15 th March First day in Mexico City

We slept well and took a late breakfast, glad our tickets to Frida Kahlo’s home , Casa Azul were for 1.30pm. We thought a hop on hop off bus would give us a sense of direction and place so we walked up to the ticket office which was not too far. We were intrigued by the hoardings surrounding the statues in the middle of the roundabouts. They looked like protests rather than graffiti but it was hard to be sure as traffic swirled around them. Along the way were numerous street stalls , such as mango or coconut water , or caps, belts even chubba chops.

We were surprised by the interesting shapes of many of the new buildings alongside many shabby square buildings. The city is bustling and chaotic. Drivers pay for a driver’s licence without needing driving lessons and a test! Generally pretty courteous though.

We found our bus but it would take too long to go to Frida’s home in Coyoacán, so we decided to get a taxi. Just as well , it was quite a drive and although we arrived an hour early, we found a market near her home which we explored to kill time. It was a kaleidoscope of colour and food.

By the time we returned to Frida’s home our time slot was beginning to queue. We just had time to grab a coconut water and its flesh sprinkled with chilli , salt and lime juice. Very refreshing!

As the sun got hotter we were provided with umbrellas for shelter while waiting to go in. Booking ahead is essential! I had bought tickets on line a couple of weeks prior. Very cheap actually.

This place was inspiring. Her paintings are so vibrant and graphic about her disabilities in life yet her zest for living with joy is so evident.

Dinner was at an amazing Tacos La chula and a local brew – beer and a shot of clamata which I discovered was tomato juice and spices. Very refreshing if weird!