3 days in Mexico City

Mexiko – November 2018

I am lucky that my three-week stay in Guanajuato falls exactly on the Mexican Revolution Day. This means that my classmate Yoko and I have a long weekend. We spontaneously decide (I persuade her) to use it for a trip to Mexico City. The capital is only a 5-hour bus ride away, and we quickly find a cheap hostel. With a rucksack each and a few restaurant recommendations in our luggage, we get into the cab that Yoko’s host mother has called for us in the afternoon after school. The journey to the bus terminal, which is just outside the city, doesn’t take long. As we have already bought our tickets for the Primera Plus bus online, we make our way directly to the departure platform.

Of course, the bus is a little late, but luckily there is a pleasant waiting room. So we sit down on the plastic chairs and wait until our bus is called. So far, I have only traveled on long-distance buses in Europe with small and minimally adjustable seats. When I get on this Mexican bus, I can hardly hide my pleasant surprise. The seats are expansive and reminiscent of movie theater seats. Not only can you recline the backrest far back, but you can also extend a leg rest (believe me, it makes a difference!). In addition, each seat has its own screen on which you can watch movies, just like on an airplane.

After Yoko and I have settled in, we scroll through the movies on offer. Some are even available with English subtitles. This doesn’t help Yoko much, as she only speaks Japanese and some Spanish – but I decide to watch Kung Fu Panda 2 for this reason. By the time the movie is finished, we have already arrived in the suburbs of Mexico City. One of the things you notice is the increasingly heavy traffic. Cars honk their horns and trucks try to cut each other off as we drive further and further into the huge city. Eventually we arrive at the TAPO bus terminal and set off in search of the nearest metro station. There we buy two tickets for 5 pesos each and prepare ourselves mentally for the dangerous undertaking.

We have heard warnings from all sides about how dangerous the capital is and that you should be careful of pickpockets, especially in the metro. Fortunately, the train is quite empty and we can stand a little apart from other people. We carry our backsacks at the front and reach the city center without any problems and with all our belongings. By now it is already dark and we throw further warnings to the wind: we make our way to the hostel on foot. With a slight detour due to our sense of direction, we soon reach the Selina Hostel. We check in, make our beds in the 12-bed dormitory and inspect the awful bathroom.

Finally, our growling tummies drive us out into the warm fall air. We first decide to take a look at the area around the main square. It is teeming with Mexicans and tourists walking along the streets lined with typical souvenir stores. We admire the art museum building and then finally enjoy quesadillas and margaritas on a terrace overlooking the shopping street. Afterwards, we walk through the market in China Town and treat ourselves to rolled ice cream at a street food stall. Back at the hostel, we immediately fall into our bunk beds. The next morning, we are woken up by a number of packing travelers. Due to the state of the bathroom, a cat wash is all we need to start the day.

Kinda freshened up, we discuss the plan for the day. High on our list is Chapultepec Park (Nahuatl for Grasshopper Hill). Among other things, you can visit a castle there that used to be the home of the Mexican president and now houses the historical museum. Architecturally, the estate is a masterpiece and there are lots of families and tourists in the park. We buy snacks and horchata at a stand and then make our way to the Frida Kahlo Museum. There are (unsurprisingly) lots of people waiting outside the blue house. When we are told that the current waiting time is 3 hours, Yoko reacts very calmly in Japanese. My European impatience sets in, however, and I ask myself whether it’s worth it. But as the museum is already one of the most famous sights, we endure the wait.

When we finally pay, we are suddenly told that we are not allowed to take photos inside without additional permission. So, like many other visitors, we make a game out of photographing the coolest works without being discovered. The visit to the blue house takes us a total of 5 hours. We haven’t eaten anything since Chapultepec Park, so the next item on the agenda is clear: dinner at Casa del Toño. The restaurant chain was recommended to Yoko by various Japanese acquaintances. And anyone who knows the Japanese knows that they don’t joke about food. We decide to share two dishes and choose pozole with avocado and sope.

We start the next day with a walk through an unassuming residential area. There we come across a cute retro-style café where we stop for a hearty brunch. Afterwards, Yoko wants to visit an art museum that she has heard about from another friend. The way there leads through another, less developed neighborhood. The building of the Museo Soumaya stands out from the surrounding buildings thanks to its special funnel-shaped design. Inside, a wide spiral staircase leads up to the ceiling. Works from different places and creative periods are exhibited on each floor. We again spend more time in the museum than planned, but thanks to the brunch we are better fortified.

So we set off on another walk to the Angel de la indepencencia, which we have already seen from the terrace of the castle in Chapultepec. On the Avenida de la Reforma there are still colorful skulls on display, which were probably made on the occasion of Dia de los Muertos. To round off the day, we return to the city center and try to get a table in China Town at another restaurant recommended by Yoko. However, it is already fully booked with weekend customers. So we end up in a taco store and treat ourselves to pancakes and ice cream in a café for dessert.

Monday is our last day in Mexico City. We check out early and set off on a day trip to Teotihuacán. Mexico’s most famous ruined city is a little out of town and we just managed to get 2 bus tickets for the 45-minute journey. Once we arrive at the archaeological site, we use the morning hours to climb the largest pyramids, which are dedicated to the moon and the sun. We then take a look at the stone ruins that mark former fortresses, houses and places of worship. Around midday it starts to get really warm and we make our way back to the city. Finally, our bus returns to Guanajuato at 4.00 pm.

On the way, we spontaneously decide to get off a few stops earlier to eat one last time at Casa del Toño. The branch we find this time is quite large and beautifully situated in the courtyard of a colonial-style villa. With the countless families spending the holiday here today, we are lucky. We enjoy a last portion of pozole with avocado and then take a cab to the bus terminal. This time I don’t even try to watch a movie, but fall asleep immediately in the comfortable seat.