One in 20 million

Hurray, I have arrived in Mexico. After leaving Lima at 2am, I arrived in Mexico City at about 3pm. A little sleep deprived, I had two hours, it took all my wits to find a cash point that worked and sort out a taxi – it’s sometimes the smallest things that cause the most grief! irritation aside, I slumbered into a taxi, took a deep breath and attempted to soak in the enormity of it all.

The first thing I noticed, aside from the sheer size of the city was the purple trees, ok the trees weren’t actually purple but they were swathed in purple blossom, quite heavenly. My hostel located, I needed sleep, some dinner and a beer. Ok, the beers quite quickly turned into tequilas! Generally, I’m not a fan, but combined with grapefruit juice I can quite happily say I’m converted, and at about £1.25 per drink I think I’m on a winning formulae for the next month 🙂

Feeling a wee bit groggy the following morning, I eventually pulled myself around and went exploring. Of course I did not have a plan, but I had a map – two actually – and my lonely planet, what else does Dora need?

There’s about 20 million people that live here, now that’s a lot of folk, and I was one of them! It felt a little bit like Northumberland Street at Christmas, but about 100 times busier. At one point I was waiting to cross a road and I must have been only one of 200. What’s more, I’m glad I got my cash in the airport as there were queues, 20-30 people deep at each and every ATM, it was just crazy. Someone had likened Mexico City to a hive of ants; they weren’t wrong.

My hostel, the lovely hostel amigo suites (check it out below), was only a five minute walk to the Centro Historico, so that’s where I headed, or rather where the swarms of people took me.

The plaza de la constitution, or as locally known the ‘Zocalo’ – the base, measures 240m x 220m and as such is one of the largest city squares. Home to the powers that be, it houses the presidential palace, the city government offices and the Cathedral Metropolitana; it was mucho impressive.

Heading along what seemed like one of the main shopping streets, luckily it was pedestrianised, I found myself at Almeda Central, a beautiful park filled with purple trees!

Heading up the park was the Palacio de Bellas Artes; a white-marbled palace, concert hall and art centre. Initially commissioned in 1905, it was not completed until the ’30s and had a delightful art deco feel to it.

I spied a waterfall up ahead and continued straight ahead; I think this is the new town; swanky hotels and sculptures were a a contrast from the old school architecture I’d previously seen. Obviously with my modernistic love for buildings, I enjoyed the stark contrast.

A city of contrast, it was not long until I was back in old school Mexico City and was faced with the Monumento a la Revolucion which contains the tombs of heroes of days gone by.