After my 10,5 hour flight and about 14 hours of travelling, then waiting in line about 1,5 hours through immigration, I opted to make a little change to my original plan. Originally I had planned to take the metro to my hotel. Mexico has a great tube tube net, I could have just followed the “lineas” to get from the Termial Aereas (Airport Terminal) to my station Juárez. For anyone travelling to Mexico City, here is the link to the metro net overview.
However I was just too tired, it was already around 9 pm in Mexico, so I decided to take a certified taxi from the airport. They have counters there en masse. I paid 215 Mexican pesos, got a receipt, which was checked back with the person distributing the taxis, and off we went. Taking a taxi is also a nice way to get a first look of a city and get a first impression, which you normally would not get when travelling underground.
Some big advice: Always! Write down the name of the taxi driver and also the number of the taxi you are travelling with. Hotel taxis are more expensive than ones you find on the street. (However taxis called via a hotel will be traceable – obviously those from the street aren’t!)
By the way, traffic in Mexico is quite fascinating. Theoretically there is no need for lanes, or lines separating lanes, as everyone moves from one side to the other seemingly aimless. There were a couple of times which were quite close, for example when we were on the left lane, and a bus just decides – without looking- to change onto the left lane. Hence a lot of honking is necessary…
What I also found quite interesting was the high police presence. Not really doing controls on people but more in charge of controlling the traffic. There was always a minimum of 2 people with whistles per intersection, quite impressive.
Day 1 11.07.15
The first day I could spend to my liking until at 6 pm we had our first group meeting. Indulging in all the Mexico City has to offer I headed off by foot to get to know my surroundings. First of all I passed the most gorgeous museum, el museo de las bellas artes – the museum of the fine arts. With its wonderful roof in a light orangey colour and its impressive architecture it truly stands out. The cues however for the museum were insane. They were as long as to street blocks on both entries and with that were to long for my liking so I headed on to the “Torre de Latin Americana”, the tower of the Latin Americana. From the 44th floor, the view of Mexico City is incredible! You can only imagine how large it truly is when you are up high looking down in bird’s perspective. I can recommend to anyone to go up there and enjoy the 360° view, the price is only 80 Mexican Pesos and therefore a reasonable price for the experience. From the tower I also decided upon my next route and moved on to the Constitution Square. Along the street 5 de Mayo, there was also a small little church, quite intricate architecture and a lot of gold inside at the altar. I didn’t want to disturb the mass that was being held there and so I moved on. In the centre of the Constitution Square unfortunately there was a large trade fair tent, which took away from the idyllic view. Nevertheless the Metropolitan Cathedral sitting right on the edge of the square is worth looking at. The cathedral was built on top of the ruins of Tenochititlán and its construction lasted more than two centuries (1532 – 1813). Every Sunday the archbishop of Mexico holds a mass here and the people flock to see him. Inside the cathedral there are several little niches in which you can find different altars and little spaces for prayer. The tall and towering altars blemished in gold are quite a sight. Not wanting to disturb the people in prayer I was ready to move on.
I really wanted to see a landmark in Mexican culture that is known internationally, so I took the metro to the Frida Kahlo Museum. Travelling with the metro is like any other metro, and the tickets are so so cheap! A one-way ticket costs 5 pesos. This is more or less equivalent to 0,35 EUR and with it you can go as far as you want as long as you don’t leave a station. Don’t underestimate the distance however from the metro to the museum and take a map with you. At some point there will be signs guiding you to it, but before that you have to have an idea as to where you are going. I think it was about a 20 minutes walk. Maybe only 15 minutes but it felt longer. Upon arrival there was a very long cue. I knew that the museum closed at 17:45, so I knew I had some time left and joined the cue. After waiting about an hour, I managed to get in with 40 minutes to spare. The entry fee is 140 pesos and with an additional 60 pesos you can purchase the “right” to take photos inside the museum. I did and really enjoyed it. The Frida Kahlo house, which displays several paintings, sketches and photographs, was a bit crowded, but apparently that’s nothing new on a Saturday. The house also displayed several rooms such as her bedroom, the kitchen and her working area.
The adjoining gardens are beautifully set up with water and little fountains running through it, as well as a grand variety of local flowers all encased in blue walls, that give the museum the name of “the blue house”. Inside the museum there is also a memorial pyramid honouring Frida Kahlo and her remains. The taxi driver on the way mentioned to me that every year on Frida Kahlos birthday, the original actor in the film Frida Kahlo from 1983 (not Selma Hayek but Ofelia Medina) comes dressed up as Frida and sings and recites poems inside the museum. Unfortunately I came to Mexico City about a week early so I didn’t get to enjoy this spectacle.
I headed back to the hotel to meet my group mates. I am really looking forward on getting to know everyone! We then headed back to the Constitution Square, and ate in one of the restaurants aligning the square with a great view of the National Palace. The Mexican food was unfortunately just ok, but the atmosphere made up for it with bright colours, the view and a very engaging Mariachi band.
A couple of us decided to use our first night well and head for a night out on the town. I truly must say, it was one of the best nights out in a long time for me. Everyone was easy going, the music was good and even though our first bar was quite crowded we got to meet many Mexicans and enjoy ourselves – oh damn you tequila! Just a note on the side – if you buy alcohol from one of the 7eleven supermarkets, it will come quite cheap, for about 40 to 45 Mexican pesos you can get a beer or some spirits. In the bar these drinks then went up to about 100 pesos per drink. 5 to 8 Euros per drink however, is still not something to complain about.
Day 2 12.07.15
This morning the group met up and took a stroll through the city. Instead of going and looking at Mexican art in the museum of fine arts, the hangover crew opted for a quick breakfast in a Mexican Restaurant. Pancakes, juice and tea fulfil wonders :) . We then again headed towards the Constitution Square where this time we took on a tour of the Metropolitan Cathedrals bells and bell towers. Wow! For only 20 pesos you get to hike around the top of the cathedral, have an impressive view of the square and the rest of Mexico and get to hear all there is to know about the bells and scary ghost stories about who has died while attending to the bells. The hike on the roof of the Cathedral is quite adventurous, and not for people that are scared of heights.
We then took taxis to a wonderful place – the fish market. Or better said an arrangement of little restaurants, preparing the fish they were selling on the next stand. Incredible. That is all I can say. The fish broth was amazing, the octopus amazing, the ceviche beautiful and so fragrant. The place is called the Calzada “La Viga” de mariscos, any taxi driver will know what you are talking about. The women attending us, was the direct image of the Mexican Mamita, caring for us foreigners in such an endearing way.
The evening after our very very filling meal was then left to everyone individually. I opted to go for a small glass of wine in a little side restaurant and just let the night drift in.
