Have really enjoyed the last week here and feel as though we have gotten to know the city quite well. Havent really had time to write diary for a little while. Have done quite a bit since the last time I wrote. So the next day we went to a lovely little Cuban bar (yep missing it that much!) where all the past customers had scribbled on all the walls, ceiling and whatever else you could write on. There we decided on our new business venture - to buy stuff (jewelery, hats, etc) for cheap here and sell on the beach on the US! So the following morning we went to the crazy market again and got lots of things. Hmm.... hope we can shift it! On the Tuesday we went see one of Diego Rivera`s most famous murals `Sueño una Tarde Dominical en la Alameda (Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in the Alameda) which is a 15 metres mural of Mexican historical figures and events - pretty amazing. Then we strolled along the Alameda itself (park in the centre) and a random guy chatted to us about nonsense as is becoming a regular but entertaining event for us. In the evening I had a few beers at the flat as it was the 1 month aniversary of Ali`s death, got a bit emotional. Didnt do anything the next day but mope around the flat. On Thursday we got up early and went to the centre, we walked along the Paseo de la Reforma, which is a long (about 4km) road, from the Palacio to the park (Bolsque de Chapultepec) and realised the demonstration was even larger than we first thought - it also stretches along the whole length of this road! So we walked through all the tents and eventually got to the park which is really pretty (and huge!), didnt feel as though we were in Mexico City any more. We went to the free zoo in there and saw, amongst many other things: some giraffes (ahh), a panda (who was very sad) and some very strange monkeys -who seemed to have their insides hanging out of their butts! (yuck), there was also a bit where you could go into this huge bird cage with all the various tropical birds which was cool untill we got followed about, really up-close, by a Toucan which I swear to god was going to peck at us! That evening we headed for a salsa club. When we came out the tube station we got totally lost in really heavy rain again. I had flip-flops on. Decided to go to another bar but their electricity cut out. Walked around for ages and still couldnt find it. Finally ended up getting a cab, discovered it was just round the corner all along. We arrived totally drenched. Anyway we ended up having a really great time, once we`d dried off. They had a Cuban band playing and after a couple of drinks we braved dancing. We decided after handing out many regections that we would dance with the next guys that asked - unfortunately that ended up being a fat, boring American and a very peculiar-looking Cuban/Mexican guy (with 2 dreads)! He was an excellent dancer though and made me dizzy and tangled up with his spins and nifty arm twists. We befriended the odd-looking one and luckily managed to get a lift back in his old banger of a car. On Saturday we went to the Palacio de Bellas Artes which is an impressive white-marble building with a colourful orange/red dome on top. There were some fantastic murals taking up whole walls by Rivera, Tamayo, Siqueiro and Orozco. And some not so fantastic modern art. I particularly liked one of Siqueros murals. When we arrived back at the flat there was a note and a chocolate-egg waiting for us from the odd-looking guy saying `Call me, I miss you, from the rasta man`! Oh god. That evening we went to a house-party with Marcella and her friend Vanessa. It was really far. After two buses, and a long cab ride high-up in some woods we arrived to a gorgeous big house with a view of the whole city. It was somebodys birthday, I forget who now. Had a really fun night, we seemed to be the only girls there so we were the novelty of the party. Danced until the early hours of the morning. Luckily we managed to get a lift back- even though it was 7 of us squeezed into a tiny car! The next day we recovered in the flat - which consisted of eating lots of crap and watching films in Marcells bed. Yesterday we sorted out our next destination, the original plan was that we were going to bus it the whole way across Mexico but that is sooo far and long so we are kinda cheating and catching a plane to La Paz, in Sur Baja California (a long peninsular on the West of Mexico), which actually works out cheaper anyway. Dying for some heat and sun after more than 3 weeks of cold and rain! In the evening we took Marcella out for dinner, we went back to the lovely area of Coyoacan and had really nice food. I had a salmon with cream and apples dish and Nikki orded a curry and got a strange looking chicken dish in an apple! Which was actually really nice although certainly not a curry. Today, our last day, we went to the National Anthroplogy Museum- which was amazingly fascinating. Although it was way to huge to see everything in one day. It had lots of info on pre-hispanic Mexico, displaying artefacts, skeletons, art, murals, ruins, everything. Also how the indeginous people live today. The tombs they had on dispay were v.interesting - the skeletons as they were laid out and all the offerings and objects besides them - figurines of gods, bowls, tools, jewelery etc. There was even some skeletons of people that had been sacrificed - with their hands still tied round their backs and wearing necklaces made of human jaws! Weird. Absolutely knackered after seeing all that - way too much information for my little brain! Will be very sad to leave Mexico City, its really cool here. And not at all scary as people would have us beleive - the scariest people are probably the police who walk around with big guns and rifles in their hands. Them, and the absolutely crazzzy bus drivers!!! This evening Vanessa came to say goodbye and gave us little gifts, some bracelets she`d made - which was really sweet. Her and Marcella explained to us more about the political situation here, which is awful. They seem to think a revolution or civil war is emminent. The guy on the left, Mr Obrador, is willing all the people to fight against the future president, Mr Calderon who is basically a fascist dictator who wants to privatise everything and sell out to the US. The majority are with Obrador but they are tired and really scared as the government is ruthless. Its scary to think that the last two countries we`ve visited, Cuba and Mexico, who we`ve come to love and have promised ourselves and others to return to, could soon change drastically...