This morning, we woke up and showered before heading up to the terrace for breakfast. We had these adorable little skull pancakes today which were delicious, just not my favourite for breakfast because of the sweetness / lack of protein.
Niina left today, she came to say goodbye at breakfast but I’m going to see her for a day in Puerto Escondido later on which is fun! Maman and I didn’t have a concrete plan for today, but Jeremy and Chris were headed to the Bazar San Ángel which Claudia had recommended in the group chat. The Bazar is only open on weekends so it was a good day to go and the guys said we could join! We quickly got ready and then headed downstairs to meet them. The Uber ride was about 40 minutes, but we had a great driver called Luís who lived around where we were being dropped off. He offered to drive us by Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo’s studio, which is now a museum. Once we got to the destination, Luís was helping us figure out the best spot to be dropped off when Chris and Jeremy asked if there was a bank nearby (they needed cash). Luís said yes, but it was across a big highway so he just drove us there for free! He was great. When we got back to the drop-off spot, Luís told us where the good markets were and we thanked him profusely for all his help before saying goodbye.
We were dropped off by the Plaza san Jacinto and spent some time wandering around a pop-up art market.
We wandered around some boutiques on the street, then found a covered indoor market with some food stalls and produce/meat/flower/spice vendors, but not really the artisanal crafts we were looking for. We walked down the big road for a while and eventually decided it was time to start looking for lunch. We picked a spot called La Jacinta, which looked good, but when we got there, it was right beside part of ANOTHER outdoor market and the prices were crazy high. We continued wandering around the neighbourhood in search of food but the markets would just not stop coming which meant prices were up up up. Instead of a good lunch place, we ended up wandering into a temporary covered market and THIS one was cool. Antiques, tons of handmade items, leather, metal, and woodwork.
We were starving by this point so we just walked through quickly and said we’d come back after lunch. We started walking to quieter areas away from the hustle and bustle in hopes of finding a local spot for lunch. We found a really cute courtyard with restaurants but everything was fancy in there, then we headed to a taco spot but it looked very modern.
Finally, I saw Fonda Chimalistac and navigated us there. We all agreed that this place looked good and local so we had a seat. We got some beers and for lunch, I had chicken tostadas/sopes which were excellent.
After lunch, we wandered back through a small greenspace in the direction of the good market. We found a CDMX sign and took pictures, and that random guy laying in the C did not give a single shit he stayed there the entire time.
We got back to the market eventually and I bought a small painted tile and a handmade journal. The artist signed the journal when I asked her to which was really cool, all the vendors were great.
Jeremy and Chris decided they were gonna Uber to a different area of town to check some tattoos and tequila off their bucket list, so we split up at this point. Maman and I were pretty ready to head back so we started walking back towards the big road where our metro-bus stop was. On the way, we passed a lovely cafe called Creperie du Soleil and decided to stop in for a bite. We shared a lemonade and a strawberries and cream cheese crêpe, which were both amazing. We were the only ones in the cafe apart from the owners and one other man, and about halfway through our snack, the man stood up and started playing the guitar and singing! He had a great voice and it was actually really nice, at some points the owner joined in quietly too. Everyone was so fun and kind, this was definitely one of Maman and I’s favourite food spots in Mexico City!
After our delicious crêpe, we continued our walk to the metro-bus stop. The metro-busses are big red modern busses that function more like a metro, stopping at every stop and operating within their own dedicated lanes on most roads to avoid traffic. We only had to take one bus for 20 stops, which took around half an hour. We were standing the whole time, Maman was literally falling asleep and it was quite hot in the bus but otherwise it was a great experience and super easy to figure out! We walked back to the hostel from the nearest bus stop and just had a bit of a chill afternoon. I went up to the terrace to journal for a bit, then came back down to the room to hang out.
When we got hungry for supper, we headed around the corner to a place called Tacos La Flor de Turín. There was a lineup of locals out the door so we decided it must be a good spot. We initially thought we’d just get takeout because there weren’t many tables but when one came available we agreed to be seated there. Here, they just hand you a piece of paper and a pen, you write down your name and your order, then hand it back to them for it to be prepared.
We got a gringa with enchilada meat, a cheese quesadilla, and a tortilla with beans (mistake because the condiment bar out front had unlimited beans but oh well).
Everything was delicious, they had a couple of really good salsas, onions, cilantro and lime out front to add. After supper, we walked 2 minutes back to our hostel and got ready for bed. Really hoping for another good night’s sleep to catch up on rest.
See you in the next one!