Xochimilco

Today we borrowed the office car and drive to Xochimilco in the south of the city. I didn't once drive in Beijing. People say driving in Mexico City is not for the faint-hearted but it was fine. Most of it was crawling along in traffic anyway; no worse than London or Bangkok, or Beijing for that matter.
So an hour and a half later we arrived in Xochimilco which is famous for its waterways and nurseries (for plants not toddlers). Actually it used to be one big lake but now it's canals which meander in-between artificial islands called chinampas.  Colourful wooden boats, trajineras, propelled by punters (like Oxbridge but without the straw boaters), are everywhere. Some with tourists, but mostly with families out for the weekend. Most have a long table down the middle laden with food and often there's a mariachi band perched aft. Some people even dance. And they're not big boats.