2½ weeks in CDMX

I’m half way through my Mexican adventure. Before I left, I had two very different reactions from folks when I said I was staying in Mexico City; “It’s dangerous, isn’t it?” from people who hadn’t been, and “You’re gonna love it!” from people who had.

The you’re-gonna-love-it people were right, of course - it’s a cracking city, with so much to see and do, but also very warm vibes that make you want to settle in and get to know it better.

Photos are on Flickr.

Gorgeous neighbourhoods

I’m lucky to be living in a lovely neighbourhood called Roma. It was a working class neighbourhood when the houses were built around 80 years ago, then went through decline before an influx of artists moved in and gentrification followed. All the buildings are painted in bright colours, many fading gracefully, with ornate, crumbling frontages and big heavy doors. Kids and dogs and families everywhere. Graffiti is more mural-y than tag-y, although there’s certainly plenty of the latter along with stickers and posters and other urban ephemera.

Community vibes

There’s a Westfield-style mall a 15 minute walk away, but that hasn’t stopped our neighbourhood from having a cornucopia of small shops, bars, bakeries and restaurants, many of which spill onto the street at night. Within literally 25 metres of my co-living spot in a residential area, there’s a bar / brewery, a taqueria, 3 cafes, a barber, a taco stand and a fresh fruit stand. There’s a lovely arthouse cinema just up the street. Music is everywhere, usually brass and strings, often mobile. Just sitting at my desk I’ve enjoyed the sounds of trumpet players, drummers, guitarists and other instruments drifting in through my window.

The food

Yep, I was warned about the food…it is incredible, especially from the little stalls and hole-in-the-wall Taquerias. I’ve found a local place that does 2-for-1 Taco de Pastor (grilled meats) with a range of amazing homemade hot sauces - 4 of those tacos plus a Pepsi and tip comes to MX$60 - that’s A$4.50! The sauces are perfection; tingly, hot and made me very happy. Also cheap and plentiful are the breakfast pastries, aka Pan Duche, which are so fluffy I’m surprised they don’t float away (surely low calorie, right?). Usually about MX$35/A$3 for the premium ones, like the Danish Fresa (Strawberry) at one of the aforementioned cafes (I can actually see these pastries from my room window, very dangerous).

Safety

I’m under no illusion that I’m in a relatively upmarket part of town, but I’ve walked dozens of kms since arriving, many of them at night, and I’ve always felt safe. It helps that I’m male and taking sensible precautions - no obvious signs of wealth, usual scruffy self, avoid dodgy areas, etc. - but still I would do that in any large city. Just one man’s experience, but so far so good.

History

I’ve always loved how in London you get a sense of historical continuity - so much was around well before I got there, and it’ll be there for a long time afterwards. The same applies in Mexico City, but perhaps even more so…I’ll give you just one example. The nearby historical site known as Teotihuacán was the largest city in The Americas, before it fell and was completely overgrown and lost - and then it was found by the Aztecs in around 1325, well before the Spanish even got here. It’s got the 8th biggest pyramid in the world. So yeah, history courses down every street.

Exercise

I love running, and was hoping I could keep up my regime here. The good news is I can - it’s about 3km to Bosque de Chapeltepec, which is kind of like Mexico City’s Central Park. They also shut the main avenue (Reforma) to traffic on Sundays, so I’ve been running there too. The only downsides are the altitude - 2200m, so it’s hard work - and the condition of the pavements. Tree roots have had their way, and Mexico City was built on what used to be a lake, so everything’s sinking - it’s like parkour in places! The car exhausts can be a bit yuk too at times. But it’s defo a net positive.

The prices

Street food is cheap. Local (“Nacional”) beer is cheap. Fresh bread and pastries, cheap. My accomodation is pretty basic, that’s about A$50 a night, but you can easily pay much more. Most everything else is about 80-90% of the price you’d pay in Sydney or London, after tipping. So that gives you an idea.

What’s next?

Our current plan is (for myself and Emily) to move here at some point next year - that’s still on the cards, work is going well. In the 2½ weeks remaining in this trip, I’ve planned a nice weekend down in Oaxaca (2 hours on the plane) to experience a different part of Mexico. I will be drinking Mezcal. ¡Vamos!