A photo essay of a week in Mexico - day 1 - part 1

This is the start of my attempt to chronicle a week spent as a solo traveler in Mexico between August 29 and September 5. Most of these posts will be accompanied by pictures, but not this one, because there are no pictures from this day. First, I'll step back a bit and mention that this was my fourth trip to Mexico since 2005. On this trip I spent a three days in Mexico City, three days in the city of Zacatecas and one day in the city of Guanajuato, not necessarily in that order. Let's start with day one.

I live in Seattle and originally planned to take this trip with my girlfriend. But we were going through some rough times (rough enough that she is my ex-girlfriend) and she decided not to come with me. So I went alone, as I had done on trips to Mexico in 2007 and 2008. So I embarked on the trip with mixed feelings. I was excited to be on vacation, but it was not as I had intended.

I arrived in Mexico City late in the afternoon, where it was raining, and this being the rainy season in Mexico, that wasn't much of a surprise (and also explains why there are no pictures). So I found myself in the spanking new Terminal 2 at the Benito Juarez Airport. I love that terminal and if you like modern architecture you may like it too. All whites and blacks and circles letting in natural light. It's got a bit of Kubrick in it.


My chief problem upon arrival was losing my pen and needing one to fill out the customs form and the swine flu declaration. Fortunately, a kind soul loaned me their pen and after clearing customs I was off to the authorized taxi station. The authorized taxi station is ostensibly where you can hire a taxi for a fixed rate and not worry about getting robbed, or so the tourist books say. And it's always worked out fine. When you're a solo traveler and speak un poquito espanol, taxis are one of the best places to talk to Mexicans. Essentially, you are alone with one other human being for a half and hour and there's not much to do but talk and look out the window. Fortunately, my taxi driver, Andre, spoke about as much English as I do Spanish and we had a wonderful Spanglish conversation in which I talked about my plans and he informed me it was his first day on the job, or second, I can't exactly remember. Anyhow, he was incredibly friendly and helpful. Now you're not supposed to tip authorized taxi drivers, but he deserved one, so I gave him 200 pesos, if I recall correctly, which is a fairly big tip, at least for me. I checked in at my hotel, the Hotel Isabel. The Hotel Isabel is in the Centro Historico of Mexico City. I've stayed there three times now. It's about five blocks from the big plaza in Mexico City, the Zocalo, and only about $20 a night. For $20 you get a big room in a reasonably nice hotel with hot water, a tv and a safe. The safes never work, though, and I can never be bothered to talk to the reception desk about it. After unpacking my things and resting for a while after a long night I set out towards the Zocalo in the rain.