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My experience in Mexico City traveling alone for a week of business, setting up a graphic design department.
At the airport I was greeted by 12 policemen that put me in the corner and stood around me with their arms linked as men of all kind shouted for me and tried to reach through the police barricade. "Blondie, taxi cab for you!" over and over. They spoke no english and I spoke no Spanish. Finally my driver showed up and spoke with the police who released me to his care. So bizarre. Neither he nor I had any idea that was going to happen. I guess it was for my protection...
My driver had a VW bug and I was placed in the back seat and driven from the airport to the center of Mexico City. As we were flying by, at 90 mph by my guess, again men from the cars in the next lanes tried to touch me through the windows yelling, "Marilyn Monroe, blondie!" Believe me, I am not Marilyn Monroe but I did have very long blonde hair. While this was going on I noticed pre school children standing in between the lanes of the road, highway I guess, selling trinkets out of cardboard boxes and crying, all by themselves.
The traffic was flying and it seemed that each lane went a different direction, at one point I counted 13 lanes. When the traffic backed up my driver drove up on the sidewalk for a block to get ahead of traffic. I was pretty terrified.
I checked into the El Presidente hotel in downtown Mexico City which was a very cool looking original old art deco hotel with a lot of charm, wood paneling and ornate curved built in cupboards and closets. I may have the wrong name because I can't find it on google, or it's been torn down, but it was beautiful. After being escorted to my room facing the inner court the bellboy said, "Please stay in your room tonight and don't open the door to anyone, not staff or anyone. The only reason we had a room open for you is because there was murder last night." Yikes...
After we were sent shopping downtown for supplies and couldn't find a parking spot, my driver saw a policeman standing with his leg on the fire hydrant and said, "Oh good, a parking spot finally!" He told me stay in the car and he went out to talk to the policeman. After the policeman came over to check me out he gestured for us to park there. Sure enough we parked by the fire hydrant and returned hours later with no ticket. I asked the driver how that happened and he said he gave the policeman five dollars, that they would do anything for money. yikes.
The daughter of the person I was working with had just lost her husband to banditos in a highway shooting as he was a traveling preacher to remote villages. Their two year old wandered around saying "Mommy sad, Mommy sad' as her mother sat in the corner. Another lady I was working with had a husband who had just been released from prison for murder. As I looked at her stunned she said, "Oh it wasn't a bad murder, it was just a revenge murder for the man who killed his father, they always are lenient on revenge murderers." Really? I don't know.
Went to the Teotihuacan Pyramids and it was very interesting, I would highly recommend it to anyone. It was sad however to see the drunk donkey that people took turns feeding beer to. On the way back in the dark of the evening I commented on the very pretty lake I saw in the distance. They said it was the open sewer of the squatters at the circumference of the city.
Went to Chapultepec Park in Mexico City and it was splendid. I marveled at the artwork of Diego Rivera’s Murals of Mexico, in the Palacio Nacional. I wish my husband had come with to see this place.
The flight home was very unfortunate but that is another (long) story. I ended up being sick for about a month once home. I guess my constitution wasn't cut out for the food there. All in all I was very young and not prepared for international travel. I wonder what it would be like now. I didn't mean to hijack your thread, just wanted to share. If the mods think this should be a separate thread that's ok with me.
I'm the OP and I didn't mind your experience being interjected here. I did get sick one morning and began taking the Cipro I carry on all international travel. Had to throw up that morning but by afternoon I was better. No sure what happened.
My experience in Mexico City traveling alone for a week of business, setting up a graphic design department.
At the airport I was greeted by 12 policemen that put me in the corner and stood around me with their arms linked as men of all kind shouted for me and tried to reach through the police barricade. "Blondie, taxi cab for you!" over and over. They spoke no english and I spoke no Spanish. Finally my driver showed up and spoke with the police who released me to his care. So bizarre. Neither he nor I had any idea that was going to happen. I guess it was for my protection...
My driver had a VW bug and I was placed in the back seat and driven from the airport to the center of Mexico City. As we were flying by, at 90 mph by my guess, again men from the cars in the next lanes tried to touch me through the windows yelling, "Marilyn Monroe, blondie!" Believe me, I am not Marilyn Monroe but I did have very long blonde hair. While this was going on I noticed pre school children standing in between the lanes of the road, highway I guess, selling trinkets out of cardboard boxes and crying, all by themselves.
The traffic was flying and it seemed that each lane went a different direction, at one point I counted 13 lanes. When the traffic backed up my driver drove up on the sidewalk for a block to get ahead of traffic. I was pretty terrified.
I checked into the El Presidente hotel in downtown Mexico City which was a very cool looking original old art deco hotel with a lot of charm, wood paneling and ornate curved built in cupboards and closets. I may have the wrong name because I can't find it on google, or it's been torn down, but it was beautiful. After being escorted to my room facing the inner court the bellboy said, "Please stay in your room tonight and don't open the door to anyone, not staff or anyone. The only reason we had a room open for you is because there was murder last night." Yikes...
After we were sent shopping downtown for supplies and couldn't find a parking spot, my driver saw a policeman standing with his leg on the fire hydrant and said, "Oh good, a parking spot finally!" He told me stay in the car and he went out to talk to the policeman. After the policeman came over to check me out he gestured for us to park there. Sure enough we parked by the fire hydrant and returned hours later with no ticket. I asked the driver how that happened and he said he gave the policeman five dollars, that they would do anything for money. yikes.
The daughter of the person I was working with had just lost her husband to banditos in a highway shooting as he was a traveling preacher to remote villages. Their two year old wandered around saying "Mommy sad, Mommy sad' as her mother sat in the corner. Another lady I was working with had a husband who had just been released from prison for murder. As I looked at her stunned she said, "Oh it wasn't a bad murder, it was just a revenge murder for the man who killed his father, they always are lenient on revenge murderers." Really? I don't know.
Went to the Teotihuacan Pyramids and it was very interesting, I would highly recommend it to anyone. It was sad however to see the drunk donkey that people took turns feeding beer to. On the way back in the dark of the evening I commented on the very pretty lake I saw in the distance. They said it was the open sewer of the squatters at the circumference of the city.
Went to Chapultepec Park in Mexico City and it was splendid. I marveled at the artwork of Diego Rivera’s Murals of Mexico, in the Palacio Nacional. I wish my husband had come with to see this place.
The flight home was very unfortunate but that is another (long) story. I ended up being sick for about a month once home. I guess my constitution wasn't cut out for the food there. All in all I was very young and not prepared for international travel. I wonder what it would be like now. I didn't mean to hijack your thread, just wanted to share. If the mods think this should be a separate thread that's ok with me.
My experience in Mexico City traveling alone for a week of business, setting up a graphic design department.
At the airport I was greeted by 12 policemen that put me in the corner and stood around me with their arms linked as men of all kind shouted for me and tried to reach through the police barricade. "Blondie, taxi cab for you!" over and over. They spoke no english and I spoke no Spanish. Finally my driver showed up and spoke with the police who released me to his care. So bizarre. Neither he nor I had any idea that was going to happen. I guess it was for my protection...
People trying to sell taxi rides are very common in many countries, but usually you can ignore them. The most aggressive ones will grab your bags. But usually you just say no, and walk to the taxi stand or meet your pre-arranged ride.
Small bribes are a part of life in most of the third world.
Unfortunately, getting very sick from eating something is problematic in Mexico City. The most likely problems are fish or leafy vegetables.
Mexico City kind of blew me away when I went in 2011 because it was significantly different than when I was last there in 2004. Not in terms of new construction, etc., but in terms of civic pride. Now that Mexico City isn't growing like it used to (it's barely growing at all, in fact - the Federal District's population is the same as it was 30 years ago), more attention seems to be going into improving quality of life. And that's a great thing to see.
For the poster above, if you return, don't take the VW bugs taxis. They are not licensed. Check to make sure the taxi has a license (should be written on the top of their car in the format of A-12-345), and that the picture of the driver matches the actual driver. Precautions and all.
Now that Mexico City isn't growing like it used to (it's barely growing at all, in fact - the Federal District's population is the same as it was 30 years ago), more attention seems to be going into improving quality of life.
Well DF is not growing, but the greater metropolitan area is still growing. Population in general is not growing like it used to be with fertility rates cut in half of what they were 30 years ago.
There is still a need to create more opportunities in other cities.
I'm the OP and I didn't mind your experience being interjected here. I did get sick one morning and began taking the Cipro I carry on all international travel. Had to throw up that morning but by afternoon I was better. No sure what happened.
Thanks OP. Glad you didn't get too sick. My doctor didn't give me a thing, and it lasted a month. I must have had a bad doctor.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mexguy
You must start writing fiction books now!
mexguy I can't make this stuff up, I'm not that creative but I wish I was. I'll stick to non fiction, LOL
Quote:
Originally Posted by db108108
For the poster above, if you return, don't take the VW bugs taxis. They are not licensed. Check to make sure the taxi has a license (should be written on the top of their car in the format of A-12-345), and that the picture of the driver matches the actual driver. Precautions and all.
db108108 my driver was assigned from the company I was working for.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PacoMartin
Small bribes are a part of life in most of the third world.
Unfortunately, getting very sick from eating something is problematic in Mexico City. The most likely problems are fish or leafy vegetables.
PacoMartin I think it was the salad I had the last day, I was fine before that.
I guess it's true about the bribes. The thing that unnerved me was the stern look of the policemen back then. They had quite a look; the military hat, aviator sunglasses with mirror finish, big mustache, white ascot tucked into brown shirt with aiguillettes on the shoulders, short sleeved shirts tucked into riding crop pants with knee high shiny black boots, holding a riding crop of sorts tucked under his arm. Very much in charge.
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