Travel
We traveled all day to arrive in CDMX/Mexico City last night at 10. We were supposed to have phone coverage and that took some noodling to figure out. We sailed thru immigration. Then we needed to get an UBER driver to take us home. It wasn't clear that we had the UBER account set up for our current bank account. We haven't traveled in a while.
It was a stressful few minutes. We got connected with UBER and began the adventure. The first thing I was surprised by were all the HUGE palm trees at the airport and along the highway.
We found our really nice AirBnB. It's on the 5th floor, quiet, with elevator, beautiful building.
Then we realized there's no food, no water to drink, we need a snack so we looked up places on YELP. We also saw an OXXO convenience store on the way in nearby. So we headed there. There are a few restaurants open nearby but they were closing by the time we were out again.
OXXO front door was closed but they were open to sell thru a little portal in the glass door. It was weird especially since we didn't speak any Spanish.
Next we went to an all night restaurant in the neighborhood. I posted pictures last night. It had loud music and a large crowd inside. It was a blast
We've arrived in Mexico City. It's late. We're in a neighborhood of locals. Great Mexican music. A whole table of business men just left
The Challenge of Altitude
After all the concern we had and the effort to allay our fears and be prepared for the rainy weather, we finally got a bit of rain at 9 at night. I'm glad we're not out in the weather tonight. We had argued about what rain gear to bring. We had learned about temperatures and rain patterns. We realized that the elevation was a big factor. There is less oxygen up here at 7500 feet above sea level. That's part of it. We are dealing with a lot. We're also trying to learn Spanish for our move. We're evaluating different neighborhoods for retirement, getting a feel for how our personal culture will mix with Mexican culture.
We were so happy with our time in Thailand, but at the time there was enormous challenge even in that. We lived in the opposite time zone 12 hours away. Travel was a huge effort - 35 hours for the average trip home. Immigration was perpetually annoying. But it was all worth it because the experience was rich. We met several wonderful people. We did not share a language but we tried to learn. We met people as individuals rather than as a foreigner. We revisited restaurants and became regulars.
We also had the expat community just like we expect to have friends in the expat community in Mexico. We enjoyed excellent food. We enjoyed the natural beauty as we will enjoy some spectacular natural wonders here.
Purpose
So many stories to tell. It may not be interesting to all, but there is so much fun and interest in CDMX that I thot I'd share. We're doing reconnaissance for retirement, practicing our Spanish, enjoying a holiday, etc. I also enjoy photography so I have some interesting ideas in that regard. CDMX has rain this time of year, so the clouds create a good atmosphere for rich photographic colors.
I have a couple of images of street clowns that gives me something to think about. The one with a small child makes me concerned that he is using the child for making money. That kind of manipulation subjects the child to abuse.
The food is incredible
Sun Factor
The sun is intense here even if it is not hot all the time. The temperatures range from a daily high of about 75 degrees Fahrenheit to a low in the mid 50s. The intensity of the sun is strong because of the proximity to the equator. So it's nice to have the constant cloud cover of the threatening rains. We're much closer to the equator, say at the range of Haiti or Puerto Rico, but the 7500 foot elevation tempers that full sun feel. If there is no cloud cover the sun quickly becomes intense.
Respecting the Culture
I was people watching and saw these two young women at a table near me at a restaurant. I guess I was staring and the woman facing me noticed. I got the impression she was telling her friend that I was interested in her. She had this cute expression on her face as we looked at each other. I didn't mean to stare but they were both so beautiful in their own way. I did take a sort of candid picture of them. One of them was darker and more indigenous Spanish heritage. The other was mostly European in features. The combination seems to be a certain aspect of the current world culture blend. I just sat and imagined their young lives. I thot about what they might be thinking and sharing with one another. I was polite and tempered my staring. If I had been more fluent in Spanish I might have engaged them in polite flirting. I realize that because I was polite she was polite. They do have a certain respect for elders here that we don't necessarily have in the US.
Pandemic Pandemonium
For two and a half years I've mostly existed inside my apartment. I'm a social person and my perspective is now very different. I have been afraid and pandemic fear is what drives my isolation. Planning and undertaking this overseas trip has been a challenge. Even as the time of departure approached it was almost unbelievable. I wasn't excited like I used to be. Fear took a lot of that away. I am out of the habit of travel. Travel seemed like just a lot of work. Fear drove me to over plan this trip. We did lots of research on every aspect - with reading blogs and watching YouTubes. Now I've got the chance to regain that enjoyment of the adventure. I want to enjoy the serendipity again. I want to enjoy meeting people and seeing new places and exploring cultures. We have so much planned but I don't want it to be all busy. This is also a special kind of downtime.
I've also learned something about myself in this pandemic. And I've changed. I'm examining what motivates me now. My fundamental perspective has changed. Before I was fearless. My often shared quote was /a little sarcastically/ "what could possibly go wrong?". I would then laugh. Now I'm better at imagining what could go wrong. I worry now like no other time. I really want the old me back. I don't know if that is possible. My core has changed or adapted. I didn't know such a change was possible. I wasn't trying to change.
Travel at this time
the whole Delta baggage thing
We booked tickets a couple months ago for our trip to Mexico City (CDMX). After doing so, I made an effort to plan luggage in case we needed to bring more stuff. I thot about bringing a bicycle and joining a local bike club for a ride. I carry some photography equipment when I travel. I researched on the Delta site and it seemed to say that we could take a couple of pieces of checked baggage on the trip. At some point I began thinking about paying for the extra baggage if necessary and selecting seating. That's when I discovered that Delta had a luggage embargo going into Mexico City for some reason. So I freaked out. Then I read that we might have to pay for our carryon luggage and that may be the only luggage we could take for that week. I knew I could probably do that but Karen? not so much.
Karen went online and did a chat session with Delta about the baggage policy. They said "yes, indeed, there is a baggage embargo and we should try to only use carryon". It is hard to believe. She then went to the local airport to speak to someone in person. They confirmed the same message. There was no indication of what prompted this embargo. They didn't say if it was based on the destination as it might be for some places in the world.
On departure day we went with two big carryons measuring exactly what the airline said we could carry. We went to the counter and were able to check a piece of luggage. It cost $30 each. They didn't say anything about the embargo. I'm feeling gaslit. What exactly is going on? My FB Mexico expat group had never heard of such a thing. I felt gaslit there as well. I have a friend who is a travel agent. She was unaware of what I was talking about. Next step is to get the luggage home. I hope they don't tell us the embargo is back.
Jazz Music Scene
We decided to go to a jazz club last night. My vertigo had been impacting me so far this trip and I was feeling better. Karen found a jazz club and did some research on when they offer live music. They had a reservation system on WhatsApp. That required us to write something in Spanish. It turned out at the time we wanted to go it was free and first come first served. So we got our UBER to take us cross town. The place has an upstairs and a downstairs stage. There was a cover charge for the 6pm show but we were there at 7:15. We paid the cover but they only played two more songs after we arrived. That was the end of their set.
Karen really enjoyed the music. It was a little too abstract for me. I was disappointed to pay a cover for two songs. We went and talked to a couple of the musicians. One of them is from Springfield, VA very near where we live in NWDC. 😆 hilarious. The other guy Karen spoke with and got his contact info. The staff suggested we go downstairs until the 10pm show. Downstairs was free and they had some good music down there. They said the cover we paid would be good for the 10PM show.
The interim free show was really fun. We met another American and swapped stories. He has a place in CDMX and one in LA. He's a writer. We had a great time. Back upstairs later they had a large band with a percussionist and a drummer. No guitarist or pianist! The leader played flute and sax. They had a 5 string bass player. A couple guys played a little on the piano, but very little.
Party Boat Tourist Attaction
8/24/22
We went to the party boats yesterday after visiting the Museo de Soumaya earlier in the day. The taxi ride over there took an hour and cost $12 by UBER. We had done a lot of research on this trip. It looked fun and we were prepared for some of the scams. We finally arrived at the Embarcadero (pier) and there weren't many people. Karen was very suspicious. On the way several guys on the street corners tried to offer us special services. I think the best time for the boats is about 11 or noon. By 3 or so it's winding down. From the announcement board it looked like you could rent a whole boat for MX$500 or do individual trips in a group boat for MX$30 one way or 60 round trip. So, we caught another UBER back.
So, we spent about 2 hours in the UBER that day. The first one the driver was so large and the car so small that I couldn't get my feet in behind him. He was a huge guy. When we thot we were just about there I was about to burst a bladder, so I asked him to pull over. This was the first time since China that I've been charged for using a toilet. They gave me a smidge of toilet paper wrapped up for MX$6. The toilet room actually smelled good. This was in a gas station. This could be a good thing.
The UBER on return was driven by an old man. He took this 6 lane highway that is suspended above the city. There was no traffic. Speed limit was 80kph and he was doing 30. 30! I was comfortable in his cab. Mexico City has very pleasant temps during August. We saw lots of sites as we drove this highway over the city. They have a huge Mexican flag suspended above the city. There were lots of high rise buildings. CDMX is a huge sprawling city. We saw the mountains that encircle the city. We saw what seemed to be lots of abandoned high rise buildings with plants growing all over them. Often luxury high rises here have beautiful plantings on the outside, on the roof on every available ledge. So did these abandoned buildings. I'm interested to know more about these abandoned buildings. I know they have had serious earthquakes, volcanic activity and hurricanes in the area. I wonder if earthquakes damaged all these buildings.
I don't mean to have a bad Altitude, but...
it's worth mentioning the altitude again. 7500 feet of altitude has less oxygen. It took me three days to adjust in the most basic way. I have not had this much trouble in previous high altitude environments, but I wasn't 65 then either. After three days I feel good but now I've got to get back in shape. I don't have a bike to ride so the last day or so I take the stairs up five flights to get exercise. We walk a lot in the city too. After a little bit of exercise I'm pretty winded.
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