¡Hola, Mexico!

October 28th 2014

Mexico

We’re back from two weeks in Mexico – tanned, tired and well padded out with cheese and chocolate. We spent a week in Mexico City and a week in Oaxaca – it was really good to see perhaps two extremes of the same country. Here’s a first bunch of photos and my thoughts on our first stop, Mexico City.

Mexico

We were almost put off Mexico City (known locally as DF, District Federal) before going, with the consensus being it’s too big, crowded, hectic and completely impenetrable for a short visit. Luckily I didn’t find that to be the case at all. I think that was partly the neighbourhood we stayed in, Condesa, and the lovely Airbnb we called temporary home (this one) which was a great base to return to and chill out for a bit in between scampering around. Condesa is a really nice quiet area, but with loads of restaurants, bars, shops and cafes. It borders the more buzzy Roma and Zona Rosa and isn’t too far from the historical centre either. It reminded me of London in the way each neighbourhood has a distinct vibe so you can choose where to hang out based on your mood. The Chilangos (inhabitants of DF) also reminded me of Londoners – they’ll generally stay out of your way but be friendly and helpful if you’re looking for it.

Mexico
Mexico

One thing that really surprised me was how green a city it is. There are lush tropical planted parks every few blocks which break up the concrete. Mexico City is pretty pleasant to take in on foot once you get used to the uneven pavements and, er, unorthodox approach to traffic lights and pedestrian crossings (we quickly learned to just go when a local crosses!). It’s very clean in terms of litter and it felt safe to walk around areas like Condesa and Roma after dark. Plus the weather in mid-late October was in the mid-20s, perfect for wandering around.

Mexico

Other options for longer trips include taxis and the metro. Taxis are very cheap and safe as long as you book them from the ranks situated every couple of blocks – $100/£5 will get you anywhere in the centre. The Metro is even cheaper – at $4/20p it’s amongst the cheapest in the world – and generally a safe bet. On the downside, it got hot and sticky at peak time (5-6pm and onward) and also had a tendency to make long stops with no announcements as to what’s going on. There are women and children only carriages at the front of every train but I didn’t feel the need to use them. There are also buses and hire bikes, which we didn’t try. I’ll show some of the other areas we visited a bit later on.

Mexico
Mexico
Mexico
Mexico
Mexico
Mexico

Like Ecuador and Panama, there’s colour everywhere, from handpainted signs to ornately tiled buildings.

Mexico
Mexico
Mexico
Mexico

Food is everywhere too, at all hours! Street food shacks and carts on ever corner offering every variety of corn + meat + cheese you can imagine – I’m now well-versed in telling a memelita from a tlayuda. If you were on a budget you could eat street food three times a day for about $50 pesos (£2.50). The pound is pretty strong right now, which made everything seem pretty bargainous to us anyway. We ate a vast variety of amazing food, from 50p street tacos to allegedly the highest-end restaurant in Mexico – I’ll post more about my favourites. We even found veggie restaurants! In fact eating veggie there was really quite easy: a fondness for cheese will definitely help though.

Mexico
Mexico
Mexico
Mexico

Another highlight for me was the volume of markets – my idea of heaven is walking around a fresh produce market; even if I can’t buy the fruit and veg I love to see what’s available and how deliciously vibrant it all looks. Plus of course there’s all manner of stuff we could bring home, like dried chillies, hot sauce, chocolate and crafts… I’ll write some more about specific markets later.

Mexico

Lots more to come soon on what we saw, did and ate!

Comments (10)

  • andrea

    October 28th 2014 at 11:16 pm

    I really enjoyed this post, made me want to go to Mexico even more!

    1. Katie

      November 3rd 2014 at 10:53 am

      Happy to enable some wanderlust!

  • Camille

    October 29th 2014 at 12:17 am

    I enjoyed getting to know more about Mexico City and looking at your photos. You have a great eye for color and patterns.

    http://sillymedley.blogspot.com/

    1. Katie

      November 3rd 2014 at 10:53 am

      Thank you :)

  • Sarah Dobson

    October 29th 2014 at 1:49 pm

    Wow! Sounds like a great trip, especially the food :) Looking forward to the next instalment!

  • lonestarsky

    October 30th 2014 at 7:49 pm

    Ooh, looking forward to reading more about this trip! I’ve always been a bit wary of Mexico but it sounds lovely so far.

    1. Katie

      November 3rd 2014 at 10:53 am

      I was worried about Mexico City but it was hardly more crazy than London! It’s just so BIG you can’t see it all in one go.

  • Nancy

    November 3rd 2014 at 9:59 am

    Such great pictures! It sounds very different from what I imagined about Mexico City, thank you for sharing!

    1. Katie

      November 3rd 2014 at 10:52 am

      It seems a lot of people had a different idea about what it’s like – myself included – glad I can share!

  • Hailey Dancer

    November 3rd 2014 at 10:55 am

    Beautiful photographs! I felt like I could smell and hear the city. So so beautiful.

    xx, Hailey

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Previous post Next post