Mexico: 6 Days in Mexico City (CDMX) and Around:

Day 1:

On the first day we arrived in Mexico, it was around 3 in the afternoon but we didn’t leave the airport until around 5 because we were arranging a few things. It took us about 45 mins to get from the airport to CDMX and then another 15-20 mins to walk from the bus stop to our AirBNB. We checked in, the guy who owned the AirBNB location also owned a restaurant just below the AirBNB, so we went there to eat. It wasn't that good and neither was the AirBNB. Both a little pricey and unimpressive. After eating a crappy pizza from the guy’s restaurant we went to get tacos at a place that Zeeshan, one of the friends I was travelling with, said was really good and cheap, so we walked over there and had some tacos. They were really good, not like any tacos I've had before, real Mexican tacos. And cheap. About 12 pesos per, or like 90 Canadian cents per taco. We were pretty tired after that so we went back to the AirBNB and slept.

TACOS!

Day 2:

The next day we took a local bus up to Teotihuacan. Really cool place. The history and culture there was cool to see. There were a lot of Mexican locals selling goods, and a lot of school students on trips their as well. It was really sunny and we didn’t pack sunscreen or have any on us so I decided to wear pants and a sweater that day, surprisingly not too hot. We walked pretty much for 6 hours that day including up and down massive pyramid stairs so we were pretty tired by the end of all that. Also we were still adjusting to the 2000+ m altitude difference from Toronto. There was so much to see there I don’t remember what everything was called but the most notable monuments we saw and climbed were the pyramid of the sun and the pyramid of the moon.

Teotihuacan - VIDEO

Temple of the Sun

Temple of the Moon

After we made our way back to CDMX and we went back to the same taco place as yesterday to eat. We were pretty tired from all the hiking so we went back to the AirBNB to rest a little. After that we met up with Sergio, a Mexican friend of Zeeshan's, who brought his friend along as well to meet us. He showed us some really cool parts of Mexico City that evening. He brought us to a pedestrian street with a lot of stores and nightlife, down to “Zócalo” the main square which was next to a cathedral, and down to an area where locals were performing an ancient "rain dance" as a tribute to the rain god just like they used to perform in the past for lots of rain during the rainy season.

Popular pedestrian street

Zócalo: the Main Square

Zócalo: the Main Square, Cathedral Beside

Rain Dance from Locals - VIDEO

After that we had some drinks at a nice rooftop bar and we arranged to meet the next day again for a more lively night. Then we headed back to our AirBNB to rest for the day.

Day 3:

The next day we checked out of our AirBNB and moved over to a hostel in La Condesa close to a Chapultepec Park. We went over to Chapultepec Park to explore it to a get feel of what we want to see in the next few days. The park is filed with a bunch of museums and art galleries and other attractions.

Chapultepec Park

The park was vibrant and massive. Comparable to grand Central Park in New York. We spent hours exploring the park and only managed to cover a fraction of it. After that we headed back to the hostel to rest up before meeting with Sergio and his friends for a night out. That night we went to a popular street close to the historic district and to a local Karaoke bar. After a couple beers, we were loose enough to get up on stage and sing a few songs. That was a fun night. Mexicans know how to have a good time.

Night out!

Day 4:

The next day we headed over to the anthropology museum in Chapultepec Park. The museum was HUGE. Two floors and 22 exhibits (If I remember correctly). So big that we had to selectively pick which sections we wanted to see on the first floor (we completely skipped the second floor).

Museum of Anthropology - VIDEO

We spent about 5 hours there and got through maybe 6 exhibits on the first floor! Really interesting stuff and cool exhibits. I'll have to go back several more times in the future to see it all.

Aztec Calendar Stone

An outdoor exhibit, Mayan?

After that we couldn’t see any more museums because they were all closed so we headed back to the hostel to rest up. That night we met up with Sergio and a few of his friends again at Plaza Garibaldi where hundreds of mariachi bands congregate. We sat at an outdoor restaurant/bar where we had some drinks and had mariachi bands play music for us. That was a good time.

Mariachi band by our table - VIDEO

Day 5:

The next day was Sunday. On Sundays from morning into the afternoon, the main streets are closed for cyclist, pedestrians and other fun stuff to happen. On top of that bike rentals are free! So we rented some bikes and biked around the city.

Renting Bikes in Mexico City

After that we checked out the "Museo de la Revoluciona" where we learned more about Mexico's war history and we went up the monument to get a great view of the CDMX historic district.

View from Museo de la Revoluciona 1

View from Museo de la Revoluciona 2

After that we checked into a different hostel, this one close to the historic district again. That evening we rested early because the next day we were going to Toluca National Park to climb/hike a volcano.

Day 6:

The next morning at 6 am we were up and out of the hostel. We grabbed some breakfast at a restaurant nearby, it kind of sucked because it was a tiny portion and the food I ordered didn’t smell fresh. After that we hopped on the metro to a bus station where we were able to catch a bus up to Toluca. From Toluca station we caught an Uber up to the base camp of the volcano. And from there we had to catch a ride from one of the locals at the base camp up the mountain. We negotiated with one of the locals to take us up the mountain. Originally our plan was to hike up but it was 13 km of dirt road to hike at 4000m + altitude. We didn’t have the time nor were we acclimatized, so we went with his rate of 300 pesos up and 200 down to the village we passed on the way to base camp. The car he drove us in was a literal piece of trash. Probably a 90’s Nissan or something. The paint was rusted off, the Side view mirrors were non- existent and the inside of the car was a dump. However the ride up was still enjoyable. Bumpy but beautiful.

Ride up Toluca Volcano

The top of the mountain was cool and a little windy. Immediately we felt the altitude on our bodies. Shortness of breath and light headedness. Despite the altitude we hustled up the volcano to see one of the main attractions in Toluca, the two lakes on the volcano.

Two lakes on the top of a volcano

The hike up was tough but worth it. At the lakes we met 3 other travelers, A Canadian girl and two Mexicans. We talked about our travels and we talked about getting up the mountain. One of the Mexicans thought we got scammed by our local driver, so he offered to give us a ride back down to the village for free. We explored the rest of the mountain with them.

The first lake explored with our new travel buddies

The second lake

Towards the end of the hike, the altitude was really getting to us. The last part of the hike back up from the lakes was one of the toughest hikes I’ve ever done. We made it back to the lot where we ditched our driver and joined our 3 new friends on the way down the mountain. The ride down felt even bumpier on the way up. That combined with the altitude made me feel car sick. After about 2 hours we made it back to the village. It started to rain so we called a taxi with help from one of the locals to the bus station. We made our way back to CDMX and checked into our last AirBNB and stay place in Mexico. We had Sergio and a few of his (and our new) friends over to cap off the trip.

Recap:

Mexico City is vibrant and full of culture. For all the trip I felt safe despite all the negative news that’s dumped on the city. Transportation was also pleasant, with 5 peso (0.35 CAD) subway and buses and 5 dollar 30 minute taxi rides you can’t go wrong. On top of that delicious and cheap meals.

Although I didn’t speak the language, in general I found most Mexican people to be pleasant. They were nice, polite and accommodating. Mexico City was awesome and I will definitely be going back in the future (probably multiple times) to do more exploring.

Last night in Mexico, on our way in the middle of the night to get some Tacos