Mexico City

I got back from Mexico City just a couple of days ago. 20 mln people, all in one city. One of the most impressive things on this trip was the descent on the plane and seeing an endless concentration of urban activity, spreading over miles of flatland and mountains. I took two side trips, one to Teotihuacan and the other to Acapulco, which allowed me to see the city's outskirts both north and south. Again, the suburbs just would not end and their density did not change into anything resembling suburbia, but remained concentrated right until the last street. The city bustles with activity day and night - it's really like an ocean of people in constant motion. The metro system works remarkably well, though it does get packed at peak times. I heard they use those people-squash pushers like in Japan to fit as many people as possible when the traffic is high. The system is so vast that you can easily spend an hour or two sitting (though more often standing) on the metro.


The diversity of Mexico City's neighborhoods reminds of that of London or NYC, but are still far less commercial and more crowded with side-street stalls and tilted churches. I did not feel threatened at any point and people there were really welcoming and helpful, though not as English-speaking as I expected. We stayed with a Venezuelan/Chilean family, which had moved there about 3 months ago. Great exhibitions, Chilean wine, and delicious food were only some of the highlights of our stay there.


Oh yeah, feel free to check out my Mexico photo album here...