As I type this anecdote of these tulips wrapped in purple, I am listening to a great song titled ¨Tu Vuo Far L´Americano¨ by Adriano Celentano, with lyrics that go something like ¨so you wanna be an Americano, but you were born in Italy...¨ playing on a great Mexico City radio station, ¨Horizontes 108 FM.¨ The tulips pictured here were meant for my grandmother, who´s favorite color is purple, but sadly were not delivered in person as intended. Earlier today as I drove north on the Periferico on my way out of the city, my Honda Accord started overheating and before I realized it, my trip to Valparaiso, Zacatecas, where my parents were born and raised, was cut short. I didn´t even leave the Distrito Federal! For any of those driving on the Periferico on Friday afternoon, I pulled over one exit before the Polanco and Paseo de la Reforma exits. The drive to Zacatecas is about 6 hours, and an additional 2 hours to get to Valparaiso. So once my car overheated, I knew I couldn´t carry on my planned 8 hour itinerary. My car was full of gifts, packages, toys and tulips for my family in Valparaiso, items that never left the city because of my car´s overheating incident. But the best part was the kind people all around that were very helpful and quite patient with my Honda coupe taking valuable lane space away from their Friday night commute. Furthermore, my family in both Zacatecas and Los Angeles were right there for me, on cell phone conferences, supporting my sincere, albeit brief, attempt to visit Valparaiso. Also, special props go to my cousin, who was my copilot throughout the entire ordeal. He sat there patiently listening to various Mexico City radio stations as I maneauvered our way back to my apartment parking lot. In the end, I will visit a mechanic this weekend to try to fix my car before next week. But the DF has proven to me that I am here at its own discretion, only allowed to leave when it, the biggest city in the world, has granted me a proper exit pass! Until I fill out the appropriate exit papers, the tulips wrapped in purple and meant for my abuelita in Valparaiso will have to sit in my sterile apartment living room and wait for my next attempt to escape! Thank you Mexico City residents for making my first experience as a driver of a hazard-lights-on-vehicle-stranded-on-a-highway such a pleasant and memorable one. The view from the second story of the Periferico, the newly built one, is quite impressive when you are stopped and can actually enjoy the spectacular lights across the Valle de Mexico. I may be so bold as to claim that my car was likely the first casualty to grace the recently inaugurated second level of the Periferico. As I end this post, I am now listenting to The Police's "De Do Do Do De Da Da Da"....buenas noches. The adventures in Tenochtitlan continue!
