Party in the Capitol of Mexico!

Timon van den Berg
Oct 15, 2018
11 min read

Trough the smog some where in the distance you can see an enormous city. About 60km before the entering the city, urban development becomes visible. We re-position ourselves from the B roads to the main road to gain a little bit of travel speed in this huge city. Of course, we are used to New York traffic wise, and I think New York feels a little bit bigger, but the way this city is organized makes it special. Cars left, right, roads above us under us people in the middle of the highway selling pistachios or potato chips. This forces you to stay in lane if you don’t want to hit one of the street vendors.We make our way into the center via the highway fairly quick, it takes us about 60 minutes after reaching city lines to make it to our apartment on “Amsterdam Street”. We didn’t pick it like that, it just was meant to be. Luckily for us the apartment comes with a parking garage, a real necessity in this city. Not so much for safety, but more because street parking would be a hassle. The apartment comes with a view of sky scrapers located on Paseo de la Reforma – where you can also find the famous Angel of Independence. Something else which was really nice, was the maid who cleaned the place three times a week, not really needed but nice to have. The day we arrived we didn’t do much. We settled in and went for a quick lunch to the local Mercado where we ate something local. It was good, so I should have remembered the name, but I didn’t.

Our first stop the next day is at the pharmacy since Hester is a little sick – not from the food, just some regular Hester issues -, but not too much to not enjoy it. In the early afternoon we make our way into the city. Like New York, MXCD has a bike share system in place to try and limit the amount of smog that’s produced by all the cars driving in the city. Since we are foreigners we had to go to a special office to get an access code. This process was quick, but when at the bike station we found out the guy behind the counter made a mistake. Little later we were on our way on the bike in MXCD.

At some places they created bike paths which made it pretty safe to travel by bike. At other places the cars were not to sure how to deal with these Dutchies on a bike, and they either stayed behind us or they passed us with high speeds. We visited the main square which was going under construction, since the day after that is a national holiday (Mexican Independence Day) and the main activities would take place there.

A couple years ago they found large Maya structures behind the square. They are now breaking down some of the buildings that were built on top. It’s free to visit and our first touch point with the Maya history. We both had noticed a big Mercado on the map and we decided to go. 10 blocks before reaching the actual Mercado (market) sales people were already trying to sell their goods in the streets. Mainly clothing, toys, household supplies and some other basic stuff. Again, for me it feels like they are all selling the same goods, but there must be a quality difference I guess. Entering the market brought us in a different world and it’s not a place where they seem to see a lot of tourists. We walked through the market for 3,5 hours and had some lunch. Besides the fact that it looks to me they are all selling the same thing, I noticed that when they sell Chicken or Beef, they don’t use ice or any type of cooling to display their products. Funny enough the ambiance changed when Hester and I continued our stroll over the market. Instead of us taking the pictures of things we liked, or thought were special, we started to get asked by salesman to take pictures of them in front of their business. It was a great ambiance and we were given cheese, meat, mole, everything to try. Honestly, I don’t think they were expecting us to buy it from them, it’s just that it seemed that there weren’t that many tourists making their way into the market and they really liked it. On our way back from the market we cycled past the local flea market for some coffee and the Mexico Arena. About that one later more.

Although officially the national holiday is on September the 16th, Mexicans decide to celebrate it on the night of the 15th. We make our way in the center using our bike subscription. Works great! I’m wearing my Mexican Shirt to mingle in the crowds. That night we agreed to meet with one of our friends who both Hester and I knew from our time in Finland. Just 2 hours prior to the agreed time we receive the location for tonight. The suggested place is rather fancy, and both Hester and I didn’t pack for the occasion. We jumped on our bike to a local shopping mall. Within 10 min Hester finds a new outfit and we rush back to the apartment to change. Just a couple minutes late we make it to the restaurant. In the restaurant we are treated with all kinds of local specialties and everything was very well made. Here we also find our new favorite Mexican dish, Chile en Nogada. It’s amazing and they only serve it from late August to early October because the pomegranate and walnuts used are in season that time of the year. The night gets later and later, we are watching a famous fight which is often organized on this day, but takes place in Las Vegas. A small side note about that fight; to me it’s a bit strange that on your national holiday everyone is watching a match in a foreign country. But for Mexicans this is clear, it’s simply because it makes them more money to organize it in the US. The fight takes longer then expected and therefor continues during the speech of the president, but the restaurant chooses to leave the speech for what it is and just continues the game. The current president isn’t very popular, something we’ve been told already a couple times during our trip. Anyway, by the end of the year there is a new guy coming which isn’t any better, so we have been told. The night continues, and I start to feel all the Tequila and Mescal that I drunk. Around 2am we end up in a night club somewhere in the city. It’s just like 10 years ago when we were living in Finland. Although when in Finland I was typically the last one leaving the bar, here we called it the night after Hester did her karaoke version of “umbrella” together with our old and new Mexican friends!

Next morning, we needed some time to recover. Around 4pm we received a message from our friend whether we were up for coffee and Churros. Well after Chile en Nogada, Churros are the second best thing you can eat in Mexico, so we headed in the direction of a local hotspot where we spend the rest of the afternoon and early evening. Churros are great, especially when stuffed with chocolate or caramel. Or you can do like the locals; order some chocolate milk and dip! :-P

Reaching 30 I need to admit that I almost needed another day to recover, but both Hester and I decided it was time to explore again. Since our foreign license plates don’t allow us to drive in the city before 11 am, we could start slow! A little background information about that is maybe interesting. In Mexico City they deal with a lot of smog. Since 1989 the government started with a program called “Hoy no circula”. You can compare it a little with the system they implemented in Germany, with the emission stickers. But beside the emission checks, they also don’t allow you to drive on certain days depending on the last number of your license plate. For example, if your license plate ends with 4, you’re not allowed to drive on Wednesdays. For license plates outside CDMX, it gets even better; you’re not allowed to drive before 11am and on Saturdays. A good initiative, but there is still a big smog issue in the city. Although, one of our Mexican friends told us it was way worse before, so apparently it seems to be helping a bit.

Hester really wants to wait until eleven before driving, I go with the Mexican saying “Mas o Menos” so we leave around 10. I don’t really think they check, although there are police check points throughout the city, but when driving the highway through the city they don’t really check this. At least that’s what I think! 😊. We make our way to Teotihuacan. In a little bit more than an hour we arrive at this large historic place. The Temple of the Sun and the Moon are both very impressive and it’s our first real Maya experience. If you are really cheap you can actually access the site for free it seems. Locals don’t want to walk all the way around it to go from one side of the city to the other side, so somewhere half way there is a cycle path which locals use to travel straight over the site from one side to the other. I would also not be enthusiastic visiting this place in the summer. There is 0 shade and it can be very busy. Sometimes they even closed down the Temple of the Sun, and you have to wait your turn prior to climbing to the top of it! You know what’s strange, and maybe you as reader know the answer. The steps on the stairs of those temples are huge. Hester almost has to climb hand and feet (over exaggerated). But why, those guys when they made it weren’t that big either, right? Anyway, the place is nice, worth a visit, but don’t go in the weekend or on a really hot day!

On our way back, we visited the largest Basilic of Lady Guadalupe in Latin America. The area contains multiple cathedrals and is definitely worth a visit. Most of the buildings on the site are crooked due to earthquake activity in the city. Also nice is that from here you have an amazing view over the city!

Ok, two days after the big party we both started to feel better. The tequila is out of our system and it’s time to explore Mexico City a little more. First, we jumped into the Metro towards Frida’s House. The Metro in Mexico City is a bus and drives on a dedicated lane. Except when the blocks separating the lanes are too small, then Mexican Drivers tend to use the lane as well. Frida is something from Hester her list, prior to arrive at the house I never heard of her and when Hester made a quick restroom stop I briefly checked Wikipedia to not look like a complete fool when arriving at the house. So after quickly buying our tickets online while waiting in line we were able to enter the house (buy your tickets online, especially during the summer, since we have been told lines are even longer then and you can buy your tickets ahead with a timeslot). I’m sure Hester can write an amazing inspiring story about this place, but I just thought it was a slightly overpriced museum with some paintings and clothes from her past. After having lunch in a local market close to Frida’s house we make our way back to the center using the metrobus. This part of the town is definitely fancy as we see many large houses with big fences securing it. That night we arranged tickets to go and see a world-famous Mexican wrestling night. You find many ticket sellers around the stadium, but those tickets looked a little sketchy. Some had the wrong date on them or the location of the seats were way off. We booked our tickets via Ticketmaster which worked out well. I’m not sure how familiar you are with Mexican wrestling, but to cut the story short it’s very fake! That night there were 7 different matches, and during the first 4 matches the only thing Hester and I did was laugh. The tricks were so fake that it was horrible to look at! But reaching towards the end of the evening more professional wrestlers came to the ring and it became a more serious show. For the 10 USD we spend on our 2 tickets we had a great night, but battle yourself through the first couple matches, because those are just for fun and most Mexicans arrive 1 hour after the show actually starts. A bit like Americans arriving 1,5 hours after the baseball game started.

Recommended by some family members, the next day we visited the anthropology museum. It’s close to our apartment so we decided to walk. Around 1 an alarm sounds and people are running into the streets. After a little while we realize it’s the cities earthquake alarm. Being close to the museum we noticed that also the museum was evacuated, and people were standing outside. 5 to 10 minutes after the alarm still no earthquake feeling, and people started to move back into the buildings. (That night when meeting our friends, we learned it was a test 😊). The museum is great, Mexico is a huge country and this allows you to quickly learn about the many different people and cultures in this country. The amount of Maya history is significant, and I would recommend skipping some of it, especially when you plan to visit some of the actual sites. You can spend a whole day here if you want, since it’s that big.

Anyway, we were on the clock, because we were invited for dinner that night. Well prepared we waited at the restaurant for 20 minutes for our friend to arrive. At some point we receive a message “where are you?”, uh well, were are you? Soon I find out that the restaurant we were supposed to meet at is somewhere else and that the restaurant is a chain with multiple locations in the city! Since this city has roughly 25 million people, being in the wrong spot can be quite a drive. But luckily for us the other location was only 15 minutes away. We had a very nice evening again just like the old times when we all lived in Finland. We took it slow with the tequila this time and around 4 we arrived back home, pretty good for a Wednesday night.

Our last day we spent in Xochimilco. It’s a bit difficult to reach if you don’t have a car. There is a train going there, but it will take you some time. A taxi would be possible, but it will be expensive. Maybe there are busses going there, but that’s something I didn’t look into. Anyway, 10 km before actually reaching the place we received someone who escorted us on a scooter to the actual location. Of course, his aim was to get us to come to his company, but we did some research beforehand and parked on the parking we already looked up before leaving. The guy on the scooter was really irritated by our behavior that he started to tell us that the road ahead was closed, and we really needed to follow him. Having taxi’s and other cars passing us left and right I knew he wasn’t speaking the truth, so we followed our path to the parking. In the city I think we were approached by 10 to 15 vendors who all wanted to have us on their boat. Well during this time of the year, during low season, that’s where the fun starts and I typically start to ask for prices :-P! To set the scene, Xochimilco is the Mexican version of Venetia.

There are small boat’s which can haul up to 20 people, which are being pushed over the channels. On the channels you find food vendors and Mariachi bands which can come onto your boat and play some music. We decided to go on one of the boats for an hour. I guess you can do two hours, but an hour gives you the experience. Make sure you bring some cash, so you can purchase some food and drinks while you’re on the water. On our way back, we experienced Mexico City’s heavy traffic. It took us hours to get back, but that’s part of the game here in this major city.

As my story our stay in Mexico City was coming to an end. The next morning it was time for us to leave, we both had an amazing time in CDMX and it was great to meet some old friends! It was also nice to be in a big city again. Also special was to experience how much impact earthquakes have. In this city you find 20 story buildings completely abandoned, because they were damaged either during the big earthquake last year or the one 30 years ago. From here we travel further South and will experience more rural Mexico with smaller cities and a bit more nature. The weather has been amazing until now and I think I only worn my long jeans 3 or 4 times in the past couple months!