When visiting a city for the first time, I often make it a point to just walk the streets to see and get a feel of the city. Cities have energies, they usually have a flow, and it is best to get into that flow by walking and becoming one with the city. I did this in Mexico City. I would wake up with a plan to walk to a certain destination, and the destination would really give a sense of direction, otherwise the real adventure is in the walking, the “getting there.” Mexico City is sprawling, and so one could walk forever. So what I did was go to one area and walk around the area. Like many cities, the different areas had their own flow and energy. The pictures I am sharing here are from different parts of Mexico City.
Gael Gracia Bernal once said this about Mexico City: “I’m never going to be able to leave Mexico, really. It would be foolish of me to do it. I would be wasting such a great opportunity that the accident of life, or destiny, gave me, which is to be Mexican. If we would make ‘Lord of the Rings’ analogies, I think Mexico City is Middle-earth. That’s where the fight of humanity is.” Once you visit this mega metropolis you will understand the feelings of Bernal. I understood him the first day I arrived in Mexico City.
On one of my rendezvous around Mexico City, I took one of the regular red bus going down one of the big avenues. This was such a fun thing todo because although the double decker bus feels like a tourist bus, it is actually an everyday bus that people take to and from work. I guessed that because the city is heavily populated those double decker buses make sense for everyday transportation. What was really intriguing about transportation is that the city has a special space for women to sit. This was apparently designed after women complained about being harassed while taking public transport. I did not realise this in the beginning, so I went to go seat in the women only section. I was so embarrassed when I realised from seeing that all the women were seating at the back and then reading the signage in the bus. I quietly stood up and went to the from of the bus where everyone can seat. This is what happens when you travel in a different country, where the rules are different from home. You will make mistakes, and that’s part of learning that your way of life is not the only way, and that we must learn to respect the rules of other places.
Mexico City is a city that moves to its own beat. It contains new and world old’s. Like many old cities around the world it has its fair share of issues like infrastructure problems, overpopulation, and poverty. It is a city filled with good energy, good food, and good people. One day I will come visit this again, and hopefully I can go to other parts of the city I wasn’t able to make it to this time around.