Asta la Vista Mexico City
Trip Start
Dec 19, 2008
1
3
125
Trip End
Dec 19, 2009
Where I stayed
Mexico City, Central Mexico and Gulf Coast, Mexico
Friday, February 13, 2009
Well as we had to get a visa form tghe Brasil embassy herein Mexico City we have had to stay her since last Friday 6th February till today when we picked upour passports from the embassy complete with visas ( phew as we have flights booked in and out of Brasil).We were pleasantly surprised that staying here has been most enjoyable.It is longest we have stayed in any one place so far and was a way of resting as well.
Mexico is a most amaxingly historic city with ruins from Aztec civilisations in the centre of the city dating back to 300 Ad upto 1520 when the Spanish arrived. The Spanish influenced architecture is everywhere and especially in the centro historico area where we are staying with a massive plaza surrounded by the National Palace and the Carthedral both dating back to the 16th century. Wow history existing like that and the buildings still in use are amazing.
Saturday the 7th was my birthday and Wayne and I had a wonderful day exploring the historic centre with visits to the museum and palace andcathedral finishing the day wirth a celevbratory mini cake we got from a bakery we happenned upon after our diiner when wandering the streets. Yummo as it was a gooey creamy cake vwery rich.
Sundaywe got adeventurous and rode the subway to an outer suburb called Coyacin where there are markets and artists. There we also visited the home of artisis Frida Kahlo and Diego rivera both famous Mexican artists. Their home is a museum and was very interesting as they had a tortuos life together , the stuff of melodramatic movies of the Burton and Taylor epic style .They remarried each other after a divorce and their lives were chaotic at times. He did massive murals in the Palace of Mexico City and the Belles des Artes a huge theatre and many other places. He was leftist leaning and made many bpolitical statements with his art whereas Frida was more focussed on herself in her art as she had physical problems having had polio and tragically was ijured severely in an accident leaving her in chronic pain and requiring the wearing of a back brace for a long period.
Monday we put our visa applications in at the Brasillian embassy which was interesting as we were require3d to fill out new forms in Spanish ( the ones we got in USA in English off the website were not acceptable). Luckily a lady not of the Embassy helped us with the transaltion as the emabssy lad at the desk did not assist us.
We did a lot of walking on Monday and Tuesday we moved to a new hotel and basically crashed in the hotel room all day till4pm. We realised since leaving Australia we had not chilled out at all so it was our first day of rest and it was wonderful. We also realised at an altitude of 7,000 feet we may be a little dehydrated and tired so now make an effort to drink more AQUA which naturally we buy from the 7 eleven as they are unviersally everywhere.
Wednesday 11th we got up and headed for the "Los Pyramides" the ancient pyramids and ruins of the Aztec cuturs of the Teotihuacann township. This is a famous area dating from 500bc to 700Ad . The two pyramids are intact and joined by a 2.5km avenue of the dead which is lined with ruins of buildings and residences . Well worth a daytrip and we found it was a clear day and sunny - a little sunburned from the day.
The museums are great except there is little English explanations so our Spanish is improving byb necessity as we try to decipher the meaning of the exhibits.
Today Thursday we spent the most of the day at the Chapultepec National Park which has the Castille de National where the former castle of the Mexican rulers lived has now become a museum. What opulence the rulers enjoyed and it is easy to see how the ordinary peoples became disillusioned at their lot when you see the glittering riches they enjoyed up on the hill.
We picked up our visas after that and happilly we got in a quick visit to the zoo on our way back to the hotel. we have now arranged a bus to go to Oaxaca tomorrow and booked 3 nights at a hostel.
So it is off we go tomorrow morning.
Thoughts and impressions on Mexico City;
The smog is very intense and clouds everything. 23 million people in the city !!
The metro is fabulous quick, cheap and where else do you get music selections from travelling hawkers complete with stereo backpack and pirated CD for sale.
Eating is a lucky dip and so much fun waiting to see what our crappy Spanish attempts at an order brings us.
Poeple are very friendly.
Security is high in the centre of the city and is reassuring as tourism is obviously important.
Corona beer at 80 pesos( equivalent to 80 cent AUS) yay gotta be happy with that.
Women are curvy and show off their bodies whatever shape they are but in a more conservative style than elsewhere no skin and midrifts thankfully.
It is funny being the only fair haired person on a train.
Till next entry Adios amigos
kas
