“At the end of the day we can endure much more than we think we can.”
– Frida Kahlo (Mexican artist and a feminist icon)
Mexico City is the capital of, well, Mexico, lol. I was only in Mexico City for 2 days because there were only 3 things I want to do & see there – Frida Kahlo’s Casa Azul, UNESCO World Heritage’s UNAM’s tiles murals, and watching Lucha Libre! I’m a huge fan of the movie Nacho Libre so I really want to see at least one match. I’ve seen Lucha Libre matches in La Paz, Bolivia in 2017, but of course I would rather see it in Mexico.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to see any Lucha Libre match because I chose the wrong day to be in Mexico City, it’s Monday and arenas are closed on Mondays! Then I just need to visit Mexico City in the future 🙁
And since Frida Kahlo’s Casa Azul and UNAM are just in one district, which is at Coyoacan, I looked for an accommodation there and I found Casa Ayvar that is just 5 houses away from the same street of Frida Kahlo’s Casa Azul!
Casa Ayvar is my favorite room in all of my Mexico’s accommodations. My room is also azul (blue) and has a huge portrait of Frida at my heaboard. I initially planned to have a city walk tour with Free Tour but I decided to just stay at my room and rest since I only have 2 days here anyway.
The owner, a couple named Angel & Angela, picked me up at the airport, and they helped me booked my Frida Kahlo tickets and my ETN bus ticket from Terminal Norte going to San Miguel de Allende using their laptop and credit card, of course I paid them back with cash, haha.
Coyoacan is one of the safest districts in Mexico City. It’s a district that even Chilangos (residents of Mexico City) considered it as the best neighbourhood and the safest (very important for me!).I don’t want to stress myself by walking around exploring the capital.
Coyoacan has a tiny quaint town feel with its cobblestone streets, plazas, churches, artsy-fartsy mercados, colonial houses, and museums. I just walked around the neighbourhood and enjoyed every bit of it.
Then at dinner time, I went to Cantina La Coyoacana and had my fried chicken and few bottles of Corona! Finally! Haha! I only had Corona twice in this whole trip, because they don’t usually have it and usually just in touristy bars and restaurants only. I had Indio and Leon most of the time, esp in my Micheladas.
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And btw, in those 2 times I had Corona, they never put lime at the rim of my bottle. Maybe because there were no flies anyway or the bottles were not rusty too. Or maybe putting lime in your Corona is a non-Mexican thing?
In as much as I want to stay out late because of the party atmosphere at this restaurant because of the non-stop Mariachis and people dancing, I just went back early at my casa because I was starting to feel poorly already. I wasn’t aware that the weather in Yucatan is a lot warmer and that it was much colder in Mexico City.
The next morning, I went first to Central Library in Ciudad Universitaria or UNAM which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of the library’s building façade that is covered with murals made of thousands of coloured tiles representing the historical culture of Mexico.
Then as I went back to my casa, I already saw the long queues at Frida Kahlo’s Casa Azul! Even if you buy your tickets ahead online, you will still need to queue as they cannot accommodate everyone on schedule and there is no time limit that you can spend inside. Good thing, I just stay 5 houses away!
And for the main reason why I stopped by at Mexico City was visiting Frida Kahlo’s House or the Casa Azul! I can’t be more excited enough!
Casa Azul is the home where Frida Kahlo spent most of her life. Her husband, Diego Rivera, turned it into a museum as a tribute for Frida. The house has the collection of their artworks, photographs, personal items, etc.
There are 10 rooms to explore and my favorite part is Frida’s final bedroom and studio. Under the canopy of her bed is a mirror facing down and at her studio another mirror facing her easel she used to paint a lot of her self-portraits. Outside Frida’s house is a large courtyard garden built by Diego Rivera for her when he moved in this house.
I admire Frida Kahlo so much that going to her house was truly an experience to remember. She is a genius and definitely an icon for every woman. Like many of us, she suffered a lot of pain and obstacles in life – her disability, her womanizing husband, and her battle with illnesses, but she was able to surpass it all and find beauty out of the situation by expressing it through all her paintings.
What made her relatable too as a woman is that she is very real and human, that she is not perfect. We all have flaws. Her unibrow, moustache, underarm hair, and her amputated leg taught us to be comfortable in our skin. Her extra-marital affairs and addiction to tobacco and tequila taught us that we all make bad decisions but we still need to love ourselves more than anything because it’s only ourselves that can give the happiness that we need.
She have shown every woman that we are capable to do anything despite our flaws and sufferings and that we can endure much more than we think we can.
