Surreal day in Ciudad de Mexico

I had the most terrible nightmare last night.  Paralyzing surges of electrical-like energy coursing through my body.  It was happening to everyone.  General panic set in and people became hostile towards one another.  It was dark and there was a malign, threatening presence in the air.  Alfonso and I tried to flee the city.  Very sci-fi.  Just when it couldn't get any worse, I woke up. Oh, relief.  But it took a while to shake it off.

This morning I woke up to the sound of crowds of people yelling and an unusual din of car horns, more than the normal din.  Weird. I had breakfast and went out to get my clothes laundered.  There were police everywhere, many more than the usual high numbers of them.  

Big police buses parked all over.  Wondered what that was all about.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqFk8hkpP_M&feature=youtu.be

I needed to do laundry today and was wearing my last clean clothes.  I knew there were water issues and restrictions in some parts of town I thought that surely that wouldn't be the case here in upscale Roma but when I when I went out to do laundry, the two laundry places in the neighborhood were closed and there were notifications that there was no water.  

No water?! What do you mean, no water? Mexico city has no water! You've got to be kidding. But no, no kidding, this whole megalopolis of umpteen millions of people has no water other than what there is in the tanks that they use here; big black tanks on the roof that are fed by the water system.  Yesterday there were water restrictions where my friend Harry is staying but I thought, nah, that's just a poor neighborhood.  But when I got back to the hotel, Alfonso reported that, yes we have no water except what's in the tank.  Apparently the government will be supplying poor neighbourhoods with water but we'll see how that goes.  They say the water will be back on next Tuesday.  Four days without water!  I'm wearing my last clean clothes.  Was thinking about getting them laundered yesterday but put it off. To my delight, though, my usual laundry place did open, just later than usual.  Whew!  They must have lots of storage.

 And all the police and hubbub in the neighborhood?  There's a big protest just a block away; farmers protesting something to do with politics in their Campesino organization.  As I write I'm being serenaded by strident marching band music, police whistles. 


And it's only 10:30am................