Morelia – getting there
We take up the tale of our trip to the Mexican town of Morelia from our departure
from Madrid on Wednesday. Your faithful ChessBase team embarked on the 10,000
km trip with feelings of trepidation, having been told that the Aeromexico flight
would be in a small aircraft with two engines that would "attempt to cross
the Atlantic" in a 13-hour non-stop jump.
Leaving Madrid at 2:30 pm on Aeromexico flight 002
Turns out we were on a Boing
767-200, with about 180 seats, which gave us a very smooth ride all the
way to Mexico city. In spite of just two engines it took the shortest (bravest?)
route, straight across the ocean, flying at 11,600 m (38,000 feet) and a speed
of 750 km/h (465 mph). The food was okay, the journey definitely too long, but
sweetened by three excellent films.
The long haul: moderately cramped seats, good service and excellent movies
The movies they showed on our flight were:
-
Dreamer
is about trainer Ben Crane (Kurt Russell) saving the life of a racehorse
named Sonador, who breaks a leg on the track. Ben quits his job and takes
the horse in, hoping to breed her for profit. He transfers ownership to
his daughter Cale (Dakota Fanning, the star of the movie), who hatches a
plan to enter Sonador in the prestigious and expensive Breeders' Cup.
-
Pride and
Prejudice with Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen is the most recent
remake of earlier film versions based on Jane Austen's novel – it's magnificent; a must-see for everyone.
-
Just Like
Heaven with a delightful Reese Witherspoon playing a dedicated, workaholic
doctor who is way to busy for a life. One night, she gets into a horrible
car accident and becomes a spirit stuck between heaven and earth. She doesn't
know she's dead and thinks nothing has happened until she meets a lonely
architect, who has rented her old apartment. Although the two are complete
opposites they somehow form a relationship.
Etienne Bacrot, who was on our flight, watched ten minutes of the first movie
("I know the horse is going to win in the end") and switched to reading
and sleeping for the rest of the flight. Similarly Peter Svidler, on an earlier
flight, who had seen P&P and was not interested in the other two. Players
lacking romance in their hearts, or perhaps, unlike us, not suckers for chicks'
movies. Thank heavens for Peter Leko, who fully appreciates movies like these,
and who has recommended a number of other films which we are determined to catch.
Following the sun westwards for 13 hours. No, Vishy, this is a genuine
shot from the Aeromexico flight. We do not recycle older pictures.
Transfer from Mexico City Airport to the bus terminal
¿Internet? ¡No!
We were supposed to spend the night in a hotel in Mexico, but at the airport
we were met by members of the organisation who decided that we had just enough
time to catch the night bus to Morelia. So we were zipped by minibus to the
transport terminal, about half an hour away. There we boarded a "Superior"
bus with wonderful reclining seats, similar (we hear) to the first class seating
in better airlines. Although everyone was completely exhausted we did get our
first three hours of quality sleep on this bus trip. At 3:00 a.m. local time,
10 a.m. body time, and 23 hours on the road, we arrived at our hotel.
Lots of carriages, no Internet – the charming Hotel Soledad
The Hotel Posada de lat Soledad dates back to the 18th Century and
was originally an inn. During the 19th Century the demand for lodgings was so
great that a second floor had to be added. The two stages of construction are
clearly evident: on the ground floor facade the cornice is clealy baroque, while
on the second floor it is neoclassic. The interior is austere, with bare stone
walls, unadorned doorframes, thresholds, and arches resting on thick pillars.
We have no idea why, but the hotel is full of quaint oldfashioned carriages
The courtyard of a traditional Mexican four-star hotel
"¿Internet? ¡No!" replied the reception to our hopeful
query. So your faithful ChessBase team was faced with a quandary: remain in
one of the most romantic hotels we have ever had the privilege to stay in, or
bug the organisers to move us to a modern hotel with "why-fee", as
the Spanish call wireless LAN facilities. Naturally (sigh) we went for option
two, and after a final lunch moved into Hotel Alameda, which provides fast and
uncomplicated albeit somewhat overloaded Internet access.
Meals in tropical splendor – but still without Internet
Morelia
Morelia is the capital of the state of Michoacán in Mexico, with a population
of over half a million. The town, and especially the downtown area (Centro Historico
de Morelia) where we are located, has many beautiful colonial style buildings,
churches and parks, built of reddish sandstone. There is much to see, and we
are determined not to remain stuck in our hotel rooms, but instead try to explore
as much as possible of this beautiful chess location.
The main street, with the players' hotel on the left
The Hotel Virrey de Mendoza, where 2700 chess players are wont to reside
A school bus in 19th-century train look
The niñas really love to ride it
The playing site, just a stone's throw away from the players' hotel
The stairway up to the playing hall
The playing venue, still under construction
Where the giant Open will be held
Here we end, somewhat abruptly, part two of our Morelia diary. We have already
attended press conferences given by a number of players, and the very impressive
start of the giant Open. But it is time to go to the Opening Ceremony, and collect
more impressions of the mega chess event that will begin tomorrow. More reports
and pictures will follow soon. See you all soon.
Report by Frederic Friedel
