August, 2011: Xochimilco, the Floating Garden, Mexico

Bangkok has her floating market, and Mexico City has her floating garden.

Xochimilco (pronouced So-chi-mil-ko) is the floating garden and an UNESCO Heritage site. I have come here by the subway followed by the tram system. The logo for the tram system actually looks like the chinese character follow "old".
I have this pre-conceived image of Xochimlco with neat street leading to a beautiful water-front, where the floating gardens. The Xochimilco station was good enough, but once out of the station it was dusty road, old buildings and old cars parked by the side. So when I was near the jetties leading to the floating gardens, I just ignore it and headed straight for that (non-existing) beautiful waterfront.

It is then I wander into the residential area, walked around in many side-streets before I decided that I was lost.
I went back to the church-market near the tram station, to get my bearing. One of the many "tourist polices" (I don't their official capacity) on bikes around town, asked me if I was looking for the floating graden. I guess that's the only reason a foreigner would make his way here. I said yes, and he replied that it is just a few blocks from the church. I couldn't believe it. I was a few block from the church before, but where was my beautiful waterfront?
I set out again, this time setting my expectation lower. This time, I met a local, who without even asking what I am looking for told me the way I am going down is a deadend, and the floating garden is to my left. And I found my floating garden. Well, the jetty for the boat that will take me to my floating garden, that is. It is just a busy crowded jetty. But, hell, it was colorful, almost vulgarly so.
Now, to find a boat. Here, the boatmen were clamoring to sell me a place on their boat, the whole boat to myself. And the price looks like the price of a whole boat to myself. I am not going to settle for that. Fortunately, after checking out a few jetties (there are quite a few), I found one with tourist information office (with UNESCO logo and all). I saw on the window a poster in Spanish about shared boat. But a boatman was trying to get me on his boat, the whole boat to myself with price to match. The lady at the tourist just kept silent until I "excused myself".....and asked if there is an alternate for a lone traveller like me. The lady "switched on" like someone has flip a switch on her back. Yes, she replied, I told me to get on one in another jetty (or embarcadero) nearby...just look for the "Colectivas" sign. Great. It seems the tourist information office and the boatmen had a silent agreement, if the tourist don't bother to ask, the boatmen can get to make the profit for a whole boat for a lone traveller.
Not long after, I found the 'colectivas' jetty, got on one and waited for the boat to fill up. It was very much cheaper, and the wait was reasonable enough. Once the boat filled up to capacity, the boatman collected the fare, untie the rope tethered to the jetty and poke this long wooden pole into the water. And we were off. Finally.
And looks like we are not the only one setting off toward the floating garden. It was rush hour on the waterway.


There were boats hired where the whole families were on it, and having a party and feast. There were boats with marichi bands that will slide up beside the tourist boat and offer to sing for a fee.
Of course, there were boats selling food and refreshment. And those selling souvenir. It is actually not so much a floating garden but a floating market.
The garden are still there though. On the banks were some garden, or flower nursery to be exact. There were some potted plant selling from the banks. So of the tourists on the boat did stopover and visited, with some ending up buying the plants.
And like at Diversadero, the strays look on.
But most of the tourists were there for the cruise, the merriment on the boats, and the food and market once we reached the destination.
I am not even sure what's the name of the "destination", but its just rows of souvenir stalls, rows of food stalls (selling similar fare as Diversadaro station, plus BBQ) and a beer garden.
I took a brief stop, and then was back on the colectivas boat, gently down the stream, merrily merrily merrily merrily back to the jetty.