First Impressions of Mexico City

Mexico City, Mexico –

It’s 8:30 pm and the rain, lightning and thunder are in full force. It’s the middle of rainy season and my first night in Mexico city has me stuck indoors. Not that it’s an issue. 5:15 am came early this morning.

My first day of travel and my first day of Mexico City have left many impressions. First, the urban sprawl of Mexico City is unbelievable. As the plane approached the city I could see nothing but buildings spread out to the horizon in all directions. I couldn’t see too far as there was a premature horizon formed from the amount of smog accumulating as the plane made it’s way further into the jungle metropolis. Through the haze the faint shadows of the surrounding mountains were just barely visible.

I made it through immigration and customs quickly with a fresh stamp in my passport giving me 180 days to explore the country. Leaving the airport was stimulation overload. People and cars are are moving in every direction with an abundance of close-call collisions set within a background of brightly painted concrete buildings. The street gridlock is comparable to New York City except Fifth Avenue is now called Insurgentes Avenue and Broadway is Paseo de la Reforma. Stop signs or lights are used only when absolutely necessary and cars weave between and around one another missing each other by mere inches. All the while horns are blaring. The traffic pattens seem to be an exercise in organized chaos so for my time in Mexico City I’ll stick to the subway. What a beautiful thing the subway is here. It will take me anywhere I want to go for 3 pesos (with the current exchange rate that’s about $0.25 U.S.) per ride.

I’ve only walked around the city for about two hours but this city has its fair share of Policia Federal. They’re hard not to notice; driving around with their police lights flashing or standing on street corners with machine guns strapped to their chest. I keep walking by and ignoring them but at some point I will want to inconspicuously snap a photo or two.

When I arrived the weather was perfect – mid 70’s. From what I’m told that’s normal for this time of year. Being 7,200 feet above sea level has its advantages. With it being rainy season it rains just about every evening but the days are clear. I’m curious about the humidity but if today is any indication I wouldn’t expect it to be a problem.

On a packing note: I was able to fit my KSO Treks in my bag last night so the toe shoes will be traveling with me for the foreseeable future. I’m ready to put them to use and get some strange looks.