Tequila sunrise - Mexico City
- Stefan & Joanna
- Aug 8, 2019
- 3 min read
The adventure begins!
If you told us 2 years ago that we'd be writing this blog in the airport in Mexico City, a week into our 18 month 'extended holiday' we wouldn't believe you. The planning, the saving, the numerous google searches of "how can we survive on this budget", "cheapest hostels in South America", and "ways to convince your family and friends to visit you on the other side of the world" - hoping we've nailed the last one. A pipeline dream is now utter reality and we couldn't be more excited.
Anyway, on to what you really want... the first week, Mexico City. It's true what you hear, the tacos are great, the people hate Trump and the tequila is strong, really strong.
The first mention has to go to our AirBnB host and friend José Cuadriello. We seriously hit the jackpot with this guy. His home is quintessentially Mexican, from the array of greenery, to the tiled flooring, to the smell of burning incense. It was so easy to immerse ourselves in to the Mexican culture with a host like José. He was a friend, a host and near enough a tour guide of the must do's in Roma Norte. After sharing some home cooked meals together, his first suggestion was tacos (of course), a trip to his favourite local taco restaurant and we were sold, English tacos have nothing on this! Our farewell from this beautiful city wouldn't have been complete without Tequila, when in Rome, right? I'd like to say we kept up with José, but man those Mexicans can drink, they put away tequila like its water, which ironically you can probably find at a similar price.
Check out José's airbnb page here:
On to the touristy stuff. There is so much to see in this City, you can walk around for the whole day and not be bored, we were constantly met by parks, beautiful water fountains, , graffiti artwork, historical statues and not to mention the Oxxo supermarkets which are literally found on every corner, great when your only ever a few metres away from a 50p Corona. Our favourite part of the City was the historical centre. At the end of the impressive Alameda Central park is the Palacio de Bellas Artes, some of the most stunning architecture we've seen to date. A short walk down the street and you arrive at Zocalo square, cornered in government buildings, museums and the Palacio Nacional, centered by a Mexican flag proudly waving in the breeze. Like any tourist centre you can always find the locals trying to sell you tat, and street acts playing up to the stereotypes of their country. But the Concheros dancers and the hand woven aztec printed bags and scarves only added to the magical character of this place, a must do in Mexico City!
We won't bore you with hour by hour details because getting lost and having your face stuck in google maps isn't that exciting I guess. The day to day itinerary was fairly simple, we had fresh bread, eggs and avocado at home (when its 25p per avocado and they're the best you've ever tasted, then you've got to take advantage of it), after drowning ourselves José's fresh coffee we left to explore for the day. The most memorable day has to be our trip to Teotihuacán city. About an hour north of the city lies this impressive archaeological site, the pyramid city. This city was inhabited between 100B.C and 650A.D, its history is still somewhat unknown, with some links to the Aztec4, but the demise is down to a devastating fire which saw the end of this superpower city. Two two main sites are the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon, connected by the avenue of the dead. Both of these have awe inspiring panoramic views of the city once you have ascended to the top.
One of the most well know Mexican traditions is Día de los Meurtos, the day of the dead. This became rather well known when a festival in the Zocalo square was featured in the James Bond film, Spectre. After speaking with José and his girlfriend Celina, the meaning of this day is a lot more than dressing up like a skeleton. The respect they have for their ancestors and the care they take to ensure they can pass back to the living world for this one day a year shows the importance of family in their culture. A beautiful tradition.
Well I think that summarises Mexico pretty well, a city full of culture coffee and tequila. What a start to our trip, 7 days gone, 543 to go! If the rest of the trip is half as good as this last week then wow, what an 18 months it will be!
S&J
Love it all