Mexico Trip Part 1
Mexico City
20.02.2010 - 22.04.2010
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Architectural Journeys in Europe & North America
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Wow! It was a great feeling touching down in Juárez International Airport. I had visions of ancient Aztecs dancing around in death masks, deserts and Cacti, and decadent Cancun beaches. To get there I travelled with US Airways from LAX to Phoenix, then changed planes to fly to Mexico City. I found it amazing that the air stewardesses could roll the carts down the cramped aisle at all. Once I collected my bags and had gone through immigration and that whole business I took a licensed taxi to my hotel. The heat was unbelievable and took awhile to adjust to. That day I had a funny experience buying my first lunch in Mexico. Let's just say my Spanish was nonexistent so there was a lot of hand gesturing and pointing before I got my Club sandwich and bottle of water!
This map shows the journey we took from Mexico City to Playa del Carmen, with my added journey to Cancun.
Later in the day I met the others on the tour who were mostly Australian like me. There was a good variety of ages from people in their early 20s to some guys in their early 60s, what mattered was we all wanted some adventure! That evening we all went out to a local restaurant recommended by our tour leader who had explained to us ignorant folk about Mexican cuisine. This was the beginning of my hilarious journey in avoiding spicy food in Mexico! I chose a meat broth which still seemed to burn my tongue and lips...
The next morning a few of us visited the Modern Art Museum and the Anthropology Museum after a walk through a crowded marketplace where we had shared lunch consisting of quesadilla's, tortillas and other delights. We had a quick look at the botanical gardens before we wandered back to our hotel. That night we all had dinner where all the locals eat, at a marketplace, and experienced the Metro for the first time! We all put in some tips for a Mariachi band to play for us.
The following morning a few of us explored the historical district together. The streets and squares featured beautiful churches and historical architecture including a beautifully tiled cafe where we ate breakfast - I ordered a fruit salad with jelly Mexican-style. Later we checked out some beautiful murals and picked up some postcards from a local seller.
After we arrived back at the hotel it was time to leave. So we all made the long trek to the Metro station and although it was only a good 20 minute walk it felt like miles and miles with my heavy rucksack on. There was even a moment where I thought I 'saw the light'... (did I mention how hot it was, or how sweaty we all were?!!) Welcome to backpacker heaven. Lesson number 1: always pack less than you think you need! Finally we arrived at the bus station to get on the bus to take us to Puebla. I was never more grateful to take a seat in my life.
Posted by Nicky_85 18.04.2010 15:46 Archived in Mexico Tagged backpacking
