Day 1:Mexico City: Centro Historico

  Mexico City, Central Mexico and Gulf Coast, Mexico
Wednesday, October 1, 2008

our wings

our plane is 1 hour delayed...is this a sign?  does the plane have a `flangee`?  can i get off?

nope... i didnt, 11 and a half hours later we land with the good news that some peoples luggage didnt make it onto the plane.  i knew i had seen one luggage container drive off!  thankfully, and i did scream with joy, ours was there... i have  knickers and my toothbrush!... (liberty always told me to pack some in my hand luggage in case, but i forgot!)  not only that, i have my first stamp in my passport.  woo hoo!

a quick text from our landlord Aaron, and we are heading towards the taxi rank at the airport.  he strictly tells us to accept nothing more than 172 ps (about 10 earth pounds) to downtown zona rosa.  funny as the first desk we go to at this taxi rank he recommended says an extra 100 pesos.  we say no, show her the text, and bang, another ticket comes out, for the correct price.  saw us coming didnt they!  but ha, we had aaron to help!

the hostel we stayed at was perfect.  each day it got better.  recommend it to anyone.  cheap as chips (200 pesos approx a night), great location (a 10 minute stroll in a safe neighbourhood to local transport links, and other sites), good, clean sized rooms and bathroom.  but mainly, you have youre own walking and talking guide in the landlord.  he just wants his city to be seen in the best light possible, and he certainly helps.  each morning he comes into the kitchen and asks how you are, and how he can help for the day, giving you maps, advice on transport, restaurants and what to do if you just havent a clue!  anyhoo, we arrived and i stuck my earplugs in (matt is a worse snorer than my love, lukey b. sarah you agree on this dont you?), and fell a peeps, exhausted and drained from last few days.

of course, the time difference is Mexico is 6 hours behind. so me being a morning person, woke up british time at 8am.. therefore: 2 am mexico time, and then spent the next few hours with my head torch on reading about mexico, looking at my pics, listening to music and even doing a crossword...anything but sleeping! typical! lol!

but, i was excited about the day ahead, so as soon as matt woke around 8ish, we had brekkie, got some advice from aaron and headed out into the unknown....

a short stroll we hopped on a bus downtown for 15p!  yes 15 pence! (3pesos), and caught a metro for 10p (2 pesos).  so fast, effecient, and i honestly didnt feel like i was in a zoo as everyone stared at us.  great places for people watching yourself.  have learnt, whether you are on the metro, or the bus, people pop on in between stops and try to sell you anything.  food, fruit, cds, phones, crisps, water.... you want it, you can probably get it on their transport!  heading the wrong way on the metro, and having to change and go back didnt deter us, and a few minuted later we were in the centro historico zone.

you land in the plaza de la constitucion, which is a hug square, right at the centre of mexico , never mind mexico city!  they have a huge flag to display this. 
youre surronded by stunning buildings, and you just doŽ`t know where to start... so i recommend if anyone goes, to get a map, or a guide.  the lonely planet do a great city guide.  and there is a designated route on there.  i mean, i know i am here to explore, but in a city that takes hours to get across, where would you start?  i recommend here.

first stops include the catedral y sagrario metrolpolitano and a walk around the palacio nacional.  even before we went into the cathedral

catedral y sagrario metropolitano

i stood open mouthed at the architecture.  this is what i came for.  the different cultures, wrapped up in the buildings alone.  it`s so grand and impressive.  you could probably stand for hours.  never mind when you get inside.

inside the catedral

gold leaf everywhere, and wood and marble carved into stunning scenes.  i am not one for religious sentiment.  but you cant help but be blown away in such a church.
the palace looked secure to say the least.  there were hundreds (and we are not joking) of police around the outside, some even in full armer gear.  was this the norm.  was it the norm that we saw hundreds , no thousands of police across the city?  i must admitt it made me feel more insecure about doing something wrong then crime in mexico.  we found out later that today was an important day in political history.  about 30 years a go, protests, still raw with a lot of people due to a lot of shootings happened.  thus they worry it may happen again.  for those who know me.. i was in heaven!

we stopped of at a local veggie restaurant and ate for tuppence.  it was lovely and fresh, and full of goodness.  we toasted, our journeys over a fresh apple juice.

we wandered the rest of the tour, taking pictures here and there.marvelling, like most cities, how such stunning buildings, with tiles so bright and vibrate, stone so huge and carved, be turned into starbucks, and small convenience stores?  i did see my first turtle on those streets though.

turtle!

two of my favourite buildings in the entire city were the correos (post office)

correos (oost office!)

and the palacio de bellas artes (fine arts building).

matt outside palacio de bellas artes

both in such contrast.  one not built for grandure, but blew my mind, and the ohter, out to shine, and bring big names to the city. we sat and stared at both for a good long time, laughing at different carvings and details.

so much detail

ceramic roof

we giggled when we went to buy a stamp and a postcard, and they cost more than our lunch!  we were like, how much?  then realized, our lunch had cost us 1.50  pounds....

we had meandered for a while, and fancied a bit of a sit down so headed to the local down town park:alameda central. 

alameda central (park)

wow... you would never guess you were in a city. so calm, and on a stunning day like today, we laid in the grass and tried to grasp that we were actually here, in mexico.....

matt in the park

surreal things happened again, like a horse suddenly being stood beside us with a ranger on top.  he had crept up silently on the grass and made us jump.  again you can buy anything, but they all sell the same stuff on the stalls, so how do they make money?  and to use the toilet, you have to pay 3 pesos... the same as catching a bus downtown... wierd!

not wanting to walk home in the dark we set off on our hike home (recommended by aaron) which allowed us to see the more business side of mexico.  huge tower blocks and people in suits.  we ate in another veggie restaurant, and i had my first taco... nothing like the english version.  a bit like a tortilla, and full of veggies.  we quickly learnt we need spanish lessons, and must learn key words like:  i am a veggie, and certain vegetables to ask for.  as one couple we were talking to ended up with a pigs tongue.... yummy!

a healthy drink and a short stroll back to our home for the next few days later, we fell into our beds.  my eyes so tired from being up so long.. i did the good old family tradition and fell asleep by 7.30!  woo hoo.. a fab first day!