Take it easy poorly girl

So I have not been of great health since I got here. The first week was fine, but other than that I have had multiple episodes of tummy trouble. I have thought about going to the doctor, but at £50/£60 to go for a visit, I have been too mean. It just seems crazy to me to go to the doctors for a stomach bug. I have been pretty much ok for 3 days now, so that is a good sign. Pepto Bismol also keeps everything at bay. Montezuma has taken his revenge on me for every damn conquistador who ever came here!!!

So not feeling tip top a lot of the time has meant a rather low key DF affair, with a lot less sight seeing than before.

By Friday evening I was feeling stir crazy having not left the flat other than to go to the shopping centre for 3 days. I didn't feel up to dinner, but I did walk to a friend's free piano and soprano recital a couple of miles away up the beautiful Reforma. 

For those of you who haven't been, Paseo de Reforma is a wide tree lined avenue built in the style of the Champs Elsysee in Paris. Emperor Maximillian  wanted a beautiful road from his residence, Chapultapec Castle all the way down to the National Palace in the Zocalo. 

This building on the right is the Forth Bridge of Reforma. Every time I look at it, there are people washing the windows. It seems like a permanent job!

There are 3 roundabouts near where I am staying; the palm tree, the angel and the fountain. The angel is by far the best!

You can find the equivalent of our Boris bikes everywhere, although you have to be made of pretty strong stuff to cycle in DF. I would definitely not risk it with their bonkers driving!

and below is a monument to the bi centennial of  Mexico's independence. This 'Pillar of light' came in 3 times over budget and 16 months late for the anniversary. Sounds like something we might do in Britain...

But I digress! So I walked up the street (2 miles each way) and sat for an evening of Verdi, Brahms and Wagner. I am not a massive fan of classical singing except for in opera, so it wasn't exactly to my taste. However it was wonderful to hear live music for free on a Friday night! And the piano playing was divine. 

Saturday I was up bright and early for The Embassy Treasure Hunt. We had clues for the route, items to collect, photographs to take, treasure to find, and multiple choice questions to answer - Phew! I was exhausted just looking at the pieces of paper, and we hadn't even left the Embassy yet! My team (who I christened 'Sponsored by Starbucks' as they all had coffees and cakes) went off at an alarming rate, their enthusiasm knowing no bounds, and I immediately wished that I had worn my Nike trainers rather than my more fashionable, but not as supportive for walking, Converse.

It was lots of fun, and we covered a fair few miles by about noon (two hours in). We were the first to leave the Embassy and so of course didn't want anyone to overtake us. What also happened around noon was I began to flag a little. I suddenly remembered why Treasure Hunts were so much fun when I used to do them on horseback - we didn't have to walk!!! Another hour and 15 mins later we made it back to the Embassy, with only one clue missing, everything in our bag, and all the photos we needed.

Particular highlights for me were team members hula hooping, team members wearing Lucha Libre masks, one team member doing a handstand, (aided by two other team members up against a wall), and a team member finding a cocktail umbrella after going into approximately 12 different bars!

Alas having come in joint first on points, Sponsored by Starbucks were pipped to the post in the tie break and we came in second. I thought being British it was pretty fitting that we were beaten at the last minute!!!
It was a great way to spend the day, but I promptly went home and dozed for 3 hours.

My left hamstring was killing me the next day, so I took it easy, did around 30 minutes of stretching and went to the pool, for my friend's baby's first time in the swimming pool. She looked like she was actually going to go to sleep for most of it, but then decided that perhaps it was food she wanted instead, so we whipped her out when she started crying!

That evening we went off the the VIP cinema in Santa Fe. The complex was fab, with lots of lovely restaurants, hotels and chi chi shops. The cinema was very much like the one I went to in Marina Del Ray back in LA, but this one was bigger. They also had clean blankets for everyone. Now I love a blanket whilst watching TV, so this was divine. The only problem was the cinema wasn't really cold enough to warrant a blanket! A couple of glasses of Cabernet and a new pink and white chocolate Magnum, made the watching of 'Oblivion' a real treat. It was also a rather good movie we thought.

I really hope I can find a VIP cinema in London when I get home...