MEXICO |
I received my first passport in advance of a trip to Mexico. Myself and a few other ninth graders were heading to Guadalajara, Mexico for a week or so - we were going to be lightly supervised by our Spanish teacher. Looking back its one of those things you wonder if you'd be allowed to do again.
I went to Mexico City for a work engagement almost fifteen years later and it's amazing how similar the country still was although before for some reason I never thought I was in any immediate danger. I still did not feel like Mexico City was a dangerous place, however, it was a bit frenetic. Despite its proximity to the U.S,. Mexico City still retains a third world feel. Fortunately we had a local translator who was able to drive us around to the nicer, upscale parts of the city. It's an incredibly vast city with boulevards that seem to run on forever. The historical center has a few areas that are walkable otherwise you need to rely on taxis to navigate you through the city.
Mexico City is one of those places you absolutely need to experience in a lifetime, however, I don't know how you would ever plan a vacation there. I was fortunate to have a work assignment, otherwise I would have likely not visited.
I've spent one month in Mexico and the only resort town I visited was Acapulco which is a five - six hour bus ride from Mexico City. That was in 2008...would I try that again in 2014? The memorable part of the bus ride was the Eddie Murphy movies that were played and the infamous Eddie Murphy high pitch laugh being performed in Spanish.
I went to Mexico City for a work engagement almost fifteen years later and it's amazing how similar the country still was although before for some reason I never thought I was in any immediate danger. I still did not feel like Mexico City was a dangerous place, however, it was a bit frenetic. Despite its proximity to the U.S,. Mexico City still retains a third world feel. Fortunately we had a local translator who was able to drive us around to the nicer, upscale parts of the city. It's an incredibly vast city with boulevards that seem to run on forever. The historical center has a few areas that are walkable otherwise you need to rely on taxis to navigate you through the city.
Mexico City is one of those places you absolutely need to experience in a lifetime, however, I don't know how you would ever plan a vacation there. I was fortunate to have a work assignment, otherwise I would have likely not visited.
I've spent one month in Mexico and the only resort town I visited was Acapulco which is a five - six hour bus ride from Mexico City. That was in 2008...would I try that again in 2014? The memorable part of the bus ride was the Eddie Murphy movies that were played and the infamous Eddie Murphy high pitch laugh being performed in Spanish.
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Mexico City's colonial core is centered around the Zocalo, the third largest public square in the world. From there it's a long walk to a museum, however you pass through interesting neighborhoods and a park.
Further afield is the Teotihaucan archaeological site, which predates Mayan temples on the Yucatan peninsula. It's cool because you can still climb to the top of the temples for a panoramic view of the entire site. |