Hi everybody,
We went to Mexico for the first time in October 2018 because I wanted to live the experience of the Day of the Dead and we arranged the trip to finish in the capital just on the days of the celebration. We started the tour in Mérida and passed through Tulum, Bacalar, Xpujil, San Cristóbal de las Casas, Palenque, Tuxtla, Oaxaca, Puebla, Baja California Sur and finally, as I mentioned, Mexico City.
When we told Diego’s mother that we were going to Mexico, the face of tragedy was not normal and the comments like “In Mexico they kill you” started. For those who have not lived in Spain, there in the media all you see is how many people die and how many problems there are in other countries; It’s like the only safe and prosperous country is Spain, and if you leave there, either they kill you or you starve. But hey, I am one of the people who do not stick with what I see on television and try to live my experiences and from what I know of the acquaintances who are in Mexico, it is not how they put it in the media.
I have to say that at no point in the entire trip I felt insecure; on the contrary, I felt very cared for. The Mexican is very friendly and very attentive; they always helped us in everything.
We had a great time during the whole trip until Baja California Sur. We had moments of uncertainty because you got on the bus, and you had to stay in the middle of the road and grab another bus, thinking that we were going to get lost who knows where. But people always helped us, and we arrived safely to all destinations. Tired but safe.
After spending most of the trip happier than Heidi in the prairie, in Baja California Sur we met an Argentine who had been to Mexico City and said, “that he had never felt so insecure in his life” and he told us that not even in Buenos Aires he felt that way. I kept thinking about this and it did not square to me that having been so good throughout the trip, in Mexico City we were going to be scared to death.
We arrived in Mexico City at six in the afternoon and instead of asking for Uber directly, I preferred to ask about the bus or the subway. The same people from the airport told me to take a taxi to the hotel because neither the subway nor the bus were safe. I could not believe it.
In the end, we went by Uber to the hotel and the driver told us that this city was the worst of the worst, that they robbed you on the bus, that they stabbed you in the subway and that the Uber drivers themselves kidnapped you. We arrived at the hotel and around 8pm, we asked at the reception for a place to have dinner and they told us not to walk out, that the subway was not safe and to ask for a taxi. That night we went and returned by taxi, and I was bitter because I did not believe that we were going to have to be in a taxi all the time.
The next day, we left aside the fear that they put on us, and we went directly to the subway and went downtown to start with the zócalo. The first sensation was of normality, it didn’t seem like anyone was going to come to stab us. Then we already use all possible means of public transport; We went to Xochimilco by train and subway, to Mixquic with two buses (which they call trucks in Mexico) and to Teotihuacán by subway and then bus. Mexico City is so big, to go from one place to another you must change transport several times, but everything is super quiet.
It is true that people were looking at us, but I think out of curiosity because we were the only tourists using public transportation, and the truth is that all the people are very nice. The only moment that gave us a bit of fear was when we arrived at Plaza de los Mariachis since there was an avenue full of drugged people; Furthermore, since we knew what had happened in this square in September, we were a bit tense to go there. But well, we walked from the center and from there we walked to the Avenida de la Reforma and nothing happened to us.
I loved Mexico and I enjoyed it to the fullest and I got on all the public transport that I could, and I feel fulfilled that I did not travel with prejudices of any kind. I think we always must be careful in any country and especially if we go as a tourist, but without this robbing us of the beautiful experiences of the trip.
