taxi returned the pioneering photographer back from the Portalis area to the Novotel hotel in the Santa Fe area.
A one hour taxi ride.

The taxi had no meter and a price was agreed beforehand of 140 Mexican Pesos.
$ 14.00 or € 9,00

The whole ride a conversation took place.
Taxi driver telling he had two jobs.
Besides driving the taxi, he was also employed in an office for the Government.
All in all working seven days a week and never having holidays.
To make enough money to make his three kids finish university.
He was asked if his children were not most appreciating of Daddy's efforts.
Working his butts off for them to be able to study and to get a decent job later.
No, he said in a rather swamped voice.
They are not appreciating my sacrifices, he admitted: my children take my hard working for granted.

Once arrived at the hotel he was offered a more than generous tip.
Instructed that it was for him and his wife, not for his unthankful kids.

Walking into the lobby of the hotel, the concierge approached with a paper in his hand.
He explained that the taxi ride to the airport the next day would be much cheaper as it would not be billed through the hotel.

This is true traveling.
You give a big tip to one person and another person gives you money back.
Being in the flow.

In the pit

Landing in Mexico City is plunging into a thick layer of pollution.
It is scaring to see how bad the air is and to realize that soon it will enter the lungs.

But once landed the pollution cannot be seen anymore.
Although the air smells bad and dirty.

Traffic is intense and hectic.
Still old diesel powered buses can be seen producing enormous quantities of exhaust fumes.
And one must make very sure not to want to move around during peak hours.
That is for example in the Santa Fé area from 5 to 11 pm.
Six hours in the evening of bad traffic jams.
Every day.

A room is rented in the Novotel Mexico Santa Fe hotel.
A tariff list behind the reception says a single room costs $ 265.
But through Orbitz one pays not more than $ 115.

The room is very ok.
Large and well equipped.
But one may wonder why the free wifi to access the internet is from the stone age.
Ultra low speed and often failing completely.
Amazing flaw for a modern hotel.



And unfortunately, outside, right in front of the room, a deep pit where a new building is being constructed.
Forcing the guest due to extreme noise to request a room on the other side of the hotel.



Santa Fé is the business area of Mexico City.
And is therefore well developed.
Looking like a modern town with high rising office buildings.
And conveniences like a Starbucks, a decent Japanese restaurant and a 7/11.
But soon a visitor notices that outside all the buildings men with earphones in black costumes are standing.
Security people.
Who immediately come into action when the visitor wishes to make pictures for example of a building called "La Lavadora" (the washing machine).
That is not allowed.

Get rity

Passports have the tendency to expire.
And need to be renewed.

These days new passports are sophisticated.
Containing an integrated image, fingerprints, bar codes, chips, robots, coffeemakers and skis.
Anything to fight terrorism.

To obtain a new passport when abroad, the obeying citizen needs to go to the Embassy.
In this case, that bastion of the Netherlands is located in Mexico City.

Hence, Mexican airline company Interjet carries the almost passport-less traveller from Los Cabos, Baja California to Mexico City today.
Where tomorrow all the documents will be filled in and signed at the Embassy of the Netherlands to obtain the new passport.

Next, it takes two weeks before the passport is ready as it is printed and personalized in the Netherlands.
It will be delivered by courier in La Paz, Baja California to avoid having to go to Mexico City again.

Because it is a costly affair.
Flying, hotel and passport fees amount to over $ 600.

But to get a valid passport is essential.
Otherwise one cannot travel or legally ID oneself.

To enter this bureaucracy is against the own nature though.
To have to go to Mexico City, to have to spend over $ 600, to have to leave the Queen of Dreams for two days and two nights behind is painful and creating a feeling of being in a pool of nonsense.

This is why immediately other appointments in Mexico City were made.
To make the most of the trip.
So the main purpose of the journey shifts and is spread over different activities.

Mexico City: get rity !