Here is a quick run-down of events from the last few days:
Tuesday, Day 4: We went to the dentist, and the Doc saw me. It was a good thing he did, because it turned out that I had three cavities, two of which were big ones-- so I got those taken care of. And for the first time in my life, I experienced dental drilling sans novocain. Of course, the doc told me to raise my hand if I experienced any pain, and I did, so he gave me novocain to finish the job. Since he worked on three teeth, it obviously meant that I got three novocain shots that left me sounding like someone with a gigantic speech impediment. As soon as we left the dentist's office, we began our journey to Mexico City, something I'd been looking forward to since I found out that I would be going to Mexico. We made it to Mexico City in the early evening, around 8:30 PM, and I fell in love with it even more than I already had the last time I was there. We sat through heavy, stop and go traffic, but found the Tulip Inn Ritz fairly easily. We even got the same room my Dad and I stayed in last time!
Wednesday, Day 4: We had breakfast at a cute little cafe right across the street from our hotel. We had eggs and a plate of fruit. Coffee in Mexico is interesting. There is Cafe con leche, which is really milk with a tiny bit of coffee served in a glass... that's right, a glass. Then there's regular cafe Americano. And then there's actual Mexican coffee, which I must say is not my favorite, as it is overly sweet and has a different flavor I can't put my finger on.
After breakfast, we were disappointed to find tents covering the Zocalo square for a book fair/festival, eliminating our chances of seeing what we saw last time we were in Mexico City. There were no Aztec priests, or people selling their handicrafts or children flying kites in the square. Just white tents upon white tents filled with books in Spanish. We didn't spend much time in the Zocalo and headed straight to where one catches the double-decker tour bus for Mexico City. While waiting for the bus, we met a music group of two girls and one boy from Chile. They apparently had won some MTV music award and were in Mexico City to receive it that evening. I don't know who they are, but we did take a picture with them. I will do some research when I get back to Denver about them and see who they are, but in the meantime, the pic is below.
Also while waiting for the tourist bus to arrive, we saw this dog sleeping in the sun. At first, we were worried and thought he might be sick, but a woman working for the tour bus company assured us that he was fine, and that it was a habit of his to sleep in the sun and not in the shade. We watched him while we waited, and sure enough, he started rolling around on his back and then got up and left. He was so awfully cute!
We enjoyed a tour around Mexico City and I was a very happy camper. People were waving at the tour bus, and made everyone feel welcome in the gorgeous city... I love this city so much, I could never express it fully, but I digress. We stopped in Condessa, a bohemian type of neighborhood with restaurants and shops my Dad and I had lunch in last time we went on the same bus tour. We had lunch at the same restaurant my Dad and I ate at in Condessa last time, called La Morena, an oyster bar that serves a killer dish of fish among other delicious dishes on the menu. It was pretty cool, because the host remembered me and my Dad from last time and even remembered what we'd ordered! After we were done eating, we caught the tour bus again and went back to the area close to our hotel and walked around. We went into Sears, which is in a ten-story building! Nine stories of the building is occupied by departments customers can shop at! There is even a cafe on the eighth floor where you can sit outside and overlook Mexico City in all its grandeur and beauty. The merchandise was different, the prices were different and the feel was different. It was a Mexican style Sears and it was spectacular!
After that, Dad went to the hotel and my sister and I walked around the city streets, looking at the merchandise being sold by street vendors. Anything you can think of is sold on Mexico City's streets. You can even find porno videos for sale there! After we had our fill of shopping the street vendors and the many trendy clothing shops along Madero, the street our hotel is on, we went to the same cafe we had breakfast at and had some fruit and coffee. It was a fun day, and we went back to the hotel and pretty much dropped dead to sleep.
Today, Thursday, Day 5: The last morning in Mexico City :( I was very upset that we had to go back to Guadalajara today, but we made the most of our morning by taking a taxi to the poshest neighborhood in Mexico City. Plaza Masarik is an area of the city where luxurious boutiques can be found. Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Roberto Cavalli, Chanel... all of these and more can be found in Plaza Masarik. We walked along the area and then had our first experience using the bus system in Mexico City. Buses in Mexico City come in different shapes and sizes, and the system we used was the one featuring the smaller, microbuses. It was fun to experience something residents of the city experience in their everyday lives. We took the bus and went to Liverpool, a department store reminiscent of Macy's, then we took another bus to Chapultepec, where we walked around, took a few pics and bought a few things from the street vendors. We got a special treat, as we saw about three formations of running Mexican military soldiers, running and chanting their manly military deals along the Chapultepec area. It was muy caliente! ;) After that, we went back to the hotel to check out and leave the beautiful city of Mexico. I was protesting the parting up until the last minute when no traces of the city could be seen. It must've been the day for the Mexican military, because we saw a few cars on the way to Guadalajara filled with armed soldiers in uniform.
Back in Guadalajara, we had dinner and went back to the El Tapatio Hotel. I am very tired and very ready to go to sleep. It's nice to have internet connection, especially in the room. We only have until Sunday to complete this Mexican adventure, and I intend to make the most of it.
In the meantime, hasta luego amigos!
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