Mexico City at a Glance

Mexico City is a pleasant assault on the senses of its visitor. The unique sights & sounds, tastes & smells can overwhelm you, and at the same time make you feel at home. As we drove around the city, I was surprised by how much I was reminded of Madrid in some places, and of Manila in others. It also has to be the most colorful city I've ever had the pleasure of visiting.

a Mexican Starbucks, isn't it so cute?!

This is a city of extremes. Which is expected from a country that is a product of a collision of two cultures that occurred when the Spaniards conquered the Aztecs in the 16th century. As time passed, the ancient civilizations of Mexico fused with the European culture of Spain. However, the local people’s struggle to regain its own identity is still evident to this day.

Boy, Mexico City is HUGE! It is home to 8,700,000 people and is currently the world’s third largest metropolis (after Tokyo and New York city). There are over 350 neighborhoods, most of which are overcrowded which inevitably leads to somewhat impoverished living conditions in most areas.

It is also the highest city in North America, with an altitude of over 2,200 meters above sea level. For this reason, many of us had difficulty breathing. I found myself almost gasping for air sometimes. This kinda freaked me out at first until I found I wasn’t alone and was told it had to do with the air being so thin and polluted.

So here I was in Mexico, I couldn’t believe it! I shared a room in the Camino Real hotel in Mariano Escobedo with my friend Katia, the bride-to-be. I was very impressed with this ultra-modern sprawling hotel that sits on 7 1/2 acres of land, and boasts of some of the best restaurants and bars in the city, as well as large rooms and excellent facilities. The hotel was massive, over 700 rooms in just 4 floors.

Businessmen taking an ice-cream break

So first order of the day was to grab some breakfast with Katia for some catch-up time, before going for her trial hair and make-up. We talked excitedly about the days to come; the plans for the wedding and the travel itinerary for the wedding party. Of the wedding party on her side I was the first to arrive, followed by about 15 other guests who flew in from the Philippines, Canada and England.

Each of us had a basket of typical Mexican dulces (candies) waiting for us in our hotel room, which was a thoughtful present from the groom’s mom. I dove into it like a mad woman, but not before I took this picture! I sampled all of them and picked my favorites, there were tamarind balls covered in sugar similar to our sampaloc, peanut balls (like a less-sweet version of choc-nut), polvoron, what looked and tasted like pastillas de leche (milk candy), and an assortment of nut & sugar clusters, marzipan, chocolate and dried fruit. What a treat! :)


Up next: Museum of Anthropology