My first day in CDMX was with our group and we planned a breakfast and a time to explore a mercado called Mercado de Artisinal. We were staying in the Condesa area near Chapultepec, which seems to be more of a classy part of the city but it is divided by large boulevards with nice trees and paths. My friends and I were headed towards El Centro, where the Artisinal market was. We would stop for breakfast somewhere along the way. After journeying for a little while we stumbled into a very home-like restaurant called Restaurant Meson Del Kajon. This breakfast was a traditional meal of bread(pan) and various topping. I had the huevos & mole and it was a nice hearty breakfast meal!

After the meal we walked through the Artisinal Market. This place is a vast marketplace with small vendors selling everything from pottery, to trinkets and dishes. We split off and each of us explored the mercado. At this point it started raining very hard and I wanted to pick out some house numbers made of ceramic tile. these type of house numbers are famous and are a nice touch to add onto your building. With the rain pouring harder, we decided to leave and head back to our accommodation. At this juncture, I walked back and stopped in a nice panaderia I found along the way back.

We started this day very early because we would be taking a tour to the ancient pyramids near Mexico City. The tour bus would meet us at 6:30AM and we would journey to the pyramids and take a full tour in the morning before the place would get too busy.

As we arrived, the morning sky was dotted with many hot-air balloons. It appears that separate tours are available to take you up to see the pyramids from great heights! As we unloaded and entered the park, we saw the pyramid scene for the first time. These were built over the course of hundreds of years with varying layers and Adonis over the years, displaying a sort of shell of pyramid layers. They were magnificent and the Sun and Moon pyramids dominated the scene. It was fun to imagine thousands of people walking the plazas and living in this space as it was so peaceful to see in the morning. Shortly the crowds arrived and changed the feel of the place. But in a good way, because it gave a bustling and city feel to the area. As we toured these ruins, the guide explained some of the history including the Aztecs finding this ancient civilization seemingly abandoned. Then the Spanish entering and making their print on the place.

After the tour we had lunch at a restaurant on the grounds of the park area with some live mexican Norteno music which made a great scene! After we finished we reached back to CDMX and the rest of the day was open for me. My friends would be having dinner at a chef's tasting, but I opted to free my time and try out a famous al pastor taco place. This place was an automotive garage during the day, and served street tacos at night. The ultimate and unlikely combination that I had to try. It was about an hour walk from our accommodation in Candenza, and I wanted to walk around and see some of the city as well. A nice walk later, I found some of the most delicious al-pastor at the walk-up restaurant called El Visito. It did not disappoint, with flavorful meat and salsas to top the tacos!

I walked back and stopped at a nice mezcaleria called Neicos. This place was one of my highlights. I stumbled into the place and met some incredibly nice and hospitable folks there. What a nice place to become a regular. What appears like a liquor store on the bottom level, a staircase leads you to a middle level mezcal bar, and rooftop on the 3rd level. I would make this mezcaleria a regular stop during my time in CDMX!

The next day my friends and I would explore Mercado Sonora in CDMX. We planned the journey over cafe at a place nextdoor to our accommodation with a very friendly owner. Mercado Sonora isn't the place for everyone. If you are sensitive to animal treatment including tight spaces and cages I would skip this one. We mainly went to this mercado to see some of the new-age and religious items for sale. These include incense, paper masks, and an assortment of bootleg dollar store items. As a cartoon fan, we saw many un-sanctioned Sonic the Hedgehog merchandise that I could not resist. At this market one of my friends experienced our closest shady moment in which she was given change from a vendor containing a counterfeit bill. We only discovered this after she attempted to make a purchase with one of the bills.

After exploring Sonora, we ventured to an adjacent Mercado de la Merced that was more of a household goods and street food market. This place was massive. If you get a thrill of feeling lost in a seemingly endless labyrinth of marketplace vendors in a tight space, this is the place for you! I fall into this category and quickly went into sensory overload with the sheer size of the place. We were on the hunt for Pazole. This is a soup like thing served on only the weekends. It contains bone broth, vegetables and maiz. We searched and searched and eventually found a place called Cocina Frida. Very tasty and flavorful! Afterwards we exited the chaotic market and a friend bought some chicharrones and we headed to the Zocolo area.

Zocolo was the main town square with the church and main city plaza. The architecture is incredible in the region. Here you can clearly see the construction made from volcanic stone for the buildings. We explored some of the buildings, walked the city streets and even visited a mercado with some famous exotic animals and insects.

This day was supposed to by my last for the trip but unfortunately due to a travel agency mishap, the trip got extended. For better or worse I found myself with an extra week in CDMX. This was also partly due to the fact that my pet sitter was still staying in my house so I didn't really have anyplace to go back to just yet. With these additional days left for the trip I planned with a couple other friends who were also staying over a few more days. I ended up losing the majority of this day to logistics and going to and from the airport.

This evening we visited the Garibaldi area, traditionally known for the mariachi. Now many locals consider this area a tourist trap, and we were aware ase we were continually approached by the singers on the street of the plaza. They typically ask to sing you a song and will take payment per cancion. We decided to skip the plaza and go straight to a restaurant that offered legitimate mariachi bands at the table. We ordered ourselves some micheledas and requested a few canciones like Guadalajara for the absolute genuine experience. La authentica musica Mexicana! After this place we went to a few other clubs for their music nights. They had performers doing the traditional rancheras like a Antonio Aguilar and Vincent Fernandez impressions! We sang along that night and it was a real nice, although tourist way to enjoy the night!

The remainder of the week I worked during the dag so not as much time to explore. I found a hostel called Roomies that was a quieter place but I really liked it because it was not a party hostel and felt more laid back there. The lady working there was very nice and she even walked me around the city to see the plaza monument!

I was able to fill this week by visiting the Bosque de Chapultepec, a large castle situated on a hill in the park. This amazing palace was adorned with murals and marble and stone work and very pleasant gardens to walk through. Definitely a must-see in CDMX!

We also visited a few very fascinating speak-easy taverns in the city that offer drinks that are works of art themselves. The showmanship of mixing the drinks was remarkable to watch. Clearly a talent that I never appreciated until seeing it this moment!

I spent the days working and sometimes visiting lunch places before returning to work the afternoon. Of note, I visited a Columbian cafe called Pollos Mario that had delicious pan de bono! I also visited a vegan taco place one day that had killer pineapple and eggplant tacos!

The final tours of the trip were a Tepito tour, though a fierce district that clearly has a way about itself! Here I was able to appreciate the core and soul of this district with a friendly although misunderstood history. The mercado there was massive and they are known for their exotic micheladas topped with gummies, salts and sugar. These drinks were delicious delicacies. I had some of my most delicious street tacos here including some liver tacos tucked away in a stall.

The final day of the trip featured an amazing hike tour up the Nevado de Toluka volcano. This is a mighty way to end my Mexico trip. The trip there was around 3 hours including transfer to collectivo. Once we reached the altitude I was immediately hit by lack of oxygen in the air. Our guide took us slowly up for the starter until we adjusted. We spent the time climbing until reaching a rock scramble. The final leg before the summit featured sheer breathtaking views and some of the most amazing vistas of my trip! After the peak, we descended down a very unstable rock path. The gravel constantly slid out underneath us making it a treacherous trail to keep our footing. It was absolutely as exhausting going down as it was going up! I thoroughly recommend doing this trail if you get the chance. All in all, around 8 hours total and we reached the city after stopping for a nice dinner.

This first trip to Mexico was amazing. Should you go? YES. Skip the tourist spots in Mexico and go straight to the heart of culture and meet the people of the region. I made some lasting connections that I hope to stay in touch with and perhaps plan trips again to see them! This trip broke many impressions we have of MX and I grew a lot during this trip and hope to come back soon. There is so much more than what you hear on the news and until seeing the place for myself, I would have lived in that same fear too. Certainly a trip I won't ever forget!

Link to entire photo album: https://photos.app.goo.gl/YWhSFGKTFCdfd3hz9 And videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Om4eJX381oc&list=PLVXoDcbm8YOw7WKfiBtx8pKDWlLG7p_AV

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