3 days in Mexico City

7:00 A.M.

15 minutes before we were supposed to all meet up for our last excursion together, I jumped up out of bed. The light beeping sound coming from my Mexican phone was too easy to ignore and thankfully, I had packed the night before. I rushed downstairs, chugged hot chocolate down my throat, burning it along the way, and grabbed my plastic bag that would be my breakfast instead of lunch. After finally meeting up with the rest of the group, we hustled into the van, claiming spots that would remain ours for the rest of the trip. We were missing Tina and I had a bad feeling that she had overslept. We waited for 30 minutes, hoping that she would magically show up. No one had a number that she could be reached at, so her host mom was contacted, then came Vero and without a lot of options left, we took off. No one was feeling superb that day, but we trekked through and had lunch at a market. I had colda de camaron thinking that the hot broth would soothe my aching throat and clear my sinuses. Tina took initiative and bought a public bus ticket to Mexico City making it to the Casa Azul de Frida Kahlo 30 minutes after we did. Pictures were prohibited to be taken at the house and the line to entering was longer than expected. Her house, filled with images of her life, everything preserved was a masterpiece. Paintings, photo images, traditional ceramic potteries hung on every wall. Fridah lived a short life, dying at the young age of 47. But she was and still is an idealized figure in Mexico's history. Her face and her distinguishable uni brow on the front of the 500 peso bill signified her importance and influence to this country. Chapultepec, the place where we were was astonishingly beautiful.

After the Casas Azul de Frida Kahlo, we visited the Museo Nacional de Antropologia. It was the biggest museum that I had ever been to, nonetheless even seen. Each section was divided by different civilization periods including the Mayans, Aztecs, Olmecs, Teonotichluan, and the second floor was all recent indigenous findings. We wandered through each section, admiring the detailed work in the intricate masks and sculptures. Sometimes I would recognize a really famous piece (Chac Mole, Quetzocual, and the Eagle Man) from our presentations and research for our Art History class and be in awe because I already knew so much about the sculpture.

I got off the bus of our mini traveling van and immediately I could feel the city. Mexico City, the 5^th largest city in the world with a population of over 17 million people, it was alive and moving. The melodic flatted 3^rd harmony from the jazz band on the street across from us, the rows of family-owned restaurants, the tall majestic ornate tall buildings were all signs that we had arrived. Although it was easy to tell the difference between the air quality in Mexico City and Queretaro, I was surprised to see that for a city so big, the air quality was not as bad as I would have expected. The girls and I each got our own bed in the same hotel room which was really nice considering that we were all really sick. I had the best vegetarian torta sandwich at a juicer place and we called it a night around 9:30.

8:30 A.M.

Breakfast was served at the hotel and I ordered divorced eggs which was two eggs in two different sauces with beans in the middle and a tortilla underneath. Everyone had to change rooms due to complications and all of the girls ended up getting separated and with their own rooms. Next we visited the huge Palacio Nacional where President Enrique Peña Nieto goes to on Monday’s to work. The castle was endless and of course, spectacularly grand. One of my favorite parts of the day was visiting the Templo Mayor where we got to see ruins of old civilizations being discovered. The Templo Mayo was right in the middle of the city with parts of the temple more preserved than others. It was strange walking on such old land where hundreds of years ago, people lived and roamed and now here we were, stomping on it and taking pictures of it. For lunch, we got to pick and choose where we wanted to go. I was craving something different, something other than quesadillas, tortas, or tacos. So Kelly, Angelica, and I had a buffet at a Chinese restaurant. It was mediocre considering that we were in Mexico City, but it definitely pleased my hunger. I miss having the option to choose from a variety of different types of food, be it Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese, Mediterranean, American, Chinese, or Mexican. In the United States, there is always an abundance of options to choose from.

Right next to the Templo Mayo was the museum. More displays of indigenous findings were in here. I read about the offerings that were given to the gods in boxes, findings of turtle shells, obsidian, and various colorful beads were among the many different types of gifts that were offered. Lucy, the famous Australopithecus was in a case and at the bottom was a display of a Neoanderthal. The Palacio de Bellas Artes, another white tall standing palace was unfortunately closed. We were 30 minutes too late. By this point, however, everyone was feeling rather tired and I was definitely under the weather. My head felt separate from my body, clouded and unable to process the beauty of everything. It was unfortunate that of all of the times I got sick on this trip, it had to be when we were in Mexico City.

We walked around the city night life for a bit, stopping at a restaurant to dine. I had spaghetti which was a really poor choice because it was awful, but the guacamole made up for it. We all promised that night at the restaurant that when we were back in the U.S., we would reunite to cook, talk, and reminisce about our time in Mexico because no one else would understand or care about our experience except for the people who were a part of them. Our curfew for the evening was 10:30, a time that no one agreed with. All of us felt entitled to make our own choices on when we wanted to return…no one wanted their hands to be held through this trip and what was even worse was that we had paid a lot to be here in Mexico; to enjoy ourselves, not to be told when we needed to return. Coming to a compromise, we bought some bottles of Cabernet and returned to our hotel rooms where we bonded and shared stories of our experiences here. Somehow, perhaps with a little intoxication and comfortability, arguments arose. Disputes and past hurt feelings came up and before long, the room felt divided. Lucas, feeling offended and out of energy, left. Keaton, Kelly, Tina, and I cuddled on one bed and bonded for the night.

I felt a lot better this morning, but still not 100%. We got breakfast, packed our belongings and took off for Teotihuacan. It was only about an hour away and when we finally arrived, so did the rain. It down poured for a couple of minutes, forcing us to buy colored ponchos with sleeves and a hood. The pyramids encompassed a massive area of land, more so than I imagined. In the center was the pyramid of Quetzalcóatl, considered to be the God of Creator and to the right were the pyramids of the sun and the moon. We climbed the huge pyramid of Quetzalcóatl. When I reached the top, out of breath, I sat down beside Keaton to take in the view. Not long after, it started raining, then it picked up really fast. I didn’t mind the rain except for the fact that I was feeling sick. Everyone looked like ants, shuffling around with their selfy sticks and fancy cameras. The last two pyramids were smaller, but much more preserved with the outlines carefully articulated and perfectly straight. We walked around the shops at the bottom of the moon pyramid, but as always, nothing really caught my eye. I keep saying that I need to buy gifts for family and friends because when I return, it will be almost Christmas, but I’m terrible at making decisions about material objects. 

Our last stop was at a restaurant where I ordered chiles rollenos for lunch. It was a cheap 40 pesos and it tasted amazing. This is a famous dish of Mexico that consists of stuffed peppers with cheese and fried with eggs on the outside, dipped in red sauce and served with rice and beans. Now we are on our way back to Queretaro, fast Latin music plays in the background through the speakers and every once in a while, the bumps on the road caused everyone’s eyes to open up. Being in Mexico City for 3 days was not enough to explore this gorgeous city. With its decorated, fancy building that I absolutely loved, I could see myself returning here, or even one day living here. But I adapt and fall in love with places easily.