Lunch was served on the boat—a sweet bread snack along with Horchata, a warm rice and milk drink similar to hot breakfast cereal. I loved the tasty little lumps. Other people on the boat indulged in ancient delicacies—fried grasshoppers, baked worms, ant eggs and bright red mini shrimp that looked like bugs. I did not partake. Thank goodness there was “normal” food available. I enjoyed guacamole, tortilla chips, black beans and rice. Another Xochimilco adventure, and a highlight of the trip, was an afternoon spent at the Dolores Olmedo Museum which boasts the largest collection of Diego Rivera and Frieda Kahlo art anywhere in the world. “Lola” Olmedo was a Mexican businesswoman, an entrepreneur who made all of her own money—mostly in real estate—and became extremely wealthy. She was friend and patron to Rivera and Kahlo. In 1962, Olmedo bought the estate, including a dilapidated mansion—a large colonial home from the 1600s that was in ruins. She restored everything with meticulous attention to detail. Stunning peacocks wandered the enormous grounds amidst bright yellow the Mexican hairless dogs, Xoloitzcuintle (try saying that
Resident December 2011