Day 2: Xochimilco

I woke up feeling pretty terrible, but chalked it up to too much sun and not enough sleep and decided to join my two American friends to Xochimilco, the "Mexican Venice".

After taking the metro to the end of the line, then boarding a train to the end of its line, we arrived in Xochimilco an hour and a half after having set out. My friends were at the end of a four month trip exploring South and Central America, and were conversationally fluent enough in Spanish at this point to haggle a bit with the men by the embarcadero. We eventually settled on a price of 800 pesos for the three of us to take a two hour trip through the canals on one of the many colorful trajineras. 

Rebekka and Carlos haggling with a boat worker who wanted at least 1200 pesos.

Floating down the canals is quite the experience. Tiendas and Restaurantes line the sides of the canal, providing an easy place to stop and shop or eat. Mariachi bands float in attached boats, or wait on shore to be picked up for a quick song or two. Large fiestas on the boats are not uncommon. 

After arriving back at the docks, we walked through the market. Many stalls had colorful flower arrangements on display. In fact, most of the flowers grown in CDMX originate from Xochimilco.

I hadn't had an appetite all day, and was feeling even worse than I had that morning, so we got back on the train and made the trek back to the center of Mexico City. I spent the rest of the day taking hot showers and lying in bed. At night, Carlos hooked me up with some Nyquil and by the morning I was feeling significantly better. I suspect the illness came from drinking the tap water from the hostel, a very naive thing to do in Mexico, I of all people should have known better.

Day 1: In Search of Paseo de la Reforma

Being Sunday, I had heard that on this weekday one of Mexico City's largest streets, Paseo de la Reforma is shut down to car traffic and is a popular place for pedestrians and cyclists. I wanted to rent a bike to ride down the avenue, so after consulting with the front desk, I set out upon the city.

Near the Catedral Metropolitana de la Ciudad de México, I rode a large tandem bike with about 8 other people.

It was free, and part of some government sponsored program to encourage bike use and education.

The sidewalks were very crowded with vendors and pedestrians and it was slow going until I stopped at the nearby Tacos y Amor for a torta and drink.

I kept moving with the flow of the crowd until I realized that I had gone in the complete opposite direction of Paseo de la Reforma. Tired and sun kissed at this point, I picked up some crema de sol at the pharmacy before refilling my water bottle at the hostel and heading out in the correct direction.

I arrived in the area around Palacio de Bellas Artes and Alemada Central.

Within Alemada Central there were teens riding skateboards and preteens battling Beyblades. There were many things to see and do in the environs of the park.

From Alemada Central it was only a short walk to Paseo de la Reforma, but when I arrived it was full of cars! I would find out later that they only shut down the street until 2 PM, so I would try again next Sunday before my flight.

Hot, tired, and having seen too much sun, I went into the nearby Cinemex and bought a ticket for a Mexican rom-com, Más Sabe el Diablo por Viejo.

After the movie and arriving back at my hostel, I took an Uber to El Ocho, a board game cafe in Hipódromo, to meet up with some American friends I had made the day before.

We had a fun time playing pictionary and my own variant of Uno, Kim Jong Uno, over drinks. We headed back to Casa Pepe around 11 via the metro.

Day 0: To Mexico City

After more than a year since returning from my 6-month voyage around the world, I once again packed up my things and left the USA, this time for our southern neighbor Mexico. 

I had visited Mexico with my family back in 2016, but that was to the island of Cozumel, a resort island an hour drive south of Cancun. It's not an experience I would consider very "Mexican", so I was excited to finally see the largest city in the Americas, situated in the heart of Mexico. 

After waking up at 4 AM to take the light rail down to SEA for my 7 AM flight to LAX, our plane being delayed at the gate in LAX, and barely making my connecting flight to MEX, I arrived in Mexico City at 4 PM local time. MEX is massive, and I got lost a bit before finding my way to the metro station. Metro tickets are only 0.20 USD here, for unlimited transfers. Once I had actually situated myself to the metro layout, it only took one transfer and 30 minutes to get to Pino Suarez station, from which I walked to my hostel for the week, Casa Pepe.

I quickly made a friend from France and we went out to look for dinner, eventually ending up at one of Mexico's chain restaurants, Vips. After returning to the hostel to shower and change into fresh clothes, I joined a group of other travelers in the common area where we were sharing a bottle of agave spirits and soda. Around 10 PM I went out to Zona Rosa with my French friend and another German traveler with a very domineering personality. Zona Rosa is known for its trendy bars. We bar hopped to a few places before I eventually lost my friends among the crowds and I took a taxi back to the hostel by myself around 1 AM.