Travelogue: Monterrey to Mexico, D.F.

Monterrey was a wonderful first stop. The hostel was pretty small so I easily got acquainted with a few really nice travelers, some of which I saw again in Mexico City and one of which I'm going to continue traveling with for a while. I was also able to ease into my Spanish with the owner and his family as well as some Spanish speaking travelers from Mexico and Argentina. Monterrey is cosmopolitan, so while we ate tacos on the street ($1 to stuff your face), we also went to a mall, a great modern art museum and a fancy rooftop bar/club. While I really enjoyed the company and the hospitality, there isn't a whole lot to do for tourists so I needed to move on after a few days.

The trip to Mexico City was 12 hours on an overnight bus. I've been trying to do that where I can because it saves a night in a hostel, and new cities are always less intimidating in the morning than at night. The only incoveniences are Spanish dubbed movies blasting well into the night and the Air-Con overkill. Massive Mexico City was, as I had hoped, extremely peaceful on Friday morning when I arrived, and I easily found my way to the city center via subway. At my last stop I exited on to the Zocalo, the 2nd largest plaza in the world, and gasped aloud at the breathtakingly huge Mexican flag waving high above its center.

The city gets a bad rap from many travelers, but I was pleasantly surprised and could easily have spent a few weeks exploring. I saw blue skies every day (only slightly tinted by smog), found the congestion (population) to be manageable and the people to be extremely friendly and helpful. It has beauty of both modern and antique vintage, and wants for nothing in the way of art, cuisine, history, sports, nightlife, or architecture. More on some particular experiences later.

JS