If I don't manage to find out what time I am meeting Claudia tonight or manage to get a taxi down there I will have to see what I am doing tonight.
17:35. Wandered round a bit but didn't make it to Chapultec. I do hope to see the anthropological museum there tomorrow.
Vague plan is to have a beer or two then go back to the hotel and see if I've heard from Claudia and also try to book up some stuff for Monday onwards. If prices haven't shot up since my quick look last night I guess I will book a flight to Cancun and three nights in some cheapish hostel.
17:55. Minor brainwave. I did look at a payphone earlier and I am reminded I can buy al calling card, so it may not be as awkward to call Claudia and Zheyla as I'd been thinking. One more beer then I will buy one on my way back to the hotel.
That is so obvious in hindsight but telephones have been such a hassle on the trip that I think I just have this sense of helplessness when faced with the idea of having to call anyone.
20:30. Down at La Chelestial. I don't think I am meeting Claudia, I called her mobile from a payphone but the woman who answered didn't seem to recognise my name, or Claudia, or Zuhamy. I wonder if I got a wrong number due to omitting some prefix or something. If we were meeting somewhere on the metro I would probably have gone on the offchance, but the bar she is going to is too remote for me to want to wing it - without being sure I am going to meet someone I trust, I would be too worried about getting a cab back. I have sent her an e-mail and I hope we can meet another time - I expect to be back in Mexico City just before I return to the UK.
Had a bit of a wander round the area before coming here. Was tempted to eat again but am not that hungry and nowhere appealed. I only seem to see attractive restaurants when I've already eaten or am leaving the hotel late in the day and don't want to waste time by having a meal.
Some busy but rather foul looking bars (so many people outside the pedestrian traffic has to filter through single file), I am not in the mood. I just may try Rock Stock later on if only to see if it exists or maybe go somewhere else.
Tried to book my flight to Cancun but expedia.co.uk are superficially cheapest (I could save five quid and have worse flight times via someone else) and they report a problem with the booking system, so I will have to try again later.
I feel bad about not turning up tonight, as well as a bit disappointed, but I guess I've done my best to get in touch. Everything except e-mail is difficult in a foreign country (even when I called from a local phone, which avoided any complications about converting local numbers to international form) and most people (including me) are not as accessible by e-mail as by mobile. Maybe I should have gone anyway but the idea of being stuck alone kilometres from the nearest metro station in a city where I can't take a cab just puts the wind up me.
The one consolation is Claudia was going out with her sister anyway, so I assume I have at least not inconvenienced her.
The standard greeting here (not just in Mexico, other places too) seems to be 'Hola, buenos dias/tardes/noches'. It's stupid but I struggle with choosing the right time-of-day word and I nearly always stumble over it.
I am feeling a bit shit. Maybe because I feel I should be having a better time with it being a Saturday night. But sod it, who knows what might happen yet and if I do get to bed early then at least I may be able to get up earlier tomorrow. I doubt it though, just lately I am really struggling.
21:25. Just ordered a steak here, a bit boring maybe but the menu is limited. They seem to have an enormous beer shortage, when I first turned up they only had two and I'm now getting a litre of Victoria, it being that or Leon (not that there's anything wrong with Leon).
Hmm, I just got a litre (draught) of Leon (in a frankly ridiculously enormous plastic drinking glass), the waitress said it was that or Corona and Leon was the only dark beer they had. I could have sworn I was drinking light beer before (Pacifico) but what the hell. For once I won't blame myself for the confusion, they seem extremely unclear as to what beers they have every time they speak to me, and I can distinguish the names perfectly well.
I would have preferred a litre bottle or a pitcher and a small glass, but never mind. Reminds me a little of Pio Nono in Santiago. The enormous plastic glass is at least fairly rigid.
21:55. Steak was pretty good and came with fried onions and french fries. Also some grilled chilis, which is the first time I have seen that on this trip. My tongue is a little warm and my nose is running. :-)
22:00. Have a smirk on. They are showing some music channel which has "Never Mind The Classics" on and the video (which I have not seen before, tho of course I know the song) for Peter Cetera's "The Glory Of Love" is on. I cannot believe it consists largely of clips from Karate Kid films (half of which I have not seen or managed to forget). Amazingly cheesy.
22:15. They are clearly moving towards shutting. Shame. I will probably drift down towards the alleged location of Rock Stock and if that fails I may be forced to result to some wanky bar.
22:45. This is more like it. Stumbled into some bar implausibly over an internet cafe (wouldn't have spotted it except for the music) with live music. Small enough not to be intimidating but still cool. Just on my hotel side of the Marriott, down the side street off PdlR.
Went to Rock Stock but shut. There is an amorphous patch of paint on the wall which in hindsight looks like a name might have been painted out. I suspect my web search dug out old information.
I think they have no cold beer but I said it was fine. A bit sucky but still. The waitress seems very helpful though I won't say I understand everything she says.
Beer seems fairly cold anyway, whether I understood right or not.
Just asked to pay for the beer (70 for 1.2 litres) and think I have inadvertently given a 30 tip. Oh well. No major problem and if I do have another I shall cut back on the tip accordingly. It seems a fairly nice place all the same, just down at heel enough to suit me without being threatening. Live rock is passable too.
The waitress just bought me change. I gave her 20 back, I was vaguely surprised to get anything, I thought I had inadvetently agreed the change was all tip. It's still well under London prices regardless.
Band just stopped but with my freaky ability to understand a bit better here, I see they are just taking a short break. (It's 11pm.)
I will sit here and read Angela Brazil in the meantime. I like the weird contrast. :-)
23:30. Just ordered another beer. With a view to putting the place on wikitravel just asked waitress to write down name and address of bar. It's Genova 29, segundo piso but she didn't write the name down. Maybe it lacks a name but I hope not. May ask later or try to spot it on leaving. The place deserves publicity, even if that might spoil it.
Just asked what bar was called and it's La Palapa (if my spelling is correct, didn't get it written down). So my duty is done, wikitravel will gain the benefit of my knowledge even if only when I re-read this back in the UK and I can enjoy myself. :-)
I just ate the limes I had squeezed into my glass. The rind was surprisingly bitter, not even that, sort of dry and waxy.
00:10. I don't believe it. Some woman has joined the band to perform 'Zombie'. She's not great but OK and how personally Mexican. :-)
00:40. Some guy in a cowboy hat (admittedly a restrained one) just asked if I was OK. I infer from seeing him round the bar he is the owner or a senior barman. I endeavoured to express my frankly genuine delight with the place. Band has gone off again but I suspect - tho am no longer sure - it is just a break.
I am a little drunk but inclined to push it. My hotel is a few minutes' walk and even if I need to be up early tomorrow I have surely accumulated insane quantities of sleep.
I am still a little regretful - and a lot embarrassed, irrationally or no - I couldn't meet Claudia tonight but it has turned out OK all the same.
I must admit I didn't look at wikitravel re Mexico City, but I have looked at it in other places. And I guess there are worse things than giving without taking.
00:50. Further chat with Cowboy Hat. All very amicable, it's just noisy enough to give me an excuse for not understanding everything but it was cool regardless. I am at that stage where I feel a bit drunk but I will probably take another 1.2 litres. At least since I pay up front I can leave any time I like.
I think I am a slight novelty as a tourist at this bar.
Every night I turn up at the hotel and the door is barred so I ring the bell, some guy turns up, I say "soy huesped" and he let's me in. I just hope tonight won't be the first night I say that without a certain semi-sober dignity.
Not to mention that I do want to go to the anthropolical museum tomorrow (the guide at the national palace recommended it, plus I am anxious to follow in Rebecca West's footsteps), and I did also suggest to Claudia I would be there if she wanted to join me, so I need to check my email tomorrow morning not too late. I have been inadvertently rude enough without letting her down if she is kind enough to propose meeting me tomorrow. Tho I can't help feeling there are enough communication problems to render it tricky anyway, even if she does want to meet
01:05. I am sort of drunk. It's annoying. I am not so pissed I should clearly leave yet I sort of know I'm not 100%. Oh well.
I doubt it will make any sense even to Future Steve but the world seems a bit 'fatter' emotionally than it would if I was sober. Band have just come back on and appear to be doing a cover of "Creep".
01:15. Just ordered another beer. I may not finish it but sod it. If I was wise I wouldn't be here, but it's not that much fun being wise.
01:30. This sucks a bit. I am drunk enough to feel it yet just sober enough to be concerned. I wish I was able to just go with the flow but my level of drunkenness won't quite admit it.
Just did some vaguely Wing Chun stretch and some guy asked if I was OK. And have almost simultaneously been given some very spicy popcorn. I have dined copiously but this little bit of food may be what I need to stick it out for the rest of this beer.
01:45. Wish I hadn't come out so early. But it's all good. My mouth is, if not on fire, ar least warm. I may stick this beer out but that will tax me. A shame but then it was just luck that brought me here so I have to take the rough with the smooth. A change, as normally I am taking the smooth with the rough.
01:55. It grates but I suddenly feel too drunk. I am leaving. It's a damn shame but there you go.
Of course, as soon as I get outside I feel sober and feel there's a party going on which I'm not invited to. The street is far from deserted and there are in some vague way other bars I could go to. But I guess my feelings inside were more correct, so homewards it is. It would be stupid to leave somewhere that cool to go to some other wanky bar.
Used GPS to get my bearings on exit (I am writing this in the street, ditto last paragraph) but once I know the directions I know where I am going.
Do half regret leaving but the mere fact I left suggests I was right in the long run.
02:05. Just got home. Will note some woman had to open a gate to let me out, clearly they weren't letting more people in. But it was very cool.
I am a bit surprised I found somewhere like that. I guess I will have to try to finish my trip with a few days back here so I can spend another weekend here.
I suppose that's cool, in a "leave them wanting more" sense. Anyway, I do feel a bit drunk now I am back home and can afford to let myself feel like that, though it is a damn shame I couldn't have stayed out longer tonight. Oh well, we live and learn, even if I won't live long.
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