What could be a better way to spend Sunday afternoon than on a boat? Mexico City families know this and head for Xochimilco when time and weather are right.
Hundreds of colorful barcas line up, ready to float visitors through placid water. More than a hundred kilometers of canals are remnants of one of the lakes that existed in the Valley of Mexico before the Spanish invasion.
Motorless scows glide slowly along, poled by skilled boatmen. No engine noises disturb the tranquility. Children trail fingers in the water, as I did on childhood canoeing excursions.
A pair of tourists, we are the odd ones out. Nearly every boat carries family groups—abuelos, papas, niños. They show us how families can have a good time enjoying each others' company.
Of course, children lose stuffed animals and dolls, dropping them overboard. Boatmen find and collect them.
Large groups enjoy picnics on scows lashed into platforms of two or four. The aproned woman second from right caters food and drink for a floating fiesta.
Everyone relaxes free from weekday cares. Everyone except for this workaholic.
The gringo price for an hour of boating is $800 pesos, $1000 for an hour and a half. There are vastly more boats available than could possibly be rented, so reservations are not necessary.
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