Mexico City is beautiful, big, busy, vibrant, smelly and exhausting. We had felt a bit of culture shock in Sydney but Mexico City hit us pretty hard. We stayed at Mexico City Hostel, a beautiful historical building right in the heart of Centro Historico. Our room was huge with a balcony overlooking the bustling street and views of the Zócalo. We were served a tasty breakfast each morning but the whole place was lackin' vibes, although we were also lackin' social vibes and enjoyed the quiet. Day one in Mexico was a bit of a right off; we were exhausted from the flight and suffering jetlag. We spent the day wandering the streets of Centro Historico and taking in Mexico; staring up at the huge flag in the Zócalo (no kidding its 14.3x25m!); wandering through the main cathedral; watching the city pass by like little ants as we ate lunch in a balcony above the Zócalo; a little rest in-between; and then dinner at a cute little bar called La Bipo, whilst watching rats chase each other in and out of drain pipes. After popping a couple of sleeping tablets to adjust our body clocks to Mexican time, we felt more vibrant on day two. We decided to take a self-guided walking tour recommended by the Lonely Planet. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) we started at the wrong spot and ended up in a bizarre museum off Moneda (I can't find/remember the name) which displayed wax models of vampires, mermaids, nymphs and other mythical creatures. We decided then to take our own walking tour; next stop was the Palacio Nacional, famous for housing the presidential offices but mostly for the incredible Diego Rivera murals throughout. Stretching as high as the ceiling the murals depict Mexican history; from the Aztecs to the Spanish settlers. I learnt a lot as we wandered the corridors staring up at the beautiful murals.
Just a block away was Museo del Templo Mayor, which is one of the main Aztec temples in their capital city Tenochtitlán, now Mexico City. The temple, like most Aztec ruins in Mexico, was destroyed by the Spanish in the 1500s and is still being restored and studied by archaeologists. What remains is impressive; the original colours and patterns are still visible, and the carvings look near new. All this coupled with a backdrop of Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral - ironic to see something the Spanish destroyed next to something they created. After the ruins we stepped into the very informative museum, which taught us even more about the Aztecs; how they lived, traded, and their ceremonies. We were lucky enough to see some archeologists having a dig and examining some new wares inside the museum.
Our tummies were grumbling by the end of the museum so we grabbed a bite at Café El Popular. I was very pleased to finally get some good Mexican food - tacos! We decided to take a look back at the Lonely Planet walking tour and followed it up Av Madero, full of buskers, beggars, colour and life, passing by Palacio de Bella Artes (unfortunately we didn't go in) and wandering through Alameda Central, past pashing couples (there are SO many in Mexico city - PDA come on!!!?) and to the somewhat underwhelming mural by Diego Rivera at the end. The mural was placed in a bad spot to be fair, but as a backdrop to local skaters shreddin' reppies (thanks Tom) it was pretty sweet!
We wandered back in towards the city and stopped for a beer at one of Mexico's oldest cantinas, El Tio Pepe. It was like stepping back in time, the décor was early 1900s, even the bartender and patrons looked as though transported through time. There was even a sign that said NO MUJERES (no women) at the entrance, but I drank there so I guess it was fine. We had a taste for beer then so headed for the Regina Corridor full of quaint little bars and music.
I finally met Frida Kahlo on the third day - well I went to her house. We took the metro there, a really great transport system and costs only 5 pesos (less than 50c)! On the train we met a lovely local called Betty who took us on a local bus and walked us right to the entrance of Museo Frida Kahlo or La Casa Azul (the Blue House). Well the house was beautiful. The whole place was like a house I had dreamed of, all the walls were rich blues, reds and yellows, and decorated with gorgeous paintings, ornaments and bits and bobs. And then there were her paintings… Wow, what a woman, what a story she told through her paintings - such raw honesty and truth. And such a sad life. But she made her house a vibrant and wonderful place to be - the luscious garden was boasting cacti, flowers, sculptures and birds. And then her clothes… I was in love. After exploring Frida's house we explored her suburb, Coyoacán, which is exactly as you'd imagine Mexico: colourful houses with beautiful windows, flowers hangings and magnificent doors.
Later that evening we found ourselves in a bar above Av Madera, enjoying a live samba band and a group of Mexican's dancing oh so smoothly and with oh so much style. Man, I felt white and stiff then. It was time to visit the City of the Gods on day three. Teotihuacán is an ancient Mesoamerican city, 50 km north of Mexico City. The two main pyramids are awesome, one of which is the third biggest in the world; Pirámide del Sol (Pyramid of the Sun), the other is Pirámide del Luna (Pyramid of the Moon). Pirámide del Sol dates back to 150 AD and the rest of the city was constructed between 250 and 600 AD. After wandering down the Calzada de los Muertos (Avenue of the Dead) and then climbing the 248 steps to the top I felt elated and strangely powerful, in fact I felt like Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones.
After Teotihuacán we had a very expensive buffet lunch with touristy performances and of course I stuffed my face - I really can't help myself at a buffet. After lunch we rolled on to the bus for the drive back to the city, I woke bleary eyed from a nap at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe), which has a curious story about a painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe (I would explain but this is a blog not an essay). The area consists of an old and a modern basilica, inside the latter you can view the famous paining… on an escalator! Not even joking, it was like being at the airport and staring up at this saintly painting as cameras snap and people do the sign of the cross, it felt very strange. I could have spent over a week in Mexico City, I only saw a minute portion of the wonderful city, and saw it in a jetlagged daze. Lets just say I'll be back Mexico City.