Did not know if I should go there, but it was definitely a wonderful trip. Despite that people kept telling me that it was a dangerous place, it was dirty, people get mugged and so on. All the bad publicity was shattered after I went there.
It was exciting to take the trip all my self. I have done that before. It was to Montreal. I thought it would be fun and I thought I would get by without speaking French and I did. But this time it is different. I would not be able to get by without speaking Spanish at all. Going forward with this report, I am going to
-Transportatiom
I like the subway system. It was nicely designed and it takes you almost everywhere that I would like to go. The longest trip I ever took was to get to the terminal del norte to take another bus to Teotihuacan. I had to transferred 4 times and it was partially because I was not familiar with the lines and stations. Some of the connecting stations have very long walkway and it makes people walk half a mile in order to change from the blue line to the yellow line, for example. I do not recall if that happened to me in New York or Paris, but it surely was an interesting experience. They darkened one of the tunnels in the subway and painted on the walls and ceiling with the constellation and stars. Most people would think it is annoying to walk through a dark tunnel, but it amused me.
The bus I took to get to Teotihuacan was bigger than the regular modern bus. Indeed, it was a more like the Gray hound, except it only takes you as far as 45 minutes away from the bus terminal and it operates like a regular bus that make a few stops on the way. While public transportation that serves the rurul areas might be scarce, it is quite good a system in the city. There are the metro buses that have their own designated lanes and there are also regular and maybe privately owned bus routes. Metro buses are always packed and people are crammed like sardines. My trip to San Angel forced me to squeeze in the metro buses with my nose stuck 2 inches away from someone’s back. It was to me worse than the subway. Then, there are other green buses with their fixed routes. I asked the hotel receptionist to show me how to take the bus and it was simply hop in whenever they stop for the traffic lights, despite that they might have some fixed stops where they are required to stop to pick up riders. You have to pay the driver
Green beetles, as my friend in Taiwan called the taxi cabs there, are all over the city. I heard the fare was quite cheap, but I never got the chance to take it. Nevertheless, they make it very convenient to go from point A to point B.
I walked a lot for this trip and I spent a lot of time walking to find the nearest subway station. I walked so much that at the end of each day my legs were so sore and I just wish I had access to a hot tub to soak my legs. One must admit that walking is big part of daily city life. People can walk 30 minutes from their apartment to work. That still interests me and I hope to do that someday.
-Food and Accommodation
I stayed at Hotel Segovia Regency. It was clean and nicely located just one block away from Insurgentes subway station. As I walked around the neighborhood, it did not surprise me that most people lived in the apartment building and everyone are used to it.
Food is more than abundant there. Selling food is an easy way to make a living. The food stands and street vendors that sell cheap toys, crafts from China make me think of the country as poor. However, a lot of dishes smeli and look so good, but I did not have the chance to try any of them because the doctor here strongly advised against it. She said the water might not be clean. As I examined the food stands with their 1 tank of water for I think I have missed out a lot.
Since it a foreign country, everything is new, exotic. Even the meals at McDonald’s taste different. They tasted better to me, because they really do and on top of that, I had to go through the trouble of dealing with the cashiers in Spanish.
-Entertainment & Culture
It is very impressive that most Mexicans can sing and dance so well. People like to dance salsa and that is the impression I gathered from visiting the clubs and bars. Big smiles are on their faces.
One interesting thing that came with the tour bus taking experience was the singers on the bus. The bus would make a few stops and the singers get on and off between stops and would make sure there is only one of them on the bus. So, they would play their guitar and later on collect tip. One of the 2 singers that came abroad has a voice that feels like heavenly delight. It is incredible that the beautiful, smooth, soothing voice should come from a very masculine, bearded, rugged-faced man. Although I could not figure out what he was singing, but I would sign him up if I owned a record company.
The museums are fascinating. It is probably because I was never big on museums and I visited all the famous ones that the city presents. Museo de Antropologia is a find. It has a fine, detailed collection that it would take at least a full day to finish it. Most people would have to make a second trip. Castillo de Chapulpetec is a gem. There are others such as Museo de Frida Kahlo, Museo de Diego Rivera, Museo de Leon Trotsky, Museo de Belles Artes. They are so many
-Itinerary
11/20 Centro Historico
11/21 Centro Historico, Zona Rosa
11/22 Teotihuacan, Museos de Belles Artes
11/23 Museo de Antropologia, Castillo de Chapulpetec
11/24 Museo de Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Leon Trotsky
11/25 San Angel
